Hey All,
I just got into Florida International University today. It was ranked T3 last year but got bumped down to T4 in the recent 2009 issue. I am attracted to the school because the instate tuition is only $6K for part-time, has a pretty good bar passage/employment rates and only competes with U. of Miami in the major city.
Any thoughts anyone?
Oh yeah, my other schools I've gotten into are Valparaiso, Florida A&M, Florida Coastal and Nova Southeastern.
Still waiting on Loyola - New Orleans, Duquesne, Lousville and Akron.
A few things:
1) In the interest of full disclosure, I go to UF law. Just keep that in mind as I tell you my personal opinion.
2) I am NOT a T3/4 basher. There's no need for that here. Many of these schools are doing the best they can, along with their students. Unfortunately, these schools and students often get a bad rap because many of them aren't doing the research/have "pipe dreams," etc.
3) With that being said, a T3/4 for many people is a bad choice. Many T3/4's can be $20,000 or higher per year in tuition, not including living expenses or the lost opportunity costs of full-time jobs, and the median salary is in the $40,000-$50,000 range often. That's not great.
4) However, in your case it MIGHT not be so bad. You seem to have done your research, and, perhaps most importantly, you realize that part-time for you might be a viable option to keep down debt. $24,000k in total tuition for law school is not bad, and if you have a low debt-to-salary ratio coming out it could be a nice living. Just make sure you want to be a lawyer!
5) At the same time...I'm still reluctant to recommend FIU to you. Why? Because FIU does NOT only compete with Miami. UF law graduates have a large presence in South Florida, and many other people from top-notch schools move down to Miami for the nice weather, etc. Also, with the state of the economy, I'd say that T3/4's get hit especially hard. I say this because UF students are having problems with jobs and internships this year, and UF is considered (and I'm not saying this to provoke a debate) the best law school in Florida.
I hope this helps you to see another perspective. I wish you the best of luck!