Help! UF or UConn!!! Forum

[HebrewHammer]

So I've torn myself up over this for weeks. I will have in-state tuition at either school. I have strong legal connections in CT but grew up in FL. I'm not 100% sure that I want to live in CT forever. The way I see it, knowing people in CT and not knowing I want to live here forever or not, it's better to go to UF and try to come back to CT after I graduate if I want.

Thoughts?

Edit: Sorry guys. I was in a rush when I posted and forgot to mention I am a transfer student from a TTTT, so I am choosing between UF and UConn.

[Heartford]

Pick whichever is cheaper, including tuition and cost of living.

Neither will lock you in to its specific region for the rest of your life- just for the first couple of years of practice.

[duckmoney]

If you go to UConn, you will be in Connecticut forever. If you go to Florida, you will be in Florida forever. Neither degree has much portability outside its home market. Pick the place you'd rather live. If it's a toss up, compare overall job prospects / salaries / cost.

Edit: Above post is correct, although when (and if) you move you will have to be able to convince the new firm that you can make them money. Definitely won't be able to do this without several years of experience.

[Aberzombie1892]

Well...his ties will make him capable of getting a job in either market from either school immediately after graduation.

However, you should pick whichever one you would want to be in anyway because you will develop connections there.

[Heartford]

If you go to UConn, you will be in Connecticut forever. If you go to Florida, you will be in Florida forever.

Edit: Never mind. You won't actually be stuck in either state forever- I'm just needlessly exaggerating.

LOL!

[HebrewHammer]

Thanks for the quick replies and good points all around.

Abercrombie: I don't have direct ties in FL but my CT connections do have some. In FL it will be more making it happen for myself.

Heartford: Never talked to you but I think I've seen you post that you went/go to UConn? If so, how's your experience been with the school and the area? What is the classroom experience like? Some of the seminars seem kind of strange but I figure they are easier. How do you like living in the area?

Forgot to mention I would only have to take 54 credits at Uconn v. 59 at UF. Something about 5 classes every semsester till the end really makes me cringe!

[Heartford]

Thanks for the quick replies and good points all around.

Abercrombie: I don't have direct ties in FL but my CT connections do have some. In FL it will be more making it happen for myself.

Heartford: Never talked to you but I think I've seen you post that you went/go to UConn? If so, how's your experience been with the school and the area? What is the classroom experience like? Some of the seminars seem kind of strange but I figure they are easier. How do you like living in the area?

Forgot to mention I would only have to take 54 credits at Uconn v. 59 at UF. Something about 5 classes every semsester till the end really makes me cringe!

I am a rising 2L at UConn. I love the school, love the classes, and like the area. Hartford's not as awful as people think, but it's also not the fun capitol of the world. I'm not sure what you mean about seminars seeming strange.

All that said, I have no reason to believe that there is any reason to attend UConn instead of UF, if you don't prefer one region over the other. My understanding of UF is that it, much like UConn, is a very regional but very strong school. Again, if you can't decide I think you should just pick whichever is cheaper.

[HebrewHammer]

Crap! I forgot to mention this is a transfer decision.

Sorry guys, and now my post got moved!

[Heartford]

Crap! I forgot to mention this is a transfer decision.

Sorry guys, and now my post got moved!

And you're currently at UF, I take it? (You might want to edit your original post to make it clearer.)

[Aberzombie1892]

If this is transfer decision, you might as well stay wherever you are unless you have a compelling reason to switch.

[Heartford]

If this is transfer decision, you might as well stay wherever you are unless you have a compelling reason to switch.

+1. Seems like a strange move to laterally transfer without really having a reason for doing so... were you just bored and decided to submit an application?

[Slevin Kelevra 2011]

Agree with everyone else. If anything, Florida has a better shot at placing you into a legal job than UConn given the saturation of new england with top 25 lawyers from Yale, Harvard, BC, BU, etc. In Florida, you won't have nearly as much competition from the elite law schools.

[Heartford]

Agree with everyone else. If anything, Florida has a better shot at placing you into a legal job than UConn given the saturation of new england with top 25 lawyers from Yale, Harvard, BC, BU, etc. In Florida, you won't have nearly as much competition from the elite law schools.

This is probably correct, but maybe exaggerating a little. It's true that UConn grads have a tough time competing in Boston against the big boys, but most Yale and Harvard students don't want to work in Hartford, or really anywhere in Connecticut. And I imagine that the Boston schools mostly contain kids who want to work in Boston. FWIW, most of the lawyers I know in Connecticut went to (in descending order by number of grads): UConn, Qunnipiac, Western New England, or some other random school in the northeast.

But I don't know anything about Florida so I don't dispute that UF is stronger in its home state than UConn is here.

[Grizz]

FL is overrun with people from T20ish schools lately.

[HebrewHammer]

Edited my post to make it clear I am transferring from a T4 to either UF or UConn

Sorry Guys

[Heartford]

Edited my post to make it clear I am transferring from a T4 to either UF or UConn

Sorry Guys

Oh that makes more sense. Is your TTTT closer (geographically) to Connecticut or Florida?

[HebrewHammer]

The TTTT I'm transferring from is in New England.

[MusicComp]

I can't speak of UConn, but I can tell you a bit of information about UF, and the job markets in Florida.

First off, if you want to go into BigLaw, go to University of Miami. If it's too late, UF is a decent choice. UM, while a T2, is much better for placing graduates in Miami (and I use the term BigLaw lightly, but if you are aiming for a big salary with a large firm, UM is the best choice).

Florida alumni networks run deep, and school rivalry is harsh. UF has a terrible reputation for being arrogant (as it is the most difficult school to attain admissions to in FL), and, honestly, most UF students are fairly cocky (imo). However, the alumni blood runs deep. UF alumni will hire you on the spot, and there are a lot of them.

There are 6-7 law schools in Florida, which I assure you clouds a job market more than New England's schools. The issue you face is that the Florida economy is horrid at the moment, the job market is not growing, and the six-seven schools in Florida all feed directly to Florida. Yale graduates live where ever they want, and many of the big schools in New England can say that (or will find you a cozy Boston Job). Florida graduates rarely, if ever, will leave Florida for a first-time job. It doesn't happen.

I would take UConn honestly. I think CT will have more job prospects at the moment, and Florida is not a great place to go for employment currently.

I hope this helps.

Summary:


Very clouded job market, with almost 1500 new lawyers being released every year...and there are not 1500 jobs.

Warm weather (I live in Orlando, and am not a fan of it, but grew up in Boston).

A negative reputation among non-UF alumni.

A very positive reputation among Alumni.

Not a great chance of landing a BigLaw job, for at least a 3-5 years.