Top Law Schools

Figured I add this one here.

Accepted to FIU here. It's a nice school, it's my current undergraduate institution. Just waiting for the other offers to come in and make my final decision.

How long did it take you guys to get accepted ?

A week. They did mine pretty quickly.

guys I just applied on march 6. today it says decision rendered, letter mailed. what could this mean??? my lsat is 155 and gpa is just below 25th percentile but I was premed. what could be the case?

Ss2014 wrote:guys I just applied on march 6. today it says decision rendered, letter mailed. what could this mean??? my lsat is 155 and gpa is just below 25th percentile but I was premed. what could be the case?

It means they sent out their decision in the mail.

Right but for them to decide so fast is it likely it is a rejection?

No, I got my acceptance in a week.

Ss2014 wrote:Right but for them to decide so fast is it likely it is a rejection?

Things to understand:

Applications are down nationwide and FIU is virtually unknown. I applied to other schools and got a response in a week that I'd been accepted. Also, most kids apply early in the cycle so they've probably gotten over their peak time.

Just wait. It's likely an acceptance.

I got in with a 3.2/161 non-URM.

I got into much higher ranked schools like UMaryland. I haven't ruled FIU out but if UMaryland is accepting me as a non-URM with a 3.2/161 and no extra curriculars... then I either wrote an amazing essay that should be included in law school admission's books or they're desperate for students.

Best of luck!

Agentsoapbox wrote:

Ss2014 wrote:Right but for them to decide so fast is it likely it is a rejection?

Things to understand:

Applications are down nationwide and FIU is virtually unknown. I applied to other schools and got a response in a week that I'd been accepted. Also, most kids apply early in the cycle so they've probably gotten over their peak time.

Just wait. It's likely an acceptance.

I got in with a 3.2/161 non-URM.

I got into much higher ranked schools like UMaryland. I haven't ruled FIU out but if UMaryland is accepting me as a non-URM with a 3.2/161 and no extra curriculars... then I either wrote an amazing essay that should be included in law school admission's books or they're desperate for students.

Best of luck!

I've noticed you are also commenting on the University of Miami's 2017 accepted class thread and I wanted to ask a couple of questions.

Did you attend both law school days?
I did. And I was extremely unimpressed by UM. It seemed like the faculty felt the law school sold itself and they didn't have to give students anything substantive. There was a sense of arrogance that really turned me off - so much so that I didn't even stay for lunch! As far as FIU, I was blown away by the way the dean himself took it upon himself to meet and greet almost every student there. The atmosphere was the polar opposite of UM. The dean was the first person to greet me, and he even sat down and had breakfast with the students. Yes. UM is a better school at the moment, but I feel that FIU is the right choice to make, not only financially, but in the long term professionally.

Given the fact that I'm most likely not receiving scholly offers from UM ( I applied late and my gpa is low) and I already received an offer from FIU of $5k/yr on top of my $5k/yr grants, what would be your choice?

THanks in advance

MisterGabriel wrote:

Agentsoapbox wrote:

Ss2014 wrote:Right but for them to decide so fast is it likely it is a rejection?

Things to understand:

Applications are down nationwide and FIU is virtually unknown. I applied to other schools and got a response in a week that I'd been accepted. Also, most kids apply early in the cycle so they've probably gotten over their peak time.

Just wait. It's likely an acceptance.

I got in with a 3.2/161 non-URM.

I got into much higher ranked schools like UMaryland. I haven't ruled FIU out but if UMaryland is accepting me as a non-URM with a 3.2/161 and no extra curriculars... then I either wrote an amazing essay that should be included in law school admission's books or they're desperate for students.

Best of luck!

I've noticed you are also commenting on the University of Miami's 2017 accepted class thread and I wanted to ask a couple of questions.

Did you attend both law school days?
I did. And I was extremely unimpressed by UM. It seemed like the faculty felt the law school sold itself and they didn't have to give students anything substantive. There was a sense of arrogance that really turned me off - so much so that I didn't even stay for lunch! As far as FIU, I was blown away by the way the dean himself took it upon himself to meet and greet almost every student there. The atmosphere was the polar opposite of UM. The dean was the first person to greet me, and he even sat down and had breakfast with the students. Yes. UM is a better school at the moment, but I feel that FIU is the right choice to make, not only financially, but in the long term professionally.

Given the fact that I'm most likely not receiving scholly offers from UM ( I applied late and my gpa is low) and I already received an offer from FIU of $5k/yr on top of my $5k/yr grants, what would be your choice?

THanks in advance

I'm currently between UM, FIU and FSU, among them UM is currently my last choice. FIU and UM are worlds apart in almost every aspect. Disregard the US news rankings and FIU should be the automatic pick. The campus and facilities are newer and much nicer and the tuition is obviously a huge draw. I can't really comment on a majority of the faculty at either school but I've visited both schools, and the overall impression I got from FIU was much more welcoming and attentive than what I felt after visiting UM. I wouldn't be surprised if 10-20 years down the road FIU surpasses UM on the US news rankings.

I'm currently between UM, FIU and FSU, among them UM is currently my last choice. FIU and UM are worlds apart in almost every aspect. Disregard the US news rankings and FIU should be the automatic pick. The campus and facilities are newer and much nicer and the tuition is obviously a huge draw. I can't really comment on a majority of the faculty at either school but I've visited both schools, and the overall impression I got from FIU was much more welcoming and attentive than what I felt after visiting UM. I wouldn't be surprised if 10-20 years down the road FIU surpasses UM on the US news rankings.

I had the exact same feeling. FIU just drew me in. Considering the fact that I live about 5-10 minutes away from FIU and that I want to practice law in south florida, FIU just seems like an auto-pick right now. I'll have about half of my tuition paid. I've also applied to FSU and it's probably going to be a waitlist. However, even if I did get in, I would probably still pick FIU. That may sound crazy, but staying home and not having to worry about living expenses will help me focus on my schooling. Notwithstanding the fact that I'll be networking where I plan to practice. It just makes sense.

MisterGabriel wrote:

I'm currently between UM, FIU and FSU, among them UM is currently my last choice. FIU and UM are worlds apart in almost every aspect. Disregard the US news rankings and FIU should be the automatic pick. The campus and facilities are newer and much nicer and the tuition is obviously a huge draw. I can't really comment on a majority of the faculty at either school but I've visited both schools, and the overall impression I got from FIU was much more welcoming and attentive than what I felt after visiting UM. I wouldn't be surprised if 10-20 years down the road FIU surpasses UM on the US news rankings.

I had the exact same feeling. FIU just drew me in. Considering the fact that I live about 5-10 minutes away from FIU and that I want to practice law in south florida, FIU just seems like an auto-pick right now. I'll have about half of my tuition paid. I've also applied to FSU and it's probably going to be a waitlist. However, even if I did get in, I would probably still pick FIU. That may sound crazy, but staying home and not having to worry about living expenses will help me focus on my schooling. Notwithstanding the fact that I'll be networking where I plan to practice. It just makes sense.

It's not crazy at all. Location is the main reason I'm still deciding between the two. Honestly, I'm slightly leaning FIU>FSU because I've lived is South Florida my entire life, and I absolutely love it.

argh wrote:

MisterGabriel wrote:

I'm currently between UM, FIU and FSU, among them UM is currently my last choice. FIU and UM are worlds apart in almost every aspect. Disregard the US news rankings and FIU should be the automatic pick. The campus and facilities are newer and much nicer and the tuition is obviously a huge draw. I can't really comment on a majority of the faculty at either school but I've visited both schools, and the overall impression I got from FIU was much more welcoming and attentive than what I felt after visiting UM. I wouldn't be surprised if 10-20 years down the road FIU surpasses UM on the US news rankings.

I had the exact same feeling. FIU just drew me in. Considering the fact that I live about 5-10 minutes away from FIU and that I want to practice law in south florida, FIU just seems like an auto-pick right now. I'll have about half of my tuition paid. I've also applied to FSU and it's probably going to be a waitlist. However, even if I did get in, I would probably still pick FIU. That may sound crazy, but staying home and not having to worry about living expenses will help me focus on my schooling. Notwithstanding the fact that I'll be networking where I plan to practice. It just makes sense.

It's not crazy at all. Location is the main reason I'm still deciding between the two. Honestly, I'm slightly leaning FIU>FSU because I've lived is South Florida my entire life, and I absolutely love it.

Same here, can't beat home cooking. Not to mention, I love the outdoors/fishing... can't do that in tally. I'd argue that because of its' location, FIU is likely to become one of the best schools in Florida. FIU is already pulling students from FSU/UM because of the location and low costs - I can imagine this trend will only continue. Stop me if I'm being too brash.

MisterGabriel wrote:

argh wrote:

MisterGabriel wrote:

I'm currently between UM, FIU and FSU, among them UM is currently my last choice. FIU and UM are worlds apart in almost every aspect. Disregard the US news rankings and FIU should be the automatic pick. The campus and facilities are newer and much nicer and the tuition is obviously a huge draw. I can't really comment on a majority of the faculty at either school but I've visited both schools, and the overall impression I got from FIU was much more welcoming and attentive than what I felt after visiting UM. I wouldn't be surprised if 10-20 years down the road FIU surpasses UM on the US news rankings.

I had the exact same feeling. FIU just drew me in. Considering the fact that I live about 5-10 minutes away from FIU and that I want to practice law in south florida, FIU just seems like an auto-pick right now. I'll have about half of my tuition paid. I've also applied to FSU and it's probably going to be a waitlist. However, even if I did get in, I would probably still pick FIU. That may sound crazy, but staying home and not having to worry about living expenses will help me focus on my schooling. Notwithstanding the fact that I'll be networking where I plan to practice. It just makes sense.

It's not crazy at all. Location is the main reason I'm still deciding between the two. Honestly, I'm slightly leaning FIU>FSU because I've lived is South Florida my entire life, and I absolutely love it.

Same here, can't beat home cooking. Not to mention, I love the outdoors/fishing... can't do that in tally. I'd argue that because of its' location, FIU is likely to become one of the best schools in Florida. FIU is already pulling students from FSU/UM because of the location and low costs - I can imagine this trend will only continue. Stop me if I'm being too brash.

Similar situation as well. I already accepted and paid my seat deposit for FIU though. So if you do end up going, see you there!

Numbers: 161/3.6
It was between UM, FSU, and FIU for me as well. I already live in South Florida and didn't want to leave it. FSU would have been a big consideration for me had I gotten a good scholarship from them. I ended up getting 23k/year from UM, 17.5k/year from FIU, and nothing from FSU. That knocked FSU out and made it between FIU & UM.

To me, debt is a huge consideration in terms of law school. Even at ~50% scholly, UM is still way too damn expensive. FIU being a state school made it cheaper and my choice. I didn't, however, solely choose it because of that. FIU has huge potential. I know a few grads from there who have all gotten good jobs. Firms down here are beginning to notice the talent FIU is bringing. I also like the fact that they have a small incoming class as opposed to UM's. The student to professor ratio is just right imo. If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

Just paid my deposit today.

FIU beats Miami in every major category. Bar pass rate is higher, job rate after 9 months, student/teacher ratio, nicer facilities. The acceptance rate is about half of what it is at Miami. The average LSAT is the same but he GPA is higher. And finally It is half the price. The only thing Miami has on FIU is the prestige but more and more people are starting to recognize FIU as it continues to move up in the rankings. I am trying to decide between FSU Miami and FIU but FIU seems like the best choice for me considering I got 75% off and no money from Miami or FSU

MisterGabriel wrote:Just paid my deposit today.

Sweet! See you at orientation then. I would suggest putting up your numbers and what not at fiu.lawschoolnumbers.com/applicants for everyone else who's applying for years to come.

Paid my deposit

heatfan292 wrote:FIU beats Miami in every major category. Bar pass rate is higher, job rate after 9 months, student/teacher ratio, nicer facilities. The acceptance rate is about half of what it is at Miami. The average LSAT is the same but he GPA is higher. And finally It is half the price. The only thing Miami has on FIU is the prestige but more and more people are starting to recognize FIU as it continues to move up in the rankings. I am trying to decide between FSU Miami and FIU but FIU seems like the best choice for me considering I got 75% off and no money from Miami or FSU

Consider also where you'd like to practice law. If it's south Florida, then FIU is the best choice considering your scholarship offers.

MisterGabriel wrote:

heatfan292 wrote:FIU beats Miami in every major category. Bar pass rate is higher, job rate after 9 months, student/teacher ratio, nicer facilities. The acceptance rate is about half of what it is at Miami. The average LSAT is the same but he GPA is higher. And finally It is half the price. The only thing Miami has on FIU is the prestige but more and more people are starting to recognize FIU as it continues to move up in the rankings. I am trying to decide between FSU Miami and FIU but FIU seems like the best choice for me considering I got 75% off and no money from Miami or FSU

Consider also where you'd like to practice law. If it's south Florida, then FIU is the best choice considering your scholarship offers.

Just wanted to jump in and remind anyone making this decision that Miami generally adds tough stipulations to their scholarships. Definitely read the fine print and let that factor into your decision.

these stats are misleading. The numbers are either untrue, and in the cases where FIU does outdo Miami, it's negligible.

For example, the assertion on jobs is false.

using 2012 numbers,

University of Miami had 327 students secure jobs out of a class of 461. Of those, 32 were in law firms of 100 partners also referred to as "BigLaw"

meaning, 71% of the graduating class had jobs after graduation and of those, about 10% had BigLaw

FIU on the other hand had a much smaller class. Out of 184 students that grauated, 127 found jobs after graduation. That's about 69%. Of those, only 6 students got BigLaw

furthermore, sure, FIU had a higher bar passage rate than UM, but by about 3 percentage points. Both above state averages though. Hardly something to really set FIU apart.

where UM really sets itself apart is in its reputation and vast alumni base.

where FIU really shines is in its affordability over UM.

If you're paying sticker at UM and FIU, then FIU is definitely worth considering as it's got a great program at an affordable price.

but don't try to comfort yourself by deluding yourself into thinking FIU is vastly superior to UM, it's not. I believe FIU will surpass UM one day... but that day is not today.

If tuition is equal at both schools (as it is for me, since I got a 30k scholly from UM) I'd choose UM over FIU hands down based on their reputation and alumni network and job placement.

this talk about FIU being superior sounds like when those other schools brag about specialty rankings. "ohhh, our school is 3rd in the country for legal writing"

MisterGabriel wrote:

Agentsoapbox wrote:

Ss2014 wrote:Right but for them to decide so fast is it likely it is a rejection?

Things to understand:

Applications are down nationwide and FIU is virtually unknown. I applied to other schools and got a response in a week that I'd been accepted. Also, most kids apply early in the cycle so they've probably gotten over their peak time.

Just wait. It's likely an acceptance.

I got in with a 3.2/161 non-URM.

I got into much higher ranked schools like UMaryland. I haven't ruled FIU out but if UMaryland is accepting me as a non-URM with a 3.2/161 and no extra curriculars... then I either wrote an amazing essay that should be included in law school admission's books or they're desperate for students.

Best of luck!

I've noticed you are also commenting on the University of Miami's 2017 accepted class thread and I wanted to ask a couple of questions.

Did you attend both law school days?
I did. And I was extremely unimpressed by UM. It seemed like the faculty felt the law school sold itself and they didn't have to give students anything substantive. There was a sense of arrogance that really turned me off - so much so that I didn't even stay for lunch! As far as FIU, I was blown away by the way the dean himself took it upon himself to meet and greet almost every student there. The atmosphere was the polar opposite of UM. The dean was the first person to greet me, and he even sat down and had breakfast with the students. Yes. UM is a better school at the moment, but I feel that FIU is the right choice to make, not only financially, but in the long term professionally.

Given the fact that I'm most likely not receiving scholly offers from UM ( I applied late and my gpa is low) and I already received an offer from FIU of $5k/yr on top of my $5k/yr grants, what would be your choice?

THanks in advance

I didn't attend the Admitted Student's Weekend for FIU or UM. My struggle was between UM and Temple in Philadelphia. I attended Temples ASD instead. But I did take a tour of the school and talk to faculty and staff.


I was already familiar with FIU since its my undergraduate institution and I know some professors at their law school.

Temple was the relative unknown to me, so I went to their ASD to check them out.

FIU only gave my 5k and UM gave me 30k a year. So, it made their cost the same. Those two things being equal, FIU lost any advantage they had.

FIU might be the best choice for you. But don't count yourself out. I applied late in the cycle with a 3.2 and a 161 and still got a 30k a year scholly from UM. Ultimately it comes down to a cost/benefit analysis. FIU might be better for you if you're looking at Scholly from FIU and sticker at UM.

Update***

Just received scholarship offer from UM of $20k/yr, making my decision very difficult.

As I mentioned before, FIU is offering me $5k/yr.

FIU's stip: Scholarship is renewable "provided you are in the top 50% of your class or have maintained a 2.90 grade point average at the end of each spring term."

UM's stip: "Your $20,000 Dean's Merit scholarship is renewable for the second and third years of law school provided you remain in the top half of your class. In the 2012-13 academic cycle, the top half GPA was approximately a 3.0 or higher."

Someone commented that UM's stips to retain scholarship money is more demanding that other schools, but they look about the same to me.

I'm assuming everyone got the same scholarship stipulations.... right?

MisterGabriel wrote:Update***

Just received scholarship offer from UM of $20k/yr, making my decision very difficult.

As I mentioned before, FIU is offering me $5k/yr.

FIU's stip: Scholarship is renewable "provided you are in the top 50% of your class or have maintained a 2.90 grade point average at the end of each spring term."

UM's stip: "Your $20,000 Dean's Merit scholarship is renewable for the second and third years of law school provided you remain in the top half of your class. In the 2012-13 academic cycle, the top half GPA was approximately a 3.0 or higher."

Someone commented that UM's stips to retain scholarship money is more demanding that other schools, but they look about the same to me.

I'm assuming everyone got the same scholarship stipulations.... right?

Well, look at it this way: If you lose your scholly at UM you'll probably have to transfer out or bite the bullet and drown in debt. If you lose it at FIU, you're only out $5k, and you're still paying less than UM with the $20k.