Is law school still a possibility for me? Forum

[jmcdaniel15]

I'm currently a freshman at a community college and want to go to law school to be a JAG officer in the Marine Corps. The fall semester is coming to a close and so far I failed a remedial math course with an XF and took it again, but have to withdraw before I failed it again. I'm transferring to a state university or any college that'll take me (I preety much blew it with any other school.) And I was wondering what law schools are in my reach since I already blew it with top tier law schools?

[john1990]

What is your GPA including f's? A w wont hurt you for Law School. Without knowing your LSAT score I can't help much though

[midwest17]

One failed class won't keep you out of any schools, except possibly the *very* top ones, and even then a strong GPA and a strong LSAT will make them overlook it. Do whatever you need to do to get good grades, don't graduate until you have a good overall GPA (counting classes from all schools, not just the one you graduate from), and study for the LSAT properly.

[jmcdaniel15]

I haven't took the LSAT yet.

[jmcdaniel15]

@midwest17 sojust because I had one bad semester there's still a possiblity for me?

[john1990]

@midwest17 sojust because I had one bad semester there's still a possiblity for me?

Its to early to tell if there is a possibility for you

[hcrimson2014]

@midwest17 sojust because I had one bad semester there's still a possiblity for me?

There are 200 law schools in the US so even as you are now you definitely can get into a law school. But see if you can retroactively withdraw from the class to get rid of the F.

[TheSpanishMain]

No matter how bad your grades are, there is almost certainly a law school that will take you. The question is, will that law school be worth attending? There are a ton of law schools that give you nothing but a mountain of debt and shitty job prospects.

Do you have any military experience? The majority of people who apply to the JAG program don't get it, even from good schools. If that's the only outcome that would make you happy, then I would advise against going to law school. If a remedial class kicked your ass so bad that you failed it once and then withdrew to avoid failing, maybe you need to look at other options.

[TigerDude]

I'm not trying to be mean, but you should probably avoid hyper-competitive job markets like law until you are sure you can handle exceptionally difficult classes.

[pahuber2]

Have you considered a ROTC route? My advice would be to find a state school that will accept you into their ROTC program, become an officer in Army/Navy/AF, then transfer to JAGcorps with the experience (and discipline) that you have acquired as a result of your training and active duty service. If you want to be a JAG, you should want to serve in the military foremost. This route will ensure an affordable education and a great resume, once your time to apply to law school has come.

Forget about the F, you can explain that in an addendum.

[jbagelboy]

I'm not trying to be mean, but you should probably avoid hyper-competitive job markets like law until you are sure you can handle exceptionally difficult classes.

I have to agree with this. There are law schools with 80% admit rates that will accept anyone with a legit BA and a pulse. The issue is that there is a huge disconnect between attending "a" law school and becoming a JAG attorney (or obtaining any legal position). You should also consider military service of you're interested in working in that capacity later as an attorney (and yellow ribbon is also a spectacular program to reduce cost). Prior service, good school, and other public service feats are all important factors.

The materials you are struggling with are basic, but learnable. I tutored and taught calculus and other high school level mathematics curricula extensively while I was in college to earn some $$, and sometimes you really just need a good instructor and an explicitly methodological approach. Before considering law school and whether or not you are eligible, think about mastering your writing (grammar/syntax) and quantitative analytics (stats and calc) and getting to a 4-yr degree granting university where you can expand to more nuanced and challenging material

[jmcdaniel15]

what about the option of getting commisioned first and then get my law degree later on dowm the line?

[jmcdaniel15]

by the way the remedial class I failed/withdrew form doesn't even calculate into gpa nor I don't get credit for it.

[ManoftheHour]

I'm not trying to be mean, but you should probably avoid hyper-competitive job markets like law until you are sure you can handle exceptionally difficult classes.

+1

I'm not trying to be a dick either, but if you failed a remedial math course in community college, you might not have what it takes to be a JAG officer in the Marine Corps. It's way too early to tell, of course, but you're not off to a good start.

My advice is transfer, focus on your studies, study something interesting/useful, then consider law school later in your college years (assuming your goals have not changed by then).

[TheSpanishMain]

what about the option of getting commisioned first and then get my law degree later on dowm the line?

That's a possibility, but have you looked into Marine Corps OCS? It is wicked competitive, and the military in general is actively trying to shrink. Anecdotally, from what I've heard from my Marine buddies, to be competitive generally requires a 3.5+ undergraduate GPA and a first class physical fitness test. Getting an ROTC contract is tough, too. Much tougher than it was five years ago.

I'm not trying to crap on your goals, just pointing out that academics is going to be super important for you if you want to go this route. It's not going to be just "get any old degree, check the box, and move on."

[jmcdaniel15]

Sir don't you think I know this I talked to an oso about platoon leaders class and one of the requirements is you need 2.0, but I'm not even applying after this year so I still should have time to raise my gpa.

[TheSpanishMain]

Are you a Marine now, or are you coming straight from the civilian world?

My point is that the requirements to APPLY are very different than the requirements to actually be competitive. Yeah, the requirement to apply might be a 2.0, but you won't get seriously looked at. The military, just like law schools, likes to brag about selective it is, so they encourage everyone and anyone to apply. The requirements to apply to Harvard are basically just a high school diploma and an SAT score, but obviously someone with shitty grades isn't actually going to be seriously considered.

[jmcdaniel15]

you do realize I said I'm not even applying right now so I should be able to pull my gpa up some more right or are you just trying to like get me to reconsider something I might end up not liking for the rest of my life?

[TheSpanishMain]

I'm just trying to make you realize that to be competitive you need to pull up your grades A LOT, not just to the minimum, and if you were struggling that much in community college you really need to take a hard look at your study habits and figure out what's holding you back.

I'm not trying to be discouraging, just trying to encourage you to dig deeper than just the OSO recruiter speech. Again, have you been in the military, Marine Corps or otherwise?

[jmcdaniel15]

no I haven't applied yet. I'm applying for Platoon Leaders Class until I get to a 4 year university.

[TigerDude]

Being a Marine infantry officer is a long long long way from being a Jag officer.

[TheSpanishMain]

And being a Marine infantry officer in this era of cuts and shrinking billets is still super tough and competitive

[jmcdaniel15]

who said I wanted to be an infantry officer?

[TheSpanishMain]

Bottom line, all this is four years away anyway. Just focus on getting the best grades you can so you have options.

Edit: And work on your writing. It's not good.

[twenty]

You actually can get Law PLC as long as you test into first class and you have a solid GPA. From there, you have a 60-70% chance of actually coming out the other end -- and you have one shot at it. So basically, good luck.

The good news is, remedial classes don't count in your LSAC-calculated GPA.