Help this high school senior Forum

[slackerman]

Hi-

I know that it annoys people here when a high schooler asks a question about Law school, but bare with me. I am planning on becoming a lawyer. I know about the dire condition of the profession and bla bla but I'm bad in math and science so i really have no other options lol.

This is my last year of high school. I've been admitted to several schools. I'm only considering two of them. One is a highly renowned small liberal arts school in the East coast that prides itself on "rigor" and its a great school. Full of the typical overachievers and valedictorians, but I could see myself there. Offered full scholarship. The other school is a state school in the eastern half of my state. It's a school with a nice campus, but I get the feeling it's just a party that lasts four years in the middle of the desert lol. Also offered a full scholarship.

i myself am a big slacker and I should be writing essays right now but i'd much rather surf the web and visit random sites like this one. I don't have a good work ethic, but I am decently smart. To make good money as a lawyer I need to attend a good law school, and im not sure how much my UG will help with that. Should I attend the party school and breeze through with minimal effort, or go to the rigorous school and challenge myself intellectually?

[akili]

Go where you want to go. Prestige of the school only matters a tiny bit (and usually only for Ivies, IIRC). You shouldn't base a decision like this on a negligible difference in a career you might not even like 4 years from now.

Also, being bad at math and science does not mean law is the only career opportunity available.

Good luck! Enjoy college.

[sonervous88]

i agree. you have other options. go where you want to go. Unless your going to a top 5, you GPA and LSAT will matter much more than the prestige of the school. go party. seriously. i did.

[de5igual]

Go wherever you'll have the easiest time getting a 4.0

[rman1201]

.

[sunkissedesq]

I wouldn't assume that the state school is going to be a breeze. Often, "party schools" are harder to succeed at because the classes are generally large and the professors can be less accessible. Whereas, a smaller school might give you more access to the professors and a better support network.

I would say to go wherever you feel most likely that you can do well at. I would say the best thing that you can do for yourself in terms of getting into law school at this point would be to get good grades. You aren't as likely to do that if you're miserable and picked your school for the sole basis of getting into law school.

[YourCaptain]

East Coast LACs are notoriously party hard and study hard places; you can get either or both...they're not exclusive options.

[slackerman]

@ rman1201

No haha, ASU is a great powerhouse of intellectual prestige compared to this one.


I'd much rather party it up in the desert with my slack buddies, but I'm afraid of coming out unprepared for law school. I'll get high marks, but I feel like the harder liberal arts school will prepare me more? But i'll get lower grades there for sure.


Edit:

@ sunkissedesq- I was told by my friends who went there that basically nobody shows up for the classes.

[Justathought]

My advice would be to go where you think you'll do the best. Here's the great thing about college: It's not hard. The catch is that it is a marathon, and the fact that you've identified your goal so early puts you ahead of the game. Major and Minor in something you would enjoy, something that would be useful if you change your mind and decide against law, but always remain focused on the end goal - which is getting As.

Many of your classmates will not do the same, and if you do well, which will happen with continued effort, then you'll have your choice of graduate schools, and most likely law schools.

Don't worry about the LSAT now, just focus on those grades. It will put you ahead of the game. This advice is coming from a 30 year old now entering law school. I screwed around in college and it was incredibly detrimental to my chances at law school. People with lesser LSATs than me have been admitted to top 6 schools, but I'm looking at schools ranging from 26-80.

Best of luck, never lose focus, and don't despair, because there still will be plenty of time for fun in college, but school work comes first and it pays off big time.

[d34d9823]

The only thing that matters for law admissions is GPA. Period.

There is so much more to life than that, but that part of your calculus should be focused on where you feel your GPA would be better.

Beyond the culture, look into the grading system of the school. Some schools offer A- without an A+ (very bad). Some schools offer A+ (good if you are willing to put in the work to be 97%+). Some schools are grade deflated (bad). Some schools are grade inflated (good). Be aware of what you are getting into.

[Spookyghost]

A lot of law schools claim that "OH A 3.2 IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING FROM MIT IS BETTER THAN A 3.7 FROM OBSCURE STATE U" but in reality, GPA is for the most part GPA. You're lucky to know what you want to do now, because when I was going into college I thought I could walk on water and got my ass utterly kicked. Have had to live with those consequences ever since.

The rigors of your school will help absolutely 0 with preparing for the LSAT, so I would do what these people are telling you and go to the easier school - a GPA is a GPA. And yes, DO NOT go to a school with A- and not A+, that's the dumbest crap ever.

[YourCaptain]

Find out which school has a higher Econ major GPA; get a 3.8 and enjoy life.

[prezidentv8]

1. Pick where you'd have the best combination of personal happiness and access to entry level jobs.
2. Get good grades there while learning useful skills and taking some classes you enjoy.
3. Come back in 3-4 years.

Edit: Seriously though, the main point is that you have to get good grades.

[fltanglab]

i myself am a big slacker and I should be writing essays right now but i'd much rather surf the web and visit random sites like this one. I don't have a good work ethic, but I am decently smart. To make good money as a lawyer I need to attend a good law school, and im not sure how much my UG will help with that. Should I attend the party school and breeze through with minimal effort, or go to the rigorous school and challenge myself intellectually?

Are you sure you want to become a lawyer? Law school is all about hard work...and a lot of it I'm sure won't be enthralling. Being bad at math and science could mean pursuing a career in business or journalism or education. You could even choose to enter into public policy. Enjoy your time in college and don't think you have your whole future career planned out yet because you'll probably do a lot of self-discovery in your time as a college student.

I always give the same general advice about choosing an UG- pick a place where you have the most flexibility across majors. If you change your mind, you won't be hurt too badly.

[kwais]

I say go to the east coast liberal arts. You should be aiming for a 4.0 at either place and (as crazy as this sounds) it's nice to surround yourself with smart, hard working people and respected professors. I'm a slacker myself but I always enjoyed the harder classes. If the 4.0 is a little harder at the harder school, so be it. work harder and reap the rewards in the form of character and work ethic.

[ladybug89]

I say go to the east coast liberal arts. You should be aiming for a 4.0 at either place and (as crazy as this sounds) it's nice to surround yourself with smart, hard working people and respected professors. I'm a slacker myself but I always enjoyed the harder classes. If the 4.0 is a little harder at the harder school, so be it. work harder and reap the rewards in the form of character and work ethic.

I say go to the east coast liberal arts. You should be aiming for a 4.0 at either place and (as crazy as this sounds) it's nice to surround yourself with smart, hard working people and respected professors. I'm a slacker myself but I always enjoyed the harder classes. If the 4.0 is a little harder at the harder school, so be it. work harder and reap the rewards in the form of character and work ethic.

This. Also, if you're already a slacker, I'm not sure spending four more years with a bunch of slackers is going to be great for you. Surrounding yourself with smart people will make you work harder and potentially do better, the more floofy benefits (like character and work ethic) aside. But those are important too! Don't listen to the TLS cynics! Well, do. Just, with a grain of salt.

[Moxie]

Go wherever makes you happier. Don't go to college planning on a future in law school, your goals and aspirations will change over time. Law school will always be there, but college is a time to enjoy your young adulthood, and learn about the world.

And of course, get good grades wherever you go.

[Richie Tenenbaum]

Go wherever you'll have the easiest time getting a 4.0

^this

[prezidentv8]

Go wherever makes you happier. Don't go to college planning on a future in law school, your goals and aspirations will change over time. Law school will always be there, but college is a time to enjoy your young adulthood, and learn about the world.

And of course, get good grades wherever you go.

[zonto]

When I left high school I wanted to either be an Air Force pilot or a computer engineer. Seven years later I'm obviously in a much different place. Don't let your current goal of studying law be a factor in where you attend now or what you choose to study. Do well not so you can get into law school, but because you're studying something that you are passionate about. Pursue your interests. Try out new things and meet new people. If the desire to study law remains, come back here in a couple years (minimum) and start thinking about letters of recommendation and LSAT prep. Enjoy the new experiences coming your way!

[emmbar53]

When I left high school I wanted to either be an Air Force pilot or a computer engineer. Seven years later I'm obviously in a much different place. Don't let your current goal of studying law be a factor in where you attend now or what you choose to study. Do well not so you can get into law school, but because you're studying something that you are passionate about. Pursue your interests. Try out new things and meet new people. If the desire to study law remains, come back here in a couple years (minimum) and start thinking about letters of recommendation and LSAT prep. Enjoy the new experiences coming your way!

My thoughts exactly. My career plan has changed about eight times since I was a high school senior.

Seriously, OP, live the college life, and make sure not to do anything to jeopardize a potential law career if that's what you still want to do in a few years.

So, make sure you do the following:

1. Keep a high GPA, whatever that takes.
2. Support your school's sports teams to the point of irrationality.
3. Have consensual sex with men and or women, whichever and whomever you may prefer.
4. Don't do anything that gets you arrested (see 3).
5. Have frequent conversations with your friends about either starting a band or opening a bar.

You know, all the things normal college students do.

[TTH]

When I left high school I wanted to either be an Air Force pilot or a computer engineer. Seven years later I'm obviously in a much different place. Don't let your current goal of studying law be a factor in where you attend now or what you choose to study. Do well not so you can get into law school, but because you're studying something that you are passionate about. Pursue your interests. Try out new things and meet new people. If the desire to study law remains, come back here in a couple years (minimum) and start thinking about letters of recommendation and LSAT prep. Enjoy the new experiences coming your way!

My thoughts exactly. My career plan has changed about eight times since I was a high school senior.

Seriously, OP, live the college life, and make sure not to do anything to jeopardize a potential law career if that's what you still want to do in a few years.

So, make sure you do the following:

1. Keep a high GPA, whatever that takes.
2. Support your school's sports teams to the point of irrationality.
3. Have consensual sex with men and or women, whichever and whomever you may prefer.
4. Don't do anything that gets you arrested (see 3).
5. Have frequent conversations with your friends about either starting a band or opening a bar.

You know, all the things normal college students do.

All of this, but also make time for drinking and drug experimentation. Go get 'em, Tiger.

[parsi]

I say go to the east coast liberal arts. You should be aiming for a 4.0 at either place and (as crazy as this sounds) it's nice to surround yourself with smart, hard working people and respected professors. I'm a slacker myself but I always enjoyed the harder classes. If the 4.0 is a little harder at the harder school, so be it. work harder and reap the rewards in the form of character and work ethic.

This. Also, if you're already a slacker, I'm not sure spending four more years with a bunch of slackers is going to be great for you. Surrounding yourself with smart people will make you work harder and potentially do better, the more floofy benefits (like character and work ethic) aside. But those are important too! Don't listen to the TLS cynics! Well, do. Just, with a grain of salt.

I personally disagree with this. I feel like gains in work ethic and character can also be formed at the state school. However, instead of being amongst a group of hard workers that you learn from, you can surround yourself with slackers that, not even in a different universe, should get better grades than you. This drive to prove to oneself that he is superior to his peers is what created strong work ethic and character in me at a local state school. I was also pretty lazy in hs.

[Veyron]

ASU is a blast and it is very easy to get good grades there. 10 times better to go there and graduate with high honors than go to Amherst or something and get a 3.3. I know its difficult to believe but that is the way law school admissions work.

Also, learn how to use homophones.

[parsi]

ASU is a blast and it is very easy to get good grades there. 10 times better to go there and graduate with high honors than go to Amherst or something and get a 3.3. I know its difficult to believe but that is the way law school admissions work.

Also, learn how to use homophones.

And condoms if you are going to ASU