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I am in a masters program. When I complete it next year I will be 29. I want to go to law school. I am wondering if working for two years after finishing my masters degree will be beneficial or if adcomms frown upon admitting older applicants. I know many answers will be that "it depends," but what is the general consensus? Just because the average age at most schools is 24, I'm not sure it's because schools don't like admitting older applicants.

powermike wrote:I am in a masters program. When I complete it next year I will be 29. I want to go to law school. I am wondering if working for two years after finishing my masters degree will be beneficial or if adcomms frown upon admitting older applicants. I know many answers will be that "it depends," but what is the general consensus? Just because the average age at most schools is 24, I'm not sure it's because schools don't like admitting older applicants.

It won't hurt you, and will likely be viewed as a slight positive, because you have life and real world experience you can bring to a law school class, which is often full of people straight or recently out of undergrad. Your GPA and LSAT are what is important.

Age as a sole factor is not that important, especially since you will be around 30 by the time you enter law school. I visited the University of Houston recently and sat in on a class. looking around the class, the age ranged from fresh out of undergrad to ~45 years old. its more a matter of what you have done with your time and why you want to go to law school

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powermike wrote:I am in a masters program. When I complete it next year I will be 29. I want to go to law school. I am wondering if working for two years after finishing my masters degree will be beneficial or if adcomms frown upon admitting older applicants. I know many answers will be that "it depends," but what is the general consensus? Just because the average age at most schools is 24, I'm not sure it's because schools don't like admitting older applicants.

I'm older than you, and I got into Columbia, NYU and Berkeley. It will have an impact come OCI, but for law school admissions, you're basically just your numbers like everyone else.

I'm 43 and I got into NYU.


LOLLZZZ JK!!!

ahduth wrote:

powermike wrote:I am in a masters program. When I complete it next year I will be 29. I want to go to law school. I am wondering if working for two years after finishing my masters degree will be beneficial or if adcomms frown upon admitting older applicants. I know many answers will be that "it depends," but what is the general consensus? Just because the average age at most schools is 24, I'm not sure it's because schools don't like admitting older applicants.

I'm older than you, and I got into Columbia, NYU and Berkeley. It will have an impact come OCI, but for law school admissions, you're basically just your numbers like everyone else.

glitched wrote:I'm 43 and I got into NYU.


LOLLZZZ JK!!!

Would either of you mind PMing? I have some more specific questions that I'd like to ask relevant to the programs you were admitted to.

I would say that anyone from 21-50 should not be concerned about age affecting their application. The bigger question is what work would you be doing and would it be of substancial help to your application.

Age only matters if she's under 18.

the real question is how does age play in BigLaw recruiting

HarlandBassett wrote:the real question is how does age play in BigLaw recruiting

In the NY Times article (Is Law School A Losing Game), one of the guys they interview says that because he was 32 when he gradated, no big firms wanted to hire him because he wasn't as impressionable or as easily forced to work crazy hours as younger people. This may or may not be complete bullsh!t. It may be true, but it may also be an excuse he came up with himself as to why he wasn't getting any jobs.

sanetruth wrote:

HarlandBassett wrote:the real question is how does age play in BigLaw recruiting

In the NY Times article (Is Law School A Losing Game), one of the guys they interview says that because he was 32 when he gradated, no big firms wanted to hire him because he wasn't as impressionable or as easily forced to work crazy hours as younger people. This may or may not be complete bullsh!t. It may be true, but it may also be an excuse he came up with himself as to why he wasn't getting any jobs.

That dude also went to Albany law. Not saying that age won't be a negative at OCI. I certainly don't expect to do as well as my younger colleagues, but there are always conflating factors.

44 and attending this fall. I've heard the same about it being (possibly) advantageous to admissions and a hindrance to employment. Law schools look for diversity and age is a positive factor. I attended an admitted student orientation and there were a few people older than I, and one woman clearly in her 60's.

What I worry about more is less time to pay back student loans.