Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
University Of Iowa • Iowa City, IA
Studying Law (completion in 2001)
• 9/14/2011
"I loved attending Iowa. I got a great education and did not have to incur a lot of debt to get it. The only downside was trying to find a job outside the Midwest area while attending school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would definitely recommend my school to anyone. However, I would caution them that if they wanted to work outside the Midwest, that it may be harder to find a job since the school is more regional in nature. The education is top notch and the price to attend is very reasonable. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Iowa law school has an excellent reputation. When I attended it was ranked in the top 25 law schools in the country and is one of the reasons I choose to apply to the university. I believe that its reputation today is still stellar. |
| Program Quality | 9 | My education was top notch and the price was good. However, I think the location is a minor draw back for those who prefer not to work in Iowa. |
| Instruction | 9 | The instructors and courses were great. However, one major drawback is that if you want to practice law in another state, you are at a disadvantage. For example, Iowa is a separate property state when it comes to marriage, and the state I now practice in is a community property state. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The courses were difficult, but informative. Some classes were more difficult than others. The work loads were average and you had to study to keep up in class. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Well since Iowa is in a small town, there really are not a lot of places to intern at. However, during the summers it was highly encouraged to work at a law firm to get legal experience. They also had sponsored study abroad programs, in case you had an interest in internationally law. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | From what I can remember, the first year courses are not as flexible. However in your second and third year, you had much more flexibility in choosing your classes and times. They provided summer school courses in case you wanted to attend summer school. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The school had a fantastic library and computers to help with legal research. There were tutorials on how to use Lexis Nexis and Westlaw. Study groups were encouraged, but not required. Classroom space was fine. The professors were accessible and more than willing to help if you had questions or concerns. |
| Social Life | 7 | Every Wednesday night, the school sponsored Law Night at a local bar. They would have guest lecturers speak and different organizations would host programs and their own social events. Third years students attended the barristers ball right before graduation. |
| Placement Services | 7 | The school did a good job with helping students find work. However, it's a very regional school and so if you want to practice outside the Midwest, then you will have a more difficult job at finding positions since there are not as many contacts with the career center. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | I do not participate with my alumni program, but I get material from them regarding school functions. I also get a booklet every now and then with updated info and articles about my school. |
Online Course Finder
Find the path to your
education in 3 easy steps.