UCLA $$$ vs. Georgetown $$ vs. NYU $ Forum

[jbagelboy]

IMO, all top law schools should require work experience, just like top MBA programs. It is one thing to sit in a torts class at the age of 21/22, with mommy/daddy paying all the bills, and quite another to sit in it after you have paid your own bills for a couple of years.

+1

[bizzybone1313]

Not being a K-JD was a very big mistake for me.

Perhaps, but highly unlikely. (You just aren't that special; no one is.)

IMO, all top law schools should require work experience, just like top MBA programs. It is one thing to sit in a torts class at the age of 21/22, with mommy/daddy paying all the bills, and quite another to sit in it after you have paid your own bills for a couple of years.

It has nothing to do with me being special nor is that the case for anyone else. With exception of this past year when I quit my job to study for the LSAT, I made $60K+ every year after I graduated from undergrad and I still view it as a mistake. Basically, if someone is going to attend a good school (T-20ish), a lot of these people have a solid chance of making more than $60K after LS. For most people after undergrad, they won't be making the $60K I made. You are just costing yourself money by working that $35K job when you could be one year closer to making $160K or actually be in the career path you would like to be on. I don't know about anyone else, but I put a huge premium on actually being happy and doing what I truly want to do.

In a very bad economy 2009-2010ish, I would agree plunging into an expensive law school probably isn't the best of ideas. Right now, I don't see why anyone should work 3-4 years prior to attending. The economy is getting better and people can't put their lives on hold forever due to circumstances out of their control. I was pretty miserable working those $60K jobs when my goal has always been to go to LS.

A lot of people recommend that everyone should take time off to decide if they really and truly want to be a lawyer. Everyone has their own standards. Mine are as follows: YHSC at sticker, T5-T13 with $ or UT-Austin with $. I am not going to apply to any other schools. You either want to be a lawyer or you don't and will take the associated risks along with it. That's life. Nothing is guaranteed. I value my education a whole lot more than a big house that is made of too many bricks and cement. I don't like the tuition costs, but I cannot really do much about it but try my best on the LSAT to get $$.

[jbagelboy]

In a very bad economy 2009-2010ish, I would agree plunging into an expensive law school probably isn't the best of ideas. Right now, I don't see why anyone should work 3-4 years prior to attending. The economy is getting better and people can't put their lives on hold forever due to circumstances out of their control. I was pretty miserable working those $60K jobs when my goal has always been to go to LS.

I won't prolong this debate longer, and I'm glad you know what you are doing and what you want, but I should point out that this statement is basically the inverse of what happened.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/educa ... .html?_r=0

In 2009, applications were hitting peaks because people couldn't get jobs out of college. A ton of students graduating from prestigious schools who would have been on a finance/consulting track took refuge in LS instead since many of those firms were not hiring. They thought okay, I can't get a job now, but in 2012/2013 firms will hire again (which they have), and in the meantime at least I won't be unemployed.

[bizzybone1313]

In a very bad economy 2009-2010ish, I would agree plunging into an expensive law school probably isn't the best of ideas. Right now, I don't see why anyone should work 3-4 years prior to attending. The economy is getting better and people can't put their lives on hold forever due to circumstances out of their control. I was pretty miserable working those $60K jobs when my goal has always been to go to LS.

I won't prolong this debate longer, and I'm glad you know what you are doing and what you want, but I should point out that this statement is basically the inverse of what happened.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/educa ... .html?_r=0

In 2009, applications were hitting peaks because people couldn't get jobs out of college. A ton of students graduating from prestigious schools who would have been on a finance/consulting track took refuge in LS instead since many of those firms were not hiring. They thought okay, I can't get a job now, but in 2012/2013 firms will hire again (which they have), and in the meantime at least I won't be unemployed.

Everyone's circumstances are different and need to be taken into consideration. As far as OP is concerned, it is time to look deep down inside and decide if you really want to be lawyer with the offers you have been given.

[gitguy]

Not being a K-JD was a very big mistake for me.

Perhaps, but highly unlikely. (You just aren't that special; no one is.)

IMO, all top law schools should require work experience, just like top MBA programs. It is one thing to sit in a torts class at the age of 21/22, with mommy/daddy paying all the bills, and quite another to sit in it after you have paid your own bills for a couple of years.

Hear, Hear.

[Dr. Dre]

i really like bizzybone's perspective.

i disagree with big dog. I think LS should be less about WE and even more about em' numbers. Seriously, you're comparing LS with MBA programs? dafuq. Usually those that are able to get any meaningful WE are those with strong connections/wealthy familial background .

[dawyzest1]

IMO, all top law schools should require work experience, just like top MBA programs. It is one thing to sit in a torts class at the age of 21/22, with mommy/daddy paying all the bills, and quite another to sit in it after you have paid your own bills for a couple of years.

I sort of agree with the spirit of this idea, but for an MBA program the requirement of work experience is practical. Much of b-school instruction is about applying what you learn in your cases to real life situations you lived through in a professional environment. If you don't have any WE, the education will be too theoretical to be useful. You also will immediately invite the scorn of your fellow classmates if every comment you make begins with "If I were ever in this situation..."

For LS I don't see a strong connection between the pedagogy and work experience. You are learning an independent body of knowledge that exists regardless of your ability to apply it to your life. Of course, one of the biggest rites of passage in life is striking out on your own, so anyone who has been through that will necessarily have a bit of a different perspective. I just don't think you need it to be a great law school student.

I am old as hell in LS terms (over 30) and I do have some regret about not going sooner, but I feel better about going now because I know exactly what I want. If I had gone K-JD, I wouldn't have had a clue what I was doing there. LS is an expensive place to go to find oneself.

Sorry for the essay...OP, please don't let the idea that you're losing a year keep you from your optimal outcome. If you really want NYU now, by all means go, but if you'd like one more peek at other options, you are not doing anything crazy by taking another year.

[Dr. Dre]

I am old as hell in LS terms (over 30) and I do have some regret about not going sooner, but I feel better about going now because I know exactly what I want. If I had gone K-JD, I wouldn't have had a clue what I was doing there. LS is an expensive place to go to find oneself.

is this because you were less mature or you didn't "find yourself" in UG?

[dawyzest1]

I am old as hell in LS terms (over 30) and I do have some regret about not going sooner, but I feel better about going now because I know exactly what I want. If I had gone K-JD, I wouldn't have had a clue what I was doing there. LS is an expensive place to go to find oneself.

is this because you were less mature or you didn't "find yourself" in UG?

I think these two are connected...when you're an undergrad you're only learning about yourself along a few dimensions (at least in my experience, I understand I could be in the presence of precocious wonders). The world beyond college holds a lot more challenges that allow you to learn what you really are good at, what you care about, and probably most importantly, what you suck at and should avoid.