Anyone Who Transferd from Florida Coastal Forum

[Hampton15]

No, I would not have dropped out had I not been able to transfer. I knew that regardless I was going to work hard and put myself in the best possible position after my first year of school. I have always wanted to be a lawyer and knew that if transferring did not work out, I would just have to work that much harder to gain the level of employment I am seeking, but I never once thought that "all hope was lost" if I ended up staying at Florida Coastal. Many students are able to start very successful careers coming from Florida Coastal. However, this is not to say it isn't an uphill battle, but if you are not looking to work hard, I would suggest choosing a different line of schooling, because law school in general is hard work.

[dresden doll]

No, I would not have dropped out had I not been able to transfer. I knew that regardless I was going to work hard and put myself in the best possible position after my first year of school. I have always wanted to be a lawyer and knew that if transferring did not work out, I would just have to work that much harder to gain the level of employment I am seeking, but I never once thought that "all hope was lost" if I ended up staying at Florida Coastal. Many students are able to start very successful careers coming from Florida Coastal. However, this is not to say it isn't an uphill battle, but if you are not looking to work hard, I would suggest choosing a different line of schooling, because law school in general is hard work.

I'd love to know how expansive the definition of many is in this context.

Kudos to you for transferring but your story is pretty uncommon and those attempting to emulate your example highly likely to wind up sorely disappointed.

[Grizz]

No, I would not have dropped out had I not been able to transfer. I knew that regardless I was going to work hard and put myself in the best possible position after my first year of school. I have always wanted to be a lawyer and knew that if transferring did not work out, I would just have to work that much harder to gain the level of employment I am seeking, but I never once thought that "all hope was lost" if I ended up staying at Florida Coastal. Many students are able to start very successful careers coming from Florida Coastal. However, this is not to say it isn't an uphill battle, but if you are not looking to work hard, I would suggest choosing a different line of schooling, because law school in general is hard work.

I'd love to know how expansive the definition of many is in this context.

Kudos to you for transferring but your story is pretty uncommon and those attempting to emulate your example highly likely to wind up sorely disappointed.

I'd also like to know the definition of "successful."

[dresden doll]

No, I would not have dropped out had I not been able to transfer. I knew that regardless I was going to work hard and put myself in the best possible position after my first year of school. I have always wanted to be a lawyer and knew that if transferring did not work out, I would just have to work that much harder to gain the level of employment I am seeking, but I never once thought that "all hope was lost" if I ended up staying at Florida Coastal. Many students are able to start very successful careers coming from Florida Coastal. However, this is not to say it isn't an uphill battle, but if you are not looking to work hard, I would suggest choosing a different line of schooling, because law school in general is hard work.

I'd love to know how expansive the definition of many is in this context.

Kudos to you for transferring but your story is pretty uncommon and those attempting to emulate your example highly likely to wind up sorely disappointed.

I'd also like to know the definition of "successful."

Credited.

[navshark80]

I am transferring from FCSL right now. I thought it was a fantastic school. Great professors and technology. I was accepted at GW and Univeristy of Md so both of those were a nice jump. I did very well and worked hard. The school has one of the top Moot Court teams in the country and it is working hard to build its reputation.

If it was so fantastic, why transfer?

My husband was transferred to Baltimore. BTW why so much animosity towards a lower school? I find these blogs extremely negative.

[jaxangler]

I am transferring from FCSL right now. I thought it was a fantastic school. Great professors and technology. I was accepted at GW and Univeristy of Md so both of those were a nice jump. I did very well and worked hard. The school has one of the top Moot Court teams in the country and it is working hard to build its reputation.

If it was so fantastic, why transfer?

My husband was transferred to Baltimore. BTW why so much animosity towards a lower school? I find these blogs extremely negative.

The site is called TOP law schools. I don't think people have animosity towards lower ranked schools, I believe they are trying to give people a realistic view of the opportunities they will be afforded with a degree from a school such as Florida Coastal. The legal market is over saturated as is, and firms aren't exactly clamoring for Florida Coastal grads. That, as well as the ridiculous cost of tuition, makes Florida Coastal a poor investment of which the aforementioned posters are trying to warn the OP about.

[Grizz]

I am transferring from FCSL right now. I thought it was a fantastic school. Great professors and technology. I was accepted at GW and Univeristy of Md so both of those were a nice jump. I did very well and worked hard. The school has one of the top Moot Court teams in the country and it is working hard to build its reputation.

If it was so fantastic, why transfer?

My husband was transferred to Baltimore. BTW why so much animosity towards a lower school? I find these blogs extremely negative.

The site is called TOP law schools. I don't think people have animosity towards lower ranked schools, I believe they are trying to give people a realistic view of the opportunities they will be afforded with a degree from a school such as Florida Coastal. The legal market is over saturated as is, and firms aren't exactly clamoring for Florida Coastal grads. That, as well as the ridiculous cost of tuition, makes Florida Coastal a poor investment of which the aforementioned posters are trying to warn the OP about.

Replace poor investment with "swindle" and you're good.

[navshark80]

I think anyone truly interested in law school should attend any school. I guess it is ok to pay 2 times as much to attend a "top" law school that gives no scholarships. If anyone is interested in Coastal don't fret you will be able to get a job. Also the school gives great scholarships. And all these folks who spend their days scoping out law school blogs just to bash schools they don't attend should probably spending time focusing on more important things.

[Grizz]

I think anyone truly interested in law school should attend any school. I guess it is ok to pay 2 times as much to attend a "top" law school that gives no scholarships. If anyone is interested in Coastal don't fret you will be able to get a job. Also the school gives great scholarships. And all these folks who spend their days scoping out law school blogs just to bash schools they don't attend should probably spending time focusing on more important things.

[jaxangler]

I think anyone truly interested in law school should attend any school. I guess it is ok to pay 2 times as much to attend a "top" law school that gives no scholarships. If anyone is interested in Coastal don't fret you will be able to get a job. Also the school gives great scholarships. And all these folks who spend their days scoping out law school blogs just to bash schools they don't attend should probably spending time focusing on more important things.

You seem ill informed considering approximately 1/3rd of each class from Florida Coastal doesn't end up graduating, and the fact that Coastal's scholarships tend to come with stringent stipulations which don't allow many of their students to keep them. The place is a for profit scam that has no business charging over $30,000 per year when it's students are not getting job's that allow them to repay their debt. Also, top law schools do give scholarships to qualified students. But hey, I guess it's kindergarten and everyone who wants to be a doctor or lawyer deserves a shot.

[megaTTTron]

this thread was a ticking time bomb.

[flhealth]

i have worked with FLoCo grads in the past and they are EASILY the most ill-prepared colleagues I have encountered...pretty easy to spot...i had a hiring partner tell me that they wont hire FloCo grads because their decision making skills are suspect because of their decison to go to FloCo in the first place...his words, not mine

[drwho97]

FLhealth,

I have worked with man attorneys from UM, Harvard, UF, FSU, etc and they are just as incompetent as attorneys from unknown schools. I am not defending Florida Coastal, but to make the assumption that just because you come from a particular school is very ignorant. I do not know how long you have been working in the legal profession, but if you really have been working in the legal profession then you would know that after a while a degree means nothing.

[Grizz]

FLhealth,

I have worked with man attorneys from UM, Harvard, UF, FSU, etc and they are just as incompetent as attorneys from unknown schools. I am not defending Florida Coastal, but to make the assumption that just because you come from a particular school is very ignorant. I do not know how long you have been working in the legal profession, but if you really have been working in the legal profession then you would know that after a while a degree means nothing.

The difference is that the grads from the aforementioned schools are not presumed to be incompetent from the get-go. Much different situation.

[thexfactor]

funny lol

i have worked with FLoCo grads in the past and they are EASILY the most ill-prepared colleagues I have encountered...pretty easy to spot...i had a hiring partner tell me that they wont hire FloCo grads because their decision making skills are suspect because of their decison to go to FloCo in the first place...his words, not mine

[drwho97]

Rad law,

I understand what you are saying and I agree. The thing is that after a couple of years the fact that someone went to UF, UM, Harvard, Yale, etc will not really help you keep a position of advance. I understand that individuals with degrees from prestigious law schools get the jobs at the big law firms. The reality is that a prestigious degree will help you get in and stay in, but not advance. The big firms are about billable hours and burning through files.

[Grizz]

Rad law,

I understand what you are saying and I agree. The thing is that after a couple of years the fact that someone went to UF, UM, Harvard, Yale, etc will not really help you keep a position of advance. I understand that individuals with degrees from prestigious law schools get the jobs at the big law firms. The reality is that a prestigious degree will help you get in and stay in, but not advance. The big firms are about billable hours and burning through files.

Doesn't matter as a Coastal grad when you can barely get your foot in the door, period.

[seespotrun]

ITT: drwho97 only wants to hear success stories so that he/she can justify his/her decision to go to FloCo

[drwho97]

Rad law,

You are 100% right. There are still small to mid size firms that hire individuals from unknown schools. I understand that the pay will be below the median, but it still in an opportunity and a chance to build your reputation which is the most important commodity that an attorney has. I do not know if you have worked or work in the legal profession, but there are a lot of terrible attorneys that get just as much business as great ones.

[drwho97]

seespotrun,

Not at all, I do not need anyone to justify my decision. I just want to communicate with individuals who have been able to transfer in order for me to see what they did in order to do it. I will still stay at Florida Coastal and graduate there if I am unsuccessful in transferring. I understand what I am getting myself into and understand the uphill battle. I have just been fortunate enough to have worked in the legal profession for “x” years and meeting a lot of attorneys, judges, judicial assistants, etc and have a very strong network of people.

[Grizz]

Rad law,

You are 100% right. There are still small to mid size firms that hire individuals from unknown schools. I understand that the pay will be below the median, but it still in an opportunity and a chance to build your reputation which is the most important commodity that an attorney has. I do not know if you have worked or work in the legal profession, but there are a lot of terrible attorneys that get just as much business as great ones.

3 summers as a legal assistant/paralegal.

I pray you've got a fat scholarship.

[Jay]

To the OP,

This is my first post on this board so bear with me. I may have a unique perspective on the transfer process but I would like to offer you my experience. I did not attend FCSOL so I am not qualified to speak on the prospects of coming out of that school. I attended a 3rd Tier school, one I find to be largely under-rated. It is a wonderful school, great faculty and class sizes as well as fantastic comraderie among the students. However life outside the law school was absymal. Small rural town with absolutely nothing to do. And being a minority I definitely could not find ppl with whom I could relate to and zero opportunity to network with attorney's of color since there are practically none in this particular state. So naturally I felt extremely isolated and depressed. So, I would not have minded at all to finish my law degree at this school but I needed a place where I could functionally live and feel comfortable. I need diversity as well as the opportunity to be able to study different areas of law that this school was simply lacking due to their heavy environmental focus. So during my first semester I geared my focus towards the intentions of transferring. Now I will be attending a T100 school next month that definitely will allow me to have more opportunities to explore more areas of law. And here's the kicker...I was not in the top 20%.

If you go into a law school with the motivation and the drive to transfer, it will serve you well. You need focus! Overcoming the odds is exactly what is lacking on these boards..showing posters that everything they presume is not always so. And before I get the, "well you are an exceptional case, or Affirmative Action BS (which is no longer used by the way)," I will offer other posters this, you have not set foot at some of these schools you are bashing. I hate when I hear ppl who feel justified to speak about another school but has not taken 1 class there to understand the academic climate. Or they make assumptions about the OP and his/her ability to do well and be apart of the top of the class. You see, half of these posters who are telling you the odds of transferring do have a point, transferring is a gamble. But at the same time, these posters are not speaking from personal experience. Rather they take what they have learned from other message boards or from experiences of ppl they know (Have you noticed that NONE of them one's discouraging you said, "I've tried it and it did not work out for me and here is why") or they make it up because they do not know any better. So yes your odds for transferring are low but hundreds of students do it every year...your attitude towards 1L determines your altitude.

So here is my point, whether your goal is to transfer up, or transfer horizontally (say there's a regional school you want to attend that has your desired program and location, but although it's not in the top tier, it has a great reputation regionally) it is definitely possible. There are a significant number of ppl that transfer out of FCSOL (--LinkRemoved--). All I am saying is there is no magic formula for a successful transfer application. But here's what I believed help me:
1) Meet with your professors weekly. I always spent time 1 a week with all my professors to make sure I fully understood the legal concepts for that week. I also asked for sample exam questions, practiced them, and reviewed them w/ my profs. You not only getting one-on-one instruction which is tailored to your academic needs, but makes it very easy to get LORs. (Also request LOR in Feburary and give them ample time to write them...the quality of the recommendation may be much better than if you asked your prof in April, May, and June when they are focused on exams.)
2) I'm not gonna tell you to brief and outline..I developed my own system. So make sure you stay true to the way you learn best.
3) Do your best. Yeah..I sound like a mother right? But do the best you can...if that means it places you in the middle of the class don't get discouraged. Law school is hard especially when dealing with the curve. I did not let my class rank prevent me from sending out transfer apps. And please don't believe the hype...if you are w/i the top half of your class you will be successful transferring out (speaking from both my experience as well as from friends at differ law schools) meaning you will get in somewhere (whether its up in rankings or within the same tier). But if you are aiming for like T20 schools..you know you may have to break a rank much higher than 50% but again..you never know. Plus most schools post on their website what rank you have to be before your app gets consideration.
4) Personal statement..make sure it is genuine and tailor it to the school. Transfer PS are much more particular than the one's you wrote to get in law school, be very specific about WHY you are interested in what that school has to offer verses what you received at FC. And give yourself time to write it. I wrote mine during christmas break.
5) Get your apps out as soon as your complete your finals. I applied early (late may) and received my decision in the 1st week of june.

So I hope I was able to offer you some insight into the possibilities of transferring from a lower tier school.

[arstech]

I always spent time [once] a week with all my professors to make sure I fully understood the legal concepts for that week. I also asked for sample exam questions, practiced them, and reviewed them w/ my profs.

Incidentally: not a good strategy at T14 schools.

[Jay]

Well since the OP was talking about coming from a tier 4 that's the perspective I am giving advice. But even if someone who is trying to transfer from a T14, I always live by this caveat: never cancel yourself out from an opportunity (don't tell yourself No), you try for it and let them tell you "No". I will tell you not all professors may be able to meet with you weekly, my civil procedure prof is a prime example. He could not meet with me weekly because he was extremely busy teaching civ pro, conlaw, and conflicts of laws at both my school and another law school close by. But what he DID was set ms up with a tutor, a 2L that did well in his class. So if your prof does not have the time to meet with you, all does not necessarily end there...they may still work something of for you.

[Machine Spirit]

3 summers as a legal assistant/paralegal.

Wait, let me guess, you organized case briefs, wrote pleadings indices, and maybe took depo notes. *slow clap*

No real reason to keep beating up on the guy/girl, don't really understand where the animosity is stemming from.

And before I get the, "well you are an exceptional case, or Affirmative Action BS (which is no longer used by the way)"

HeheheheHAHAHAHAHAHAcoughHAHAHAHAHA. Sure buddy.