Misconception about law school Forum

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[Matthies]

I think too many people on this forum, and presumably many others not on TLS, are under the impression that applying for law school is much like bidding for public office. So they take a year off and do these Teach for America, Peace Corp, and other NGO stuff in hopes that adcoms will give them a boost.

Law school is a professional school that places heavy emphasis (if not all) on academics. Your GPA/LSAT is what matters. Everything else is optional. Any adcom/applicant who tells you otherwise is lying through their teeth or delusional.
Law school is not a NGO. It is a for-profit business and a subsidiary cash flow for its overall institution.

You can fight for justice and advance your passionate causes through so much better vehicle than law school.
You should not be joining these organizations for the sole purpose of gaining boost on your application. You will burn out, get jaded, and waste a lot of time. You're not doing anyone a favor. Be honest and know your goals.

But in the mean time, save yourself a lot of time. 5 more points on your LSAT is better than having worked 2 years of your life at one of these organizations. Law school adcoms will disagree with me in theory and through their PR, but in actual practice, I am convinced of this.

damit I miss being young and so sure of myself. Life was so much easier when I thought I had the whole world figured out for other people than it is now knowing I didn't really know as much as thought I did back then.

[bilbobaggins]

Depends on your numbers and the school.

[mallard]

I guess that TFA thread really pissed you off. I feel similarly, i see way too many posts like take time off and become a PCV, do AmeriCorps, or join the military. This is just bad advice, because those jobs are hard, and not for everyone.

And soft factors are simply not worth two years of your life.

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[tru]

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[romothesavior]

damit I miss being young and so sure of myself. Life was so much easier when I thought I had the whole world figured out for other people than it is now knowing I didn't really know as much as thought I did back then.

Wait... Matthies doesn't have life all figured out?!?

[Matthies]

I think too many people on this forum, and presumably many others not on TLS, are under the impression that applying for law school is much like bidding for public office. So they take a year off and do these Teach for America, Peace Corp, and other NGO stuff in hopes that adcoms will give them a boost.

Law school is a professional school that places heavy emphasis (if not all) on academics. Your GPA/LSAT is what matters. Everything else is optional. Any adcom/applicant who tells you otherwise is lying through their teeth or delusional.
Law school is not a NGO. It is a for-profit business and a subsidiary cash flow for its overall institution.

You can fight for justice and advance your passionate causes through so much better vehicle than law school.
You should not be joining these organizations for the sole purpose of gaining boost on your application. You will burn out, get jaded, and waste a lot of time. You're not doing anyone a favor. Be honest and know your goals.

But in the mean time, save yourself a lot of time. 5 more points on your LSAT is better than having worked 2 years of your life at one of these organizations. Law school adcoms will disagree with me in theory and through their PR, but in actual practice, I am convinced of this.

damit I miss being young and so sure of myself. Life was so much easier when I thought I had the whole world figured out for other people than it is now knowing I didn't really know as much as thought I did back then.

Really? I think what I said was common sense and reflects reality. We often just lose perspective throughout the process.
Having confidence with the quality evidence at hand isn't hubris.

Or maybe we just start to think we have all the "evidence at hand" from a small sample of very alike people on an internet messagebaord who all have roughly similar experiences/life stories. Sure there are some outliers here and there, but generally for this small subsample of people applying to LS on here that we make assumptions based on they are all about the same. Its easier then to THINK they represent the majority of law students, or what holds true for 22 y,o, holds true for all applicants. or that we have thought about all possibilities when coming to our conclusions, which is, kind of my point that, that, is kind of impossible. I know for a fact my 'soft factor" is the only thing that got me into law school, I'm also pretty sure no one else on the board has done it, or would likely even know its possible.

Just like there are likely "soft factors" that I had never considered. ( for example how many people here, where everyone has a degree know some law schools like Tulane let folks in without having a bachelors degree?) Point is, I've learned, at the point I start thinking I have all the answers because some self sectled research tells me I'm correct, I'm probably missing something I did not think about, and hence maybe I should not make blanket statements. There is an exception to every rule, except the rule we did not know about before we started.

[NayBoer]

Or maybe we just start to think we have all the "evidence at hand" from a small sample

This is true and applies to all facets of life.

[yinz]

[quote="Matthies"]I'm also pretty sure no one else on the board has done it, or would likely even know its possible. [quote]

You were the one who trained for two years and then pogo'd for 54 hours straight??? Respect.

[Matthies]

I'm also pretty sure no one else on the board has done it, or would likely even know its possible.

You were the one who trained for two years and then pogo'd for 54 hours straight??? Respect.

Me as a baby http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldne ... s-day.html

[badwithpseudonyms]

I don't know why I'm bothering but...

I don't think anyone on here would trade 5 points on the LSAT for TFA, AmeriCorps, PeaceCorps, et. al. as they relate to law school admissions.

That said, maybe people advocate for these programs the same way they suggest someone 22 years-old and fresh out of ug work for a few years before attending law school? You know, so they have the opportunity to grow the fuck up, at least a little bit. In the case of such programs, they may even broaden a person's horizons and force them to question their assumptions about the world around them. (Or not.)

Whatever the case, if a person is in that big a hurry to grab for the next golden ring, that's their prerogative. I just don't see why someone wouldn't do something worthwhile/fun/unselfish for a year or two in between 7 years of school, being worked like a rented mule, paying off their loans, and dying.

[xyzzzzzzzz]

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[badwithpseudonyms]

In reference to what you bolded, people who need to grow up are usually not the right type for these kind of programs. They're the kind who drop out because they realize they're not prepared for the challenges their service presents.

That's probably true.

Since my earlier post I've begun drinking and find the whole discussion less offensive. I wasn't even really arguing the same point that OP was making, just saying there is some benefit to them that may not be represented in the law school admissions process. And OP was far too sweeping in its assessment. I'm sure a very significant experience discussed thoughtfully in a PS could sway an adcomm. It's just that most people don't have those/can't articulate them.

[James Bond]

damit I miss being young and so sure of myself. Life was so much easier when I thought I had the whole world figured out for other people than it is now knowing I didn't really know as much as thought I did back then.

Wait... Matthies doesn't have life all figured out?!?

Ya seriously wtf?

If you're not Buddha then why have I been rubbing your belly for luck?

[Matthies]

damit I miss being young and so sure of myself. Life was so much easier when I thought I had the whole world figured out for other people than it is now knowing I didn't really know as much as thought I did back then.

Wait... Matthies doesn't have life all figured out?!?

Ya seriously wtf?

If you're not Buddha then why have I been rubbing your belly for luck?

No, I have life figured all out, I've just learned from experience that putting that fact in writing is just asking to get a foot in your ass. If we can all learn anything from the racist Harvard 3L e-mail it is this: its Ok to think your actually smarter than other people /have the whole world figured out so long as you don't actually write that down, because when you do people have evidence to show your not. Moral of this story, think your superior/smarter/have all the answers/are well endowed, just don't write it down.

[James Bond]

damit I miss being young and so sure of myself. Life was so much easier when I thought I had the whole world figured out for other people than it is now knowing I didn't really know as much as thought I did back then.

Wait... Matthies doesn't have life all figured out?!?

Ya seriously wtf?

If you're not Buddha then why have I been rubbing your belly for luck?

No, I have life figured all out, I've just learned from experience that putting that fact in writing is just asking to get a foot in your ass. If we can all learn anything from the racist Harvard 3L e-mail it is this: its Ok to think your actually smarter than other people /have the whole world figured out so long as you don't actually write that down, because when you do people have evidence to show your not. Moral of this story, think your superior/smarter/have all the answers/are well endowed, just don't write it down.

So...am I actually getting luck for this or are you just taking advantage of me?

[Matthies]

So...am I actually getting luck for this or are you just taking advantage of me?

That's why they call it "getting lucky"

[tru]

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[Locke N. Lawded]

I don't know why I'm bothering but...

I don't think anyone on here would trade 5 points on the LSAT for TFA, AmeriCorps, PeaceCorps, et. al. as they relate to law school admissions.

That said, maybe people advocate for these programs the same way they suggest someone 22 years-old and fresh out of ug work for a few years before attending law school? You know, so they have the opportunity to grow the fuck up, at least a little bit. In the case of such programs, they may even broaden a person's horizons and force them to question their assumptions about the world around them. (Or not.)

Whatever the case, if a person is in that big a hurry to grab for the next golden ring, that's their prerogative. I just don't see why someone wouldn't do something worthwhile/fun/unselfish for a year or two in between 7 years of school, being worked like a rented mule, paying off their loans, and dying.

I'm for kids taking a few years out just so they can figure out whether law school is actually something they want to do or if it is simply an idea planted into their heads by a helicopter parent.

[mhernton]

if your theory is correct, how do you explain my 2.2UGPA and 155LSAT in at a top30???

[mallard]

if your theory is correct, how do you explain my 2.2UGPA and 155LSAT in at a top30???

Well, how do you explain it?

[Thomas Jefferson]

damit I miss being young and so sure of myself. Life was so much easier when I thought I had the whole world figured out for other people than it is now knowing I didn't really know as much as thought I did back then.

Wait... Matthies doesn't have life all figured out?!?

Ya seriously wtf?

If you're not Buddha then why have I been rubbing your belly for luck?

No, I have life figured all out, I've just learned from experience that putting that fact in writing is just asking to get a foot in your ass. If we can all learn anything from the racist Harvard 3L e-mail it is this: its Ok to think your actually smarter than other people /have the whole world figured out so long as you don't actually write that down, because when you do people have evidence to show your not. Moral of this story, think your superior/smarter/have all the answers/are well endowed, just don't write it down.

1) The email was not racist.

2) Self-censorship is not a good thing.

3) Didn't you just contradict your own advice? (see bolded)

[MrKappus]

Haha "soft factors" ARE your life. The entire world does not come down to LS admissions. If you want to teach inner city kids, or serve you country in the military, do it. Don't let a few message board members stop you. You people make me sad.

"I'm not young enough to know everything."
- Oscar Wilde