Univ of Florida 1L taking Questions. Forum

[GatorNation]

Ask away!

[ThePhysicsofPi]

1. What were you stats when you applied?
2. In-state or out-of-state applicant?
3. How do you find the competition so far, if any?
4. What is your "feel" for the school?
5. Have you had any regrets choosing UF?

Thanks in advance.

[GatorNation]

1) My stats when I applied... 162 LSAT and 3.65 UGPA, non URM

2) In state applicant. A large majority of people are in state, and those that aren't plan to eventually practice in Florida

3) I would say its competitive, but I think most people get along with each other. I personally have not seen any of the hard-backstabing-competitiveness described in other schools. Don't get me wrong, the students are very smart and dedicated, but most don't take it to the extreme like I hear students do in other schools.

4) I personally like the school, but there is a lot of worrying regarding the state of the economy and job prostects... but I guess that is true with most law schools. The professors are awesome, and most are very cool and want to help out students as much as possible. The professors I have had are not as socratic as others, and when they are it isn't as bad as one fears as a 0L.

5) No regrets. I plan to practice in south Florida when I graduate, and UF was the obvious choice for me. I was accepted at better ranked schools, but I still decided to go to UF. If you want to practice in Florida, you can't go wrong with UF.

[98234872348]

I suppose I should make a positive contribution for once and answer questions as well...

1. What were you stats when you applied?
I didn't find either of my statistics satisfactory, but, such is life, and I resigned myself to the institution I attend currently. I would advise anyone who scored under their potential on the LSAT to retake, although, attending a cheap state school like UF is preferable, IMO, to attending a costly private or out of state institution.

2. In-state or out-of-state applicant?
I was in a unique position; I qualified for in state, although I was living out of state at the time. I am not sure how this factored into my being admitted, I assume if anything it had a marginal effect.

3. How do you find the competition so far, if any?
There are smart, motivated individuals, as you'll find at any academic institution of this caliber; that being said, the atmosphere is really laid back. I find people willing to help each other (yes, even fellow 1Ls) and everyone is generally friendly; I haven't met anyone so keenly competitive that they won't talk to anyone else. Everyone is generally affable.

4. What is your "feel" for the school?
I second the assessment of the OP in the sense that our teachers are absolutely phenomenal; my worst teacher here is easily as good as the best professors I had in UG. I feel that they really care about their students, are extremely accessible and down to earth. The school is nice generally, I like the lay out of the facilities, everything is very close together. The library leaves something to be desired in terms of supplements, many are outdated and they don't have a prolific amount of them. The library, however, is generally fairly empty; I am not sure if not many people study in the library, or, this fact in effect implies that not many people study too intensely in general. I find the 1L exam bank extremely underwhelming; it seems the only way (at least for my section) to obtain exams is through the actual professor. The same thing can be said for the outline bank, although, clearly, professors don't have outlines; however, most 2Ls are pretty accessible, so, it isn't the worst predicament. I haven't really found the student activities to be all too intriguing, although, there is a student organization that does a weekly bar review type of function that seems to be a fun time. The school has a diverse student body, there are a lot of non-traditional students, international students, your standard fare straight out of UG people are probably the prominent population, and many other different groups of individuals.

I will intentionally omit my sentiments on the job market as I am a preeminent pessimist; I think there will be some people that graduate that will secure employment, I suppose. Career services seems to do an okay job, however, I haven't interacted with them extensively enough to form an opinion.

Generally, though, the campus is really nice, the student culture is awesome, football games are a ton of fun, and the gym facilities are stellar (and currently in the process of being upgraded). I also must add that I am impressed with the new court room, which is an exponential improvement over the old facility.

5. Have you had any regrets choosing UF?
I regret not retaking the LSAT after under preforming; however, I must add the caveat to that statement that I would still attend UF at the exceptionally low tuition and COL over most schools outside of the T14 at sticker, considering, ITE, job prospects will likely only be marginally better anyways. If the economy were to improve, I might reevaluate that sentiment.

Hope that was helpful.

[GatorNation]

I suppose I should make a positive contribution for once and answer questions as well...

1. What were you stats when you applied?
I didn't find either of my statistics satisfactory, but, such is life, and I resigned myself to the institution I attend currently. I would advise anyone who scored under their potential on the LSAT to retake, although, attending a cheap state school like UF is preferable, IMO, to attending a costly private or out of state institution.

2. In-state or out-of-state applicant?
I was in a unique position; I qualified for in state, although I was living out of state at the time. I am not sure how this factored into my being admitted, I assume if anything it had a marginal effect.

3. How do you find the competition so far, if any?
There are smart, motivated individuals, as you'll find at any academic institution of this caliber; that being said, the atmosphere is really laid back. I find people willing to help each other (yes, even fellow 1Ls) and everyone is generally friendly; I haven't met anyone so keenly competitive that they won't talk to anyone else. Everyone is generally affable.

4. What is your "feel" for the school?
I second the assessment of the OP in the sense that our teachers are absolutely phenomenal; my worst teacher here is easily as good as the best professors I had in UG. I feel that they really care about their students, are extremely accessible and down to earth. The school is nice generally, I like the lay out of the facilities, everything is very close together. The library leaves something to be desired in terms of supplements, many are outdated and they don't have a prolific amount of them. The library, however, is generally fairly empty; I am not sure if not many people study in the library, or, this fact in effect implies that not many people study too intensely in general. I find the 1L exam bank extremely underwhelming; it seems the only way (at least for my section) to obtain exams is through the actual professor. The same thing can be said for the outline bank, although, clearly, professors don't have outlines; however, most 2Ls are pretty accessible, so, it isn't the worst predicament. I haven't really found the student activities to be all too intriguing, although, there is a student organization that does a weekly bar review type of function that seems to be a fun time. The school has a diverse student body, there are a lot of non-traditional students, international students, your standard fare straight out of UG people are probably the prominent population, and many other different groups of individuals.

I will intentionally omit my sentiments on the job market as I am a preeminent pessimist; I think there will be some people that graduate that will secure employment, I suppose. Career services seems to do an okay job, however, I haven't interacted with them extensively enough to form an opinion.

Generally, though, the campus is really nice, the student culture is awesome, football games are a ton of fun, and the gym facilities are stellar (and currently in the process of being upgraded). I also must add that I am impressed with the new court room, which is an exponential improvement over the old facility.

5. Have you had any regrets choosing UF?
I regret not retaking the LSAT after under preforming; however, I must add the caveat to that statement that I would still attend UF at the exceptionally low tuition and COL over most schools outside of the T14 at sticker, considering, ITE, job prospects will likely only be marginally better anyways. If the economy were to improve, I might reevaluate that sentiment.

Hope that was helpful.

Completely agree with above.

The library is somewhat of an issue IMO. Its never open later than 11:30pm, its closed on game days, and its open to all UF students. During the weekends, its sometimes common to see more undergrads than law students in the library... but even then its not overcrowded. The fac that the library is closed on game days is understandable, since its close to the stadium, and most people I know go to the game anyways. It still would be nice to use the library very early on game day, but its not the end of the world.

Regarding exam bank... most professors have past exams available, and some recommend E&E and Cali for supplemental studying. Those professors that don't have many practice exams are very understanding, and try to give us hypos to work on the weekend and to later go over in class.

Final note. Seems that everyone is a college football expert. I like football, but not like UF fans do. Don't get me wrong, I think its awesome to take Saturdays off and have fun, but I didn't expect the dedication to football Levin students have. Even the most randomnest person will start talking about Tebow, Alabama, UM, the BCS rankings, and bitch about the AP rankings. Its embarassing when the hot girls know more than you about the SEC...

[melaniec]

Hi there, thanks for taking the time to answer questions! I'm a SoFla resident but I go to ugrad in NYC. Not sure where I would like to practice yet (I must admit the odds are leaning towards NY), but I'm also drawn to UF's low tuition... How would you say the prospects for getting a UF law degree and searching for work in NY are? Those who choose to practice outside of Fl-- where do most end up? Thanks!

[GatorNation]

Hi there, thanks for taking the time to answer questions! I'm a SoFla resident but I go to ugrad in NYC. Not sure where I would like to practice yet (I must admit the odds are leaning towards NY), but I'm also drawn to UF's low tuition... How would you say the prospects for getting a UF law degree and searching for work in NY are? Those who choose to practice outside of Fl-- where do most end up? Thanks!

I know that UF places well in the south east... but I dont know about New York.

Regarding tuiton, be aware that UF will be increasing its tuition 15% per year. I'm not sure of the exact numbers, so your better contacting Levin regarding that issue.

[GATORTIM]

Don't have a question, just a statement......GO GATORS!

[samer]

You mentioned that you wanted to work in South Florida. I was under the impression that UM had South Florida fairly locked down. I've also heard that, because of this, UF and UM are the only law schools that are really worth going to in Florida, even though FSU is right on UF's tail in terms of ranking. Can you say anything about this?

Also, you wouldn't happen to know when they'll start reviewing our applications, do you? Thanks in advance

[GatorNation]

You mentioned that you wanted to work in South Florida. I was under the impression that UM had South Florida fairly locked down. I've also heard that, because of this, UF and UM are the only law schools that are really worth going to in Florida, even though FSU is right on UF's tail in terms of ranking. Can you say anything about this?

Also, you wouldn't happen to know when they'll start reviewing our applications, do you? Thanks in advance

I've also heard this about the south Florida market.. that UM has it locked. UF does place well in south Florida, but its true that I would be competing with UM grads. Considering the cost and flexibility of my UF JD over a UM one, I was willing to go to UF over UM.

FSU is ranked 1 spot lower than UF in rankings, but UF is well ahead when it comes to the school's reputation and placement within the state. The rankings don't reflect that. Idk about UF and UM being the only schools worth going to in Florida, but I know that UM is a good choice for south Florida, if you are willing to pay the tuition. FSU is a good choice, but you will have trouble with an FSU degree in south Florida... competing against UM and UF grads. I dont know about the other Florida schools to tell you how they do in job placement in the state.

To add.... No idea about applications. I applied in mid-October and was accepted on late November, and UF was one of the first schools to give me a decision.

[jlk86]

.

[98234872348]

FSU is ranked 1 spot lower than UF in rankings, but UF is well ahead when it comes to the school's reputation and placement within the state.

Rankings are meaningless in general, however, next year this will not be the case. I predict that UF will move up several spots and FSU will lose ground.

Just a general gauge considering what figures on LSN and considering the medians for this year, not to mention the fact the UF cut the class size by 1/4.

[Aberzombie1892]

UM is slowly gaining a more portable reputation, but UF is the undisputed leader in FL.

Alumni locations according to Martindale.com: (excluding Florida)

University of Florida
NY - 178
DC - 222
GA - 595
CA - 199
IL - 70
TX - 134
PA - 55

University of Miami
NY - 413
DC - 179
GA - 146
CA - 218
IL - 121
TX - 115
PA - 163

[98234872348]

UM is slowly gaining a more portable reputation, but UF is the undisputed leader in FL.

Alumni locations according to Martindale.com: (excluding Florida)

University of Florida
NY - 178
DC - 222
GA - 595
CA - 199
IL - 70
TX - 134
PA - 55

University of Miami
NY - 413
DC - 179
GA - 146
CA - 218
IL - 121
TX - 115
PA - 163

The only difference is, you go 180K into debt for going to Umiami, and you hit maybe 80K for UF... hmmmmmmmm.

[isaiah6v8]

I am curious about the grad housing/married housing I know there are some near the law school, but it is hard to tell what quality. My wife went to UF undergrad, so she is really praying for us to end up there, but we would ideally be able to live on campus. So, I don't know if you can speak to it or not, but if you can what do you think of the housing available?

On a different note, the class sizes are so big, do you ever feel like you are getting lost in the crowd or that it is harder to stand out?

[Aberzombie1892]

UM is slowly gaining a more portable reputation, but UF is the undisputed leader in FL.

Alumni locations according to Martindale.com: (excluding Florida)

University of Florida
NY - 178
DC - 222
GA - 595
CA - 199
IL - 70
TX - 134
PA - 55

University of Miami
NY - 413
DC - 179
GA - 146
CA - 218
IL - 121
TX - 115
PA - 163

The only difference is, you go 180K into debt for going to Umiami, and you hit maybe 80K for UF... hmmmmmmmm.

Haha! So very true.

Private schools are dramatically overpriced these days...

[GatorNation]

I am curious about the grad housing/married housing I know there are some near the law school, but it is hard to tell what quality. My wife went to UF undergrad, so she is really praying for us to end up there, but we would ideally be able to live on campus. So, I don't know if you can speak to it or not, but if you can what do you think of the housing available?

On a different note, the class sizes are so big, do you ever feel like you are getting lost in the crowd or that it is harder to stand out?

There is family housing right across Levin. I think its called Correy village.

Most people live out of campus, and so do I... so I don't know much about on-campus housing. When I was considering moving to UF, I spoke with on-campus housing, and they told me that the waiting time was over a year for on-campus housing.

Regarding class size... you generally just hang out with people of your own section, and you dont feel "lost within the crowd" in that sense. You also get to meet people if you get involved in clubs and activities. I have never felt overwhelmed by the class size, and when on break, I always find someone I know to talk to or sit with.

[isaiah6v8]

I am curious about the grad housing/married housing I know there are some near the law school, but it is hard to tell what quality. My wife went to UF undergrad, so she is really praying for us to end up there, but we would ideally be able to live on campus. So, I don't know if you can speak to it or not, but if you can what do you think of the housing available?

On a different note, the class sizes are so big, do you ever feel like you are getting lost in the crowd or that it is harder to stand out?

There is family housing right across Levin. I think its called Correy village.

Most people live out of campus, and so do I... so I don't know much about on-campus housing. When I was considering moving to UF, I spoke with on-campus housing, and they told me that the waiting time was over a year for on-campus housing.

Regarding class size... you generally just hang out with people of your own section, and you dont feel "lost within the crowd" in that sense. You also get to meet people if you get involved in clubs and activities. I have never felt overwhelmed by the class size, and when on break, I always find someone I know to talk to or sit with.

wow, a year, that is a pretty serious wait time, might as well look off campus. Thanks for the info!

[samer]

Thanks a lot for your response. We all greatly appreciate you answering these questions.

[jms1987]

First off, thank you answering questions!

I was wondering, is it any harder to get in as an OSS?

Also, are ideologies well balanced there?

[Encyclopedia Brown]

Don't have a question, just a statement......GO GATORS!

+1

[GatorNation]

I am curious about the grad housing/married housing I know there are some near the law school, but it is hard to tell what quality. My wife went to UF undergrad, so she is really praying for us to end up there, but we would ideally be able to live on campus. So, I don't know if you can speak to it or not, but if you can what do you think of the housing available?

On a different note, the class sizes are so big, do you ever feel like you are getting lost in the crowd or that it is harder to stand out?

There is family housing right across Levin. I think its called Correy village.

Most people live out of campus, and so do I... so I don't know much about on-campus housing. When I was considering moving to UF, I spoke with on-campus housing, and they told me that the waiting time was over a year for on-campus housing.

Regarding class size... you generally just hang out with people of your own section, and you dont feel "lost within the crowd" in that sense. You also get to meet people if you get involved in clubs and activities. I have never felt overwhelmed by the class size, and when on break, I always find someone I know to talk to or sit with.

wow, a year, that is a pretty serious wait time, might as well look off campus. Thanks for the info!

Yeah... off campus is the way to go. I think it was 13-16 months what they told me the on-campus housing wait was, so your better off looking out off campus.

Regarding ideologies-> I'm not sure if you mean political ideologies, but I'll assume you are. I have noticed that the class politically is pretty much 50-50 (maybe a bit more conservative than liberal). Everyone knows their politics, so their is no point to trying to convince people otherwise, and political discussions can get very interesting. Everyone I have met are very friendly, so even if you don't agree with them politically, you can get along with them socially and out of class.

[98234872348]

First off, thank you answering questions!

I was wondering, is it any harder to get in as an OSS?

Also, are ideologies well balanced there?

I would say it is relatively more difficult, although, if you have numbers roughly at or above the medians (3.67, 161 respectively, I believe) you shouldn't have any issue.

Ideology is a relatively broad term when not premised with modifier such as "philosophical," "political" or "religious," however, if you are just speaking generally, I suppose that they are. I think that there are a well balanced number of conservatives and liberals, and this fact is reflected in many class discussions that hinge on policy issues (i.e. personal autonomy vs. social benefit and the like). As I mentioned before, a diverse array of cultures are reflected in the constitution of the class and there are many religious preferences consisting therein. Also, I have noticed that a large portion of the student body is married, or, larger than I would have expected I suppose. I don't personally have any idea of the numbers of, say, democrats vs. republicans or Methodists vs. Muslims, since that sort of thing doesn't really come up too often in casual discussion. I would say that, in general, the liberal ideology tends to dominate in terms of professors, however, it is difficult to ascertain the political views of law professors, who by nature are willing to and competent at discussing both sides of an issue. If you have any more specific questions I am can try to answer them.

[98234872348]

UM is slowly gaining a more portable reputation, but UF is the undisputed leader in FL.

Alumni locations according to Martindale.com: (excluding Florida)

University of Florida
NY - 178
DC - 222
GA - 595
CA - 199
IL - 70
TX - 134
PA - 55

University of Miami
NY - 413
DC - 179
GA - 146
CA - 218
IL - 121
TX - 115
PA - 163

The only difference is, you go 180K into debt for going to Umiami, and you hit maybe 80K for UF... hmmmmmmmm.

Haha! So very true.

Private schools are dramatically overpriced these days...

Also don't forget that U Miami has a larger class than UF does, even when UF had a class of 400+

[Luis Gomez]

Hi guys, I would like to know how many international students are there at the law school? and if many of them are enrolled on the J.D. program?

Thanks.