Admitted to Law School with Criminal Record (felony)

[bartleby]

lala

[flexityflex86]

congrats. so your cycle was totally reflective of your #'s?

[bartleby]

More or less. I regret not reaching at all. I literally didn't apply to any schools I didn't have a shot at because I was staring at 15k in student loans from UG. Probably saved me some $ though.

I got pretty good scholarships for my #'s, especially at the school I'm going to. But this was probably through hardcore negotiating and borderline pestering/begging.

[flexityflex86]

More or less. I regret not reaching at all. I literally didn't apply to any schools I didn't have a shot at because I was staring at 15k in student loans from UG. Probably saved me some $ though.

I got pretty good scholarships for my #'s, especially at the school I'm going to. But this was probably through hardcore negotiating and borderline pestering/begging.

Did you call the state bar association to make sure you'll pass? I'd imagine this should factor in to which school you decide on.

[bartleby]

They won't tell you anything. Everything is a canned case-by-case. I know I'm not an automatic bar though. But honestly, I'm not too worried about it. I used to lose sleep over law school, future employment, passing the bar, etc.

[flexityflex86]

They won't tell you anything. Everything is a canned case-by-case. I know I'm not an automatic bar though. But honestly, I'm not too worried about it. I used to lose sleep over law school, future employment, passing the bar, etc.

Seems like you're still worried, but have accepted there's no point in worrying.

[bartleby]

This is a good one-on-one conversation we're having - but I feel the need to respond. Of course I'm a little worried that I'll be 75k in the hole and can't get a job. But also I've moved on and realize that this thing has never hindered me in any endeavor so far (employment being the first hurdle, law school admittance being the second hurdle), and I can't see it having an effect later on.

Edit: in fact, what I'm driving at is that I think having a crim. record can even be a good thing. As in, it has helped me secure employment and scholarships if it is controlled the right way. I firmly believe in the "market yourself" crap that Anna Ivey advises and it's really easy to market yourself as someone who made a turnaround.

[crit_racer]

Awesome, I'm glad it worked out for you. Looking at your LSN, it looks like your cycle was pretty reflective of your numbers, and I'm actually kind of surprised by the amount of $$ you got at SMU.

Good luck in LS and w/ your career. I agree that ppl love a good turnaround story, but it is important to present it that way. Clearly you did a good job w/ that part otherwise I'm sure your history would have had a detrimental effect on your applications.

[Newo]

Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting your experience.
I am hoping to apply for the 2012-2013 school year at SMU, Texas Tech, and Texas Wesleyan but my past has been weighing heavily on my mind. I was young, I was stupid, and I have no excuses. I was dismissed from a class c misdemeanor petty theft charge and I followed that up with a minor in possession of alcohol (no driving, just too young to drink). This was over five years ago but I've been agonizing over my poor decisions. I really appreciate you sharing your story and giving me some hope.