for those deciding between law school and med school...... Forum

[FSK]

One of the harsh truths I think TLS misses in a bigway is that Law School is a "second chance" to get into a competitive field. I'm not saying its a good shot, but its a chance.

Consider someone who dicked around in high school and couldn't get into a T20 university. They're basically fucked if they want a lucrative career in finance, consulting, etc. They could have gone into engineering or computer science (and only engineer, because life sciences are also a huge trap), and had better job prospects. But still, the most lucrative jobs in those fields want top graduates from top schools. I would be comfortable assuming that in almost every career, if you fuck around in high school you've put yourself at some insurmountable disadvantage going forward. Even Business School care

Of course, these kids need to take some personal responsibility for their choices. But lets say they do go to that state school or middling private school and get pretty good grades. They can take one standardized, learnable test, and go to a "good" law school at that point. Nothing in their background, short of C&F type issues, is going to seriously hinder them if they have GPA + LSAT. Many of these kids (and that includes me) see that chance and take it. Its a clearly defined path to a career, even if its a shit one.

That second chance is worth a lot. It costs only 3 years of your life and a lot of debt, which you can do a lot to avoid in modern admissions cycles.

This is basically my view, though I don't think going to Big State U instead of a finance target school necessarily means that you "fucked around in high school"; nor does it mean that you're lazy and dumb, as another poster obnoxiously suggested.

You shouldn't blame a kid for not going to an elite undergrad. When he's is 17 and applying to college, he might not know to study for the SAT (or have the money for prep materials), might not have ambitious parents (or college-educated parents at all) pushing him to apply to Ivies, might not have a "personal statement coach," SAT tutor, or any of those other expensive assistants, etc. Getting into an elite college involves a lot of cultural and familial factors, not just intelligence and work ethic, so students should not be blamed for "undermatching."

You're absolutely right. My bigger thought is that its SO EASY to miss the "on ramp" to competitive careers. At least Law School is an equalizer in that regard.

[itascot1992]

One of the harsh truths I think TLS misses in a bigway is that Law School is a "second chance" to get into a competitive field. I'm not saying its a good shot, but its a chance.

Consider someone who dicked around in high school and couldn't get into a T20 university. They're basically fucked if they want a lucrative career in finance, consulting, etc. They could have gone into engineering or computer science (and only engineer, because life sciences are also a huge trap), and had better job prospects. But still, the most lucrative jobs in those fields want top graduates from top schools. I would be comfortable assuming that in almost every career, if you fuck around in high school you've put yourself at some insurmountable disadvantage going forward. Even Business School care

Of course, these kids need to take some personal responsibility for their choices. But lets say they do go to that state school or middling private school and get pretty good grades. They can take one standardized, learnable test, and go to a "good" law school at that point. Nothing in their background, short of C&F type issues, is going to seriously hinder them if they have GPA + LSAT. Many of these kids (and that includes me) see that chance and take it. Its a clearly defined path to a career, even if its a shit one.

That second chance is worth a lot. It costs only 3 years of your life and a lot of debt, which you can do a lot to avoid in modern admissions cycles.

YESS

[banjo]

Finance and consulting may be out, but there are other careers out there. I worked as a tech writer in college and would recommend that to anyone who wants a chill, professional office job. It requires mostly humanities skills. Here's the BLS overview. And here's a sample job posting at Blizzard, the WoW guys. I think there are other careers like this that people should explore before thinking about law. I love law school and think I'll enjoy practicing down the road, but this profession is risky and a ton of people end up miserable.

[BiglawAssociate]

One of the harsh truths I think TLS misses in a bigway is that Law School is a "second chance" to get into a competitive field. I'm not saying its a good shot, but its a chance.

Consider someone who dicked around in high school and couldn't get into a T20 university. They're basically fucked if they want a lucrative career in finance, consulting, etc. They could have gone into engineering or computer science (and only engineer, because life sciences are also a huge trap), and had better job prospects. But still, the most lucrative jobs in those fields want top graduates from top schools. I would be comfortable assuming that in almost every career, if you fuck around in high school you've put yourself at some insurmountable disadvantage going forward. Even Business School care

Of course, these kids need to take some personal responsibility for their choices. But lets say they do go to that state school or middling private school and get pretty good grades. They can take one standardized, learnable test, and go to a "good" law school at that point. Nothing in their background, short of C&F type issues, is going to seriously hinder them if they have GPA + LSAT. Many of these kids (and that includes me) see that chance and take it. Its a clearly defined path to a career, even if its a shit one.

That second chance is worth a lot. It costs only 3 years of your life and a lot of debt, which you can do a lot to avoid in modern admissions cycles.

For engineering you don't need to go to a top school to get a decent (albeit not the most lucrative) job.

Also even nurses make a shitload of money compared to the average lawyer, plus their hours are better. And you don't need to have done well in high school to go to college for nursing; you could also go back for a 2 year degree easily at a state university for nursing.

[bearsfan23]

One of the harsh truths I think TLS misses in a bigway is that Law School is a "second chance" to get into a competitive field. I'm not saying its a good shot, but its a chance.

Consider someone who dicked around in high school and couldn't get into a T20 university. They're basically fucked if they want a lucrative career in finance, consulting, etc. They could have gone into engineering or computer science (and only engineer, because life sciences are also a huge trap), and had better job prospects. But still, the most lucrative jobs in those fields want top graduates from top schools. I would be comfortable assuming that in almost every career, if you fuck around in high school you've put yourself at some insurmountable disadvantage going forward. Even Business School care

Of course, these kids need to take some personal responsibility for their choices. But lets say they do go to that state school or middling private school and get pretty good grades. They can take one standardized, learnable test, and go to a "good" law school at that point. Nothing in their background, short of C&F type issues, is going to seriously hinder them if they have GPA + LSAT. Many of these kids (and that includes me) see that chance and take it. Its a clearly defined path to a career, even if its a shit one.

That second chance is worth a lot. It costs only 3 years of your life and a lot of debt, which you can do a lot to avoid in modern admissions cycles.

For engineering you don't need to go to a top school to get a decent (albeit not the most lucrative) job.

Also even nurses make a shitload of money compared to the average lawyer, plus their hours are better. And you don't need to have done well in high school to go to college for nursing; you could also go back for a 2 year degree easily at a state university for nursing.

Can you tell me how to marry into money BIGLAWASSOCIATE?

[BiglawAssociate]

One of the harsh truths I think TLS misses in a bigway is that Law School is a "second chance" to get into a competitive field. I'm not saying its a good shot, but its a chance.

Consider someone who dicked around in high school and couldn't get into a T20 university. They're basically fucked if they want a lucrative career in finance, consulting, etc. They could have gone into engineering or computer science (and only engineer, because life sciences are also a huge trap), and had better job prospects. But still, the most lucrative jobs in those fields want top graduates from top schools. I would be comfortable assuming that in almost every career, if you fuck around in high school you've put yourself at some insurmountable disadvantage going forward. Even Business School care

Of course, these kids need to take some personal responsibility for their choices. But lets say they do go to that state school or middling private school and get pretty good grades. They can take one standardized, learnable test, and go to a "good" law school at that point. Nothing in their background, short of C&F type issues, is going to seriously hinder them if they have GPA + LSAT. Many of these kids (and that includes me) see that chance and take it. Its a clearly defined path to a career, even if its a shit one.

That second chance is worth a lot. It costs only 3 years of your life and a lot of debt, which you can do a lot to avoid in modern admissions cycles.

For engineering you don't need to go to a top school to get a decent (albeit not the most lucrative) job.

Also even nurses make a shitload of money compared to the average lawyer, plus their hours are better. And you don't need to have done well in high school to go to college for nursing; you could also go back for a 2 year degree easily at a state university for nursing.

Can you tell me how to marry into money BIGLAWASSOCIATE?

For me it just happened by chance. In general I think it's super hard unless you're really good looking or land them before they get rich. There are a few types of rich people though imo. One type likes really good looking people who enjoy going on vacations, maintaining a certain lifestyle, a lot of it is about show, etc. Another type is someone more intellectual who is interested in being with other intellectuals - this type is harder to spot because they don't really show off their wealth. So you better share the same nichey interests. Short answer? It probably isn't going to happen.