Last Minute second thoughts... should I still attend? Forum

[gaucholaw]

Got accepted to MVP with 45k, parents are paying COL and half of tuition
total COA is around 50k in Stafford.
Stats: reverse splitter, k-JD, senior grades haven't been as awesome (so if I applied again, my awesome gpa would be lower)
Pros:
1. still fairly decent school
2. if I attend now, I can count on parent's help, if I wait a couple years that might not be the case (volatile relationship)
Cons:
1. I honestly am not that into BigLaw
2. More interested in the "chasing unicorn" shit that only HYS seems to open up doors too
3. re-taking could be efficient, I got a 167, I think I could pull a 171ish.... 4+ gpa
4.^^^ I feel like I'm pissing away that great gpa and a real job might not be that bad
5. ^ my parent who is supporting me could pull the purse strings at any moment (which is an incentive to just get it done)

thoughts?
1. are these fears rational.... or is it just 11th hour fright?

[NYstate]

Got accepted to MVP with 45k, parents are paying COL and half of tuition
total COA is around 50k in Stafford.
Stats: reverse splitter, k-JD, senior grades haven't been as awesome (so if I applied again, my awesome gpa would be lower)
Pros:
1. still fairly decent school
2. if I attend now, I can count on parent's help, if I wait a couple years that might not be the case (volatile relationship)
Cons:
1. I honestly am not that into BigLaw
2. More interested in the "chasing unicorn" shit that only HYS seems to open up doors too
3. re-taking could be efficient, I got a 167, I think I could pull a 171ish.... 4+ gpa
4.^^^ I feel like I'm pissing away that great gpa and a real job might not be that bad
5. ^ my parent who is supporting me could pull the purse strings at any moment (which is an incentive to just get it done)

thoughts?
1. are these fears rational.... or is it just 11th hour fright?

These fears are rational. Your goals don't match your schools placement ability. You aren't that clear on what you want to do. You feel forced to ignore your doubts because your parents might not be supportive.

Can you defer for a year? Can you realistically get into better schools? Do you really want to be a lawyer?

[gaucholaw]

Got accepted to MVP with 45k, parents are paying COL and half of tuition
total COA is around 50k in Stafford.
Stats: reverse splitter, k-JD, senior grades haven't been as awesome (so if I applied again, my awesome gpa would be lower)
Pros:
1. still fairly decent school
2. if I attend now, I can count on parent's help, if I wait a couple years that might not be the case (volatile relationship)
Cons:
1. I honestly am not that into BigLaw
2. More interested in the "chasing unicorn" shit that only HYS seems to open up doors too
3. re-taking could be efficient, I got a 167, I think I could pull a 171ish.... 4+ gpa
4.^^^ I feel like I'm pissing away that great gpa and a real job might not be that bad
5. ^ my parent who is supporting me could pull the purse strings at any moment (which is an incentive to just get it done)

thoughts?
1. are these fears rational.... or is it just 11th hour fright?

These fears are rational. Your goals don't match your schools placement ability. You aren't that clear on what you want to do. You feel forced to ignore your doubts because your parents might not be supportive.

Can you defer for a year? Can you realistically get into better schools? Do you really want to be a lawyer?

Thanks for the response!
In terms of could I get into a better school, well my stats are 4.05/167 with NO w/e.. and I got in ED... so this was a solid cycle by my estimations, that said, I'm curious if a 171 and two years w/e could make up for the 100k+ in lost parental support?

[Samara]

Thanks for the response!
In terms of could I get into a better school, well my stats are 4.05/167 with NO w/e.. and I got in ED... so this was a solid cycle by my estimations, that said, I'm curious if a 171 and two years w/e could make up for the 100k+ in lost parental support?

Yes, easily. You should retake. You have a great shot at YHS where you could actually pursue those pie in the sky employment goals. What will your GPA be upon graduation?

[Bildungsroman]

No you probably shouldn't attend. But not because of some "chasing unicorn" dream.

[gaucholaw]

Thanks for the response!
In terms of could I get into a better school, well my stats are 4.05/167 with NO w/e.. and I got in ED... so this was a solid cycle by my estimations, that said, I'm curious if a 171 and two years w/e could make up for the 100k+ in lost parental support?

Yes, easily. You should retake. You have a great shot at YHS where you could actually pursue those pie in the sky employment goals. What will your GPA be upon graduation?

thanks! 4.01ish, 1 B+ 2 A-'s

[Samara]

Thanks for the response!
In terms of could I get into a better school, well my stats are 4.05/167 with NO w/e.. and I got in ED... so this was a solid cycle by my estimations, that said, I'm curious if a 171 and two years w/e could make up for the 100k+ in lost parental support?

Yes, easily. You should retake. You have a great shot at YHS where you could actually pursue those pie in the sky employment goals. What will your GPA be upon graduation?

thanks! 4.01ish, 1 B+ 2 A-'s

Personally, I think it would be insane not to retake.

[gaucholaw]

Thanks for the response!
In terms of could I get into a better school, well my stats are 4.05/167 with NO w/e.. and I got in ED... so this was a solid cycle by my estimations, that said, I'm curious if a 171 and two years w/e could make up for the 100k+ in lost parental support?

Yes, easily. You should retake. You have a great shot at YHS where you could actually pursue those pie in the sky employment goals. What will your GPA be upon graduation?

thanks! 4.01ish, 1 B+ 2 A-'s

Personally, I think it would be insane not to retake.

The thing is, I tried re-taking in December and had to cancel, because I "forgot" to transfer my LG's to the scantron... I choke, and don't do well with that kind of pressure... it was kind of scarring, and I'm a bit averse to trying again.... I studied an avg. of 3hours a day for 24 months, by the end was avging 174... ended with 2 consecutive 177's.... eh

[UtilityMonster]

I was in a very similar situation to this, with acceptances to lower T14 in the last cycle. I was freaking out about my GPA falling my last semester because the grades were unknown until I got them. Ended up retaking in June and getting work experience. My score went up 5 points, I ended up getting straight A's my last semester, and I now have a ruby and HLS.

[Samara]

The thing is, I tried re-taking in December and had to cancel, because I "forgot" to transfer my LG's to the scantron... I choke, and don't do well with that kind of pressure... it was kind of scarring, and I'm a bit averse to trying again.... I studied an avg. of 3hours a day for 24 months, by the end was avging 174... ended with 2 consecutive 177's.... eh

Dooooood, retake. It's clear you have the skill, you just need the confidence. If it makes you feel better, I'm pretty sure you can deposit with the current acceptance, retake in June and withdraw if you get the score you're looking for.

[Docreviewsux]

Got accepted to MVP with 45k, parents are paying COL and half of tuition
total COA is around 50k in Stafford.
Stats: reverse splitter, k-JD, senior grades haven't been as awesome (so if I applied again, my awesome gpa would be lower)
Pros:
1. still fairly decent school
2. if I attend now, I can count on parent's help, if I wait a couple years that might not be the case (volatile relationship)
Cons:
1. I honestly am not that into BigLaw
2. More interested in the "chasing unicorn" shit that only HYS seems to open up doors too
3. re-taking could be efficient, I got a 167, I think I could pull a 171ish.... 4+ gpa
4.^^^ I feel like I'm pissing away that great gpa and a real job might not be that bad
5. ^ my parent who is supporting me could pull the purse strings at any moment (which is an incentive to just get it done)

thoughts?
1. are these fears rational.... or is it just 11th hour fright?

Do you even want to be a lawyer? Do you know what we do? Do you know what type of work I do?

[hephaestus]

What kind of unicorn jobs do you want? Which achievable jobs are most analogous?

[eric922]

Got accepted to MVP with 45k, parents are paying COL and half of tuition
total COA is around 50k in Stafford.
Stats: reverse splitter, k-JD, senior grades haven't been as awesome (so if I applied again, my awesome gpa would be lower)
Pros:
1. still fairly decent school
2. if I attend now, I can count on parent's help, if I wait a couple years that might not be the case (volatile relationship)
Cons:
1. I honestly am not that into BigLaw
2. More interested in the "chasing unicorn" shit that only HYS seems to open up doors too
3. re-taking could be efficient, I got a 167, I think I could pull a 171ish.... 4+ gpa
4.^^^ I feel like I'm pissing away that great gpa and a real job might not be that bad
5. ^ my parent who is supporting me could pull the purse strings at any moment (which is an incentive to just get it done)

thoughts?
1. are these fears rational.... or is it just 11th hour fright?

These fears are rational. Your goals don't match your schools placement ability. You aren't that clear on what you want to do. You feel forced to ignore your doubts because your parents might not be supportive.

Can you defer for a year? Can you realistically get into better schools? Do you really want to be a lawyer?

Thanks for the response!
In terms of could I get into a better school, well my stats are 4.05/167 with NO w/e.. and I got in ED... so this was a solid cycle by my estimations, that said, I'm curious if a 171 and two years w/e could make up for the 100k+ in lost parental support?

Wait, you got in with ED? I could be wrong, but you may not have a choice. Some Early Decisions require you to attend.

[Power Clean]

I studied an avg. of 3hours a day for 24 months, by the end was avging 174... ended with 2 consecutive 177's.... eh

24 months? What the shit

[Doorkeeper]

Retake and reapply. Lock down parental support for next cycle.

[bananapeanutbutter]

Why don't you just show your parents LSN, and how you have a really strong chance of getting into HYS if you retake?

In addition, if your relationship is volatile why don't you just practice not getting emotional and just taking all the shit they give you, if they're willing to finance your education. You will need to take shit for the first 20 years of your career, so you might as well just get a head start. If you can take shit from your loved ones, you can take shit from anyone so go get them.

[loomstate]

my first reaction was that yes it does seem like a bit of a waste of GPA if you can score higher.

I would sit down with your parents and explain to them what a higher score would do for you and your goals, explain to them that law school is an investment - and you can get them a better investment. Also, I'm sure you can find a way to get along with your parents for a year.

[loomstate]

The thing is, I tried re-taking in December and had to cancel, because I "forgot" to transfer my LG's to the scantron... I choke, and don't do well with that kind of pressure... it was kind of scarring, and I'm a bit averse to trying again.... I studied an avg. of 3hours a day for 24 months, by the end was avging 174... ended with 2 consecutive 177's.... eh

you can clearly get it done. i would recommend velocity and dave hall's videos if you havent checked them out yet. i found that one of the best aspects of velocity is that dave seems to have a relaxing effect that encourages confidence.

[quiver]

I choke, and don't do well with that kind of pressure... it was kind of scarring, and I'm a bit averse to trying again

Law school might not be the best place for you. Just throwing it out there.

[spleenworship]

Do you actually want to be a lawyer?

[PRgradBYU]

I studied an avg. of 3hours a day for 24 months, by the end was avging 174... ended with 2 consecutive 177's.... eh

24 months? What the shit

OP, you would be an absolute fool not to retake considering 1) the fact that you were PTing in the mid-170s and 2) the TWO YEARS of studying you dedicated to the LSAT. Retake, hit your 177, and enjoy HYS.

[dixiecupdrinking]

If the relationship is so volatile are you really going to be able to depend on the support three years from now anyway?

Don't let your damn parents blackmail you into making a life-changing decision.

[BalanceCare]

Dear Gaucholaw,

Don't go now if you have any doubts.

Figure out what you want to do, get a job, see the world a bit. In a few years -- 2, 5, or 10 -- you can reconsider with a 170+ retake. Don't worry about the money; if law school is something you really want to do in a few years, figuring out how to pay for it will be less onerous than taking the money for something you don't care about now.

Love,

a 30 y.o. who almost went to a lower T14 two years ago, got a non-legal job at a "chasing unicorns"-type legal organization instead, retook for a 99th percentile score, and is now choosing between H and S with a more sophisticated idea of what his career would actually entail.

[gaucholaw]

some additional info:
1. To clarify on the "chasing unicorn"... a district clerkship would be nice, and my current selected school places decently
2. I already signed a lease
3. the parent who is providing the purse-strings is a foreign, non-national, language barrier, etc.... it's not that arguments are emotional, its that contact is seldom

[spleenworship]

Do you actually want to be a lawyer?