Top Law Schools

I have a small quandary I was hoping TLSers could help me out on. Since the nature of my information is rather sensitive, I don't wish to reveal any of my stats or anything that might compromise my anonymity.

I have loved college. Over the past four years, I have made the conscious decision of letting my studies dictate my day to day choices: filling my room with books, my summers with extra classes, and my sentences with too many adjectives. My major in the humanities has taken hold of my life because I wanted it to, because I enjoyed every moment.

Somehow, though, I find myself near the end of a law school application cycle. A part of me says I could have done better. Had I not vacillated between my desire to apply for PhD programs in the humanities and my law school applications, had I not split my studying for the LSAT with taking courses and studying for the GREs, I might have done better. Now, all I have is a high GPA, an OK LSAT, and a few options.

One of those options, a dual degree program at a lower t14 school, was what motivated my applying to law programs to begin with. Why not continue studying what I enjoy, I reasoned, and get a useful degree at the same time. That program looks very attractive to me.

On the other hand, once I am going to go to law school, I keep feeling I should go to the best law school I can get into. I was waitlisted at a top five school. And have a very very strong connection card I can play that would probably get me in. Of course, if I played that card, I would be forced to go to that school. The dual degree program, the only reason I applied in the first place, would be gone.

In the words of the great LeBron, what should I do? Part of me worries that I might not be happy if I completely abandon the area of study that has dominated my life thus far. The other part of me, though, worries that I might end up regretting not attending a law school which would probably open more doors in the future.

EDIT: Debt is not an issue. My parents, who are footing the bill, would prefer I go to the higher ranked school, regardless of cost.

EDIT: With nine votes counted, I have expanded the retake option. If I don't go to law school next year, I will either be working as a paralegal at a top NY law firm (2 year commitment) or doing non profit work at a museum through a fellowship.

I'm going to put a poll in, against my better judgment, simply because I respect that many people might be too lazy to respond but kind enough to have read my story.

You also need to consider debt. It doesn't sound like you are looking for biglaw. Have you considered how you will pay off the debt without a biglaw salary?

I voted lower T14 because I assumed there was some scholarship money involved, and the dual degree program is why you wanted to attend to begin with.

Pricer wrote:You also need to consider debt. It doesn't sound like you are looking for biglaw. Have you considered how you will pay off the debt without a biglaw salary?

I voted lower T14 because I assumed there was some scholarship money involved, and the dual degree program is why you wanted to attend to begin with.

Thanks, Pricer, indeed there is more money for me in the lower T14 option whereas getting in off a waitlist gets me nothing but sticker. But, I won't be in debt, thank you parents, and I might end up going into biglaw. Ultimately, I'm not sure what law school might do to my worldview.

By top 5, I'm assuming you mean CCN, and not HYS. So the question is which would you regret more; passing up a school ranked a few spots higher? Or passing up the opportunity to study something that you've been passionate about for years?

The answer seems pretty clear-cut to me. Go with the dual degree program. And never quote Prince James again lol.

Ask Brett.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POyFvDgV2cU

The Gentleman wrote:By top 5, I'm assuming you mean CCN, and not HYS. So the question is which would you regret more; passing up a school ranked a few spots higher? Or passing up the opportunity to study something that you've been passionate about for years?

The answer seems pretty clear-cut to me. Go with the dual degree program. And never quote Prince James again lol.

Yes, I was referring to CCN.

Your answer is certainly refreshing, Gentleman, but I'm surprised to be receiving such a response on TLS. I am so used to ranking motivating every response. Does no one think I would regret not going to CCN down the line?

AMagicianNamedGOB wrote:

The Gentleman wrote:By top 5, I'm assuming you mean CCN, and not HYS. So the question is which would you regret more; passing up a school ranked a few spots higher? Or passing up the opportunity to study something that you've been passionate about for years?

The answer seems pretty clear-cut to me. Go with the dual degree program. And never quote Prince James again lol.

Yes, I was referring to CCN.

Your answer is certainly refreshing, Gentleman, but I'm surprised to be receiving such a response on TLS. I am so used to ranking motivating every response. Does no one think I would regret not going to CCN down the line?

Err, I'll jump in on this I suppose. I vote top 5, unless you are so sure that this little dual degree thing is what you want to do for the rest of your life that you'd marry it and have its babies. In the end, employment prospects are diff at the top of the T14 than at the bottom. If doing the dual degree sets you on track to do w/e it is you most want to do in your life and you are certain (btw, you can't be certain) that you won't want to go do something else by the time you graduate, then run with it; otherwise, face the real world and go with CCN.


ETA: Retake isn't a bad option. Sounds like you can live on your parents' dime for a year. Maybe do that and grab a few extra points on the LSAT, though you might just end back at CCN (albeit, without going through the waitlist avenue the second time)

thecynic69 wrote: Err, I'll jump in on this I suppose. I vote top 5, unless you are so sure that this little dual degree thing is what you want to do for the rest of your life that you'd marry it and have its babies. In the end, employment prospects are diff at the top of the T14 than at the bottom. If doing the dual degree sets you on track to do w/e it is you most want to do in your life and you are certain (btw, you can't be certain) that you won't want to go do something else by the time you graduate, then run with it; otherwise, face the real world and go with CCN.


ETA: Retake isn't a bad option. Sounds like you can live on your parents' dime for a year. Maybe do that and grab a few extra points on the LSAT, though you might just end back at CCN (albeit, without going through the waitlist avenue the second time)

I edited the poll and revised my original post to reflect the fact that if I don't go to law school next year, I'll be doing something semi-productive with my time. Depending upon my whim, I'll either be working as a paralegal for a top NY firm or working for a museum with a fellowship from my university. Your point, though, makes sense. Am I really going to drop such a high score on my retake that I'll clinch HYS (the only schools I would prefer to the one to which I have connections)?

Crap. The votes have split entirely down the middle. Now I really know what to do...

I assume that this is a Columbia versus Duke dual degree choice. Even if my assumption is accurate, there isn't enough information about the other degree & your future plans to offer any meaningful advice. The best advice, therefore, might be to work in NYC as a paralegal for two years to figure out what you want to do (even though I believe that this would be a wrong choice for you given your passion for being a student).

CanadianWolf wrote:I assume that this is a Columbia versus Duke dual degree choice. Even if my assumption is accurate, there isn't enough information about the other degree & your future plans to offer any meaningful advice. The best advice, therefore, might be to work in NYC as a paralegal for two years to figure out what you want to do (even though I believe that this would be a wrong choice for you given your passion for being a student).

He can't be a student forever...

.

Can you defer from the dual degree program? I have little doubt you'll have any trouble getting back on the waitlist at Columbia next year. Just make sure the deferral isn't binding.

Do you actually want to be an attorney or have some specific use for the J.D.? I didn't understand from your original post why you aren't just applying to the other, non-J.D. part of that dual degree program.

TheFactor wrote:Ask Brett.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POyFvDgV2cU

One-fucking-eighty.
OP: career aspirations?

ScarryBakhtin wrote:Can you defer from the dual degree program? I have little doubt you'll have any trouble getting back on the waitlist at Columbia next year. Just make sure the deferral isn't binding.

The deferral would be binding, thus not really solving anything.

aspire2more wrote:Do you actually want to be an attorney or have some specific use for the J.D.? I didn't understand from your original post why you aren't just applying to the other, non-J.D. part of that dual degree program.

I don't know what I want to do. I am not too sure of the current landscape for academia in the humanities. Either way, the school only offers the MA in connection with the JD, no MA otherwise (MA's in humanities fields are useless). The idea is to attend such a program and become a lawyer if I like the law, try to get into PhD programs if I only like the English, and try to get into academia if I like both. The last reason, though, has me leaning towards the top 5. From there, if I like law but don't want to practice, I can get a PhD after law school, and then move into academia. Getting into academia from lower t14 seems difficult, to say the least.

AMagicianNamedGOB wrote:I don't know what I want to do.

Then I stand by my original vote - do not go to law school right now.

AMagicianNamedGOB wrote:I am not too sure of the current landscape for academia in the humanities. Either way, the school only offers the MA in connection with the JD, no MA otherwise (MA's in humanities fields are useless). The idea is to attend such a program and become a lawyer if I like the law, try to get into PhD programs if I only like the English, and try to get into academia if I like both. The last reason, though, has me leaning towards the top 5. From there, if I like law but don't want to practice, I can get a PhD after law school, and then move into academia. Getting into academia from lower t14 seems difficult, to say the least.

There are much better ways to decide whether or not you enjoy the law and/or the practice of law than going to law school for three years.

aspire2more wrote: There are much better ways to decide whether or not you enjoy the law and/or the practice of law than going to law school for three years.

Could you enumerate a few?

AMagicianNamedGOB wrote:

aspire2more wrote: There are much better ways to decide whether or not you enjoy the law and/or the practice of law than going to law school for three years.

Could you enumerate a few?

Positive points for the Arrested Development reference, negative points for stilted linguistic pretension (yes that was phrased for irony).

Having said that, I say go for the dual degree. Scholarship + happiness = win.

Going through almost the exact same decision process-

Lower T-14 + dual gree in field I love + schol (+in state for me)

vs.

T6 w/debt

Visiting all of the schools in the next week and a half, the biggest question for me will be what kind of flexibility I'll be able to get post-grad in my field. I'm going to seek out as many dual-degree students as possible while also balancing the lower cost of a single degree v. options question.

Northwestern v. NYU? Doesn't the former have JD/PhD? What field are you considering?

Not to get off topic, but your screen name is incredible

JamMasterJ wrote:Not to get off topic, but your screen name is incredible

Ya, thanks. I wish it were my normal account...

why is this even a question?

go to CC
get biglaw
buy $6300 suit

COME ON

fatduck wrote:why is this even a question?

go to CC
get biglaw
buy $6300 suit

COME ON

Douche chill...