Just got into FSU law w/AIU undergrad

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by c130nav, Feb 8, 2005.

Loading...
  1. c130nav

    c130nav New Member

    Like the title says I just got into FSU law with an undergrad from AIU online. Hopefully more acceptances will follow in the next few weeks. I will keep you guys updated on how far this degree will go.
     
  2. CB3

    CB3 New Member

    Congrats c130nav :) I will definitely look forward to updates. I like to see great educated people who got an education online go far and be successful. :)
     
  3. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Very good! Are you a full time or part time student?
     
  4. c130nav

    c130nav New Member

    I'm going for the full-time program. I'm just really excited that I got in with a degree that has a bit of a reputation. I have been a little nervous after reading a few law school books that mentioned that law schools review the rigor and reputation of an undergrad.
     
  5. Ike

    Ike New Member

    Congratulations!
    While congratulating you, I also have some advice for you. To start with, you should be aware of the fact that AIU's educational business model is not the same as FSU's. Whereas, AIU is a for-profit institution, FSU is a public not-for-profit school. In addition to tuition fees that are paid by students, FSU also receives grants and funding from the state. You should not expect the school to treat you as a customer. You should expect to be treated as a student not as a buyer of knowledge.
    Academically, you should expect things to be tougher but this may not be a problem for you especially if you a naturally diligent and intelligent. Also, your professors will be by far more powerful than your adjunct instructors at AIU Online. They choose almost everything that you will need for a course (textbooks, exams, tests, grading rubrics, etc). They would even choose how to award grades and number of 'A's or 'B's to award. It’s a different educational environment. If you have a behavior problem, all professors in your department would know about it and this could consequently affect you adversely. Best wishes and good luck.
     
  6. c130nav

    c130nav New Member

    Hey thanks for the advice Ike and others. BTW I am hoping that FSU is substantially different than AIU. I personally did not feel as though I was gaining an education with AIU. It was more like obtaining a degree without the substance behind it. As far as my behavior or discipline for a different academic environment I feel as though I am ready for that. I just finished up a 5 year commitment with the Marine Corps. So I feel as though I have the drive and focus to get the job done.
     
  7. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    An American law degree program is sort of like a marathon with a forty pound backpack.

    You will not BELIEVE the amount of work you will be required to do. You will go into SHOCK when you find out that, for the majority of your classes, anyway, your ENTIRE grade will hang on a single closed-book essay examination.

    You will be appalled at first, then panicked, then finally fatalistic concerning your progress because you will receive NO FEEDBACK WHATEVER until AFTER the final exam.

    You will have ZERO opportunity to gauge your professors until it's too late. As a result, you will hear and repeat endless, basleless rumors and feel large amounts of needless anxiety.

    And all of this is really necessary, I think, because the PRACTICE of law is more like law school than any healthy lawyer would want to admit.

    Just remember: Whe you finish your J.D. and pass the Bar exam (itself a particular sort of purgatory), you receive a license to represent the most important interests of individuals, businesses, and society itself. There is no more demanding, or rewarding, occupation.
     
  8. aic712

    aic712 Member

    I have a similar example:

    I was accepted into George Washington University's MBA program based on my UOP BS and my GMAT scores (upper 90th percentile).

    I come from mostly traditional academia, having two associate's degrees and an english BA from a state U, so I realize the differences.

    I have a fellow classmate that was also accepted into George Mason University's MBA, and another that is going on to Old Dominion U for an MPA.
     
  9. beachhoppr

    beachhoppr New Member

    If by FSU you mean Florida State then congrats from a fellow Alum! I went to undergrad at FSU from 88-92. Loved every minute.
     
  10. little fauss

    little fauss New Member

    Well done. Just curious: what was your LSAT score and your UG GPA? I assume both were quite impressive to be accepted to an ABA-approved law school.

    I corresponded with an individual who was accepted to the top-15 ranked Darden School at the University of Virginia for MBA studies who had a UG degree from UoP. At least some academics are starting to realize that there are bright and accomplished individuals who are unable to go the traditional B&M route for various reasons, and that they deserve a change at advanced studies if otherwise qualified. Now, we just need to see a similar change in faculty hiring practices, and online/DL/for-profit will have arrived.
     
  11. c130nav

    c130nav New Member

    My LSAT was a 163 90th percentile and my GPA was 3.9. So yeah I had some good numbers but I was still concerned how the brick and motor academia would view an online degree.
     
  12. little fauss

    little fauss New Member

    You did great on both counts: roughly the same numbers that I had entering law school: 95th percentile LSAT, 3.7 GPA. As law schools typically have systems whereby they add the two together using some formula and give you points accordingly, our point totals were probably nearly identical. I got into a top-50 school and even got my first year tuition waived, so hold on, you might end up doing even better than FSU--not that there's anything wrong with their program.
     
  13. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    CAREFUL!! Look at the COST of the "better" schools before you allow yourself to be swept away by the romance of a "top tier" degree! If your goal is to make gobs of money doing securities regulation on Wall Street, go for Yale or Columbia or whoever but if you are attracted to law because you can do good things for people and society, consider carefully whether you REALLY want to owe $100,000 in student loans when you graduate!

    Remember! Half of all the lawyers out there wish they'd done something else with their lives! Money is a false god!
     
  14. little fauss

    little fauss New Member

    I know where you're coming from, but remember that you went to a perfectly respectable, top-100 law school yourself, you didn't exactly go the tier-4 route. Money is certainly a false god, but for that matter, some of the lawyers I know and know of who make the most $$$ went to tier-3 and tier-4 schools.

    Should our friend "only" manage to make it into FSU, he'll be matriculating at a very solid school: ranks 67th in latest USN rankings.
     
  15. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Yes, actually, I WAS surprised by seeing little old New Mexico show up in the top 100 (which puts us RIGHT in the middle of the pack, BTW. Still nothing spectacular.)

    Yes, too, it IS possible to make a hell of a lot of money as a lawyer wherever you go to school, but there are decidedly more opportunities in major firms for major bucks if you have a top ten degree.

    All I'm saying is, make sure there's water in the pool BEFORE you go off the high dive!
     
  16. little fauss

    little fauss New Member

    No argument here with anything you say, though I think you're a bit too modest about UNM Law. When you look at some of the smaller schools that are ABA-accredited, it's inevitable that a large national uni like UNM will draw some good students and respected faculty vis-a-vis the smaller schools and deserves to be ranked top-100.
     
  17. c130nav

    c130nav New Member

    Update

    Just a quick update. FSU sent some scholarship info. It seems like I should get 1-2K from them plus instate tuition(7.5k). Also I got one more acceptance from Stetson in Tampa,FL. Not really much of a surprise since it is lower ranked than FSU. Now I am just waiting for some of my dream schools to come through (Vanderbilt and Boston College).
     
  18. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Oh, man! DON'T reject that FSU offer without being DAMNED sure an FSU J.D. won't meet your needs!

    I'd be tempted to grab it RIGHT NOW before it gets away! Camp out in the moot courtroom if necessary! :D

    You will likely not find a cheaper ABA J.D. anywhere. You WILL find a LOT of programs that will cost you three or four times as much, including BC and Vanderbilt.

    BTW, congrats again. State schools are getting harder and harder to get into due to the rapid run up in private school tuition. You must have made a VERY good impression.
     
  19. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Allow me to elaborate:

    Grab it ! GRAB IT! DON'T LET IT ESCAPE!! GRAB IT! AAAAHHHH!

    Sincerely,
     

Share This Page