Please help with my decision!!!!

[confusedboutoptions]

Hello, I really need help with determing what law school to attend. I did not score well on the LSAT and that discouraged me to apply to too many schools. Well, these are the following schools I got in:
Nova Law School, Florida
Florida International University Law, Florida
New York Law School.

I am originally from Miami and I hava made a couple connections with lawyers and currently work for one so I kind of am connected to the area. Also I was offered a part time job with good pay in Miami so thats another decision to make whether go to school part time and take the job or go to school full time and say no to the job. FIU is much cheaper then NOVA but fairly new which I think may be a disadvanatge. In regards to New York Law school, I am kind of excited about living in NYC and I think being in Miami my whole life that I should live somewhere else and it would be a great opportunity however I do most likely want to move back to Florida to practice unless I get a really good job in NYC. I also thought about attending NYLS and doing really well and then transfering to one of the higher ranked schools since I am interested in International law and NYC is a good place for that. I guess what I am trying to ask is if NYLS or the possibility of transfering to a better school is worth the move.

P.S. I have also read a lot of negative comments about NYLS...Are there any good? Also even though Nova and FIU rank lower than NYLS is it better since there are less competitive law schools in South Florida?   

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[bl825]

Just a couple of notes: it's dangerous to go to a school based on the assumption that you will do well and transfer.  Law school grades can be unpredictable.  You might end up in the middle of the class unexpectedly.  Don't go somewhere from which you wouldn't be satisfied graduating.

Also, rankings aren't all that important beyond a certain point.

[confusedboutoptions]

Well, if I like it then of course I would stay but I'm just scared of not being able to find a job in florida especially with this economy if i decide to go to NYLS, since i would really like the experience of living somewhere other than Miami.

[confusedboutoptions]

Somenone please advice on the good or bad points of NYLS vs NOVA or FIU?

[UnbiasedObserver]

Just a couple of notes: it's dangerous to go to a school based on the assumption that you will do well and transfer.  Law school grades can be unpredictable.  You might end up in the middle of the class unexpectedly.  Don't go somewhere from which you wouldn't be satisfied graduating.

This is very credited.  It's a fairly large risk to rely upon transferring, even if you're way above the median in terms of LSAT scores and/or GPA.

While I think it's great that you're willing to move to another place to experience living somewhere else, I'd be wary of moving to New York City for a school like NLS.  Competition in NYC is fierce and the cost-of-living is extremely high.  While NOVA and FIU aren't fantastic schools, if you're set on being a lawyer and want to stay in south Florida, they're not bad.  Networking will be the key at schools like FIU.

Good luck!

[bl825]

What are the relative price tags?  I know that NYLS is very expensive even without taking into account the cost of living in New York.  It looks like FIU charges a different in-state rate, is that right?

Of course I have no idea if money matters all that much to you, since you might be loaded for all I know.

[confusedboutoptions]

FIU since its public the price is 12,000 a year, Nova is 31,000 and NYLS is 42,000. Im not worried about living expenses in NYC since I have a family member that is willing to only let me pay utilities for their apartment however I am super worried about tuition costs and taken out loans but since I don't have any loans for undergraduate since I had a full ride, I thought that it would be ok to take out a few. I am so confused, looking at these prices make me feel that FIU may be the right choice but since its such a new school and with the limited amount of funding now in Florida, FIU has had to close down their education department for lack of money. I dunno....so confused?

[bl825]

I think that going to a Florida school would give you a better chance of finding a good job in Florida, since it will give you the opportunity to build contacts in the legal community while you're in school.  And I think taking out a few loans is okay, but for three years at NYLS, even living rent-free we're probably talking about a good $150k-$160k.  After taxes, I think that comes out to $2000 in student loan repayment a month (this is based on a rule of thumb that I was told about where every $10k of debt equals about $125 a month in loan payments; obviously it varies a bit based on prevailing interest rates).  Are you comfortable with that kind of debt?

[UnbiasedObserver]

I think that going to a Florida school would give you a better chance of finding a good job in Florida, since it will give you the opportunity to build contacts in the legal community while you're in school.  And I think taking out a few loans is okay, but for three years at NYLS, even living rent-free we're probably talking about a good $150k-$160k.  After taxes, I think that comes out to $2000 in student loan repayment a month (this is based on a rule of thumb that I was told about where every $10k of debt equals about $125 a month in loan payments; obviously it varies a bit based on prevailing interest rates).  Are you comfortable with that kind of debt?

Exactly.

Also, the OP would be mostly limited to working in NYC and the surrounding areas.  Even if the OP gets paid $60,000-$70,000/yr. right out of law school (which I would say would be a stretch), paying $2,000/yr. in student loan payments, in addition to footing the high cost-of-living in NYC, probably isn't worth it to most people!

The OP's concern about FIU being a new school is well-founded, however.  As the OP said, though, FIU is dirt-cheap and the OP owes no money from undergrad., so it's not as large of a risk as it would be to others.  (Although it's still a risk.)

If I were you, I'd get firm numbers about the employment statistics from FIU, and also check out law firm websites and see where FIU graduates end up.  That'll help you decide if FIU is right for you. 

[confusedboutoptions]

Not at all!!!!! I will be working just to make the loan payments especially coming out of one of the lower tier schools. I am suppose to get the financial aid package this afternoon from NYLS...I will see what I get and if its not enough then I think I will make my decision to go to school in Florida and maybe look into a part time vs full time program so I can take the job offer and work part time as well. What do you think?

I will look into the job placement on the FIU website and call NYLS to ask about the job placement stats as well. Thanks for all your help!!!