Top Law Schools

Hello, I didn't find any thread for us 2012-2013 applicants so I thought I'd start one!

Go Gators!

Just submitted, pretty pumped about this cycle

Checking in. '06 Gator Grad. Go Gators!

I haven't applied yet since I'm taking the Oct LSAT, but I'm pretty pumped too!

answering inquiries

Is anyone attending the open house on Oct. 13th?

I've never been to UF so I'm thrilled about visiting the campus!

Signed up for an official tour next Wednesday. Also going to sit in on a torts class. In addition to going there for undergrad my younger sister is a 2L there now...The law school campus is definitely nice but I wouldn't call it breathtaking, at least on the exterior. A lot of the interior areas and classrooms are great.

Edit to add: Gators play at Vandy on the 13th so, sadly, you can't go to a game. But still spend some time over at the stadium and check it out. Even if you're not a football fan it's worth it.

Checking in! Just sent my application. 168 lsat, 3.92 GPA.

Took an official tour last week and sat in on a class. Overall, really enjoyed the experience. Wish I could say the same about the !LSAT yesterday.

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I had the same dilemna as you... My general PS is mostly about personsl experiences and current work. I ended up integrating academic interests and prior work to it.

Checking in!

GPA - LSAC 3.85 Degree 3.92
LSAT - 163

Any opinions on if it's worth the retake, I assume I'm in decent shape being above medians in both, I'm more concerned over money. Would a couple points higher really make a large difference in the scholarships, because I've heard UF is stingy on $$.

Edit: I should say would it qualify me for any scholarship money, I'm not really expecting anything at this point

If UF is stingy with scholarship money, it's probably because their tuition is actually fairly reasonable...at least compared to just about every other T50 school, particularly if you're in-state (are you?). You're right, you're probably fine to get in. But if $$$ is very big factor for you then, sure, retake.

Checking in.

I applied to UF in last year's cycle, will be applying again in a day or two. Finishing my PS and just got my new LSAT score.

B01L3RM4K3R wrote:Checking in!

GPA - LSAC 3.85 Degree 3.92
LSAT - 163

Any opinions on if it's worth the retake, I assume I'm in decent shape being above medians in both, I'm more concerned over money. Would a couple points higher really make a large difference in the scholarships, because I've heard UF is stingy on $$.

Edit: I should say would it qualify me for any scholarship money, I'm not really expecting anything at this point

I cannot suggest highly enough that you retake, especially with your undergrad GPA. The difference of another 7 points can literally equal hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Has anyone's app gone under review yet?

just sent in my app today!! Good luck

Went complete on the 5th. Best of luck to everyone.

Good luck guys, I'm a 1L this year and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Gator_Law wrote:Good luck guys, I'm a 1L this year and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

What are prospects for Florida Biglaw and JAG?

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slawww wrote:

Jredelman15 wrote:

Gator_Law wrote:Good luck guys, I'm a 1L this year and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

What are prospects for Florida Biglaw and JAG?

Curious as someone also interested in JAG, not so much Biglaw.

Also, what're you're opinions of the overall atmosphere? Why would/did you choose UF over FSU?

I can tell you why I chose not to apply to FSU as an undergrad. I thought the city was gross and dirty. I was meeting with FSU football for a walk-on spot and ended up not playing football at all.

slawww wrote:

Jredelman15 wrote:

Gator_Law wrote:Good luck guys, I'm a 1L this year and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

What are prospects for Florida Biglaw and JAG?

Curious as someone also interested in JAG, not so much Biglaw.

Also, what're you're opinions of the overall atmosphere? Why would/did you choose UF over FSU?

While I obviously can't speak for the Air Force, I feel comfortable saying that the Air Force is not like Biglaw in terms of hiring (I know that wasn't the literal question; just using it as an example). i.e. You don't have to go to a T25 law school to be competitive for JAG. While it seems logical that, all other things being equal, they'd pick an individual from a school like GWU over UF or FSU, they're looking at a lot more than just your school's pedigree. They're looking for your desire to serve, how you'd fit in with the AF, and what other things you bring to the table besides your law degree. They're also going to look at your performance in law school, obviously. So kicking ass at UF may look better than barely graduating at a higher ranked school.

I have a friend who's wife was an Active Duty officer and got picked up for a fully-funded program that sent her to law school, paid her tuition, and continued paying her salary (Funded Legal Education Program...it's for AD officers only, sorry). Where did she go to school? FAMU (I think to be closer to her husband). Moral of the story: JAG isn't going to judge you purely on your school. If they cared that much, they would have told my buddy's wife that she had to go to a higher ranked school if they're going to shell out that kind of money. Going to UF or FSU isn't going hurt your chances for JAG. There's also a lot of good info on the JAG recruiting website (slawww already has this info, but if anyone else wants it just PM me or google JAG Recuriting).

As for UF vs. FSU, I'm a little biased as a UF alum, but they're both solid schools that you'll do fine in Florida with. My sister was admitted to both UF and FSU and chose UF (she went to USF for undergrad). She said that for her it came down to two things: location and alumni networking. She thought Gainesville > Tallahassee and everything she found out pointed to a stronger alumni network from UF throughout the state.

slawww wrote:

Jredelman15 wrote:

Gator_Law wrote:Good luck guys, I'm a 1L this year and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

What are prospects for Florida Biglaw and JAG?

Curious as someone also interested in JAG, not so much Biglaw.

Also, what're you're opinions of the overall atmosphere? Why would/did you choose UF over FSU?

I honestly don't know too much about JAG. I know that last month we had an officer speaking about the program, and they do offer internship opportunities for UF law students. I also know we have a Military Law Association which a few of my friends are involved in.

As for why UF, it boiled down to a few major factors. I suppose I should say that I went to a neutral UG school in Florida, so I had no bias about either one before visiting. I only applied to UF, FSU, and a couple random schools because of fee waivers.

I definitely like Gainesville as a place to live more than Tallahassee. Tally has a pretty bad reputation of being either really nice or really gross. The best deal I found on apartment there was $720 for a 1 bedroom right next to the school, and the complex was not very nice. Here in Gville I pay $620 for a 2/1 in a nice area about 1 mile from school. The living situation here is definitely better and there is nowhere in Gainesville I'm ever nervous about going to.

There were things about the actual facilities that I liked more about each school. FSU has what I would describe as "southern charm", mainly because it looks like a house on a plantation. The fact that FSU took over the courthouse right across the street was pretty cool and that place is super nice, but the new advocacy center at UF is arguably nicer. FSU has a better cafeteria / student lounge area, and more options for food every day. UF definitely has the nicer library and I prefer the open courtyard style building. The classrooms are comparable, but the layout of UF makes more sense to me than did FSU.

The atmosphere is much better than I anticipated. UF is a VERY fratty school for undergrads (50% in greek) but it's not like that in law school. I am pretty far from "southern frat" and I was pleasantly surprised that most of the students I've met were not in greek life. In my section of 100, I would say I'm good friends with about 25-30 people, as opposed to maybe 3 people that I am not big fans of. Nobody has come off as pretentious to me and, while it is competitive, people are generally helpful. I've heard that the group at FSU is more "tight knit" because there are less people, and UF can be kind of clique-y, but I'd consider myself somewhat of an introvert and I've had a lot of fun so far.

The schools are fairly comparable and I don't have many bad things to say about FSU. In the end, it came down to 1) being 2 hours closer to home, 2) cheaper + better living situation, 3) the overall better facilities, 4) the "Gator Nation", and most importantly, 5) SEC football.

Oh, and we didn't lose to NC State.

Gator_Law wrote:[The schools are fairly comparable and I don't have many bad things to say about FSU. In the end, it came down to 1) being 2 hours closer to home, 2) cheaper + better living situation, 3) the overall better facilities, 4) the "Gator Nation", and most importantly, 5) SEC football.

Oh, and we didn't lose to NC State.

+1 billion.