Advice Needed on Grad School Forum

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GnosisExchange

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Advice Needed on Grad School

Post by GnosisExchange » Sun Mar 13, 2016 8:27 am

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Last edited by GnosisExchange on Mon Apr 18, 2016 9:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Tls2016

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Re: Advice Needed on Grad School

Post by Tls2016 » Sun Mar 13, 2016 9:09 am

1. How certain of a career is education policy litigation?

2. Do you need a masters to pursue it?

3. Are there other careers it opens up for you if you decide not to go to law school?

4. If spending money on law school, don't go to Vanderbilt and spend more money and time.

5. I'm not an expert but I'm a fan of Columbia Teachers College. It is very expensive if you have to borrow though. Go to Penn if cheaper.

6. Do none of the schools offer a joint JD program?

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GnosisExchange

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Re: Advice Needed on Grad School

Post by GnosisExchange » Sun Mar 13, 2016 9:40 am

Tls2016 wrote:1. How certain of a career is education policy litigation?

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Thank you for your questions. Even just having to think through the answers is helpful. :)
Last edited by GnosisExchange on Mon Apr 18, 2016 9:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Tls2016

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Re: Advice Needed on Grad School

Post by Tls2016 » Sun Mar 13, 2016 9:48 am

GnosisExchange wrote:
Tls2016 wrote:1. How certain of a career is education policy litigation?

I am very passionate about education law and spent a significant amount of time in undergrad doing research on education legislation implementation. That said, like many prospective law students, I am worried that debt will push me into corporate law for at least some time.

2. Do you need a masters to pursue it?

Strictly speaking, no. However, because education seems to be "trendy" at the moment, the job market is especially competitive right now. Employers in education law--as with most public interest fields--prefer applicants with a demonstrated commitment to education policy and law. There especially seems to be a preference for those that have a strong bakground in education-related data analysis (something not really convered in law school).

3. Are there other careers it opens up for you if you decide not to go to law school?

There are entry-level career opportuities at think tanks, policy avocacy groups/non-profits and possibly school systems. The alumni networks of the three schools are pretty good; it would just be on me to make the most of networking opportunities.

4. If spending money on law school, don't go to Vanderbilt and spend more money and time.


5. I'm not an expert but I'm a fan of Columbia Teachers College. It is very expensive if you have to borrow though. Go to Penn if cheaper.

6. Do none of the schools offer a joint JD program?

Both Vandy and Penn do, but I am still waiting to hear back from them. The Vandy program would be 4 years and Penn program would be 3 years. Though I did apply to them, I am a bit hesistant to do the joint programs because multiple sources have informed me that some employers look down on joint degree earners as having only earned half a JD.

I have a pretty good feeling that I can get into Vandy, but think I need to improve my LSAT score 3+ points for Penn. Since the Penn master's is only one year, I could complete both the MSEd and a JD in the same amount of time it would take me to do Vandy's joint program. After finding out I was accepted to Vandy Peabody I emailed the joint degree program coordinator and was disappointed to find that in the last three years only one person has done the joint degree so they do not have any reliable data on employment prospects.
Thank you for your questions. Even just having to think through the answers is helpful. :)
I don't agree about JT degrees only having half a JD. Was this from a group of people in employment law? I never heard this as a concern before with joint degrees. That doesn't mean I'm correct though.

Can you contact people who do this work directly and get their advice? I think people are more than happy to answer questions by email or talk with people May want to follow into their field. Maybe you alreadyhave done this but I would email everybody I could find honestly and ask some questions.

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