Saying "No" to this Cycle: Collected Stories Forum

[WaltGrace83]

Another thing that I would like to add is that I feel like the idea of "young" is changing. More people are going to graduate school, people are trying to develop "careers" rather than "jobs," many don't want to get married until they are 30+ etc. It just seems like a different world than even 10 years ago. Granted, I am young - who am I say? I just feel that taking time off is not only socially acceptable, it is kind of the norm. The people who seem to not understand are those who are much older than us.

[allonsy]

I agonized over the decision to retake the LSAT and wait until next cycle to apply, but I finally found clarity when I acknowledged that I underperformed on the LSAT because I didn’t put enough effort into studying for it. The self-discipline required to buckle down and study for the LSAT is the same self-discipline required to excel in law school, after all.

Telling my friends and family that I’m waiting another year was definitely hard, but I asked for them to trust that I’m making the best decision for myself, and most of them were pretty understanding.

At the end of the day, it's your future. You can't let others pressure and dissuade you from doing what's right for you.

[thisiswater]

Another thing that I would like to add is that I feel like the idea of "young" is changing. More people are going to graduate school, people are trying to develop "careers" rather than "jobs," many don't want to get married until they are 30+ etc. It just seems like a different world than even 10 years ago. Granted, I am young - who am I say? I just feel that taking time off is not only socially acceptable, it is kind of the norm. The people who seem to not understand are those who are much older than us.

I did take time off and I think it was the best thing I ever did but do not underestimate how hard going back will be. It will be hard. Like really really hard.

[JustHawkin]

Casted a wide net and now I have a few serious (at least in my position) job interviews coming up. Could I actually go through this for a third cycle?!

[Marshmallow]

You gotta grow up someday and you won't be young forever.

A year is a year from your career.

Hmm what you've written can be taken a number of ways.

A year is a year from your career. Okay. I guess I'm thinking about it like this: I need to take another year in the real world in order to give myself a better shot at the public interest career I want long term. I think especially for PI, it's important to have more specific interests and goals than say, if you just want biglaw. This was reinforced for me at the Berkeley asw.

I'm 3 years out of undergrad and certainly not freaking out about my age. I'm also not expecting to waste a year of my life. Another year from my career doesn't really mean a year from my career. I imagine I'll be working towards my career the whole time...

[Marshmallow]

Casted a wide net and now I have a few serious (at least in my position) job interviews coming up. Could I actually go through this for a third cycle?!

Good luck!! (no matter what you ultimately choose!)

[Kimikho]

Checking in [potentially]

[capt_slow]

Don't say no scoobs...

[jk148706]

Another thing that I would like to add is that I feel like the idea of "young" is changing. More people are going to graduate school, people are trying to develop "careers" rather than "jobs," many don't want to get married until they are 30+ etc. It just seems like a different world than even 10 years ago. Granted, I am young - who am I say? I just feel that taking time off is not only socially acceptable, it is kind of the norm. The people who seem to not understand are those who are much older than us.

I did take time off and I think it was the best thing I ever did but do not underestimate how hard going back will be. It will be hard. Like really really hard.

Nah it's personal situation. I took time off and am your age. Doesn't seem that hard at all.

[jbagelboy]

I'm also not sure about being a lawyer, so that's also a pretty big issue

Yea, don't go.

[natty_bat]

I'm feeling this way too. I'm two years out of college - took the LSAT in Oct 2013 (high 160s), and then in Feb (173). I was a late applicant to most/all of my schools. The first application I sent was in early December and my last one was sent in March. I was rejected from a couple schools before they got my Feb LSAT score, but other good schools accepted me and then bumped up my scholarship offers a little bit after receiving the new scores.

I'm interested in PI after grad, with little to no desire to work in big law. I am terrified by the thought of being deep in debt to finance an education that will make me feel trapped after I graduate. I very much want to be a lawyer, and I can't wait to attend law school. However, I am also very happy with what I am doing now and where I am living. I'm a teacher, so I don't make that much money, but I have enough to support myself and save a little here and there. I live in a place most people only dream about, and the thought of leaving makes me sad. (I can't go to law school here. No way.) My life is pretty good, so I could imagine staying another year, saving money, reapplying early in the cycle next year, and getting into my dream schools (or significantly lowering the cost of some great other schools). Who knows...

The big question for me is that I have an SO who is planning to move wherever I go to law school. Because of his job, he can basically move anywhere and there will still be an office. Except, of course, where I live now. I met him when both of us were living here, but he left last year to pursue his current job, and we've been in a long-distance thing relationship since. We're both excited to move in together and start this next step, but my thoughts about staying here another year seem to crush that. I brought up the subject to him the other day, and it was a terribly awkward conversation. I don't know what to do.

[TheSpanishMain]

The decision comes down to risking my physical life vs. my financial one

If you're not even in yet, Afghanistan deployments will probably be completely done or a trickle by the time you actually get through the training pipeline. Law school is way more hazardous to your financial health than military service would be to your physical health.

Go do a few years, and get dat GI Bill. As a veteran applicant, it changes everything, man. It's a guaranteed scholarship, plus that boost in applications/hiring.

[Marshmallow]

Another thing that I would like to add is that I feel like the idea of "young" is changing. More people are going to graduate school, people are trying to develop "careers" rather than "jobs," many don't want to get married until they are 30+ etc. It just seems like a different world than even 10 years ago. Granted, I am young - who am I say? I just feel that taking time off is not only socially acceptable, it is kind of the norm. The people who seem to not understand are those who are much older than us.

I did take time off and I think it was the best thing I ever did but do not underestimate how hard going back will be. It will be hard. Like really really hard.

Nah it's personal situation. I took time off and am your age. Doesn't seem that hard at all.

+1

[BankruptMe]

The decision comes down to risking my physical life vs. my financial one

If you're not even in yet, Afghanistan deployments will probably be completely done or a trickle by the time you actually get through the training pipeline. Law school is way more hazardous to your financial health than military service would be to your physical health.

Go do a few years, and get dat GI Bill. As a veteran applicant, it changes everything, man. It's a guaranteed scholarship, plus that boost in applications/hiring.

That is what I am thinking. I am going to my regional ASW in the next few days and will see if I feel anything, only two more steps in the enlistment process that I can get done in the next week or 2.

Plus the job that I am up for, I probably will be sitting in a base; not a lot of people go for it.

[TheSpanishMain]

The decision comes down to risking my physical life vs. my financial one

If you're not even in yet, Afghanistan deployments will probably be completely done or a trickle by the time you actually get through the training pipeline. Law school is way more hazardous to your financial health than military service would be to your physical health.

Go do a few years, and get dat GI Bill. As a veteran applicant, it changes everything, man. It's a guaranteed scholarship, plus that boost in applications/hiring.

That is what I am thinking. I am going to my regional ASW in the next few days and will see if I feel anything, only two more steps in the enlistment process that I can get done in the next week or 2.

Plus the job that I am up for, I probably will be sitting in a base; not a lot of people go for it.

I don't want to threadjack, but if you do end up enlisting, try to get a deployment if you can. It gives you a whole new perspective on things, not least of which is a deep appreciative for indoor plumbing. Seriously, though, you grow a lot as a person. Even if you have no intention of making the military a career, try to wring as many interesting experiences out of it as you can for three years.

[goldenflash19]

I'm contemplating turning down Harvard and Berkeley to try Stanford again if I get waitlisted this cycle. I figure I could try Stanford next year and the year after if needed (along with other T-14s). People around me think I am absolutely crazy, but I want SF big law and have no ties to CA and am not confident about either getting me there. The chance to save money and travel is tempting, too. Any thoughts? Am I nuts?

[BankruptMe]

I'm contemplating turning down Harvard and Berkeley to try Stanford again if I get waitlisted this cycle. I figure I could try Stanford next year and the year after if needed (along with other T-14s). People around me think I am absolutely crazy, but I want SF big law and have no ties to CA and am not confident about either getting me there. The chance to save money and travel is tempting, too. Any thoughts? Am I nuts?

Nuts, no.

However, if your application isnt going to change meaningfully or if you already applied early, it may not be worth it.

SF is tough from what I read; however, With both options, if you are going to really change your application. so be it. if not, you may as well go to either and give it a shot

[drawstring]

If it means that much to you and you're willing to take the opportunity cost, go for it. Someone got accepted to SLS this cycle after being turned down twice before, and your numbers mean you'll have good options to fall back on if it doesn't work again.

[Nomo]

I'm feeling this way too. I'm two years out of college - took the LSAT in Oct 2013 (high 160s), and then in Feb (173). I was a late applicant to most/all of my schools. The first application I sent was in early December and my last one was sent in March. I was rejected from a couple schools before they got my Feb LSAT score, but other good schools accepted me and then bumped up my scholarship offers a little bit after receiving the new scores.

I'm interested in PI after grad, with little to no desire to work in big law. I am terrified by the thought of being deep in debt to finance an education that will make me feel trapped after I graduate. I very much want to be a lawyer, and I can't wait to attend law school. However, I am also very happy with what I am doing now and where I am living. I'm a teacher, so I don't make that much money, but I have enough to support myself and save a little here and there. I live in a place most people only dream about, and the thought of leaving makes me sad. (I can't go to law school here. No way.) My life is pretty good, so I could imagine staying another year, saving money, reapplying early in the cycle next year, and getting into my dream schools (or significantly lowering the cost of some great other schools). Who knows...

The big question for me is that I have an SO who is planning to move wherever I go to law school. Because of his job, he can basically move anywhere and there will still be an office. Except, of course, where I live now. I met him when both of us were living here, but he left last year to pursue his current job, and we've been in a long-distance thing relationship since. We're both excited to move in together and start this next step, but my thoughts about staying here another year seem to crush that. I brought up the subject to him the other day, and it was a terribly awkward conversation. I don't know what to do.

From the perspective of a 30yr old who graduated law school in 2012 this is an easy call thanks to your boyfriends flexibility. Move to wherever you want to work when you finish law school. Get your boyfriend to move there with you. If he can't move there or if you already live in the place you want to work after law school, then move to some interesting place where you don't think you will live as a lawyer: Santa Fe, Austin, Boston, the Sioux reservation, whatever . . . get him to move there. Find a teaching job. If you can't be poor and do Americorps, or work at a ski or fishing resort, or whatever. Have fun. Enjoy something different. You won't regret it. You will regret not trying again next cycle. And you might regret the time spent apart, especially if it leads to the end of your relationship.

[Marshmallow]

I'm kind of jealous of all the people committing right now. I'm still playing the field a bit, negotiating scholarships and the like. I think I won't be able to let go of the anxiety until I officially withdraw from all the schooooools.

[transferror]

Congrats to all of you. I regret rushing through the process and not using my retakes.

[n1o2c3a4c5h6e7t]

I think I am going to retake in June and if i do better than 168, even by one point, I will withdraw from UT and reapply next year. I have a 3.6/168 and I got into zero T14s in what was a terrible cycle. I was waitlisted at a lot of the lower ones, but I don't really feel like begging VDCNG to let me pay sticker so I withdrew. I think with 2 more points I could have Columbia, 1 more point any of the lower T14 (or T20 for free), and 4 more points maybe Harvard, so it seems like the obvious play. The name on that degree follows you around forever.

[vicpin5190]

Post removed.

[JustHawkin]

I've been mulling this for a long while now. Though I did ED, I'm starting to think I may want to hold off on the law school thing in general for a few more years so that I have my finances in line and (hopefully) a stronger LSAT to bolster my chances and money at places. I got super caught up in the end goal of getting in that I let the thought of debt slide past me, and now that I've found out I'm getting zero parental help on this all (a fact not made known to me when I was applying), I'm definitely not feeling comfortable. Once the honey moon phase ended, and the financial thoughts set in, things really hit me like a rock. This has been an extremely tough decision to make but the debt load at such a young age (I'm going to be 24 in 2 weeks) is terrifying (and rightfully so if you are being prudent).

life :/

Did they give you any financial aid of ED? Feel free to pm if you want to keep that private. Just curious though.

Also, are you free of the binding contract once you sit out a year?

[gatz77]

Feels better to see that I am not alone in this situation. Long rant ahead. I had a great cycle, got into several T10s with money, but I will still be in 180k to 210k in debt... I am considering not going to law school at all and taking my life in a different direction. I think being so focused on the LSAT and obsessing over X school's placement numbers and stuff like that that I kind of lost sight on what my life would be like with that kind of debt load even if I did come out on top in law school. I don't know about you guys, but my one fear is that I don't exactly have a great alternative option at the moment. My mistake was putting all my eggs in this one law basket, and now I am not too sure what to do... And of course there is the nagging feeling I get when I think of all the time I spent to get to this point, to have these options of enrolling at top 10 and 14 law schools... How happy my friends and my family were when they heard the news. If I turn my back on LS now, it will be a disappointment to them, but it will also be a great personal disappoint to me. I don't know. People I try to talk to don't really seem to understand. They tell me what a great opportunity this is. Once in a lifetime they say. I don't know if turning back is a huge mistake or not. Will it be something that I look back on years down the line and feel relieved about? Or am I gonna seppuku myself over this... I've really been torn, and it just feels shitty. I am still leaning on not going, but yeah it just really sucks. Sorry about the rant.