UF does have vast alumni base and is a very prestigous law school, I'm envious of those who were admitted

FeelTheHeat wrote:Gotcha, bit of a misinterpretation there.
ChiCubs14 wrote:FeelTheHeat wrote:Gotcha, bit of a misinterpretation there.
Heat,
I am sorta surprised by your decision to attend UF over FSU...you seemed set on FSU for the last couple of weeks...
Could you explain more about your decision (not trying to find fault; just genuinely interested.)
LSATmakesMeNeurotic wrote:ChiCubs14 wrote:FeelTheHeat wrote:Gotcha, bit of a misinterpretation there.
Heat,
I am sorta surprised by your decision to attend UF over FSU...you seemed set on FSU for the last couple of weeks...
Could you explain more about your decision (not trying to find fault; just genuinely interested.)
+1
leidice wrote:LSATmakesMeNeurotic wrote:ChiCubs14 wrote:FeelTheHeat wrote:Gotcha, bit of a misinterpretation there.
Heat,
I am sorta surprised by your decision to attend UF over FSU...you seemed set on FSU for the last couple of weeks...
Could you explain more about your decision (not trying to find fault; just genuinely interested.)
+1
haha. looking for an ego boost?
FeelTheHeat wrote:Mmmmmm Stir Crazy.....
FeelTheHeat wrote:I'll be more than happy to.First and foremost, south Florida is my number one market. My entire family lives there, along with my girlfriend of nearly 3 years who I care about deeply. I want to be sure that I am giving myself the best opportunity to find employment there. UF does that better than any school in Florida.
The extra two hours driving from Tallahassee are considerable. I was drained by the time I got to FSU for ASD; UF felt drastically shorter as it was no different than visiting my grandparents, who live close to it (just a bit south) and where I often visit.
I loved the campus. As someone who has grown up spending most of my life in the city (both my parents work downtown), it was a bit of a culture shock. But it feels conducive to learning. The law building is in a perfect place on campus, just far enough to be removed from the UG nonsense but close enough that I could go on a bit of an adventure with no problem (the buses give me a bit of a problem, Neurotic knows about that lol)
Going back to what I mentioned earlier, its reputation in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, and for just about all of Florida, is unparallelled. In terms of lay prestige, it is seen as on par with Duke and other legit schools. This is based largely on anecdotal evidence, but I talked to just about everyone I could and generally got the same response. While the rankings matter (though far less than I used to think they do) and reputation within the law establishment is important, Florida is not a biglaw state. The perception of clients is an important one, especially given that so many are unfamiliar with the hierarchy of law rankings. This is important in case my ultimate goal, which is to work for the SAO, doesn't pan out.
I can justify the extra 20,000 with the decrease in COL in Gainesville compared to Tally (its not substantial, but relevant) and IBR. I have a lot of connections to the public sector, and fully intend to pursue them for my career.
Lastly, and this is difficult to quantify, but there is a satisfaction in attending the best school in the state. I suppose it attracts a certain type of people, and that is not necessarily a bad or good thing at all. When I would tell my friends about being accepted to FSU, I got a lot of congrats. When the UF acceptance came, the consensus was "WOW". Its a good feeling.
A million arguments can be made both ways. FSU proponents can point at the rankings and financial generosity. UF supporters can look at their indisputable rep, lawyer/judge ranking (3.5 to 2.9), and firm rankings. I believe that either school is a fantastic choice and for people who have grown up and plan to never leave FL, are some of the best choices available outside the T14. I was WL'd at Emory and have no intention of pursuing it. Even if I was accepted, I'd still choose UF.
It feels right. Attending the best school is important to me. I spoke with a judge, a young SAO, and a recruiter at a high-level, Miami based firm. They all said UF is the clear number 1 choice in Florida. It was not an indictment of FSU, but an affirmation of UF's status.
Long, wordy, and all over the place, but I hope it helps. Best of luck to everyone.
barbie told me to
FeelTheHeat wrote:i legitimately lol'd hahahaha
FeelTheHeat wrote:I'll be more than happy to.
First and foremost, south Florida is my number one market. My entire family lives there, along with my girlfriend of nearly 3 years who I care about deeply. I want to be sure that I am giving myself the best opportunity to find employment there. UF does that better than any school in Florida.
The extra two hours driving from Tallahassee are considerable. I was drained by the time I got to FSU for ASD; UF felt drastically shorter as it was no different than visiting my grandparents, who live close to it (just a bit south) and where I often visit.
I loved the campus. As someone who has grown up spending most of my life in the city (both my parents work downtown), it was a bit of a culture shock. But it feels conducive to learning. The law building is in a perfect place on campus, just far enough to be removed from the UG nonsense but close enough that I could go on a bit of an adventure with no problem (the buses give me a bit of a problem, Neurotic knows about that lol)
Going back to what I mentioned earlier, its reputation in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, and for just about all of Florida, is unparallelled. In terms of lay prestige, it is seen as on par with Duke and other legit schools. This is based largely on anecdotal evidence, but I talked to just about everyone I could and generally got the same response. While the rankings matter (though far less than I used to think they do) and reputation within the law establishment is important, Florida is not a biglaw state. The perception of clients is an important one, especially given that so many are unfamiliar with the hierarchy of law rankings. This is important in case my ultimate goal, which is to work for the SAO, doesn't pan out.
I can justify the extra 20,000 with the decrease in COL in Gainesville compared to Tally (its not substantial, but relevant) and IBR. I have a lot of connections to the public sector, and fully intend to pursue them for my career.
Lastly, and this is difficult to quantify, but there is a satisfaction in attending the best school in the state. I suppose it attracts a certain type of people, and that is not necessarily a bad or good thing at all. When I would tell my friends about being accepted to FSU, I got a lot of congrats. When the UF acceptance came, the consensus was "WOW". Its a good feeling.
A million arguments can be made both ways. FSU proponents can point at the rankings and financial generosity. UF supporters can look at their indisputable rep, lawyer/judge ranking (3.5 to 2.9), and firm rankings. I believe that either school is a fantastic choice and for people who have grown up and plan to never leave FL, are some of the best choices available outside the T14. I was WL'd at Emory and have no intention of pursuing it. Even if I was accepted, I'd still choose UF.
It feels right. Attending the best school is important to me. I spoke with a judge, a young SAO, and a recruiter at a high-level, Miami based firm. They all said UF is the clear number 1 choice in Florida. It was not an indictment of FSU, but an affirmation of UF's status.
Long, wordy, and all over the place, but I hope it helps. Best of luck to everyone.
FeelTheHeat wrote:Accusing FSU of lying if they say they don't have money is pretty baseless and egregious. Schools give out more money than they have in their budget because they know not all applicants will accept their offers.
I do not like to see FSU misrepresented. They have been nothing but kind and forthcoming throughout the application process. Best of luck to everyone waiting on an acceptance or scholarship.
Bill Cosby wrote:FeelTheHeat wrote:Accusing FSU of lying if they say they don't have money is pretty baseless and egregious. Schools give out more money than they have in their budget because they know not all applicants will accept their offers.
I do not like to see FSU misrepresented. They have been nothing but kind and forthcoming throughout the application process. Best of luck to everyone waiting on an acceptance or scholarship.
I've been trying to negotiate my scholarship amount and it was pretty obvious based on things they said they offered more scholarships than they had money.
NCtoDC wrote:Bill Cosby wrote:FeelTheHeat wrote:Accusing FSU of lying if they say they don't have money is pretty baseless and egregious. Schools give out more money than they have in their budget because they know not all applicants will accept their offers.
I do not like to see FSU misrepresented. They have been nothing but kind and forthcoming throughout the application process. Best of luck to everyone waiting on an acceptance or scholarship.
I've been trying to negotiate my scholarship amount and it was pretty obvious based on things they said they offered more scholarships than they had money.
Wait until all of us withdraw. I'm sure they will be able to offer you a little more. I negotiated 2k more per year just a little over a week ago. So, they have money somewhere....
EDIT: but if you have already deposited, they don't have a great incentive to increase your offer.
LSATmakesMeNeurotic wrote:NCtoDC wrote:Bill Cosby wrote:FeelTheHeat wrote:Accusing FSU of lying if they say they don't have money is pretty baseless and egregious. Schools give out more money than they have in their budget because they know not all applicants will accept their offers.
I do not like to see FSU misrepresented. They have been nothing but kind and forthcoming throughout the application process. Best of luck to everyone waiting on an acceptance or scholarship.
I've been trying to negotiate my scholarship amount and it was pretty obvious based on things they said they offered more scholarships than they had money.
Wait until all of us withdraw. I'm sure they will be able to offer you a little more. I negotiated 2k more per year just a little over a week ago. So, they have money somewhere....
EDIT: but if you have already deposited, they don't have a great incentive to increase your offer.
I wouldn't necessarily assume that. FSU is very flexible with being able to break the commitment, so you may still have leverage.
NCtoDC wrote:Bill Cosby wrote:FeelTheHeat wrote:Accusing FSU of lying if they say they don't have money is pretty baseless and egregious. Schools give out more money than they have in their budget because they know not all applicants will accept their offers.
I do not like to see FSU misrepresented. They have been nothing but kind and forthcoming throughout the application process. Best of luck to everyone waiting on an acceptance or scholarship.
I've been trying to negotiate my scholarship amount and it was pretty obvious based on things they said they offered more scholarships than they had money.
Wait until all of us withdraw. I'm sure they will be able to offer you a little more. I negotiated 2k more per year just a little over a week ago. So, they have money somewhere....
EDIT: but if you have already deposited, they don't have a great incentive to increase your offer.
FeelTheHeat wrote:Are you in-state? I'd still say its worth it in most cases.
pearlmc wrote:FeelTheHeat wrote:Are you in-state? I'd still say its worth it in most cases.
Unfortunately not, but I do want to live in Florida after law school so I know I really need to go to school there. It just sucks because Cincinnati would be about $60,000 cheaper for me and I don't know if I can turn that down.
Plus, it just sucks they aren't giving me anything when I've seen people with similar numbers get a lot of money.
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