Am I smart enough for Law School? Forum

[r6_philly]

The LSAT is the one thing that worries me though considering I only got a 26 on my ACT

Have fun being a failure in life.

I am going to be philosophical and say if you can have fun in life, you are not a failure.

[sjhpark]

They discuss Foucauldian theory with roommate? Why would any serious inquirer fiddle with continental philosophy bullshit at all? Smacks me of intellectual pretentiousness, consciously held or not.

[MeechiganBoy]

The LSAT is the one thing that worries me though considering I only got a 26 on my ACT

Have fun being a failure in life.

we will see....

[Richie Tenenbaum]

Can I join the very small minority of people responding who do not think this is a flame and they are not insulted? Interested in the answer for this, even though I won't end up at HYS [edit: or anywhere close]. Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't have a problem imagining someone of moderately above average intelligence being able to get HYS. All it takes is a lot of effort during undergrad and a lot of time prepping for the LSAT (a lot easier said then done, I do understand that). Maybe I'm just completely wrong about how learnable the LSAT is though for most people.

In any case, I'm interested to see if there is anyone out there in this position (at HYS and they considered themselves around around average going into law school).

[sanpiero]

You have a 175 and a 3.8. Grow some ****ing balls, attend a T6, and work hard.

[khanvalescent]

See subject.

[legalease9]

Not sure if this is flame or no, but I will play along. Law school admissions standards are WAY higher than performance standards. And even if you think you aren't smart enough, consider this. A degree from the schools you can get into with said numbers will give you good job opportunities even if you graduate bottom of your class. And you can't actually "fail out" of any respectable law school if you have a pulse so you will be fine.

[PDaddy]

I don't think you are smart enough to go to law school or be a lawyer. You've done a lousy job of putting on this ruse. Moreover, you should consider whether or not you have the temperment to be in the profession. Successful lawyers don't need encouragement from others to enter the profession; they are confident on their own, and they want it! Nobody can take that from them. And they certainly don't use false humility to get others to make them feel better about themselves.

All of that having been said, I am sure that you have the work ethic to do many useful things.

[FlanAl]

Are you sure the people who wrote those papers weren't grad students? I seriously doubt undergrad work is all that impressive. If you've ever read an article from a top school's newspaper its usually pretty average.

[Lieut Kaffee]

Interesting, I'm actually having the opposite problem. I know I'm objectively a genius but I drank my way to a 3.6 and haphazardly studied to barely the 99th percentile on the LSAT. Now I'm being shut out of law schools I know I would crush.

Woe is me.

[HazelEyes]

You have a 175 and a 3.8. Grow some ****ing balls, attend a T6, and work hard.

Exactly my thought, but not so harsh, not so harsh, he/she's just a kid.

[Richie Tenenbaum]

Interesting, I'm actually having the opposite problem. I know I'm objectively a genius but I drank my way to a 3.6 and haphazardly studied to barely the 99th percentile on the LSAT. Now I'm being shut out of law schools I know I would crush.

Woe is me.

[BaiAilian2013]

As part of a research job I have read a wide variety of assignments and essays from students from Ivy League schools, and I can honestly say they are at a much higher level than my work, or the work of my peers.

If you were actually dumb, you probably wouldn't have caught this. You'll be fine.

[Bangalmafia]

Why all the negativity... I mean this question could have actually led somewhere. Like

1. A discussion on whether or not most people on this forum felt like their undergrad courses had the most significant impact on their "education".

2. How much is there to the elite schools myth?

3. Does anything in UG actually prepare you for law school/career in law?

----------

*shrug* I mean the guy was just asking a question.

[sdv]

if it makes you feel any better, the smartest kids at the elite schools generally don't go to law school.

Seriously, though, my experience at one of those schools was that there's a gigantic variety of students, just like everywhere else. Some write well, some don't. Some have their shit together, many others don't. The common denominator isn't that they're smarter than everyone at a state school, it's that they (or, more accurately, their parents) aren't cost averse enough to attend the local state school at a greatly discounted rate instead of an expensive school that doesn't offer merit aid to anyone.

Also, there are a lot of legacies (like, over 50% of the class) who aren't so much smart as they are entitled. Honestly, there's a lot that goes into ivy league admissions that has nothing to do with intelligence. I wouldn't trade my experience for anything, but I'm pretty sure that liberal arts classes are the same everywhere, and I guarantee that the assignments and papers you're reading are flowery but ultimately superfluous bullshit that say very little (though that's a useful skill for law school, yes?)

[jmhendri]

I wanted to post something similar but was too afraid you people would rip me to shreds. My fears stemmed from the fact that, despite being a competent student and comfortable in academia, I've made a shitty receptionist this past year. I screw up phone calls, forget messages, and repeatedly get chastised for lacking attention to detail. It lead me to question what kind of law student I'd make if I couldn't remember to get the Fed Ex deliveries out on time.

However, most of the lawyers I work around are just as air-headed and seem to get by just fine by making sure their paralegals and secretaries are apt to cover their asses. Not all lawyers/law students are exceptionally brilliant, detail oriented, or host especially fertile imaginations. I think this profession does require a knack for false or undeserved confidence though. Which OP may be lacking at this point...

[09042014]

I guarantee that the assignments and papers you're reading are flowery but ultimately superfluous bullshit that say very little (though that's a useful skill for law school, yes?)

Doesn't sound like it no.

[berkeleykel06]

I wanted to post something similar but was too afraid you people would rip me to shreds. My fears stemmed from the fact that, despite being a competent student and comfortable in academia, I've made a shitty receptionist this past year. I screw up phone calls, forget messages, and repeatedly get chastised for lacking attention to detail. It lead me to question what kind of law student I'd make if I couldn't remember to get the Fed Ex deliveries out on time.

ha ha this is me as well.

[Richie Tenenbaum]

I wanted to post something similar but was too afraid you people would rip me to shreds. My fears stemmed from the fact that, despite being a competent student and comfortable in academia, I've made a shitty receptionist this past year. I screw up phone calls, forget messages, and repeatedly get chastised for lacking attention to detail. It lead me to question what kind of law student I'd make if I couldn't remember to get the Fed Ex deliveries out on time.

ha ha this is me as well.

Same. I worked the front desk at a test prep company and thought it was hard as hell. Attention to random details and multi-tasking are not strengths. Teaching the LSAT is way easier for me.

[isaiah6v8]

But if Obama can do it...

Edit: Before someone says, "LOL that's what the LSAT is flame troll etc. etc.", I feel there is a difference between choosing the correct answer and developing that answer independently.

Wait, you are placing yourself on a higher plane than the President of the United States, and you are questioning whether you can hack it in Law School? Seriously? I mean, maybe if you were referring to the POTUS who had a hard time with polysyllabic words, but now that we have one that uses them correctly, you are going to make that comparison?

[Bodega]

You're good enough
You're smart enough
and gosh darn it, people like you!

[clintonius]

You're good enough
You're smart enough
and gosh darn it, people like you!

--ImageRemoved--

[liquidsword]

If you have to ask, the answer is no

[Richie Tenenbaum]

You're good enough
You're smart enough
and gosh darn it, people like you!

--ImageRemoved--

The Jamaican version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gqwi7Y96sk

[clintonius]

That was disappointing. I was hoping for a hot reggae remix, like so: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ2d8fNK2kU