Illinois, Notre Dame, Indiana and Miami Forum

[Username123]

Thanks!

[thebobs1987]

3.2 and 162 getting full rides at UIUC, jeez. Do you want to be in Chicago? If not, UIUC and even ND make no sense. The Miami legal market is bad, but at least you have ties.

At UIUC we do have a good number of FL ppl, but if you want Chicago you have to really prove it and spend your 1L summer in Chicago to show firms you won't move back to Miami. I would probably say retake, but these are good scholarships for such a low GPA. Basically if you want to be in Miami and are ok with hustling for a job, go there. If you want to be in Chicago and are ok with probably not getting big law, go to UIUC. Only go to Indiana if you want to be in Indiana. If none, then retake

[bugsy33]

If you want to work in Florida going to UIUC or IU makes no sense. I would use those offers to leverage against Notre Dame and Florida. Notre Dame might give you more, but you're already probably under the medians, so there's no real incentive for them. Miami has scholarship stipulations, and it's not exactly a top jobs school, so that's kind of crappy. I think your best bet is to try to get a full ride either to UF or FSU.

PS how the F*** did you get full rides to UIUC and IU with a 162/3.2??? Are you URM?

[Username123]

Not URM. I'm not sure what got me the full rides from Illinois and IU. I do have good WE and pretty strong softs, so maybe that helped. To be exact, IU is a couple grand short of a full ride.

The Miami scholarship has a pretty lenient stip, as opposed to what they've had in the past. The stip is to be at or above a 2.5, which ~90% of students achieved last year.

FSU offered ~50% tuition. Florida hasn't gotten back to me re: scholarships or isn't offering me money.

ETA: South Florida is ideal in regards to the region in which I want to work, but it isn't a must. I would be perfectly content with establishing my career in Chicago or another Midwest city if I were to attend UIUC/IU/ND.

[Nomo]

You want to work in south FL. You've got a full-tuition scholarship (though a public-interest program) to a school in south FL. You've got legal ties to south FL. This seems easy. Go to Miami and hustle like hell to make connections and get internships with legal-aid and PD's down there. You might have to work for a better call Saul type lawyer for a few years while you wait for the right opening at legal-aid or the PD's, but this should work out for you.

Indiana and UIUC might have better employment stats. But they are also comprised primarily of students who already have ties to the region. You've got ties (good ties) to south FL, not the midwest. All things aren't equal here. You've got a better chance of finding legal work if you go to Miami and hustle hard once you're there.

[The Dark Shepard]

Miami seems solid here

[cron1834]

You want to work in south FL. You've got a full-tuition scholarship (though a public-interest program) to a school in south FL. You've got legal ties to south FL. This seems easy. Go to Miami and hustle like hell to make connections and get internships with legal-aid and PD's down there. You might have to work for a better call Saul type lawyer for a few years while you wait for the right opening at legal-aid or the PD's, but this should work out for you.

Indiana and UIUC might have better employment stats. But they are also comprised primarily of students who already have ties to the region. You've got ties (good ties) to south FL, not the midwest. All things aren't equal here. You've got a better chance of finding legal work if you go to Miami and hustle hard once you're there.

This seems right.

[Username123]

You want to work in south FL. You've got a full-tuition scholarship (though a public-interest program) to a school in south FL. You've got legal ties to south FL. This seems easy. Go to Miami and hustle like hell to make connections and get internships with legal-aid and PD's down there. You might have to work for a better call Saul type lawyer for a few years while you wait for the right opening at legal-aid or the PD's, but this should work out for you.

Indiana and UIUC might have better employment stats. But they are also comprised primarily of students who already have ties to the region. You've got ties (good ties) to south FL, not the midwest. All things aren't equal here. You've got a better chance of finding legal work if you go to Miami and hustle hard once you're there.

This seems right.

Thanks for the responses! I have a few questions, if y'all wouldn't mind helping a bit more.

What do you mean by hustling for a job? And what are you referring to when you mention legal-aid?

Consensus here is that considering all are full rides, UM with ties > UIUC without ties, despite what LST shows?

[cron1834]

Legal Aid = legal services nonprofit. They don't pay much, but the jobs are desirable and competitive.

Hustle = networking, interning, externing, etc, because on campus interviewing isn't really a thing unless you're top ten percent at these places.

LST = data, but it doesn't really explain the data; Illinois has better numbers, but they're generated by Midwest kids who have ties getting jobs in the Midwest. That doesn't sound like you, so you shouldn't assume that the employment percentages apply to you.

Caveat: 1L, but I don't think any of this is controversial.

[Username123]

I would love to know why three people have chosen Illinois over ND, IU and Miami in the poll.

[Pumpkin-Duke of Pie]

If you want to work in Florida going to UIUC or IU makes no sense. I would use those offers to leverage against Notre Dame and Florida. Notre Dame might give you more, but you're already probably under the medians, so there's no real incentive for them. Miami has scholarship stipulations, and it's not exactly a top jobs school, so that's kind of crappy. I think your best bet is to try to get a full ride either to UF or FSU.

PS how the F*** did you get full rides to UIUC and IU with a 162/3.2??? Are you URM?

The desperation for candidates is real these days among a lot of the T1 schools, especially those near the bottom.

Edit: Follow your dreams OP. If these were my options with your goals I wouldn't go to lawl skewl, but this is your life.

[thebobs1987]

I would love to know why three people have chosen Illinois over ND, IU and Miami in the poll.

Probably because Illinois is a full ride while ND is a lot of money and Illinois has better job numbers than IU. But ignore the poll. If you want to be in Miami and are willing to hustle for a legal job, go to Miami.

[Pumpkin-Duke of Pie]

I would love to know why three people have chosen Illinois over ND, IU and Miami in the poll.

Probably because Illinois is a full ride while ND is a lot of money and Illinois has better job numbers than IU. But ignore the poll. If you want to be in Miami and are willing to hustle for a legal job, go to Miami.

Or, you know, just don't go to lawl skewl. Get a MAcc/MSA or something.

[BigZuck]

I don't see how Miami is not the obvious choice

One thing though: don't be that guy who says they want PI but actually wants big law and is going to go to a regional school with mediocre job prospects secretly thinking that they will outwork all their classmates and cop DAT BIG SOUTH FLORIDA LAW. If you want PI, start committing to that now. You're going to have to hustle. If you want big law, retake, go to a T14, and focus on NYC.

[Username123]

I don't see how Miami is not the obvious choice

One thing though: don't be that guy who says they want PI but actually wants big law and is going to go to a regional school with mediocre job prospects secretly thinking that they will outwork all their classmates and cop DAT BIG SOUTH FLORIDA LAW. If you want PI, start committing to that now. You're going to have to hustle. If you want big law, retake, go to a T14, and focus on NYC.

Understood.

Thanks for the advice everybody.

[BigZuck]

If Illinois is still in the running then you (and most importantly, we) have failed you

[Pumpkin-Duke of Pie]

If Illinois is still in the running then you (and most importantly, we) have failed you

[Username123]

If Illinois is still in the running then you (and most importantly, we) have failed you

Lol understood!