Thoughts on FIU? (Miami: lawyer, jobs, medical)

[crystalblue]

Watcha think about FIU? im thinking i might go there for law...

[Chromedome]

im in FIU, home for the summer now but i just went there in the fall. and i was pleased with it.

has one of the lowest tuitions in the country aswell. the people are less snobbish then most UM students.

only thing that could be better is campus life, alot of people commute to the school so after classes are over its kinda dead. location is also kind of on the outskirts of the city so you have to do a little driving to get to anything.

it is getting better tho, the dorms were damn near full last semester.

overall i enjoy it

[DoveDiva]

I'm an FIU alumna--c/o '01.

FIU is definitely a commuter school. You go there for class, and you go home. Campus life is a bit lacking on both campuses.

Tuition is very reasonable, the professors are some of the best I've encountered , and the university has a sizeable endowment and does a lot of great things for the community. It's been ranked as one of the top 100 schools in the nation. They'll also be opening a medical school in coming years.

I read in my alumni magazine last month that on the Feb 2007 bar examination...they had a 94% passage rate--the highest in the state.

I think FIU is a great choice Good luck.

[crystalblue]

thanks

[mommytwice]

My daughter goes to FIU, turning down Duke, UM, and Yale because FIU offered her a free ride all the way. She will be a junior in the fall and has yet to regret her choice. FIU has definitely pleasantly surprised her and us, and I got to save a lot of money

[TriDad]

FIU almum here...
87-91

back when we were known as the Sunblazers!!!

[at7815]

Originally Posted by crystalblue

Watcha think about FIU? im thinking i might go there for law...

I just finished law school at UM and also considered FIU when trying to choose schools. Here are my thoughts - basically, if you end up on the top of your class...that being #1-8 or so you will do well as far as a good job. If you don't, I think you will face some challenges. I have a friend who is a 2L there about to start her 3rd year and has struggled tremendously when looking for a job and she did very well but a lot of firms don't hire from FIU b/c the law school is too new or they're looking for ivy league to begin with. Even at UM finding a job is a challenge. Only the top 15% of the class gets a job after the second summer. Not to say there are no jobs out there, I'm just talking about big firms which are the well paid. There is always work for firms paying about $40 to $45K. The big advantage of going to FIU is that tuition is soooo affordable!!! It does not make it a big deal that you don't make $100K when you get out.

All in all, I think it's a good choice, but it all depends on what you're looking for. I'll tell you what I found to be true and what a lot of lawyers told me when I was applying - "go to the highest ranked school you can get into" you will find that the job seeking process is much smoother.

Also, what I've mentioned is mostly relevant if you stay in Miami or the S. Fla. area in general. If you want to go out of state I wouldn't even consider FIU b/c you will definitely have challenges.

Best of luck with your decision!

Also, FIU's Bar passage rate has been very high but their class is super small at just under 100 or so. Just some food for thought. Good luck with the process and 1L year!

[crystalblue]

im not that worried about ranking, cause im avoiding the big law firms like the plague. they can keep there 70 hours weeks!

[at7815]

Then FIU will be a great choice!!! I think you will enjoy your experience there. I love the campus and the library is top notch!

Good luck!

[BeachFairy]

I'm graduating this summer, and although not in law, I absolutely love F.I.U. The campus is very nice and we have an awesome library. I was never part of any organizations really, but people are friendly here. I like it.