FSU or Stetson

[lawnole23]

it doesn't really matter where you go if you're top at your class then you'll get a job whereever you want most likely.  i attend stetson and am working in birmingham, al for the summer.  and i can tell you right now every law firm i've talked with knows all about stetson about the great attorneys they put out and its reputation.  if you meet a firm that knows nothing about either school and just looks at rankings then FSU wins out. firms with experience with grads from both schools isn't going to give preference over one there going to look at what you can do and the impression you make.

people put WAY too much stock into what school you go to.  yes if you go to UF and your compared to someone at Nova then UF wins all day once you start getting to the top few schools in the state no school is inherently better than other.  i know firms in tampa that went the hiring all UF kids because they were ranked the highest and hated all of them and so decided to take some stetson and fsu kids the next summer and loved them all. where you get a job will be based on your class rank, your interviewing skills, if you're likeable, and who you know.  go where you are comfortable and you'll be fine.  no one can tell you where is best for you.  i have friends at FSU and have sit in on classes at FSU and i'm still glad i went to stetson. i've looked at the OCI at both schools and there are firms that go to FSU but not stetson and firms that go to stetson but not FSU.  just go where you want and where you're comfortable you're going to better in school if you're happy.

[Budlaw]

it doesn't really matter where you go if you're top at your class then you'll get a job whereever you want most likely.  i attend stetson and am working in birmingham, al for the summer.  and i can tell you right now every law firm i've talked with knows all about stetson about the great attorneys they put out and its reputation.  if you meet a firm that knows nothing about either school and just looks at rankings then FSU wins out. firms with experience with grads from both schools isn't going to give preference over one there going to look at what you can do and the impression you make.

people put WAY too much stock into what school you go to.  yes if you go to UF and your compared to someone at Nova then UF wins all day once you start getting to the top few schools in the state no school is inherently better than other.  i know firms in tampa that went the hiring all UF kids because they were ranked the highest and hated all of them and so decided to take some stetson and fsu kids the next summer and loved them all. where you get a job will be based on your class rank, your interviewing skills, if you're likeable, and who you know.  go where you are comfortable and you'll be fine.  no one can tell you where is best for you.  i have friends at FSU and have sit in on classes at FSU and i'm still glad i went to stetson. i've looked at the OCI at both schools and there are firms that go to FSU but not stetson and firms that go to stetson but not FSU.  just go where you want and where you're comfortable you're going to better in school if you're happy.

You're right. Go where's best for you. But you should also consider what would be best for you if you're the middle of the pack of your class. Not everyone is going to be at the top of their class. (hence it being called the "top of the class."

If you're dead set on working in Tampa/St. Pete after graduation, and you don't mind paying triple tuition, then by all means go to Stetson. It will be a lot easier to get a job as a middle of the pack student coming Stetson in Tampa than coming from FSU in Tampa. But if you're the least bit uncertain about where you want to work, then it would be best to go to FSU over Stetson.

[lawnole23]

i completely agree i clerked for a really big firm in downtown tampa my 1L summer and an attorney had another guy that interned who was middle of the pack at FSU who was about to graduate and could not find a job at all in tampa clerking at all. if you think you'll be middle of the road and don't know where you want to work then i would probably say FSU just for the ranking. however, if you want to do litigation i would say go to stetson.  i've discussed this with many attorneys in florida and most have told me that they think stetson students are more well prepared to be litigators right out of school over other schools because stetson concentrates on so much. besides the skills classes though stetson has no advantage over FSU. whenever i meet a lawyer who doesn't know anything about stetson i just throw out the number 1 in trial ad, which usually impresses them a little bit.

[Budlaw]

i completely agree i clerked for a really big firm in downtown tampa my 1L summer and an attorney had another guy that interned who was middle of the pack at FSU who was about to graduate and could not find a job at all in tampa clerking at all. if you think you'll be middle of the road and don't know where you want to work then i would probably say FSU just for the ranking. however, if you want to do litigation i would say go to stetson.  i've discussed this with many attorneys in florida and most have told me that they think stetson students are more well prepared to be litigators right out of school over other schools because stetson concentrates on so much. besides the skills classes though stetson has no advantage over FSU. whenever i meet a lawyer who doesn't know anything about stetson i just throw out the number 1 in trial ad, which usually impresses them a little bit.

They do have a good trial advocacy program that's for sure. 

[november185]

I would like to work in a mid-size firm, biglaw is not necessary for me.  And, I'm not really set on the Tampa area;  I'm from north Florida.  Thanks for helping me make my decision, I think FSU would be my best bet.