Top Law Schools

I'm applying to law schools in Florida, and on a whim have applied to one in NYC.

My choices are:

FAMU in Orlando
Barry University in Orlando
Florida Costal in Jacksonville

or

New York Law School in TriBeCa (Manhattan)

Which one would be best if I got accepted into all three?

What are my chances of getting accepted?

153LSAT and 3.26GPA (with a 3.8 GPA for my MA-Music) 4 years of work experience teaching in public schools

Take a year off. Retake and ED to UVA.

But if you're serious, you shouldn't go to any of these schools. Either retake the LSAT, or attend a very cheap public school in a niche market.

Not an option for me. In my current profession if I stay for one more year I may end up killing someone...lol

yes, teaching in Florida IS that bad...

legalmaestro wrote:Not an option for me. In my current profession if I stay for one more year I may end up killing someone...lol

yes, teaching in Florida IS that bad...

Then apply to cheaper schools. FIU is good, but it's in a saturated market, so you're odds of finding a job aren't spectacular. If you want to go to school in NY, apply to CUNY (if you're open to public interest). Or just look into other professions, at least until you can retake the LSAT.

If you're independently very wealthy and don't mind wasting $200k, then I guess go with NYLS. But do not do that under any circumstances if you're taking out debt or if you consider $200k to be a lot of money.

Don't go to any of these. You will end up back in the teaching job you hate but with 200,000 in debt to sweeten the deal.

NYLS is currently involved in a lawsuit filed by a number of its former students who complained about the lack of transparency in its employment prospects. Just putting that out there to help inform your decision...

I've read all of the negative publicity involved with NYLS, I also see that they changed deans this past summer, and the dean was a major reason they have the rep they do...

I can retake the LSAT until I'm blue in the face but most likely will not improve my score much...

Stay at your current jerb.

legalmaestro wrote:I've read all of the negative publicity involved with NYLS, I also see that they changed deans this past summer, and the dean was a major reason they have the rep they do...

I can retake the LSAT until I'm blue in the face but most likely will not improve my score much...

No, 45k a year in tuition and horrible job prospects is the reason for their rep.

Have you studied for the LSAT for at least 300 hours and taken it at least three times? If the answers to those questions are "no", then you have room for improvement.

legalmaestro wrote:I've read all of the negative publicity involved with NYLS, I also see that they changed deans this past summer, and the dean was a major reason they have the rep they do...

I can retake the LSAT until I'm blue in the face but most likely will not improve my score much...

No amount of administrative change at the top will fix the problems with NYLS's business model (remember, full tenured profs are the primary power and beneficiaries in law schools). NYLS charges prices close to Columbia and NYU and delivers job prospects as poor as they come. To top it all off, it is situated in a highly saturated state with 15 law schools and thousands of students from much better law schools all over the country who want to work there.

If you want to quit your job, find a new one or go somewhere in-state for super-cheap.

legalmaestro wrote:yes, teaching in Florida IS that bad...

Have you tried being unemployed in Florida?

If you are looking at this level of school, only apply to public schools since no school in this range is worth 200K debt. Absolutely no to NYLS, they graduate a large class into a saturated market, are considered among the worst law schools in NY and charge more than Harvard to attend. To top it off, their own students are suing them. What could be more of a red flag?

Think about it. If you went on zagat or something, saw a restaurant with 5 star prices but awful reviews claiming that they serve 1 star food, would you really go there? Of course not. You wouldn't wanna waste the 150 or something for a 5 star dinner if you fear you may (and if the past reviews are any indication, likely will) receive 1 star food and service. So if you aren't willing to risk 150, how would risking 200K make sense?

dakatz wrote:If you are looking at this level of school, only apply to public schools since no school in this range is worth 200K debt. Absolutely no to NYLS, they graduate a large class into a saturated market, are considered among the worst law schools in NY and charge more than Harvard to attend. To top it off, their own students are suing them. What could be more of a red flag?

Think about it. If you went on zagat or something, saw a restaurant with 5 star prices but awful reviews claiming that they serve 1 star food, would you really go there? Of course not. You wouldn't wanna waste the 150 or something for a 5 star dinner if you fear you may (and if the past reviews are any indication, likely will) receive 1 star food and service. So if you aren't willing to risk 150, how would risking 200K make sense?

creative analogy, I like it.

No, no, no, and no.

All atrocious options. If you think teaching in Florida is bad, you should see what being an unemployed Florida law graduate is like. But don't take my word for it. Ask them yourself. Your state has so many of them I'll be people are practically tripping over them when they walk down the street.

I suppose this topic may be evidence that Barry is, in fact, better than Nova.

FeelTheHeat wrote:I suppose this topic may be evidence that Barry is, in fact, better than Nova.

Well, at least SOMETHING positive came out of it all..

Hmmm...I guess if you really want Florida you could go to UF or FSU. I've heard that they have great in-state rates.

You'll be crying for your old job back after you graduate law school.

Point is, none of these schools. Go to UF...or UVA

FeelTheHeat wrote:I suppose this topic may be evidence that Barry is, in fact, better than Nova.

Are you kidding?? Dude didn't get into Nova. It's clearly better. Plus it has a sick international war crimes arbitration program

OP,

Perhaps it will help you to hear this from a moderator. All of those law schools are worse than bad. They're horrible. Don't go. You'll get a job that may or may not even be as a lawyer (this is, at best, 50/50) and will pay about what you make now. Only less, because you'll have $150,000 in debt to deal with. Oh, and you can't discharge that debt in bankruptcy, so it will stay with you for the rest of your life.

You might be thinking "Surely a bad JD is better than no JD at all, right?" Wrong. You're better off right now than you will be after 3 years at those schools. Seriously. Look around you. Breathe the free air. This, right now, is as good as it gets.

You hate your job, which is fine. Quit. Look for something else. But don't go to any one of those horrible law schools. Retake, and get at least a 160 or do not consider law school. Seriously.

-SBL

Love the MJD avatar.

OP- as someone that transferred out of Coastal, I would strongly advise against going there. From my friends that are still there, I've heard that the majority of the graduating 3L class is in a panic because they can't find jobs. That being said, I know a handful of kids that got decent jobs, but all of those kids are in the top 10%. When I say decent, I mean smaller mid-size firms or public sector. I suspect that BigLaw is almost if not entirely out of the question. Study for LSAT, retake, and go to UF, FSU, Stetson or Miami. For the latter two, only go with a good scholarship.