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Hi all,

I'm a Florida resident, and I'd like to end up somewhere in the South (likely in Florida but I'm not 100% sure that I want to stay). I have a scholarship at UF where I would be paying 8k per year and a little over half tuition scholarship at Vandy (I would be paying around 22K per year).

Obviously Vandy is the better school, but there are a lot of people telling me to stay at UF if FL is where I want to end up, and because my debt will be significantly less.

What do you think? Thanks

I'd hedge and go Vanderbilt. Yes it costs more but this isn't a sticker vs. full ride situation. You're still paying money for UF and you're still receiving half-scholarship from Vandy.

If you were 100% sure you wanted to return to Florida then this would be an easier call for UF. But you're not, and your career ambitions may evolve as you go through law school. Vanderbilt will open doors that UF won't. And the Vanderbilt brand carries more weight than UF outside Florida.

Yes you'll have more debt coming out of Vandy, but personally I think it's worth the opportunities and options that it'll afford you.

Keep in mind that your performance will determine whether it ends up being a good choice or not. But for now there's no way to predict how good your 1L grades will be

cbous wrote:Hi all,

I'm a Florida resident, and I'd like to end up somewhere in the South (likely in Florida but I'm not 100% sure that I want to stay). I have a scholarship at UF where I would be paying 8k per year and a little over half tuition scholarship at Vandy (I would be paying around 22K per year).

Obviously Vandy is the better school, but there are a lot of people telling me to stay at UF if FL is where I want to end up, and because my debt will be significantly less.

What do you think? Thanks

I think you need to decide where you want to practice before anyone can give you proper advice. If you're set on Florida, go to UF. If you're open to leaving and/or want Biglaw Vandy is the easy choice.

That being said, Vandy can bring you back to Florida, so it may be worth the roll of the dice if you're unsure.

Best of luck!

cusenation wrote:I'd hedge and go Vanderbilt. Yes it costs more but this isn't a sticker vs. full ride situation. You're still paying money for UF and you're still receiving half-scholarship from Vandy.

If you were 100% sure you wanted to return to Florida then this would be an easier call for UF. But you're not, and your career ambitions may evolve as you go through law school. Vanderbilt will open doors that UF won't. And the Vanderbilt brand carries more weight than UF outside Florida.

Yes you'll have more debt coming out of Vandy, but personally I think it's worth the opportunities and options that it'll afford you.

Keep in mind that your performance will determine whether it ends up being a good choice or not. But for now there's no way to predict how good your 1L grades will be

Didn't read this before my post, but I also agree with this. All things considered, the question you're posing is one you have to answer for yourself.

Vanderbilt /thread

PrideandGlory1776 wrote:Vanderbilt /thread

Pretty much agree.

But if 110% Florida I don't think Vanderbilt will open any in state doors that UF won't. So you may as well go with the lower cost. Again, it comes down to your preference, OP.

Thanks for all the advice. Right now I'm leaning toward Vanderbilt, but I'll think more about where I want to end up before I decide for sure.

What is total cost of attendance at Vanderbilt

I'd take UF for free over Vandy at sticker if you want non-biglaw in SoFla but in this case I'd take Vandy.

If not Florida, then where would you like to work?
What type of work do you want to do, generally speaking?

Vanderbilt @ Half Tuition is still ~75K for Tuition alone vs 24K @ UF. That is a MAJOR difference. Cost of Living in Gainesville vs Nashville is WAY cheaper.

So is Vanderbilt worth, to you, at least an extra (50K Tuition + 20K COL)?
Consider also the Alumni network at UF, for Florida employment. If you check out lawyer profiles for any South Florida biglaw firm they are laden with (old) UF alums.

Median at Vanderbilt may not really get you much in Florida, though you may have some chance at other markets. Median at UF may lead you to strike out as well, but your debt will be much much more manageable.

Also, if you do not wish to work in Florida, do you have ties anywhere else? It's nice to say you want Atlanta or some other market, but NYC may really be the only other accessible option, so keep that in mind.

Edit: NEGOTIATE with UF. Leverage your Vanderbilt scholarship and squeeze another 10K+ from them. You can end up going at basically free, which I think would certainly outweigh Vanderbilt in this case (Florida employment wise).

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MrMore99 wrote:If not Florida, then where would you like to work?
What type of work do you want to do, generally speaking?

Vanderbilt @ Half Tuition is still ~75K for Tuition alone vs 24K @ UF. That is a MAJOR difference. Cost of Living in Gainesville vs Nashville is WAY cheaper.

So is Vanderbilt worth, to you, at least an extra (50K Tuition + 20K COL)?
Consider also the Alumni network at UF, for Florida employment. If you check out lawyer profiles for any South Florida biglaw firm they are laden with (old) UF alums.

Median at Vanderbilt may not really get you much in Florida, though you may have some chance at other markets. Median at UF may lead you to strike out as well, but your debt will be much much more manageable.

Also, if you do not wish to work in Florida, do you have ties anywhere else? It's nice to say you want Atlanta or some other market, but NYC may really be the only other accessible option, so keep that in mind.

Edit: NEGOTIATE with UF. Leverage your Vanderbilt scholarship and squeeze another 10K+ from them. You can end up going at basically free, which I think would certainly outweigh Vanderbilt in this case (Florida employment wise).

My family has done a lot of moving around, so I have family/friends in FL, NC, VA, CT and NY but ideally I'd like to stay in the South East and most likely stay in FL. I don't want to work in Big law...I'm interested in International Law/Public Interest but like a lot of other people I understand that my career goals or interests may change after starting law school.

I've considered negotiating with UF, but I'm not sure how to go about doing that or if the Vandy offer is large enough that UF will consider increasing theirs.

Thanks for the advice.

I would say Vandy. Going to Vandy will not keep you from getting a job in Florida, but going to UF will likely keep you from getting a job outside of the state if you want to go somewhere else. This isn't a sticker vs. full-ride situation. Vandy will be more expensive than UF but perhaps not significantly more expensive to justify going to UF over Vandy.

The OP hasn't even thought about how much this whole venture will cost+ wants international law

I say don't go to law school until you figure out what exactly your student loan money is getting you and how much it costs

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