FIU Law School- reputation? (Miami, Tallahassee: attorneys, home, universities)

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by MoverandShaker2004

Tallahassee is in the "panhandle". Ewwwww. I bet your cultural learnings at FSU are eating at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. FIU's law school will continue to swap for first place with FSU's for the forseeable future. I think Miami would be a better environment to study law, simply because of the size of the metro area and the availability for internships and jobs during and after law school. How many law firms are there in Tallahassee? 2? 3?

I'm returning to this because I'm confused by your assertion.

Since when did FSU and FIU EVER swap for first place?

FSU has had the highest bar passage rate of all Florida schools in 5 of the 6 past bar exam sittings (and no, they don't "teach" for the bar exam... THAT would be entirely too practical, lol)

FIU was "first" one of those 6 times because they had, I believe, only a couple of people taking the exam when they first opened up and all of those few people passed. FIU splashed the announcement of their achievement, but their subsequent pass rate has not matched the 100% rate or whatever they achieved that one time.


Also, because I always feel compelled to defend, Tallahassee is a town FULL of lawyers. Many state wide firms keep satellite offices in Tallahassee simply because it's the capitol.

[Eva19]

I am glad everyone on here seems to realize that comparing FSU to FIU is like comparing Yale to Texas A&M...I thought I was going crazy there for a minute. Next we're going to hear that Barry Law School is equal with Boalt Hall...like, what are these people smoking? I didn't go to either school, but I'm willing to be realistic...I went to UM and we're still ranked high, but we're not as high as we used to be and some of our facilities are lacking. People who posted on here that FIU was somehow better than FSU are in what Freud would call "denial."

[molsz001]

Wow Eva19. You make some strong judgments for someone who didn't attend either institution.

[molsz001]

I personally attend FIU COL and I love it. You get out what you put in just like all other academic institutions. We have several professors that actually teach and love doing it. As for reputations, we are a new school which makes it harder to get jobs outside of the Miami area but this is generally true for every institution --- except the top 25 or so. I do have a job which hired one summer clerk from FIU, UM, & UF. A huge positive for FIU over other South Florida schools is the affordable price. I personally recommend it.

[Eva19]

Originally Posted by molsz001

Wow Eva19. You make some strong judgments for someone who didn't attend either institution.

molsz001: you are right in that I am making 'judgments.' But, as a law student and as a lawyer, that is what you're trained to do day in and day out...

If someone posted on here that it was worse to have a common cold than cancer, would you have to be a doctor to disagree with them?

I see that you attend FIU and I am not trying to put your school down (in fact I thought the football fight between my school and your school was awesome last season), but it only takes an ounce of common sense from a law student's perspective to see that FSU law school is considered substantially and wholly superior to FIU without question...

Now, if we wanted to get into a conversation about who sets the standards and whether or not they're correct, that is totally valid. But the original question posed was whether someone should go to FIU or FSU law (all things being equal) and I think I would be remiss in my experience as a lawyer and a law student if I didn't warn them of the huge discrepancy between the two...

[SR-71]

Originally Posted by Valwpcc9w6

F I Who?

I had people make the same argument with the CPA exam passing rate. FIU grads pass in greater numbers than those at UM and other schools. BIG DEAL. If I cross the nation and look for a job, people will recognize me for the name of the school that I attended, all things being equal.

You get what you pay for. The reason FIU people pass these tests at a higher rate is that many (not all) professors there do not teach. This leaves students to learn everything with minimal faculty support.

If you want to attend a solid public school in Florida, go to UF.

Now bash me all you can, FIU people. There are plenty of smart people at your school. It's just the way life and the pecking order go. Harvard people laugh at UM, and UM people laugh at FIU.

Your analogy is pretty funny, but to imply that Harvard is to UM as UM is to FIU is ridiculous. It's insulting to Harvard Alumi. A more appropriate one is: Harvard is to Cornell or (insert slightly inferior school here) as UM is to FIU. UM is a joke to Harvard students. It's true that they have a good reputation in Miami and their graduates are more likely to get quality jobs over FIU grads, but to say UM is overpriced for the quality of education they provide is an understatement. You pay a $40,000 tuition so your gangbanging football players can have the latest shoulder pads. If that's fine with you then great, but let the delusions of grandeur go.

For the record, I actually got offered a full ride at UM. Do you think I went?

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by SR-71

Your analogy is pretty funny, but to imply that Harvard is to UM as UM is to FIU is ridiculous. It's insulting to Harvard Alumi. A more appropriate one is: Harvard is to Cornell or (insert slightly inferior school here) as UM is to FIU. UM is a joke to Harvard students. It's true that they have a good reputation in Miami and their graduates are more likely to get quality jobs over FIU grads, but to say UM is overpriced for the quality of education they provide is an understatement. You pay a $40,000 tuition so your gangbanging football players can have the latest shoulder pads. If that's fine with you then great, but let the delusions of grandeur go.

For the record, I actually got offered a full ride at UM. Do you think I went?

I agree UM is overpriced, BUT....


Is there anything that "isn't" a joke to Harvard students? Isn't a requisite for entry a sense of entitlement and elitism as to anything and everything?

[SR-71]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

I agree UM is overpriced, BUT....


Is there anything that "isn't" a joke to Harvard students? Isn't a requisite for entry a sense of entitlement and elitism as to anything and everything?

That's an overblown stereotype. All the Harvard grads I know are more humble than almost any UM grad you'll find. At least Harvard merits an inflated view of self-worth.

[JD_or_BUST]

Originally Posted by molsz001

I personally attend FIU COL and I love it. You get out what you put in just like all other academic institutions. We have several professors that actually teach and love doing it. As for reputations, we are a new school which makes it harder to get jobs outside of the Miami area but this is generally true for every institution --- except the top 25 or so. I do have a job which hired one summer clerk from FIU, UM, & UF. A huge positive for FIU over other South Florida schools is the affordable price. I personally recommend it.

molsz001, I've been seriously looking at FIU CoL and despite the negative rhetoric and banter, I've been very impressed. My 3.3 ugpa (3.67 major) and 160 lsat should get me into most of the schools in the Southeast, but I look at FIU as my top choice (to the chagrin of some). Are my academic credentials enough to warrant an in-state scholarship? I'd appreciate any insight you could offer. I can think of few things cooler than graduating from a less-well-known state school that will, someday, be top ranked in FL.

[kevinkagy]

FIU has a great law school despite what some haters here say. It may not be Harvard Law, but for a law school that's less than 10 years old, it's accomplished a lot and it's risen in academic numbers very quickly and I think that in it itself deserves some respect.

FIU has become a really great university and it continues to improve. It's a fast-growing dedicated university. Its goals were to have an architecture, med and law school and it's gotten all three. It has a wide variety of degrees, new med school under construction and higher admissions standards. Give FIU another 5-10 years and you'll see how prestigious it's going to be.