$$$UF or Gtown

[UNAS]

would it be a complete lapse in judgement to take UF with a full ride over Gtown if I want to work in the South

[sinkfloridasink]

Standard questions: what are the conditions of the scholarship? What are your career goals (biglaw, public interest, gov, etc.)? Exactly what part of the South (Florida, Georgia, or somewhere else)? These are all very important, obviously.

[just dot]

Standard questions: what are the conditions of the scholarship? What are your career goals (biglaw, public interest, gov, etc.)? Exactly what part of the South (Florida, Georgia, or somewhere else)? These are all very important, obviously.

Exactly.

[lawandethan]

I'd take the full ride at Florida.  You'll get your degree from a strong state school, in the South where you want to stay. 

Georgetown is the best school in D.C.  Do you want to work in D.C.?  Do you really want to work in New York but only got into Georgetown?  When you answer these questions in the affirmative, Georgetown is the correct choice.

[greenie]

are there any conditions on the full scholarship?

[nealric]

Georgetown is the best school in D.C.  Do you want to work in D.C.?  Do you really want to work in New York but only got into Georgetown?  When you answer these questions in the affirmative, Georgetown is the correct choice.

That makes no sense.

For the O.P.:
It's all about what you want to do as a lawyer. If you are interested in a practice area that demands biglaw experience, then go to Georgetown. You will have a far easier time getting big firm employment in the south from G-town than from Florida. On the other hand, many practice areas are knit and demand that you be nearby to network you way in.

There is no one size fits all answer to such questions.

[lawandethan]

My only point was if you want to stay in the South, Florida is a well-respected school.  Limited student debt is a huge leg up when beginning your career search and it gives you the latitude to do many different things if you so choose.  Georgetown has a better national reputation that in my opinion is worth the extra expense only in narrow circumstances.  The consequence of going to Georgetown may very well be that you feel compelled to go to a BIGLAW firm which is not a good fit for several years just to pay off your debt.  At Florida, BIGLAW is still a very possible and real option.  However, if you want to do something else - you may still be able to pursue it.

[nealric]

Right... but I wasn't sure what NY & DC had to do with it. There are large firms in the South too.

[Bulldog86]

At Florida, BIGLAW is still a very possible and real option.  However, if you want to do something else - you may still be able to pursue it.

It is a very valid question to ask what the OP wants to do -- if it isn't BIGLAW, then yeah, UF is probably a good bet. But if it is, then go to Florida at your peril. "Very possible and real option" makes it sound like it's a good chance, when it almost certainly is not unless you're near the top of the class (no idea if the cutoff is 10% or 25% or whatever, but there is one and it's not near what it would be at GULC).

It really matters less that you want to work "in the South" than what kind of firm you want to work at. Especially since there aren't (I don't believe) many major firms in Florida, if you want to work for the big guns in, say, Atlanta or Charlotte, I'm not sure UF gets you there. (Unless you're top X%, but you can't rely on that if it's really what you want to do.) And when you're making that kind of money, the debt seems much smaller...

[SteelersandGators]

^^^^^^ Well put Bulldog.

And even if the OP doesn't want BIGLAW, Georgetown is going to beat UF in most non-BIGLAW options too.

OP, you should provide more info if you want good advice. Where in the South? What kind of work?

For example, you want to be a DA or do state politics in Florida? Go to UF.

You want BIGLAW in Atlanta? Go to G'Town.