I grew up very working class. I started working in asset management in college, I was super career driven, often sacrificing any fun college experiences. Mainly because I had no safety net and knew I needed to become self-sufficient asap and support myself in a very expensive city. And it wasn't easy: I missed time from school on two different occassions due to not being able to pay tuition. But I pressed on, and eventually graduated and I went from asset management to private equity. Now at 28, I'm applying to law school to (a) expand my career opportunities and (b) I would genuinely enjoy the challege
Although I would consider litgation too, my honest answer to "why the law?" is to enhance the career i've already built in finance and grow it further. For that reason, I don't think my personal statement is compelling enough. I am proud of how far I've come. Applying to law school is a luxury I never thought I would be in a position to have due to cost/time off work. But, in complete honesty, I don't have a larger social mission behind my drive to pursue law. I'm concerned this makes for a very bland, if not self-serving, essay. And if my essay doesn't have a social objective, could it hurt my chances? Not sure. Any advice from someone who was/is in a similar position would be appreciated.
Is my reason for wanting to go to law school compelling whatsoever? Forum
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mmjd12
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talons2250
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Re: Is my reason for wanting to go to law school compelling whatsoever?
Most people don't have a "good" reason to go to law school and your reasons are probably better than the typical reason ("I was a liberal arts major in college and don't really know what else to do with my life, so I guess I'll apply to law school"). As long as your essay is not bad, it probably won't affect your chances. Your LSAT score and undergraduate GPA will be what mostly decides where you get in.
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nixy
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Re: Is my reason for wanting to go to law school compelling whatsoever?
You don’t have to have a compelling social mission. Wanting to expand your career options and explore the intersections of law/finance, or be able to provide legal services in the financial section, are perfectly fine reasons.
Being able to talk concretely about how getting a law degree would complement the work you currently do is just as, if not way more compelling than a college senior writing about wanting to save the whales or work in international civil rights. No shade to those kinds of applicants, but they don’t always have the kind of lived experience to be able to talk about their goals in a very realistic/compelling way. (There are people who can back up their burning social missions, and that’s great! But you don’t have to have one.)
Being able to talk concretely about how getting a law degree would complement the work you currently do is just as, if not way more compelling than a college senior writing about wanting to save the whales or work in international civil rights. No shade to those kinds of applicants, but they don’t always have the kind of lived experience to be able to talk about their goals in a very realistic/compelling way. (There are people who can back up their burning social missions, and that’s great! But you don’t have to have one.)
