I just graduated cum laude from a tier 2 school and in the top 1/3 of my class. I didn't take many tax classes and never participated in my school's tax clinic, but I did get a B+ in Basic Taxation and an A+ in Partnership Taxation.
What chance do I have of getting into NYU, Georgetown, UF, and the like?
Tax LLM Admissions Criteria
Posted Aug 04, 2014 20:52
0
I just graduated cum laude from a tier 2 school and in the top 1/3 of my class. I didn't take many tax classes and never participated in my school's tax clinic, but I did get a B+ in Basic Taxation and an A+ in Partnership Taxation.
What chance do I have of getting into NYU, Georgetown, UF, and the like?
What chance do I have of getting into NYU, Georgetown, UF, and the like?
Posted Aug 05, 2014 09:08
0
I'm a rising 3L at a tier 2 who's seriously considering a tax LLM next year. I've talked with a lot of profs about it - both tax and non-tax, and they've told me that my school sent several people in the top 1/3 with an A- or better in basic fed income tax (and all other tax classes) to Georgetown. They think that NYU seems to want top 25% with an A- or better in fed income. (And, I think, other tax classes as well.)
Also, it's worth noting that the curve at my school is ridiculously inflated. No idea if that's something admissions committees take into account, but it's possible for more than half of the people in a class to get a B+ or better, and our mean and median are rumored to be somewhere around a 3.34.
I don't know about UF. Every person from whom I've sought advice has said that they think I'll get into NYU and GULC so not to bother applying to UF unless I wanna spend a year in Florida for lifestyle reasons. I don't, so I haven't inquired further. I imagine it's similar to or slightly easier than Georgetown, with respect to admissions criteria.
No idea how the A+ in Partnership Tax will affect your chances but, obviously, it can only help.
If you've got any profs with whom you're still in contact, it may be worth asking them if they know people who've done it.
Good luck!
I'm a rising 3L at a tier 2 who's seriously considering a tax LLM next year. I've talked with a lot of profs about it - both tax and non-tax, and they've told me that my school sent several people in the top 1/3 with an A- or better in basic fed income tax (and all other tax classes) to Georgetown. They think that NYU seems to want top 25% with an A- or better in fed income. (And, I think, other tax classes as well.)
Also, it's worth noting that the curve at my school is ridiculously inflated. No idea if that's something admissions committees take into account, but it's possible for more than half of the people in a class to get a B+ or better, and our mean and median are rumored to be somewhere around a 3.34.
I don't know about UF. Every person from whom I've sought advice has said that they think I'll get into NYU and GULC so not to bother applying to UF unless I wanna spend a year in Florida for lifestyle reasons. I don't, so I haven't inquired further. I imagine it's similar to or slightly easier than Georgetown, with respect to admissions criteria.
No idea how the A+ in Partnership Tax will affect your chances but, obviously, it can only help.
If you've got any profs with whom you're still in contact, it may be worth asking them if they know people who've done it.
Good luck!
Also, it's worth noting that the curve at my school is ridiculously inflated. No idea if that's something admissions committees take into account, but it's possible for more than half of the people in a class to get a B+ or better, and our mean and median are rumored to be somewhere around a 3.34.
I don't know about UF. Every person from whom I've sought advice has said that they think I'll get into NYU and GULC so not to bother applying to UF unless I wanna spend a year in Florida for lifestyle reasons. I don't, so I haven't inquired further. I imagine it's similar to or slightly easier than Georgetown, with respect to admissions criteria.
No idea how the A+ in Partnership Tax will affect your chances but, obviously, it can only help.
If you've got any profs with whom you're still in contact, it may be worth asking them if they know people who've done it.
Good luck!
Posted Aug 06, 2014 19:08
0
Don't want to hijack your post, but figured I'd throw my information up as well.
I am really only interested in NYU.
Top 1/3 at T30 (current 3L).
A- in FIT.
A- in T&E.
Taking two tax classes in spring.
Summer work has been in Investment Tax Credits and Estate Planning.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
Don't want to hijack your post, but figured I'd throw my information up as well.
I am really only interested in NYU.
Top 1/3 at T30 (current 3L).
A- in FIT.
A- in T&E.
Taking two tax classes in spring.
Summer work has been in Investment Tax Credits and Estate Planning.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
I am really only interested in NYU.
Top 1/3 at T30 (current 3L).
A- in FIT.
A- in T&E.
Taking two tax classes in spring.
Summer work has been in Investment Tax Credits and Estate Planning.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
Posted Aug 07, 2014 16:14
0
I don't know about UF. Every person from whom I've sought advice has said that they think I'll get into NYU and GULC so not to bother applying to UF unless I wanna spend a year in Florida for lifestyle reasons. I don't, so I haven't inquired further. I imagine it's similar to or slightly easier than Georgetown, with respect to admissions criteria.
Thanks Bobloblaw. Talked to a couple of my tax profs. Based on their advice, I would seriously reconsider your thoughts on UF. It's #2 ranking for the past two years has increased its national recognition. I tried to argue that GULC, as a brand name, would have more appeal to big firms outside of Florida, but they strongly disagreed and said that unless I have my heart set on living in D.C., I should pick Florida over GULC any day of the week. Obviously, though, NYU trumps both.
Also, they said, UF may be the hardest program to get into because of its smaller class sizes.
In the meantime, I still need to apply and get in, so we'll see how that goes. Just thought I'd share their words of wisdom.
<blockquote>
I don't know about UF. Every person from whom I've sought advice has said that they think I'll get into NYU and GULC so not to bother applying to UF unless I wanna spend a year in Florida for lifestyle reasons. I don't, so I haven't inquired further. I imagine it's similar to or slightly easier than Georgetown, with respect to admissions criteria.
</blockquote>
Thanks Bobloblaw. Talked to a couple of my tax profs. Based on their advice, I would seriously reconsider your thoughts on UF. It's #2 ranking for the past two years has increased its national recognition. I tried to argue that GULC, as a brand name, would have more appeal to big firms outside of Florida, but they strongly disagreed and said that unless I have my heart set on living in D.C., I should pick Florida over GULC any day of the week. Obviously, though, NYU trumps both.
Also, they said, UF may be the hardest program to get into because of its smaller class sizes.
In the meantime, I still need to apply and get in, so we'll see how that goes. Just thought I'd share their words of wisdom.
I don't know about UF. Every person from whom I've sought advice has said that they think I'll get into NYU and GULC so not to bother applying to UF unless I wanna spend a year in Florida for lifestyle reasons. I don't, so I haven't inquired further. I imagine it's similar to or slightly easier than Georgetown, with respect to admissions criteria.
</blockquote>
Thanks Bobloblaw. Talked to a couple of my tax profs. Based on their advice, I would seriously reconsider your thoughts on UF. It's #2 ranking for the past two years has increased its national recognition. I tried to argue that GULC, as a brand name, would have more appeal to big firms outside of Florida, but they strongly disagreed and said that unless I have my heart set on living in D.C., I should pick Florida over GULC any day of the week. Obviously, though, NYU trumps both.
Also, they said, UF may be the hardest program to get into because of its smaller class sizes.
In the meantime, I still need to apply and get in, so we'll see how that goes. Just thought I'd share their words of wisdom.
Posted Aug 07, 2014 16:24
0
Thanks Bobloblaw. Talked to a couple of my tax profs. Based on their advice, I would seriously reconsider your thoughts on UF. It's #2 ranking for the past two years has increased its national recognition. I tried to argue that GULC, as a brand name, would have more appeal to big firms outside of Florida, but they strongly disagreed and said that unless I have my heart set on living in D.C., I should pick Florida over GULC any day of the week. Obviously, though, NYU trumps both.
Also, they said, UF may be the hardest program to get into because of its smaller class sizes.
In the meantime, I still need to apply and get in, so we'll see how that goes. Just thought I'd share their words of wisdom.
Interesting, thanks! I'll start actually asking about it. :)
<blockquote>
Thanks Bobloblaw. Talked to a couple of my tax profs. Based on their advice, I would seriously reconsider your thoughts on UF. It's #2 ranking for the past two years has increased its national recognition. I tried to argue that GULC, as a brand name, would have more appeal to big firms outside of Florida, but they strongly disagreed and said that unless I have my heart set on living in D.C., I should pick Florida over GULC any day of the week. Obviously, though, NYU trumps both.
Also, they said, UF may be the hardest program to get into because of its smaller class sizes.
In the meantime, I still need to apply and get in, so we'll see how that goes. Just thought I'd share their words of wisdom.
</blockquote>
Interesting, thanks! I'll start actually asking about it. :)
Thanks Bobloblaw. Talked to a couple of my tax profs. Based on their advice, I would seriously reconsider your thoughts on UF. It's #2 ranking for the past two years has increased its national recognition. I tried to argue that GULC, as a brand name, would have more appeal to big firms outside of Florida, but they strongly disagreed and said that unless I have my heart set on living in D.C., I should pick Florida over GULC any day of the week. Obviously, though, NYU trumps both.
Also, they said, UF may be the hardest program to get into because of its smaller class sizes.
In the meantime, I still need to apply and get in, so we'll see how that goes. Just thought I'd share their words of wisdom.
</blockquote>
Interesting, thanks! I'll start actually asking about it. :)
Posted Aug 08, 2014 16:51
0
I would supplement your discussions with professors by talking with practitioners as well. Take a look at the bios of a few firms that you would like to work for, and see whether these attorneys got LLMs, and if so, where. I'm sure you will find loads of attorneys with LLMs from NYU or Georgetown, and not very many from any other places including Florida. This will probably give you a better indication of whether the Florida LLM in highly regarded by national firms.
Academics love UF because they have a lot of full-time faculty who are well-respected in the tax community. However, students who go to UF are at a major geographical disadvantage vis-a-vis their peers in NY and DC. Before you put any $$ down, I would have a serious talk with Career Services at UF, and ask them about their OCI programs and student placement. I believe that TARE (co-hosted with BU and NU) is the only real interview program, and if that's the case I would be very cautious (and ask to see a list of employers and compare it to those who attend TIP - co-hosted by NYU and Georgetown). You also would not be afforded the networking opportunities that are available to students at Georgetown or NYU.
This is not to say Florida is not a good program. In fact, I'm sure the education is quite good. But outside of academia, the only two schools that matter - at least in the eyes of employers - are NYU and Georgetown.
I would supplement your discussions with professors by talking with practitioners as well. Take a look at the bios of a few firms that you would like to work for, and see whether these attorneys got LLMs, and if so, where. I'm sure you will find loads of attorneys with LLMs from NYU or Georgetown, and not very many from any other places including Florida. This will probably give you a better indication of whether the Florida LLM in highly regarded by national firms.
Academics love UF because they have a lot of full-time faculty who are well-respected in the tax community. However, students who go to UF are at a major geographical disadvantage vis-a-vis their peers in NY and DC. Before you put any $$ down, I would have a serious talk with Career Services at UF, and ask them about their OCI programs and student placement. I believe that TARE (co-hosted with BU and NU) is the only real interview program, and if that's the case I would be very cautious (and ask to see a list of employers and compare it to those who attend TIP - co-hosted by NYU and Georgetown). You also would not be afforded the networking opportunities that are available to students at Georgetown or NYU.
This is not to say Florida is not a good program. In fact, I'm sure the education is quite good. But outside of academia, the only two schools that matter - at least in the eyes of employers - are NYU and Georgetown.
Academics love UF because they have a lot of full-time faculty who are well-respected in the tax community. However, students who go to UF are at a major geographical disadvantage vis-a-vis their peers in NY and DC. Before you put any $$ down, I would have a serious talk with Career Services at UF, and ask them about their OCI programs and student placement. I believe that TARE (co-hosted with BU and NU) is the only real interview program, and if that's the case I would be very cautious (and ask to see a list of employers and compare it to those who attend TIP - co-hosted by NYU and Georgetown). You also would not be afforded the networking opportunities that are available to students at Georgetown or NYU.
This is not to say Florida is not a good program. In fact, I'm sure the education is quite good. But outside of academia, the only two schools that matter - at least in the eyes of employers - are NYU and Georgetown.
Posted Nov 13, 2014 00:07
0
I don't know about UF. Every person from whom I've sought advice has said that they think I'll get into NYU and GULC so not to bother applying to UF unless I wanna spend a year in Florida for lifestyle reasons. I don't, so I haven't inquired further. I imagine it's similar to or slightly easier than Georgetown, with respect to admissions criteria.
Thanks Bobloblaw. Talked to a couple of my tax profs. Based on their advice, I would seriously reconsider your thoughts on UF. It's #2 ranking for the past two years has increased its national recognition. I tried to argue that GULC, as a brand name, would have more appeal to big firms outside of Florida, but they strongly disagreed and said that unless I have my heart set on living in D.C., I should pick Florida over GULC any day of the week. Obviously, though, NYU trumps both.
Also, they said, UF may be the hardest program to get into because of its smaller class sizes.
In the meantime, I still need to apply and get in, so we'll see how that goes. Just thought I'd share their words of wisdom.
Actually, UF dropped from #2 ranking to #3 ranking last year--Georgetown went up to #2. So the thinking is that Georgetown's program is improving and UF is slipping. That's why if one is able to get into NYU or Georgetown, UF is a non-starter except for lifestyle or cost considerations. NYU and Georgetown Tax Programs just can't be beat for nationwide recognition and prestige. I think getting advice from tax profs in Florida may not give an unbiased view of what the rest of the country thinks--especially large law firms.
Case in point--NYU and Georgetown have an extremely prestigious combined, co-sponsored Tax Interview Program in DC every Spring. Only NYU and Georgetown Tax LLM graduates are allowed to participate. When employers can go to one job fair and meet applicants from the #1 and #2 Tax LLM programs in the country, there really is much less incentive for them to consider UF graduates.
<blockquote><blockquote>
I don't know about UF. Every person from whom I've sought advice has said that they think I'll get into NYU and GULC so not to bother applying to UF unless I wanna spend a year in Florida for lifestyle reasons. I don't, so I haven't inquired further. I imagine it's similar to or slightly easier than Georgetown, with respect to admissions criteria.
</blockquote>
Thanks Bobloblaw. Talked to a couple of my tax profs. Based on their advice, I would seriously reconsider your thoughts on UF. It's #2 ranking for the past two years has increased its national recognition. I tried to argue that GULC, as a brand name, would have more appeal to big firms outside of Florida, but they strongly disagreed and said that unless I have my heart set on living in D.C., I should pick Florida over GULC any day of the week. Obviously, though, NYU trumps both.
Also, they said, UF may be the hardest program to get into because of its smaller class sizes.
In the meantime, I still need to apply and get in, so we'll see how that goes. Just thought I'd share their words of wisdom.
</blockquote>
Actually, UF dropped from #2 ranking to #3 ranking last year--Georgetown went up to #2. So the thinking is that Georgetown's program is improving and UF is slipping. That's why if one is able to get into NYU or Georgetown, UF is a non-starter except for lifestyle or cost considerations. NYU and Georgetown Tax Programs just can't be beat for nationwide recognition and prestige. I think getting advice from tax profs in Florida may not give an unbiased view of what the rest of the country thinks--especially large law firms.
Case in point--NYU and Georgetown have an extremely prestigious combined, co-sponsored Tax Interview Program in DC every Spring. Only NYU and Georgetown Tax LLM graduates are allowed to participate. When employers can go to one job fair and meet applicants from the #1 and #2 Tax LLM programs in the country, there really is much less incentive for them to consider UF graduates.
I don't know about UF. Every person from whom I've sought advice has said that they think I'll get into NYU and GULC so not to bother applying to UF unless I wanna spend a year in Florida for lifestyle reasons. I don't, so I haven't inquired further. I imagine it's similar to or slightly easier than Georgetown, with respect to admissions criteria.
</blockquote>
Thanks Bobloblaw. Talked to a couple of my tax profs. Based on their advice, I would seriously reconsider your thoughts on UF. It's #2 ranking for the past two years has increased its national recognition. I tried to argue that GULC, as a brand name, would have more appeal to big firms outside of Florida, but they strongly disagreed and said that unless I have my heart set on living in D.C., I should pick Florida over GULC any day of the week. Obviously, though, NYU trumps both.
Also, they said, UF may be the hardest program to get into because of its smaller class sizes.
In the meantime, I still need to apply and get in, so we'll see how that goes. Just thought I'd share their words of wisdom.
</blockquote>
Actually, UF dropped from #2 ranking to #3 ranking last year--Georgetown went up to #2. So the thinking is that Georgetown's program is improving and UF is slipping. That's why if one is able to get into NYU or Georgetown, UF is a non-starter except for lifestyle or cost considerations. NYU and Georgetown Tax Programs just can't be beat for nationwide recognition and prestige. I think getting advice from tax profs in Florida may not give an unbiased view of what the rest of the country thinks--especially large law firms.
Case in point--NYU and Georgetown have an extremely prestigious combined, co-sponsored Tax Interview Program in DC every Spring. Only NYU and Georgetown Tax LLM graduates are allowed to participate. When employers can go to one job fair and meet applicants from the #1 and #2 Tax LLM programs in the country, there really is much less incentive for them to consider UF graduates.
Posted Nov 13, 2014 10:24
0
I do not want to destroy your hopes regarding your inquiry towards a LL.M in tax nevertheless you have to read the truth. It would behoove you to get practical experience in the field of taxation before wasting money and time pursuing a LL.M. The LL.M unis suggested are reasonable if you consider stepping afoot onto a big 4 company. Now, getting into one of them is the hard part. Though having a LL.M from a top law school will not suffice without practical experience.
Honestly, you do not need a LL.M in tax if you have a JD. The LL.M just makes you look good "on paper", but that is it! If you can land a tax law position without a LL.M, you are good. Mostly, applicants get a LL.M believing it will help them in gaining employment. Wrong. You will be easily phased out during the application process without practical experience in a glutted market for lawyers, unfortunately.
Kind regards.
I do not want to destroy your hopes regarding your inquiry towards a LL.M in tax nevertheless you have to read the truth. It would behoove you to get practical experience in the field of taxation before wasting money and time pursuing a LL.M. The LL.M unis suggested are reasonable if you consider stepping afoot onto a big 4 company. Now, getting into one of them is the hard part. Though having a LL.M from a top law school will not suffice without practical experience.
Honestly, you do not need a LL.M in tax if you have a JD. The LL.M just makes you look good "on paper", but that is it! If you can land a tax law position without a LL.M, you are good. Mostly, applicants get a LL.M believing it will help them in gaining employment. Wrong. You will be easily phased out during the application process without practical experience in a glutted market for lawyers, unfortunately.
Kind regards.
Honestly, you do not need a LL.M in tax if you have a JD. The LL.M just makes you look good "on paper", but that is it! If you can land a tax law position without a LL.M, you are good. Mostly, applicants get a LL.M believing it will help them in gaining employment. Wrong. You will be easily phased out during the application process without practical experience in a glutted market for lawyers, unfortunately.
Kind regards.
Posted Dec 04, 2014 19:30
0
My recommendation would be not to pursue an LLM in Tax unless you have some sort of experience in the field.
Tax is one of the most complicated areas in law and you wont get much of a Tax program if you havent work in the field. Moreover, youll probably have a hard time.
From what Ive heard, in comparison to other types of LLMs, Tax Programs do consider a LOT your experience or grades in tax courses.
Hope this is useful,
My recommendation would be not to pursue an LLM in Tax unless you have some sort of experience in the field.
Tax is one of the most complicated areas in law and you wont get much of a Tax program if you havent work in the field. Moreover, youll probably have a hard time.
From what Ive heard, in comparison to other types of LLMs, Tax Programs do consider a LOT your experience or grades in tax courses.
Hope this is useful,
Tax is one of the most complicated areas in law and you wont get much of a Tax program if you havent work in the field. Moreover, youll probably have a hard time.
From what Ive heard, in comparison to other types of LLMs, Tax Programs do consider a LOT your experience or grades in tax courses.
Hope this is useful,
Posted Dec 04, 2014 23:34
0
I do not want to destroy your hopes regarding your inquiry towards a LL.M in tax nevertheless you have to read the truth. It would behoove you to get practical experience in the field of taxation before wasting money and time pursuing a LL.M. The LL.M unis suggested are reasonable if you consider stepping afoot onto a big 4 company. Now, getting into one of them is the hard part. Though having a LL.M from a top law school will not suffice without practical experience.
Honestly, you do not need a LL.M in tax if you have a JD. The LL.M just makes you look good "on paper", but that is it! If you can land a tax law position without a LL.M, you are good. Mostly, applicants get a LL.M believing it will help them in gaining employment. Wrong. You will be easily phased out during the application process without practical experience in a glutted market for lawyers, unfortunately.
Kind regards.
Wow, Brainy, such a downer! It is not my experience at all that a Tax LLM is a waste of time. Are you speaking just for Big 4?? Because law firms absolutely positively want to see a Tax LLM before they'll even look at your resume if they are hiring for a tax position. Even if you have no work experience and went directly from your JD to the LLM program.
I can only assume that you're only referring to Big 4 when you say that an LLM essentially is useless.
Kind regards.
<blockquote>I do not want to destroy your hopes regarding your inquiry towards a LL.M in tax nevertheless you have to read the truth. It would behoove you to get practical experience in the field of taxation before wasting money and time pursuing a LL.M. The LL.M unis suggested are reasonable if you consider stepping afoot onto a big 4 company. Now, getting into one of them is the hard part. Though having a LL.M from a top law school will not suffice without practical experience.
Honestly, you do not need a LL.M in tax if you have a JD. The LL.M just makes you look good "on paper", but that is it! If you can land a tax law position without a LL.M, you are good. Mostly, applicants get a LL.M believing it will help them in gaining employment. Wrong. You will be easily phased out during the application process without practical experience in a glutted market for lawyers, unfortunately.
Kind regards.</blockquote>
Wow, Brainy, such a downer! It is not my experience at all that a Tax LLM is a waste of time. Are you speaking just for Big 4?? Because law firms absolutely positively want to see a Tax LLM before they'll even look at your resume if they are hiring for a tax position. Even if you have no work experience and went directly from your JD to the LLM program.
I can only assume that you're only referring to Big 4 when you say that an LLM essentially is useless.
Kind regards.
Honestly, you do not need a LL.M in tax if you have a JD. The LL.M just makes you look good "on paper", but that is it! If you can land a tax law position without a LL.M, you are good. Mostly, applicants get a LL.M believing it will help them in gaining employment. Wrong. You will be easily phased out during the application process without practical experience in a glutted market for lawyers, unfortunately.
Kind regards.</blockquote>
Wow, Brainy, such a downer! It is not my experience at all that a Tax LLM is a waste of time. Are you speaking just for Big 4?? Because law firms absolutely positively want to see a Tax LLM before they'll even look at your resume if they are hiring for a tax position. Even if you have no work experience and went directly from your JD to the LLM program.
I can only assume that you're only referring to Big 4 when you say that an LLM essentially is useless.
Kind regards.
Posted Dec 04, 2014 23:36
0
Actually, UF dropped from #2 ranking to #3 ranking last year--Georgetown went up to #2. So the thinking is that Georgetown's program is improving and UF is slipping. That's why if one is able to get into NYU or Georgetown, UF is a non-starter except for lifestyle or cost considerations. NYU and Georgetown Tax Programs just can't be beat for nationwide recognition and prestige. I think getting advice from tax profs in Florida may not give an unbiased view of what the rest of the country thinks--especially large law firms.
Case in point--NYU and Georgetown have an extremely prestigious combined, co-sponsored Tax Interview Program in DC every Spring. Only NYU and Georgetown Tax LLM graduates are allowed to participate. When employers can go to one job fair and meet applicants from the #1 and #2 Tax LLM programs in the country, there really is much less incentive for them to consider UF graduates.
Thank you for your post, CSJTax. I also saw that Florida is slipping in rankings. I've always only been interested in NYU and Georgetown because UF is just not geographically competitive. Now that they are #3 and slipping, it's a no-brainer.
<blockquote>Actually, UF dropped from #2 ranking to #3 ranking last year--Georgetown went up to #2. So the thinking is that Georgetown's program is improving and UF is slipping. That's why if one is able to get into NYU or Georgetown, UF is a non-starter except for lifestyle or cost considerations. NYU and Georgetown Tax Programs just can't be beat for nationwide recognition and prestige. I think getting advice from tax profs in Florida may not give an unbiased view of what the rest of the country thinks--especially large law firms.
Case in point--NYU and Georgetown have an extremely prestigious combined, co-sponsored Tax Interview Program in DC every Spring. Only NYU and Georgetown Tax LLM graduates are allowed to participate. When employers can go to one job fair and meet applicants from the #1 and #2 Tax LLM programs in the country, there really is much less incentive for them to consider UF graduates.</blockquote>
Thank you for your post, CSJTax. I also saw that Florida is slipping in rankings. I've always only been interested in NYU and Georgetown because UF is just not geographically competitive. Now that they are #3 and slipping, it's a no-brainer.
Case in point--NYU and Georgetown have an extremely prestigious combined, co-sponsored Tax Interview Program in DC every Spring. Only NYU and Georgetown Tax LLM graduates are allowed to participate. When employers can go to one job fair and meet applicants from the #1 and #2 Tax LLM programs in the country, there really is much less incentive for them to consider UF graduates.</blockquote>
Thank you for your post, CSJTax. I also saw that Florida is slipping in rankings. I've always only been interested in NYU and Georgetown because UF is just not geographically competitive. Now that they are #3 and slipping, it's a no-brainer.
Posted Jan 23, 2015 20:28
0
Thank you for your post, CSJTax. I also saw that Florida is slipping in rankings. I've always only been interested in NYU and Georgetown because UF is just not geographically competitive. Now that they are #3 and slipping, it's a no-brainer.
I'm a little late to this party, but I'm a current Tax LLM student at UF and will gladly answer questions if I can help anyone out about UF itself, admissions, or LLM programs in general (of course, I can only speak to the one I'm currently in but talking to friends at NYU and Georgetown, the overall programs seem very similarly structured for the most part).
For some basic information about UF vs. NYU, I can tell you that the biggest difference I learned when I was deciding between the two (and have subsequently seen in person while attending UF) is that UF almost exclusively utilizes full time faculty while NYU utilizes considerably more adjunct faculty. While UF touts this as a benefit, it really depends on what you are looking for out of the program and what sort of career you want to pursue. I will say that UF does seem to be very "academically" geared which is largely influenced by the amount of full time faculty where as I believe you get more practical real world "law firm" knowledge and planning advice from a program like NYU. Personally, I would actually prefer the more practical approach versus the academic approach here, but I also knew of this difference coming in and had my reasons for selecting this program.
As far as OCI and other recruiting events, there is a steady but limited stream of OCI postings throughout the year at UF but it is nothing compared to the amount of recruiters that came in at the JD level at the T1 school I did my JD at (i.e., where everyone in the top half is more or less guaranteed some sort of job). That being said, there are numerous people in the LLM program who got interviews (and jobs) with large firms through the OCIs and resume collects even before grades came in for the Fall.
As for grades, it's basically like JD but without a curve. Anyone who gets admitted will do fine as long as they can keep up and are reasonably competent in tax (you don't really need to have any prior tax knowledge coming in but the more you have, the easier the material will come to you just because of the complicated nature of the Code). The tax LLM program requires 26+ hours of tax courses to graduate with two hours being a research class that consists of writing a 30-35 pager search paper due the semester you want to graduate and a small pass / fail research class your first semester of the program that is the tax equivalent of 1L legal research. So basically, its 24 hours + a paper and you pick 100% of the classes you want to take (there are no required courses other than the research class / paper). If you are certain you want to follow an academic track, you can actually opt-out of the paper if you instead take a symposium class that requires simply attending 6-10 symposiums / guest speakers (as assigned by the course instructor) and writing a brief critique (1-2 pages each) of the paper that is being presented. Again, I'm not an academic so I'm just writing the paper -- what's 35 pages after you've knocked out three years of JD already?
Another thing to consider if you live in one of the Southeastern states and there are no public universities that offer a tax LLM in your state is that Florida participates in the Academic Common Market meaning if you are a resident of a qualifying state, you can receive Florida's in-state rate of tuition. More info on that program is available here: http://home.sreb.org/acm/choosestate.aspx
Hopefully that helps give you somewhat of a basic idea of what UF has to offer at least. I'm not really for or against the program compared to any other LLM programs so I'll gladly do my best to give you impartial advice if you do have any questions. Just keep in mind it may take me a few days to check back and respond, but I'll do my best to answer the questions I see.
All in all, if you do just want to go to highest ranked tax LLM school, then that decision is obvious and I believe even most of the faculty at the other two schools will tell you that NYU is the most historically "reputable" school for this degree. That being said, I think each school (Florida, Georgetown and NYU) each has its own good and bad traits and I really think the finding the best program for any potential candidate first starts with deciding if you really do want to invest the time and money in the degree in the first place and then secondly, considering a variety of factors as to what you hope to get out of the program which should help lead you to one that fits you best.
<blockquote>
Thank you for your post, CSJTax. I also saw that Florida is slipping in rankings. I've always only been interested in NYU and Georgetown because UF is just not geographically competitive. Now that they are #3 and slipping, it's a no-brainer.
</blockquote>
I'm a little late to this party, but I'm a current Tax LLM student at UF and will gladly answer questions if I can help anyone out about UF itself, admissions, or LLM programs in general (of course, I can only speak to the one I'm currently in but talking to friends at NYU and Georgetown, the overall programs seem very similarly structured for the most part).
For some basic information about UF vs. NYU, I can tell you that the biggest difference I learned when I was deciding between the two (and have subsequently seen in person while attending UF) is that UF almost exclusively utilizes full time faculty while NYU utilizes considerably more adjunct faculty. While UF touts this as a benefit, it really depends on what you are looking for out of the program and what sort of career you want to pursue. I will say that UF does seem to be very "academically" geared which is largely influenced by the amount of full time faculty where as I believe you get more practical real world "law firm" knowledge and planning advice from a program like NYU. Personally, I would actually prefer the more practical approach versus the academic approach here, but I also knew of this difference coming in and had my reasons for selecting this program.
As far as OCI and other recruiting events, there is a steady but limited stream of OCI postings throughout the year at UF but it is nothing compared to the amount of recruiters that came in at the JD level at the T1 school I did my JD at (i.e., where everyone in the top half is more or less guaranteed some sort of job). That being said, there are numerous people in the LLM program who got interviews (and jobs) with large firms through the OCIs and resume collects even before grades came in for the Fall.
As for grades, it's basically like JD but without a curve. Anyone who gets admitted will do fine as long as they can keep up and are reasonably competent in tax (you don't really need to have any prior tax knowledge coming in but the more you have, the easier the material will come to you just because of the complicated nature of the Code). The tax LLM program requires 26+ hours of tax courses to graduate with two hours being a research class that consists of writing a 30-35 pager search paper due the semester you want to graduate and a small pass / fail research class your first semester of the program that is the tax equivalent of 1L legal research. So basically, its 24 hours + a paper and you pick 100% of the classes you want to take (there are no required courses other than the research class / paper). If you are certain you want to follow an academic track, you can actually opt-out of the paper if you instead take a symposium class that requires simply attending 6-10 symposiums / guest speakers (as assigned by the course instructor) and writing a brief critique (1-2 pages each) of the paper that is being presented. Again, I'm not an academic so I'm just writing the paper -- what's 35 pages after you've knocked out three years of JD already?
Another thing to consider if you live in one of the Southeastern states and there are no public universities that offer a tax LLM in your state is that Florida participates in the Academic Common Market meaning if you are a resident of a qualifying state, you can receive Florida's in-state rate of tuition. More info on that program is available here: http://home.sreb.org/acm/choosestate.aspx
Hopefully that helps give you somewhat of a basic idea of what UF has to offer at least. I'm not really for or against the program compared to any other LLM programs so I'll gladly do my best to give you impartial advice if you do have any questions. Just keep in mind it may take me a few days to check back and respond, but I'll do my best to answer the questions I see.
All in all, if you do just want to go to highest ranked tax LLM school, then that decision is obvious and I believe even most of the faculty at the other two schools will tell you that NYU is the most historically "reputable" school for this degree. That being said, I think each school (Florida, Georgetown and NYU) each has its own good and bad traits and I really think the finding the best program for any potential candidate first starts with deciding if you really do want to invest the time and money in the degree in the first place and then secondly, considering a variety of factors as to what you hope to get out of the program which should help lead you to one that fits you best.
Thank you for your post, CSJTax. I also saw that Florida is slipping in rankings. I've always only been interested in NYU and Georgetown because UF is just not geographically competitive. Now that they are #3 and slipping, it's a no-brainer.
</blockquote>
I'm a little late to this party, but I'm a current Tax LLM student at UF and will gladly answer questions if I can help anyone out about UF itself, admissions, or LLM programs in general (of course, I can only speak to the one I'm currently in but talking to friends at NYU and Georgetown, the overall programs seem very similarly structured for the most part).
For some basic information about UF vs. NYU, I can tell you that the biggest difference I learned when I was deciding between the two (and have subsequently seen in person while attending UF) is that UF almost exclusively utilizes full time faculty while NYU utilizes considerably more adjunct faculty. While UF touts this as a benefit, it really depends on what you are looking for out of the program and what sort of career you want to pursue. I will say that UF does seem to be very "academically" geared which is largely influenced by the amount of full time faculty where as I believe you get more practical real world "law firm" knowledge and planning advice from a program like NYU. Personally, I would actually prefer the more practical approach versus the academic approach here, but I also knew of this difference coming in and had my reasons for selecting this program.
As far as OCI and other recruiting events, there is a steady but limited stream of OCI postings throughout the year at UF but it is nothing compared to the amount of recruiters that came in at the JD level at the T1 school I did my JD at (i.e., where everyone in the top half is more or less guaranteed some sort of job). That being said, there are numerous people in the LLM program who got interviews (and jobs) with large firms through the OCIs and resume collects even before grades came in for the Fall.
As for grades, it's basically like JD but without a curve. Anyone who gets admitted will do fine as long as they can keep up and are reasonably competent in tax (you don't really need to have any prior tax knowledge coming in but the more you have, the easier the material will come to you just because of the complicated nature of the Code). The tax LLM program requires 26+ hours of tax courses to graduate with two hours being a research class that consists of writing a 30-35 pager search paper due the semester you want to graduate and a small pass / fail research class your first semester of the program that is the tax equivalent of 1L legal research. So basically, its 24 hours + a paper and you pick 100% of the classes you want to take (there are no required courses other than the research class / paper). If you are certain you want to follow an academic track, you can actually opt-out of the paper if you instead take a symposium class that requires simply attending 6-10 symposiums / guest speakers (as assigned by the course instructor) and writing a brief critique (1-2 pages each) of the paper that is being presented. Again, I'm not an academic so I'm just writing the paper -- what's 35 pages after you've knocked out three years of JD already?
Another thing to consider if you live in one of the Southeastern states and there are no public universities that offer a tax LLM in your state is that Florida participates in the Academic Common Market meaning if you are a resident of a qualifying state, you can receive Florida's in-state rate of tuition. More info on that program is available here: http://home.sreb.org/acm/choosestate.aspx
Hopefully that helps give you somewhat of a basic idea of what UF has to offer at least. I'm not really for or against the program compared to any other LLM programs so I'll gladly do my best to give you impartial advice if you do have any questions. Just keep in mind it may take me a few days to check back and respond, but I'll do my best to answer the questions I see.
All in all, if you do just want to go to highest ranked tax LLM school, then that decision is obvious and I believe even most of the faculty at the other two schools will tell you that NYU is the most historically "reputable" school for this degree. That being said, I think each school (Florida, Georgetown and NYU) each has its own good and bad traits and I really think the finding the best program for any potential candidate first starts with deciding if you really do want to invest the time and money in the degree in the first place and then secondly, considering a variety of factors as to what you hope to get out of the program which should help lead you to one that fits you best.
Posted Jan 24, 2015 22:19
0
Could you evaluate my chances:
Law school Rank: 11/130, third tier school.
Tax grades: fed tax A; tax entities A-; Estate tax B+; estate planning A; business planning (mostly tax) A.
CALI awards in torts, contracts, biz entities, and M&A.
Volunteer Income tax assistance chair.
Accounting Masters: program doesn't give ranks. 3.85 GPA. Straight A's in 3 tax classes. State runner up in the ACG M&A competition.
Current employment: tax department staff at a large, local CPA firm. I have a CPA license but have not taken the bar exam.
Chances at NYU? elsewhere?
Could you evaluate my chances:
Law school Rank: 11/130, third tier school.
Tax grades: fed tax A; tax entities A-; Estate tax B+; estate planning A; business planning (mostly tax) A.
CALI awards in torts, contracts, biz entities, and M&A.
Volunteer Income tax assistance chair.
Accounting Masters: program doesn't give ranks. 3.85 GPA. Straight A's in 3 tax classes. State runner up in the ACG M&A competition.
Current employment: tax department staff at a large, local CPA firm. I have a CPA license but have not taken the bar exam.
Chances at NYU? elsewhere?
Law school Rank: 11/130, third tier school.
Tax grades: fed tax A; tax entities A-; Estate tax B+; estate planning A; business planning (mostly tax) A.
CALI awards in torts, contracts, biz entities, and M&A.
Volunteer Income tax assistance chair.
Accounting Masters: program doesn't give ranks. 3.85 GPA. Straight A's in 3 tax classes. State runner up in the ACG M&A competition.
Current employment: tax department staff at a large, local CPA firm. I have a CPA license but have not taken the bar exam.
Chances at NYU? elsewhere?
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