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The University of Florida College of LawWritten by Hadi Sedigh The University of Florida College of Law is the most reputable law school in the state of Florida and houses one of the most highly regarded Tax Law programs in the nation. Located in Gainesville, a city considered by some to be the ideal college town, the school offers applicants the opportunity to enjoy a sunny and social three years of law school and provides for its students tremendous job prospects in the Sunshine State. Applicants with hopes of securing employment in Florida, as well as residents of the state, who can enroll at bargain rates given the University’s public standing, should place the University of Florida College of Law near the top of their lists. Admissions and Tuition: With over 2,500 applicants petitioning for entry into Florida Law in a typical year, the school must practice a fair amount of selectivity in its admissions process, although its large entering class sizes allow the school to be a bit more generous than usual in handing out admissions offers. In recent years, the school has received approximately 2,500 applications, granting admission to about 1,000 applicants, with a set goal of persuading at least 400 of those admitted to enroll at the law school to form that year’s entering class. For the entering class of 2007, the median LSAT score was 160, while the median GPA was 3.65. In general, students with numbers near or above these medians should have a good shot at being competitive in future application cycles at Florida Law. Of course, like most other top-tier law schools, Florida Law aims to put together a student body diverse in ethnicity, background, and experience. Thus, applicants with relatively low numbers who can demonstrate through their application their ability to offer this sort of diversity to the school will likely increase their chances of admission. As previously mentioned, the in-state tuition rate at the University of Florida Law School is among the lowest for top-tier law schools. For the 2007-2008 academic year, this rate of tuition was approximately $10,800, while out of state students paid about $30,100. Fortunately for non-residents, Florida Law has a grant program that enables non-residents to pay resident rates of tuition if they can demonstrate financial need, and students are generally able to establish resident status after their first year at the law school by registering to vote and paying taxes in the state. Academics and Curriculum: After completing standard first-year requirements such as Torts, Property, and Legal Writing, Florida Law students are mostly free to choose from up to 140 elective courses in rounding out their 88-credit JD degrees. Aside from required and elective courses, students may also choose to pursue one of several joint-degree tracks, including those in Business Administration, Public Health, and Accounting. Clinical opportunities are available as well, as are special concentration areas and certification programs in areas such as Environmental Law, International and Comparative Law, and Intellectual Property Law. Also of note is Florida Law’s Tax Law specialty, which is currently ranked second in the nation by US News. The University of Florida’s expertise in tax law is not surprising given the need for tax and estate planning for Florida’s large senior population. Furthermore, students interested in taking their legal education beyond American borders will have plenty of opportunity to do so at Florida Law through the school’s study abroad programs in cities such as Cape Town, Frankfurt and Warsaw. Quality of Life: It seems safe to say that students at Florida Law will never run out of ideas when looking for ways to spend their scarce free time during law school. The university’s many fraternities host plenty of parties that law students can attend, while the city of Gainesville houses a wide variety of bars, clubs and restaurants to satiate students with a thirst for night-life. Football lovers in particular will doubtlessly enjoy life at the University of Florida, which is home to one of the nation’s best college football teams and the fever that surrounds it. Law students can also take advantage of the many facilities of the University of Florida campus, including a free gym, as well as on-campus housing options for single and married students. Fortunately for those who wish to live off-campus, suitable and affordable apartments are available throughout Gainesville, and the city’s excellent public transportation system ensures that students can get by without automobiles. Given the reportedly insufficient amount of parking spaces on campus, this public transportation system may save law students many hours of time and frustration. In all, the quality of life of a University of Florida Law School student promises to be high, especially for party lovers and football fans. Employment Prospects and Bar Passage: In the state of Florida and throughout the Southeast, job prospects for students of Florida Law are tremendous. Up to 250 top law firms from throughout the region visit Gainesville each year to interview students, many of whom come away with jobs before graduation. Needless to say, prospects outside of the Southeast are not as impressive, and students hoping to secure jobs in such areas are likely to face a more strenuous and lengthy job search. Although the school’s dedicated career services office and its loyal alumni network assist students searching for jobs in any corner of the country, job prospects at the school are definitely more regional than national, as is the case with most similarly regarded law schools. In all, about 90% of typical Florida Law graduating classes take jobs in the Southeast region, with up to 85% choosing to stay in the state of Florida in a given year. For those who enter the private sector upon graduation, the median first-year salary has risen to about $72,000 in recent years. In terms of bar passage, Florida Law graduates generally succeed at higher than state-average rates. Whereas the overall passage rate for the state of Florida is usually around 70%, the passage rate of Florida Law graduates is usually around 85%. Synopsis: For applicants hoping to find employment in the state of Florida, attending the University of Florida College of Law, the best law school in the state, is certainly a shrewd choice. Applicants who reside in Florida would also be wise to apply to the school, given the fact that at Florida Law they can attain a fine legal education for a price that most law students can only dream about. Contact Information: The University of Florida College of Law Quick Reference: U.S. News 2008 ranking: 47th |
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