In at Miami! Forum

[meerap]

Okay I'm down to my two final choices. Its between UM and Case Western. I know Case is a better school but UM's location/weather is really pulling me in. I didn't get money from either school so money is not a factor here. Ultimately I would like to work on the East Coast- DC or NY. Anybody have any suggestions? Im having a really hard time deciding between the two and only have a few more weeks until seat deposits are due!!!

[flhealth]

Okay I'm down to my two final choices. Its between UM and Case Western. I know Case is a better school but UM's location/weather is really pulling me in. I didn't get money from either school so money is not a factor here. Ultimately I would like to work on the East Coast- DC or NY. Anybody have any suggestions? Im having a really hard time deciding between the two and only have a few more weeks until seat deposits are due!!!

from looking at UM's alumni magazine, it looks more portable than i thought...not sure about Case

[Matlock31]

(Deleted)

[jrod]

Okay I'm down to my two final choices. Its between UM and Case Western. I know Case is a better school but UM's location/weather is really pulling me in. I didn't get money from either school so money is not a factor here. Ultimately I would like to work on the East Coast- DC or NY. Anybody have any suggestions? Im having a really hard time deciding between the two and only have a few more weeks until seat deposits are due!!!

Where are you from? I'm from Ohio. Have you visited Miami? I visited last week, it's a lot different than anything I'm used to. I love the big city life and warm climate, however, Miami was extremely diverse, which I expected. I don't have a problem with that, just something completely new. I filled up my tank and the gas station and the attendant barely spoke a lick of english. Traffic was unbelievable and friendly service was non existent at several places my girlfriend and I went to. I know this doesn't speak to UM as a school but it is where I would live and possibly practice... I have been accepted to both as well, I'm leaning towards Case. Good luck with your decision!!!

this post = why there is affirmative action.

[Matlock31]

(Deleted)

[geoanthem]

^ I was scared that might come out wrong. Didn't mean it like that. I mean at this point in my life, with the stress of attending law school, to adapt to a lot of substantial change is not something I would like to undertake. Learning a new language/culture of the area and the law is quite a lot to undertake. Just for my personal situation. I just wanted to share my experience that it's just not something I'm very familiar with coming from the midwest, therefore it would be wise to visit and make sure that is something that works for the OP. I apologize if I came off as ignorant or a bigot, not my intention. Just wanted to share...

Classes at Miami Law are in english, FYI.

[Matlock31]

^ Didn't mean to stir up controversy. Sorry, Good luck to all!

[rbgrocio]

^ I was scared that might come out wrong. Didn't mean it like that. I mean at this point in my life, with the stress of attending law school, to adapt to a lot of substantial change is not something I would like to undertake. Learning a new language/culture of the area and the law is quite a lot to undertake. Just for my personal situation. I just wanted to share my experience that it's just not something I'm very familiar with coming from the midwest, therefore it would be wise to visit and make sure that is something that works for the OP. I apologize if I came off as ignorant or a bigot, not my intention. Just wanted to share...

I understand what you are saying, but you will have no problem communicating in Miami!

The culture... well... that is indeed different from other states. There are a lo of latinos here, so you will find a lot of unfamiliar food music, accents and whatnot, but I don't see how that would affect your ability to do well in school.

There are lots of people in Miami who only speak english and they seem to be doing just fine.

[geoanthem]

It was a joke. I have a lot of connections to Miami, and have never had any trouble and don't speak a word of spanish.

[project40]

There are lots of people in Miami who only speak english and they seem to be doing just fine.

[rbgrocio]

There are lots of people in Miami who only speak english and they seem to be doing just fine.

well... not exactly the example i was looking for, but he does seem to be doing fine!

[TKM]

This is a personal question but I'm very curious how my financial aid may look considering I am supporting myself and I've only been out of UG for a year.


Did the amount of $ awarded from financial aid cover all tuition, books and living expenses? If so, any extra left over?

[rbgrocio]

This is a personal question but I'm very curious how my financial aid may look considering I am supporting myself and I've only been out of UG for a year.


Did the amount of $ awarded from financial aid cover all tuition, books and living expenses? If so, any extra left over?

Ummm...It is my understanding that you might get a need based grant, but no way the grant is covering your full tuition. Unless you get a scholarship, you will need a loan for sure.

[tknlacrosse]

I called the financial aid office and they said they don't send aid packages until after you accept the offer for admission, and (i'm guessing) pay the seat deposit; however, I don't know if I want to accept until I see my financial aid package. Are all schools like this? I am clueless when it comes to financial aid... Maybe I should check out that board...

[js87]

What did those of you in the chat think? Glean any new, useful info?

Eh. I felt like a lot of the information was very general. For the most part, I could have been in the chat for any school, but that may have been a result of some of the general questions that were being asked. I had a specific question, also asked by another admitted student, that remained unanswered. I also asked about the difficulty in finding work in NY. Unfortunately, there were no alumni present who are currently practicing in NY. There was that one guy who worked in NY about 15-20 years ago and is now overseas. Most of the alumni indicated that it wasn't hard for them to find work outside of FL, namely in DC and Boston. I'm not discounting that information, but I'm taking it with a grain of salt as the experiences of these very involved alumni may not be representative of the majority. As with any more regional school, I think that class rank and ability to network will play a big factor in being able relocate easily.

If I wanted to do tax law or public interest, I might have found the chat more beneficial. Perhaps the most useful information for me was about housing. Oh, and everyone seemed to rave about the litigation skills program. That was good to hear.

Thoughts from anyone else?

Your concerns mirror mine 100%. I live in South Florida currently. UM is highly regarded down here, and the school is great, but I have no intention of living or practicing in South Florida after graduation.

It's actually pretty funny, because everyone loves the weather and such down here, but I hate it. Too hot and humid and no seasons. I really want to practice somewhere in the northeast. For what it's worth, I feel that their national portability exceeds other tier-2 schools. I do know that 72% of their grads work in Florida, which is lower than any other Florida school (which is a good thing). They also virtually tie UF for first place in Florida School NLJ250 placement. Kind of funny, since it's ranked third in the state by US News Source: http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/composite.pdf

[kbigs]

Definitely some things to ask tomorrow at the Greenberg Traurig event.

[2009 Prospective]

I had the pleasure of speaking with a UMiami Law alumnus over the weekend. I believe he graduated a few years back. He did not have high praise for Miami. Here's what I can report in a nutshell:

-Did not like living in Miami initially (first couple years at least, now lives in south beach and likes it better).
-Summers are too hot
-not thrilled about the career services office
-participated in law review and was near top 10% of class. Did big firm SA job but wasn't given an offer, now works at a small firm (5 attorneys or so)
-poor "party school" reputation outside of south florida. Job prospects tough outside of immediate south florida area
-Tough curve and maintaining the 3.0 gpa required in scholarship will require hard work. 3.4 gpa was top 10-15%.
-Speaking spanish helps but not necessarily absolutely necessary for employment
-There are people that have left south florida successfully, just requires much more leg work
-Ultimately, he sounded as if he would have pursued another school could he have redone everything. He's not completely unsatisifed but seems to have his regrets.

After speaking with him, I'm inclined to consider other options probably but still look forward to heading down for ASD next week. Hope this helps somewhat.

[kbigs]

I had the pleasure of speaking with a UMiami Law alumnus over the weekend. I believe he graduated a few years back. He did not have high praise for Miami. Here's what I can report in a nutshell:

-Did not like living in Miami initially (first couple years at least, now lives in south beach and likes it better).
-Summers are too hot
-not thrilled about the career services office
-participated in law review and was near top 10% of class. Did big firm SA job but wasn't given an offer, now works at a small firm (5 attorneys or so)
-poor "party school" reputation outside of south florida. Job prospects tough outside of immediate south florida area
-Tough curve and maintaining the 3.0 gpa required in scholarship will require hard work. 3.4 gpa was top 10-15%.
-Speaking spanish helps but not necessarily absolutely necessary for employment
-There are people that have left south florida successfully, just requires much more leg work
-Ultimately, he sounded as if he would have pursued another school could he have redone everything. He's not completely unsatisifed but seems to have his regrets.

After speaking with him, I'm inclined to consider other options probably but still look forward to heading down for ASD next week. Hope this helps somewhat.

Is a 3.4 for top 10% different from other schools? Good luck at ASW. Let us know your impressions.

[2009 Prospective]

I had the pleasure of speaking with a UMiami Law alumnus over the weekend. I believe he graduated a few years back. He did not have high praise for Miami. Here's what I can report in a nutshell:

-Did not like living in Miami initially (first couple years at least, now lives in south beach and likes it better).
-Summers are too hot
-not thrilled about the career services office
-participated in law review and was near top 10% of class. Did big firm SA job but wasn't given an offer, now works at a small firm (5 attorneys or so)
-poor "party school" reputation outside of south florida. Job prospects tough outside of immediate south florida area
-Tough curve and maintaining the 3.0 gpa required in scholarship will require hard work. 3.4 gpa was top 10-15%.
-Speaking spanish helps but not necessarily absolutely necessary for employment
-There are people that have left south florida successfully, just requires much more leg work
-Ultimately, he sounded as if he would have pursued another school could he have redone everything. He's not completely unsatisifed but seems to have his regrets.

After speaking with him, I'm inclined to consider other options probably but still look forward to heading down for ASD next week. Hope this helps somewhat.

Is a 3.4 for top 10% different from other schools? Good luck at ASW. Let us know your impressions.

I think that it varies from school to school really. Also I would clarify more specifically that he had around a 3.4 which placed him right outside the top 10% and on law review (not sure whether he wrote on). I'm not sure that this would translate exactly to future students. He sounded a bit disappointed by the curve though in comparison to other prominent Florida schools. In essence, it leads to Miami students appearing to have lower GPAs compared to other schools if employers don't look at class rank or aren't aware of the curve.

[js87]

Does anyone know what we'd need, class rank wise, to maintain the 3.0 for the scholarship? I'm not aware of their curve. I know you said 3.4 was top 10%.

[2009 Prospective]

Does anyone know what we'd need, class rank wise, to maintain the 3.0 for the scholarship? I'm not aware of their curve. I know you said 3.4 was top 10%.

Again, I'd clarify that I don't know that 3.4 is necessarily top 10% every year. I'm saying that someone who graduated a few years back had near a 3.4 and was just outside the top 10%.

[kbigs]

Went to the NYC University of Miami cocktail reception. Alumni raved about the campus and their time at UM. Some were Miami natives, some were originally from the Northeast. They all raved about the career development office, and said they were instrumental in helping them find clinical programs, internships, and interviews in NYC. They stressed that it's important to start early in the process if you plan to relocate to another market after law school, but a few also discussed how they didn't get started on a relocation until 3L, and even though it was relatively late in the game they were able to find work quickly.

I spoke with one school official and they admitted that their recent drop in the rankings from 62 to 82 is being addressed, not necessarily because of how important the rankings are to them, but they understand many prospective students do rely on them. They are going to be adding more faculty to help faculty-student ratio, one of the indicators that affects ranking.

All in all, it was cool to meet with other admitted students. Many were already set on Miami, others still in the decision-making process, like myself.

If anyone else was at the event and could fill in some blanks I missed, feel free.

[2009 Prospective]

Went to the NYC University of Miami cocktail reception. Alumni raved about the campus and their time at UM. Some were Miami natives, some were originally from the Northeast. They all raved about the career development office, and said they were instrumental in helping them find clinical programs, internships, and interviews in NYC. They stressed that it's important to start early in the process if you plan to relocate to another market after law school, but a few also discussed how they didn't get started on a relocation until 3L, and even though it was relatively late in the game they were able to find work quickly.

I spoke with one school official and they admitted that their recent drop in the rankings from 62 to 82 is being addressed, not necessarily because of how important the rankings are to them, but they understand many prospective students do rely on them. They are going to be adding more faculty to help faculty-student ratio, one of the indicators that affects ranking.

All in all, it was cool to meet with other admitted students. Many were already set on Miami, others still in the decision-making process, like myself.

If anyone else was at the event and could fill in some blanks I missed, feel free.

Thanks for the update kbigs

[ShadowRabbit]

Living in SWFL let me say, yes the summers are hot. So are the summers in D.C., and other places.

Guess how the winter is though?

Complaining about the weather is a ridiculous complaint, especially Miami. If your not happy with Miami's weather, you have weather issues to deal with.

That said, the rest of the complaints seem legit.

[mrman17]

I'm thinking that I could get used to the hot and muggy summers in Miami, and that it would be worth it to never have to scrape ice and show off of my car in the winter.