Michigan or Retake Forum

[stewart23]

Took the LSAT twice. Cancelled/171. 3.6x

Applied in January and after wait lists, withdrawals and declines have honed in on Michigan as the best option. With a scholarship and some savings I'm looking at a total cost of about 100k.

I have a great (but low paying) gig and a pretty carefree life in CO, but I'm willing to make the switch if interesting government positions are an attainable outcome post graduation.

What are the career paths (including performance in school) for someone who wants to get into USAO or let's say a NYC District Attorney's office? What is life like for a person that attains one of these positions? There seems to be a plethora of information regarding Big Law (and how much it sucks) on TLS, but I'm having difficulty getting a clearer picture of other outcomes, and how to attain them.

Finally, I'm considering two other options (besides attending Mich in the fall):
1. Retake and hope for a score that makes an acceptance into HYS possible or at least a bigger t14 scholarship.
2. Sit out this cycle and apply to lower ranked schools with the hope of getting a larger scholarship.

[BigZuck]

HYS are likely unattainable (maybe Harvard if your softs are good and score really high).

Michigan for 100K doesn't sound like that bad of a deal. I'm interested in what kinds of scholarships 3.6/175+ can get you, what does mylsn.info say?

[stewart23]

HYS are likely unattainable (maybe Harvard if your softs are good and score really high).

Michigan for 100K doesn't sound like that bad of a deal. I'm interested in what kinds of scholarships 3.6/175+ can get you, what does mylsn.info say?

If I'm reading it right, I see scholarships ranging from 105-160.

[oblig.lawl.ref]

There's less info on those government positions because (1) there's less of them than BigLaw and maybe even clerkships (at least at a T14) and (2) the hiring for those positions isn't as structured and transparent as it is for BigLaw. 2Ls (and I suspect even 3Ls and perhaps graduates) seem pretty lost on how to obtain a government job. Likely because every agency is different.

I really wanted to do government work when I first started looking into law school but like most people chickened out at the prospect of unemployment and went for BigLaw. I suspect most people do to. A lot of the people I knew who were hardcore government types even chickened out and did OCI, at least half-heartedly. Most of them seemed to think that the safest route (in terms of avoiding unemployment) was biglaw and/or clerkship --> govt.

So just FYI, that's all probably why most things are BigLaw oriented. It's generally considered that BigLaw -> government is TCR and that you should plan accordingly. I suppose if you're looking for an alternative to that route you that you browse the Vale.

[Nelson]

Don't go to law school if your only goal is "interesting govt work." Most govt work isn't interesting and it's all damn near impossible to get.

[stewart23]

There's less info on those government positions because (1) there's less of them than BigLaw and maybe even clerkships (at least at a T14) and (2) the hiring for those positions isn't as structured and transparent as it is for BigLaw. 2Ls (and I suspect even 3Ls and perhaps graduates) seem pretty lost on how to obtain a government job. Likely because every agency is different.

I really wanted to do government work when I first started looking into law school but like most people chickened out at the prospect of unemployment and went for BigLaw. I suspect most people do to. A lot of the people I knew who were hardcore government types even chickened out and did OCI, at least half-heartedly. Most of them seemed to think that the safest route (in terms of avoiding unemployment) was biglaw and/or clerkship --> govt.

So just FYI, that's all probably why most things are BigLaw oriented. It's generally considered that BigLaw -> government is TCR and that you should plan accordingly. I suppose if you're looking for an alternative to that route you that you browse the Vale.

That's kind of what I figured. Helps a bunch. Thanks.

[jbagelboy]

Voted Michigan. that's not a bad price. Then again, if you're not at all excited about it, don't go yet.

[stewart23]

Voted Michigan. that's not a bad price. Then again, if you're not at all excited about it, don't go yet.

I'm very excited at the prospect of law school, it's just what comes afterwards that concerns me. I've found it difficult to find anyone who is excited about the prospect of BL.

[midwest17]

State-level prosecutors are a different ball game than US Attorneys or other FedGov, but they're still difficult and you'll need to hustle from the beginning to get an offer (and you won't want to only target NYC prosecutor, you'll need to cast a wider net.)

That said, Michigan at $100k is a good price. But I would recommend sitting out until you have a clearer idea of what you want to do after graduation and what that will entail. Use that time to study and retake.

[northwood]

If you are unsure about going and are open to eye idea of a retake/ reapply, the that's what I would mos always say you should do.

[jbagelboy]

Voted Michigan. that's not a bad price. Then again, if you're not at all excited about it, don't go yet.

I'm very excited at the prospect of law school, it's just what comes afterwards that concerns me. I've found it difficult to find anyone who is excited about the prospect of BL.

FWIW I'm excited about my SA and making my own evaluation, although I'm conscious of how excruciatingly horrific the real deal will be. Idk even a lot of the attorneys on here who trash their jobs conversely claim to be happy and say they wouldn't have done it differently. Also a large part of the misery comes from the debt and feeling tied down and like no matter how much you pay off the interest keeps rising...at your COA that won't be quite so misery inducing.