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The school plans tend to be pretty good, or at least they were a couple years ago. I started law school prior to the PPACA taking full effect and got on the school's health plan for me and Mrs. Vest. It was a pretty darn good plan all things considered (price, benefits, and network) and we had a 2-month premature baby during that time. Despite $380k in billed charges, we only paid $6600 total out of pocket ($300 deductible * 2 and $3,000 in co-insurance max out of pocket). Plus it was a July-June benefits year so it wasn't like you lost your place in benefits after the first semester.

Great to hear, and really encouraging. Thanks Vest!

lmb38 wrote:
Insurance issues aside for a moment, is your medical condition affecting which schools you would choose? For example you couldn't consider School A even if its plan was good because of your condition? I probably need to be a little more realistic about my choices considering some of my limits.

Yeah, I hadn't really thought about it until a couple weeks ago, when it dawned on me that I may need to make considerations based on the health care situation. The AHCA passing the house made the reality sink in.

From the bit of research I've done, it looks like most schools do have insurance (student health insurance plan, or SHIP). But, it looks like it varies widely. Some are group plans through major insurance companies, some are simply that all your care is free via the on-campus health center. And UW is none of the above - you're on your own. But, I believe that is the least common scenario and only happened because of the ACA making insurance much more affordable and accessible. It also looks like most schools require you to have insurance - you can only opt out of their school plan with proof of you having equivalent or better coverage.

Honestly, I'm not totally sure yet on your last question. I think I need to look into it more, and possibly contact a few schools to ask specific questions. Basically, I need to have a few prescriptions, monitoring blood tests, occasional physical therapy, and a specialist visit a couple of times yearly. So, I think most of those things would be covered by SHIPs since they are pretty basic services. But I want to be super cautious, because it would be terrible to rely on the exchange and then part way into school lose that insurance. That might mean having to transfer or drop out. I need to have a plan B. But I think that the services I need are basic enough to be covered by most plans, so I just need to make sure that 1) the school has a SHIP and 2) it covers those few things, at a reasonable cost. I think I'd be too nervous to attend a school that doesn't offer any insurance though.

EDIT: ok sorry, re-read your last question and think I understand a bit better haha. No, I don't think so. I have inflammatory arthritis (autoimmune). On a bad day, I'm pretty averse to stairs haha. And colder climates are tough. But nothing that's impossible to work around. I'm hesitant to go to schools in more rural areas that wouldn't have as many specialists available; I've been spoiled in my current area that has thriving healthcare! So overall, it doesn't have too much effect on things.[/quote]

Adding to the discussion about medical issues. I get monthly (unless if my levels are off...and then it can be as frequent as every 3-4 days) blood tests, see a specialist (hematologist) every six months, and need access to at least a decent level ER for "uh oh" times. I had two concurrent blood clots about two years ago and have a clotting disorder, so I'm on blood thinners for life. I'd be hesitant to go to a more rural school, but only if there wasn't an ER within a reasonable distance. Otherwise, as long as there are the basics (ER and clinic) in the area, I'd be up for driving a bit for specialty (hematology in my case) visits.

CMac86 wrote: Adding to the discussion about medical issues. I get monthly (unless if my levels are off...and then it can be as frequent as every 3-4 days) blood tests, see a specialist (hematologist) every six months, and need access to at least a decent level ER for "uh oh" times. I had two concurrent blood clots about two years ago and have a clotting disorder, so I'm on blood thinners for life. I'd be hesitant to go to a more rural school, but only if there wasn't an ER within a reasonable distance. Otherwise, as long as there are the basics (ER and clinic) in the area, I'd be up for driving a bit for specialty (hematology in my case) visits.

Yeah, that sounds similar to my needs. That's a good point that as long as there's a specialist (rheumatologist) I could drive to a couple times a year, it'd be workable. Sounds relatively similar to me, although I only need blood tests quarterly. And no real emergencies needing an ER typically, just a lot of routine maintenance.

I think what it comes down to is just an extra level of research and perhaps some schools will be off the table, but there's sure to be something that works for each of us!

lmb38 wrote:

CMac86 wrote: Adding to the discussion about medical issues. I get monthly (unless if my levels are off...and then it can be as frequent as every 3-4 days) blood tests, see a specialist (hematologist) every six months, and need access to at least a decent level ER for "uh oh" times. I had two concurrent blood clots about two years ago and have a clotting disorder, so I'm on blood thinners for life. I'd be hesitant to go to a more rural school, but only if there wasn't an ER within a reasonable distance. Otherwise, as long as there are the basics (ER and clinic) in the area, I'd be up for driving a bit for specialty (hematology in my case) visits.

Yeah, that sounds similar to my needs. That's a good point that as long as there's a specialist (rheumatologist) I could drive to a couple times a year, it'd be workable. Sounds relatively similar to me, although I only need blood tests quarterly. And no real emergencies needing an ER typically, just a lot of routine maintenance.

I think what it comes down to is just an extra level of research and perhaps some schools will be off the table, but there's sure to be something that works for each of us!

I dig it. I need the ER access/coverage for "uh oh" times, in my case, it would be if part of my current clots were to break free (could cause heart attack, stroke, or a pulomonary embolism) or a bad cut.

On my end, the geographic area of where I want to live, go to school, and practice lead to no issues. I'm planning on moving back to Chicago.

I'm back and haven't posted here for a while, but to recap I'm 33 and I was choosing between staying local for a well regarded regional school, or moving the family for a T14 that really interests me. I have a medical issue to contend with.

So since I posted, my medical issue has become much more of a problem, so I'm out for the 2018 cycle. I might have to get some inpatient treatment soon. I was PTing at 168, too.

I'm going part time at work and letting them pay for me to get a professional Masters (not a JD, obviously) - it just sort of dropped into my life recently, and sounded really interesting, so why not. It's free, it'll help with my current job, and I will be taking a lot of credits at the law school I've been considering. So at least I get to take law classes, even if it's not part of the JD I intended to do. I'm not sure whether a demanding job like law, which doesn't seem to look kindly on those who might need extensive medical leave, is going to be in my future now. Lots to think about.

I was trying to decide whether it felt like a JD at almost 40 was going to open more doors than it closes, and right now I'm on the fence. I guess I'll see how things shake out. Good luck to all you guys.

consideringlaw24 wrote:I'm back and haven't posted here for a while, but to recap I'm 33 and I was choosing between staying local for a well regarded regional school, or moving the family for a T14 that really interests me. I have a medical issue to contend with.

So since I posted, my medical issue has become much more of a problem, so I'm out for the 2018 cycle. I might have to get some inpatient treatment soon. I was PTing at 168, too.

I'm going part time at work and letting them pay for me to get a professional Masters (not a JD, obviously) - it just sort of dropped into my life recently, and sounded really interesting, so why not. It's free, it'll help with my current job, and I will be taking a lot of credits at the law school I've been considering. So at least I get to take law classes, even if it's not part of the JD I intended to do. I'm not sure whether a demanding job like law, which doesn't seem to look kindly on those who might need extensive medical leave, is going to be in my future now. Lots to think about.

I was trying to decide whether it felt like a JD at almost 40 was going to open more doors than it closes, and right now I'm on the fence. I guess I'll see how things shake out. Good luck to all you guys.

Haven't been around TLS much lately and just saw this. Oh man, I'm so sorry! That is downright crappy news. But at least if law school is off the table for now, that paid-for Masters sounds like a cool option!

Really bummed to hear you had a health set back, but wishing you all the best in the masters and taking care of yourself.

lmb38 wrote:

consideringlaw24 wrote:I'm back and haven't posted here for a while, but to recap I'm 33 and I was choosing between staying local for a well regarded regional school, or moving the family for a T14 that really interests me. I have a medical issue to contend with.

So since I posted, my medical issue has become much more of a problem, so I'm out for the 2018 cycle. I might have to get some inpatient treatment soon. I was PTing at 168, too.

I'm going part time at work and letting them pay for me to get a professional Masters (not a JD, obviously) - it just sort of dropped into my life recently, and sounded really interesting, so why not. It's free, it'll help with my current job, and I will be taking a lot of credits at the law school I've been considering. So at least I get to take law classes, even if it's not part of the JD I intended to do. I'm not sure whether a demanding job like law, which doesn't seem to look kindly on those who might need extensive medical leave, is going to be in my future now. Lots to think about.

I was trying to decide whether it felt like a JD at almost 40 was going to open more doors than it closes, and right now I'm on the fence. I guess I'll see how things shake out. Good luck to all you guys.

Haven't been around TLS much lately and just saw this. Oh man, I'm so sorry! That is downright crappy news. But at least if law school is off the table for now, that paid-for Masters sounds like a cool option!

Really bummed to hear you had a health set back, but wishing you all the best in the masters and taking care of yourself.

Thanks for the support! I quit my job to help myself recover and now I'm doing pretty well. Working freelance to keep money coming in.

After some time to mull it over I've decided my local law school is not going to be the right choice for me. I just took a semester of law classes there as part of my professional Masters program and I have nothing negative to say about the place, I just don't think it's going to fit with my long term goals (it's going to tie me to this state for practicing, essentially). So I've decided that, if I do go to law school, I'll apply for that T14.

If I go it won't be for another 2-3 years, so I'll be 36/37 when I start, and my family would come with me. In the mean time we'd need to save as much money as we can so that I can take a smaller loan, because I'm interested in government work, non-profit work, or small firms only. I doubt big law would want someone as "old" as me anyway.

So, we'll see how things look in around 2019. I might be all law schooled out by then! If any of you can find a way to take or at least audit a law class before you attend law school, I totally recommend it. I think I'll have a big advantage for time management in any JD program just in terms of knowing how to read cases and do outlines and prep for exams.

consideringlaw24 wrote:

If I go it won't be for another 2-3 years, so I'll be 36/37 when I start, and my family would come with me. In the mean time we'd need to save as much money as we can so that I can take a smaller loan, because I'm interested in government work, non-profit work, or small firms only. I doubt big law would want someone as "old" as me anyway.

I started at 37, and am going to a NYC big law firm for a summer associate position next summer. I had multiple offers. I know anecdotal evidence only goes so far, but don't think that your age means you won't be considered. If big law is something you want, go for it.

What about if someone wants to work as an ADA? I will probably be 32 or 33 when I graduate law school. Will that be considered too old?

For ADA/PD, your age won't be an issue at all. To the extent that age can be an issue in legal hiring, I think it's only really an issue for biglaw. I was 37 at graduation and didn't feel my age was really an issue at all for any of the public interest work I was interested in (legal aid, PD, clerkship, fed gov work).

Hi All,

Love this thread. I'm in my mid-30s, planning on taking the LSAT in June to apply for law school (would like to become a patent attorney). Took 2x diagnostics not having seen them before and scored 162/163. Hopefully I can get the score up to high 160s / 170 range!

Wow... I wish I had found this thread back before I started law school, although I am a little dismayed by the posts from people in their mid-30s who think they are old. I am in my mid-40s, with a spouse and kids, and will be graduating in a couple months.

For all you "old" folks out there who had a robust career prior to law school, did you use a one-page resume when you were applying to firms or government positions? How did you represent your unrelated professional experience?

New to TLS and wanted to add myself to this thread as I didn't see a more recent one for the "elder" group.
Me - 40yrs old, decided to sit for the Jan LSAT just to "see how I would do" and if this would be the year I decided to apply since I now have the opportunity to not work full time, kids are mostly "on their own" etc.. Mediocre undergrad 3.2something GPA (over 10 yrs back) - my MBA was higher at like 3.7 but it's my understanding that the graduate level GPA doesn't "count" per se. Ended up with a 163 LSAT after taking 4 or 5 practice tests online with the Khan/LSAC links and have applied to local schools (and still waiting on all 4 applications). From what I have read about the range of admitted students I should be within reach of those I applied to, so at this point I'm just waiting and waiting.

One additional question / thought:
Understandably, the traditional law school applicant is still in school finishing up undergrad courses right now - or even if they took a year off they are likely interning/working etc...
But for me, I'm having a bit of a struggle with this upcoming 6 months of time (I am still working full time) but now that the LSAT is over, applications are out and the waiting game for acceptance letters continues, I'm just wanting to start SOMETHING.

jhall2yl wrote:One additional question / thought:
Understandably, the traditional law school applicant is still in school finishing up undergrad courses right now - or even if they took a year off they are likely interning/working etc...
But for me, I'm having a bit of a struggle with this upcoming 6 months of time (I am still working full time) but now that the LSAT is over, applications are out and the waiting game for acceptance letters continues, I'm just wanting to start SOMETHING.

You could volunteer for a public interest legal aid organization.

ipse dixit wrote:Wow... I wish I had found this thread back before I started law school, although I am a little dismayed by the posts from people in their mid-30s who think they are old. I am in my mid-40s, with a spouse and kids, and will be graduating in a couple months.

For all you "old" folks out there who had a robust career prior to law school, did you use a one-page resume when you were applying to firms or government positions? How did you represent your unrelated professional experience?

Yes, upon advice from career services I got it down to a page with a lot of blood, sweat and tears. Some jobs that were totally unrelated I gave 1 line only to, and some jobs esp right out of college I cut entirely if they weren’t relevant

Just wanted to throw myself in here. In my early 30s and hoping to start school in 2020. Crossing fingers for a T-14/T-20.

Sitting the LSAT was an eye-opener. Everyone there looked like a child

Whilst I have no doubt that there are some brilliantly smart people amongst the young crowd, I do think life-experience and maturity is a major bonus in law school and beyond. So good luck to everyone here! I know a lot of us are dealing with familes/children/pregnancies/jobs... it's tough work getting everything done, and even the most basic decisions can turn into major life-altering ones.

Hoping to swing back over here when application season kicks in.

iar wrote: Whilst I have no doubt that there are some brilliantly smart people amongst the young crowd, I do think life-experience and maturity is a major bonus in law school and beyond.

I was just looking through a stack of resumes today for OCI, and those with life and work experience all stuck out. Military especially, but anybody who previously held a "real" job should highlight that. It looks quite impressive after reading through 15 resumes in a row of BA in History with a 3.8, 3.3 in Law, 2 undergrad internships, a paralegal/admin job during the summer before law school, a 1L summer job, some random law review, and a pair of extracurriculars. At least for me, seeing real work experience offset a slightly lower GPA.

I agree with you, but not sure all the K-JDs who end up reviewing resumes necessarily feel the same way.

I don't think it's necessarily that experience is always better as much as it makes for a different resume. Half of the resumes I read were interchangeable. Change the UG institution, change the humanities discipline, change the names of the extracurriculars, and change the location of the internships, but you could almost match the resumes up section by section. For that group, it was a matter of flagging the higher GPAs and seeing if they have shown any interest in areas that we practice in. Whether or not K-JD hiring attorneys can appreciate the good qualities that come from a more mature applicant, they're forced, simply by the differentness of the resume, to judge by different criteria.

Thanks for the input; it's interesting to hear that. If only for the fact that I have an unusual background, which is making writing personal statements and resumes really challenging. Sometimes I'm banging my head against a desk, almost wishing I had one of those more simple/common "tracks". But ultimately I know that being unusual is generally a good thing. I just need to put in that work and pull it all together.

totesTheGoat wrote:I don't think it's necessarily that experience is always better as much as it makes for a different resume. Half of the resumes I read were interchangeable. Change the UG institution, change the humanities discipline, change the names of the extracurriculars, and change the location of the internships, but you could almost match the resumes up section by section. For that group, it was a matter of flagging the higher GPAs and seeing if they have shown any interest in areas that we practice in. Whether or not K-JD hiring attorneys can appreciate the good qualities that come from a more mature applicant, they're forced, simply by the differentness of the resume, to judge by different criteria.

I get you, that’s fair.

Im 33 now, will be 34 at the start of Law School. I'm wanting to work for the Federal Government DOJ, DOD is where my focus is. Is there anyone that is older who may have clerked? I am a military vet who put off law school for some years due to kids, military and life. I also would love to get a perspective of GULC versus UVA as a commuter from the DC area.

Hello fellow olds!

I am terrified I'll be too old for law school, especially being a woman (but I am childfree!).

The goal is to get BL. I've heard horror stories about them wanting K-JDs who they can abuse and mold lol.