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In a Career Crisis...Plz Help!!
Okay so i just graduated from my undergrad with high hopes of attending Law School. I'm a bit of a Life planning freak so i already had my life plan set that by the time i am 25 i should be out of law school on the verge of practicing law. Well i applied to 10 law schools and 7 denied me, 2 have placed me in their summer conditional program and 1 have me on their waiting list. I know that i applied to the schools late, i apllied in april-may, because i had been focusing more on my wedding. Now i thought i had a slight chance with the summer conditional program because once i got a 2.5 or higher i'm in but the problem is that they are asking for too much money in such little time, 5 days to be exact. I simply cannot afford it right now. And the school that placed me on the waiting list may take forever to respond to whether or not they will accept me once the rereview my application.
I feel at a lost with my career dream, i'm disappointed in myself and hurt. I am usually known as the smart kid, most successful etc. and now i am feeling like a bum... i don't know if im over reacting my my life goal and dreams just feels shattered at this point. I'm thinking maybe it wasn't meant to be should i just change my career path and start my masters next fall or possibly in the spring?! I got invited to two summer conditional programs, applied got approved and now i simply can't afford it!! MAybe it wasn't meant to be? My DH suggested that i just work for a year, retake my LSAT and reapply but this time as early as possible but i feel as though i would be wasting my life away... a whole year!! I don't know no one understands the hurt and rejection running through me right now and i do not know what to do with myself at this point, i need some guidance advice anything!!
GLH
Re: In a Career Crisis...Plz Help!!
Did you get denied because of your LSAT score, or because you applied late? If it was because you applied late than I would reapply next year. They didn't deny you because you aren't smart enough, they may have simply been full already.
I was originally considering law school and was going to take 1 year off to get married and save money since you can't work much during it. Once I found out cost of local schools and how in are area there pretty much aren't any legal positions out there for lawyers I tried the Paralegal route. Since I already had my BA I just did a certificate program that took 18 months. I had an internship during it and figured out that I wanted to go back to my original degree (Accounting) and not do anything with Law.
While I was in the process of looking at law schools I prayed a lot for a sign on what to do because I was so confused. Only you can figure out which path to take. This may be a sign it was not meant to be, but you need to really figure out what you want to do. Law School isn't something to just "try". I would work in whatever your undergrad is, If you aren't happy come next spring than reapply for law school.
You should do both. Being in a similar situation, I did the paralegal route and my program was only 10 months with a BA. I also had a job in a law firm within two months of starting the program. If it was your LSAT score, retake and reapply. Also reapply early... because if everything was up to par they may have just been full as another poster stated.
BTW: I am also a life planning freak.
I would definitely stop "life planning" and focus on where and who you are. I'm assuming that you just graduated and are therefore 22ish years old with a brand new husband to boot? To me that screams "I'm getting married because I'm a grown up and finished school." The stress over not getting into law school so that you can continue this life plan is not entirely healthy. And the fact that you're willing to give up your career path because it will throw off your life plan supports my theory.
Take a step back from EVERYTHING. If necessary, seek someone who can help you sort out your feelings. Why did you want to go to law school? What do you want to do for a career and why? Where do you feel you are in your life right now and how do you feel about that? You need to answer those questions for yourself and they you'll have a better idea of what you need to do.
When I went to law school, a majority of my classmates had taken time off between undergrad and law school. (I know I did) For some, it was a second career after they had already been in business, tech, journalism, or various other fields. I can't stress enough, especially in the current economy, that law school IS NOT something you do just because it's there. The job market is ridiculous and competitive right now, and practicing law is a far cry from law school. Unless it's something you know for sure you want a part of, I wouldn't go just because it's on your "life plan."
@LindsaymR The schools really didn't say but my LSAT score was average and my GPA is pretty good so i just assumed it was the late application along with the average scores...and thanks for letting me know about the paralegal idea i will definetly be looking into it.
@blue-eyed i am 22 years of age and just got married in January and i took an internship at the Department of Justice and realized I do have a passion for it and i want it as a career before hand it was more so a try hence the reason for the internship. Thanks for the advice i am considering talking to my therapists i figure i just need to talk things through and figure out what is best for me.
I think its would probably be a really good idea to take a year off, save money and work. If you can't afford it now, how can you afford it in the fall?
There are a lot of jobs out there that aren't things a normal person would just know about. I think its worth spending some time out in the "working world" to see what is out there, before committing to more schooling. When you ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up, everyone says Fireman, Police Officer, Teacher, Doctor, Lawer, because those are careers everyone is famaliar with. No kid says, Business Analyst, Financial Planner, Marketing Manger, but its not becuase they wouldn't be good at it, just that they don't have the experience to know about such things.
So take a year get a job and examine if law is what you really want to do. Twenty two is really young, you have time.
I agree. I have $30k in student loans right now and it kills me to think about. Just law school in my town would have been way over $100k. And lawyers don't make as good as what people think they do, at least not starting out.
One thing that also got me away from law school is I wanted to start a family soon. You have to figure 3 years of law school plus you'll want to work awhile before taking time off to have kids. If family is in your plans you need to factor in how many hours you'll have to work too.
This exactly. The legal market in general REALLY sucks right now and they are saying that the Legal market is going to continue to be "over-saturated" for the next 10-15 years. YIKES!
I hate posts like this. Yes, the job market for new lawyers sucks balls right now. However, that is no excuse to not do something you have always wanted to do. You just have to understand it will be overwhelmingly difficult to get a job. Period.
OP, there is a line in a song I like that says, "Show me a woman or a man who's got a plan and I will show you God is laughing out his window." All the plans in the world will crumble under the weight of reality.
That being said, if going to law school is your dream, and you want to be an attorney knowing that getting a job is going to be extremely, extremely difficult I would consider a few things:
1) How were you planning on paying for law school? If you were going to rely solely on Fin Aid/Loans for your tuition, contact the schools and see if you can apply for student loans for the program. Also find out if you get any completed coursework credits for having done the summer program.
2) The fact that you got into these "conditional programs" Makes me think either your GPA or your LSAT were not that great after all. If you opt not to do the conditional programs, spend the year studying and retaking the LSAT. Also, if your grades were not where they should be, see if you can take some courses somewhere and demonstrate that you are capable of better academic work.
Best of luck.
The fact is, most people who think they want to be lawyers, don't have any idea what it's really like. They just think that it pays well and that it seems like a very cool, respectable, high-powered job. It's like a fantasy.Trust me...I have a lot of experience in this area.
Agreed, although I think anyone entering now should know better :-)
and, fwiw, I never thought I was going to be some rich bigshot simply because I went to law school. This poster seems to have some work experience in the field and is still interested. So long as she understands that starting salaries for that DOJ office she works at for new lawyers is 50K, and thats about the best she can hope for in terms of salary once she graduates no matter where she goes, if she still wants to do it she should.