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stuckinthemiddle

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T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by stuckinthemiddle » Tue May 07, 2013 10:06 pm

What would you do if you had T14 sticker in the bag and were thinking of retaking but you don't have a job lined up, no more funds, and no family to stay with?

Just wondering because I am likely to be in this position if I choose to take a year off. Have been spamming the applications for jobs but haven't been having any luck. Was thinking maybe someone has been in this position before?

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by hephaestus » Tue May 07, 2013 10:10 pm

Which T14? What were you planning on doing this summer before LS? Stats? Really need more relevant information for decent advice.

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stuckinthemiddle

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by stuckinthemiddle » Tue May 07, 2013 10:16 pm

ImNoScar wrote:Which T14? What were you planning on doing this summer before LS? Stats? Really need more relevant information for decent advice.
Was in at GULC, Cornell, Mich.
WL at NYU, Columbia.
No aid from GULC, Mich.
Only 10k per year from Cornell.
Really want to go to Cornell. Definitely want to work in New York.

Stats: 168/No GPA
168 was my practice average. But really want to retake. Killing myself for letting December and February pass.

Abroad at the moment teaching English but contract will absolutely end by June/July. Will have to come back and cannot move in with parents or get funding from them (for personal reasons) so need to find job. It's been incredibly difficult to communicate with any employers from over here.

GAR. I'm so frustrated. :(

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by phillywc » Tue May 07, 2013 10:41 pm

stuckinthemiddle wrote:
ImNoScar wrote:Which T14? What were you planning on doing this summer before LS? Stats? Really need more relevant information for decent advice.
Was in at GULC, Cornell, Mich.
WL at NYU, Columbia.
No aid from GULC, Mich.
Only 10k per year from Cornell.
Really want to go to Cornell. Definitely want to work in New York.

Stats: 168/No GPA
168 was my practice average. But really want to retake. Killing myself for letting December and February pass.

Abroad at the moment teaching English but contract will absolutely end by June/July. Will have to come back and cannot move in with parents or get funding from them (for personal reasons) so need to find job. It's been incredibly difficult to communicate with any employers from over here.

GAR. I'm so frustrated. :(
That's really tough. -1L, so this is worth less than nothing, but I'd go with Cornell it your situation. It's not ideal, but.. I don't know. I mean, I'd try to line up a job/apartment first, but assuming you are unable to do so, Cornell isn't an objectively awful choice.

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by hephaestus » Tue May 07, 2013 10:45 pm

First, FWIW, I dont think that 30k at Cornell is a terrible deal (though I am obviously biased because I go here). Its still very expensive, and retaking will certainly help you a lot. That being said, it is a tough situation. You being abroad makes the standard advice of applying to a crazy amount of jobs, going to job fairs etc less applicable.
Is there any city you could stay with friends for a while? It shouldnt be hard to scrounge up some random work (like short term project work on CL or something) to get on your feet, find a place to live and then seek a "real job" for the year while you retake. Law related jobs, especially paralegal/legal assistant jobs can be pretty easy to find due to extreme turnover, but you would have to be back in the states before you could really get one, hence why you'd need to find something else first.
I would probably keep looking for some sort of employment somewhere, but if you can't find something secure by the time your teaching assignment ends, go to Cornell. Cornell with 30k is a good option, especially if you want to work in NY.
Eta: another option to get on your feet quick are temp agencies. Know a few people that did that right after college. $10-12 an hour with no benefits for BS work, but enough that you can get an apartment and look elsewhere.

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Tekrul

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by Tekrul » Tue May 07, 2013 11:57 pm

I was in a similar, albeit not as drastic, situation as you.

Had to jump in here just to make a comment on the paralegal/legal assistant job availability. I originally planned to go to law school three years from now. Instead I graduated a year early and could not find a 2 year commitment paralegal job, or even one year, or any time at all in NYC.

I sent out about 200 applications, blanketing firms across the city. I even had inside help as the paralegal hiring manager at a biglaw firm was a friend of a friend. The only thing she could find for me throughout the entire firm was a marketing position which I wasn't interested in. I even searched cross NJ in my growing desperation. The only thing I found was an unpaid gig at Prudential.

I was contemplating selling my nuts to a temp agency but I decided to just go to law school.

There was an informal initiative amongst the firms in NYC to help the unemployed from the sudden collapse of Dewey. It may have even been a NY Bar Foundation thing, I'm not sure if it was that legitimate. Their legal staff are highly experienced, professional, veteran paralegals and legal assistants who are hungry/desperate for work. Many have been snatched up but many were still out there when I was searching, setting the bar at interviews.

Perhaps that's all changed since I was searching.

In case you're curious, I kept on teaching due to my inability to find paralegal work. You mentioned you're teaching English overseas. You should know that opportunity like that is available in abundance state side as well. International students living here often make use of test prep and tutoring companies specializing in both their education and their homestay arrangement. With your experience teaching already, this may be a viable and even lucrative option for you. Not sure where you did UG but current going rate for an sat teacher in these private companies in the NYC/nj area (at least for Korean international students) starts at 80 per hour and goes up to 200 for ivy.

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by hephaestus » Wed May 08, 2013 12:50 am

Tekrul wrote:I was in a similar, albeit not as drastic, situation as you.

Had to jump in here just to make a comment on the paralegal/legal assistant job availability. I originally planned to go to law school three years from now. Instead I graduated a year early and could not find a 2 year commitment paralegal job, or even one year, or any time at all in NYC.

I sent out about 200 applications, blanketing firms across the city. I even had inside help as the paralegal hiring manager at a biglaw firm was a friend of a friend. The only thing she could find for me throughout the entire firm was a marketing position which I wasn't interested in. I even searched cross NJ in my growing desperation. The only thing I found was an unpaid gig at Prudential.

I was contemplating selling my nuts to a temp agency but I decided to just go to law school.

There was an informal initiative amongst the firms in NYC to help the unemployed from the sudden collapse of Dewey. It may have even been a NY Bar Foundation thing, I'm not sure if it was that legitimate. Their legal staff are highly experienced, professional, veteran paralegals and legal assistants who are hungry/desperate for work. Many have been snatched up but many were still out there when I was searching, setting the bar at interviews.

Perhaps that's all changed since I was searching.

In case you're curious, I kept on teaching due to my inability to find paralegal work. You mentioned you're teaching English overseas. You should know that opportunity like that is available in abundance state side as well. International students living here often make use of test prep and tutoring companies specializing in both their education and their homestay arrangement. With your experience teaching already, this may be a viable and even lucrative option for you. Not sure where you did UG but current going rate for an sat teacher in these private companies in the NYC/nj area (at least for Korean international students) starts at 80 per hour and goes up to 200 for ivy.
Ah. I was speaking of paralegal type jobs based on my experience in my Midwest secondary market. I should have specified that. Good advice though.

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by JamMasterJ » Wed May 08, 2013 1:00 am

retake

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by Bronck » Wed May 08, 2013 1:12 am

JamMasterJ wrote:retake

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by sinfiery » Wed May 08, 2013 9:43 am

Bronck wrote:
JamMasterJ wrote:retake

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by Tekrul » Wed May 08, 2013 1:27 pm

To the last 3 guys, ya'll are generally good/helpful posters but did you read the OP? The unknown he mentions is not the unknown outcome of next cycle's admits and rejections.

He really is "facing the UNKNOWN". Literally, nowhere to stay, no money, and no job. He's about to move from one country to another and have to face an apartment hunt with no cash, a job hunt with no knowledge of the area, and failing those two things, possibly be out on the street cause of an issue he didn't specify with his parents.

The fact that he is STILL considering retaking under the duress he/she is in already indicates that OP knows that retaking is the credited move.

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twenty

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by twenty » Wed May 08, 2013 2:13 pm

1) Deposit at Cornell if you have a deadline approaching or whatever. Cornell at sticker isn't a great option, but it's far superior to whatever you're looking at now.
2) Retake the LSAT in June. Try your damndest to get a 170~
3) If you do bump your score up a few points, find ANY work you can (short of prostitution) for a year and sit the cycle out. Pour coffee or bag groceries if you really have to. Then consider EDing to Penn or possibly NYU depending on how good your LSAT is.

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by ManoftheHour » Wed May 08, 2013 2:24 pm

stuckinthemiddle wrote:What would you do if you had T14 sticker in the bag and were thinking of retaking but you don't have a job lined up, no more funds, and no family to stay with?

Just wondering because I am likely to be in this position if I choose to take a year off. Have been spamming the applications for jobs but haven't been having any luck. Was thinking maybe someone has been in this position before?
I'm currently in this situation (without the Cornell acceptance, which I'd take in a heartbeat, so congrats!). This is how I survived:

1. Find a cheap place to live. If you can stomach living with more roommates, do it. I live in an expensive area but only paid $285/month (including utilities) because I had four people in one master bedroom.
2. Find a job. ANY job. Summer is about to start. Retail places are hiring like crazy right now. They're usually not picky about who to hire. With cheap rent, you don't actually have to make that much to live.
3. Use your skills to obtain additional currency. For me, that's music and math. Parents pay anywhere from $30 to $60 an hour for teaching these skills to their kids. Craigslist was really useful to me in this regard.
4. Study anytime you are not working while taking occasional breaks to socialize so that you won't A. Go crazy. B. Burn out.

I did that for half a year, but after doing all of that, I eventually found a regular 9-5 35k/yr job. Quality of life has shot way up since then since retail hours suck major ass.

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by sinfiery » Wed May 08, 2013 2:51 pm

Tekrul wrote:To the last 3 guys, ya'll are generally good/helpful posters but did you read the OP? The unknown he mentions is not the unknown outcome of next cycle's admits and rejections.
Sorry, just skimmed at first.


As for OP, I stand by my advice. I was in a similar situation except for the very real difference of being able to stay with my parents to get on my feet for a few months so nevermind but I can speak to the positives of a retake on your cycle.

In the long term, working any job (Any job, seriously.) that can sustain you in any place (any place is really key here, there are some very low cost areas to live in America) and retaking would, in the long term, be the best thing you can do for your career and life.

That being said, you are in a situation where things can get bad quickly and it's not the worst decision to avoid having to face even the potential of that reality.

Cornell at sticker/10k a year is not financial suicide but it is a very risky investment that may leave you on PAYE for 20 years.

Retaking has very obvious benefits for you and if you are able to overcome your pressing uncertainties, I would retake but no one is going to fault you if that isn't a risk you want to take on and Cornell at that price isn't the end of the world.

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by Bronck » Wed May 08, 2013 5:10 pm

Tekrul wrote:To the last 3 guys, ya'll are generally good/helpful posters but did you read the OP? The unknown he mentions is not the unknown outcome of next cycle's admits and rejections.

He really is "facing the UNKNOWN". Literally, nowhere to stay, no money, and no job. He's about to move from one country to another and have to face an apartment hunt with no cash, a job hunt with no knowledge of the area, and failing those two things, possibly be out on the street cause of an issue he didn't specify with his parents.

The fact that he is STILL considering retaking under the duress he/she is in already indicates that OP knows that retaking is the credited move.
My advice remains the same. Just because you're in a bad situation doesn't mean you should go into another bad situation. Cornell is solid, but no way I'd go into that much debt for it.

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by TheBiggerMediocre » Wed May 08, 2013 6:55 pm

How can i acquire this so called 'No GPA' ?

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by Samara » Wed May 08, 2013 7:39 pm

twentypercentmore wrote:1) Deposit at Cornell if you have a deadline approaching or whatever. Cornell at sticker isn't a great option, but it's far superior to whatever you're looking at now.
2) Retake the LSAT in June. Try your damndest to get a 170~
3) If you do bump your score up a few points, find ANY work you can (short of prostitution) for a year and sit the cycle out. Pour coffee or bag groceries if you really have to. Then consider EDing to Penn or possibly NYU depending on how good your LSAT is.
+1

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by bizzybone1313 » Wed May 08, 2013 7:50 pm

OP, i would go be a substitute teacher in a rural area. Do a lot of research online. Some rural areas pay like 130-150 a day because they can't find enough people to fill the jobs. This type of job would be great because it isn't full time and would give you ample time to study for retake.

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twenty

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by twenty » Wed May 08, 2013 9:33 pm

TheBiggerMediocre wrote:How can i acquire this so called 'No GPA' ?
Run away, and quickly. Across the board us no-GPAers have underperformed our cycles.

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by SaintsTheMetal » Thu May 09, 2013 1:22 am

twentypercentmore wrote:
TheBiggerMediocre wrote:How can i acquire this so called 'No GPA' ?
Run away, and quickly. Across the board us no-GPAers have underperformed our cycles.
OP seems to have done very, very well for a 168...

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by Clearly » Thu May 09, 2013 1:25 am

twentypercentmore wrote:1) Deposit at Cornell if you have a deadline approaching or whatever. Cornell at sticker isn't a great option, but it's far superior to whatever you're looking at now.
2) Retake the LSAT in June. Try your damndest to get a 170~
3) If you do bump your score up a few points, find ANY work you can (short of prostitution) for a year and sit the cycle out. Pour coffee or bag groceries if you really have to. Then consider EDing to Penn or possibly NYU depending on how good your LSAT is.

This, except prostitution is in.

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by stuckinthemiddle » Sat May 11, 2013 1:26 am

Thanks so much to most of you for some great advice! :D Was expecting a lot of sarcasm and unhelpful "retake!" remarks (which I got, but that was the minority!) but the insights I've gotten in this thread have been extremely valuable.

I will be putting down a deposit for the time being (just in the very worst case scenario that I can't work anything out) but haven't given up on the job hunt. I'm starting to explore job-hunting abroad (in the region that I'm in) to see if I'll get any bites. Worth a shot, I assume. At least I'll be around if I get any interviews.

Will retake again in June to see if I can score significantly better.

Just a follow-up question, what constitutes "significantly better?" What if I only improve by 1 point (169)? What if I hit 170?

Thanks all!

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by stuckinthemiddle » Sat May 11, 2013 1:28 am

TheBiggerMediocre wrote:How can i acquire this so called 'No GPA' ?
Have a very strange family of expatriates who force you to study outside the US. Long, complex, annoying story. :lol:

But seriously, the "No GPA" is a freaking curse. My GPA would be equivalent to an American 3.8-4.0 so that fact that schools don't give a shit about that is disheartening.

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by Clearly » Sat May 11, 2013 1:30 am

stuckinthemiddle wrote:Thanks so much to most of you for some great advice! :D Was expecting a lot of sarcasm and unhelpful "retake!" remarks (which I got, but that was the minority!) but the insights I've gotten in this thread have been extremely valuable.

I will be putting down a deposit for the time being (just in the very worst case scenario that I can't work anything out) but haven't given up on the job hunt. I'm starting to explore job-hunting abroad (in the region that I'm in) to see if I'll get any bites. Worth a shot, I assume. At least I'll be around if I get any interviews.

Will retake again in June to see if I can score significantly better.

Just a follow-up question, what constitutes "significantly better?" What if I only improve by 1 point (169)? What if I hit 170?

Thanks all!
Unfortunately there aren't many no gpa TLSers that will be able to share personal experience with you, at least not as many as GPA people have.

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Re: T14 @ sticker or face the unknown

Post by hephaestus » Sat May 11, 2013 1:32 am

I think even a 169 would be a great help. That puts you at Mich's median and Cornell's 75th, which hopefully means more money. At this score range, every point does a lot of good.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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