Does this really happen to anyone or am I just crazy? =( Forum

[notaznguy]

Well, I'm an applying law school this Fall, and I'm very certain I want to be a lawyer. Now obviously I've encountered more than enough people and read more than enough articles to discourage me from going to law school. The stories I hear and read are discouraging and sometimes very frightening.

The thing is, sometimes I have nightmares or I "imagine"/daydream the worst scenario that will happen to me if I go to law school. Here would be a typical scenario I imagine to myself.

I went to law school (not a T-14, but not a no name trash school either, maybe something like UC Davis for instance) and I did "okay" (meaning not bottom of my class, but not tip top either) and I ended up over 100k in debt and unemployed. I'm scared what will happen next and the next thing you know, I cannot pay my loans and I end up moving back in my mom's house. Now, seeing as I can't find any legal job (or if I do, it's a very low paying, temporary one), and I have debt to pay, I take any job, such as a secretarial desk job or even a "shit law" job that pays no more than $15 an hour. However, my income is not enough and my mom starts helping me pay some of my debt. Now, in real life my family is actually very poor and my mother has a minimal wage job and my father has past away. What happens next is that in order to get through my debt, my family sells our house and belongings just to help finance my debt (I've actually asked them about this and they've said they would do this if it came down to something like this). Ultimately, my family is in ruins, we end up living in the cheapest, most affordable apartment in some run down neighborhood and I have the guilty feeling that I brought my family to poverty because of student debt and because I went to law school.

So yeah Sometimes I freak myself out, especially after reading articles online when you google "Why you shouldn't go to law school." I guess a legitimate question to ask is, Has anyone like my scenario ever happened to anyone in real life?

And if I'm NOT crazy for imagining and thinking about all this, and that there is legitimacy to my daydreams/nightmares, why aren't all of you like me scared and stressed like hell?

[Anonymous User]

Bad news: First of all, I got to a top 14 school and I know people around median who graduated unemployed and are doing shitlaw. Doing median at non top 14 school will almost certainly mean shitlaw or other unemployment. your job picture situation is pretty realistic.

Good news : On the upside, your financial analysis is too drastic. If you were to sit underemployed (you'd still be able to get a job waiting tables) or do shitlaw or be a barrista you would only pay down your debt according to a percent ( i think 15% through IBR). While not ideal, your debt would just keep accruing up but would be forgiven in 25 years. Your mom would not need to finance your house as under IBR you dont pay anything if you do not make money. Your family finances are not at risk from this decision and it would make no sense for your mom to finance it when you have no obligation to pay the loans.

[LurkerNoMore]

And if I'm NOT crazy for imagining and thinking about all this, and that there is legitimacy to my daydreams/nightmares, why aren't all of you like me scared and stressed like hell?

1. People who have seriously recognized this as a real possibility have taken affirmative steps to make sure it doesn't happen. They have looked at the ranking/debt ratio and made smart choices. If they are going to a school with a lot of debt, they have made sure it is a top school (that will give them access to the most markets across the country) and has a good LRAP program (that will provide a safety net incase they don't get a good paying job). Otherwise, they choose a school that will require them to go into very little or no debt in the region they want to practice in. These people will also hustle in school, focusing not just on their grades, but on networking and doing everything possible from day one to assure that they will have a job at graduation. They don't just have Plan A, they also have Plans B, C, D, E, etc.

2. Some people just don't think it could happen to them and work off of the ignorance is bliss theory of life.

[OldManHunger]

.

[dailygrind]

Not entirely positive where to move this, but it's certainly not something that belongs in the employment forum. Gonna cut you some slack and let you hang in the admissions forum, where you'll get a fair number of views and hopefully a good answer.

[dpk711]

Doing median at non top 14 school will almost certainly mean shitlaw or other unemployment. your job picture situation is pretty realistic.

The only non-top T14 is GULC.

[plum]

Not entirely positive where to move this, but it's certainly not something that belongs in the employment forum. Gonna cut you some slack and let you hang in the admissions forum, where you'll get a fair number of views and hopefully a good answer.

lol

[Total Litigator]

Overactive moderators.


How does this belong in the admissions forum more than it belongs in the employment forum. Serious, get a different hobby....

[InLikeFlint]

Overactive moderators.


How does this belong in the admissions forum more than it belongs in the employment forum. Serious, get a different hobby....

IBTBAN/LOCK/PWN

[SOCRATiC]

This is the EXACT reason why I'm on the verge of forgetting about law school.

[dailygrind]

Overactive moderators.


How does this belong in the admissions forum more than it belongs in the employment forum. Serious, get a different hobby....

The admissions forum is the main 0L clearinghouse, and as such often serves as my repository for this sort of question. Looking around the forum you'll see a few other threads which are general in nature as well - not my doing, it's just the nature of the forum. Allowing general questions to invade the employment forum without moderator reprisal would eventually let the whole thing be invaded - it's one of the richest sources of actual law student insight. So I took a look at something which I thought violated a general policy, and fixed it as best as I could. If you don't like it, well, frankly, I don't care.

[Total Litigator]

Overactive moderators.


How does this belong in the admissions forum more than it belongs in the employment forum. Serious, get a different hobby....

The admissions forum is the main 0L clearinghouse, and as such often serves as my repository for this sort of question. Looking around the forum you'll see a few other threads which are general in nature as well - not my doing, it's just the nature of the forum. Allowing general questions to invade the employment forum without moderator reprisal would eventually let the whole thing be invaded - it's one of the richest sources of actual law student insight. So I took a look at something which I thought violated a general policy, and fixed it as best as I could. If you don't like it, well, frankly, I don't care.

That's fair enough. (A) I was in a bad mood when I wrote that, and (B) I forgot that the employment forum gives people the ability to comment anonymously

[Borhas]

your family would sell their house to finance your debt?

That seems foolish

why not pay just enough not to go into default (but not whole amount of monthly payments)?

[acadec]

Doing median at non top 14 school will almost certainly mean shitlaw or other unemployment. your job picture situation is pretty realistic.

The only non-top T14 is GULC.

"Non top 14," not "non-top T14." He meant a school ranked 15th or lower.

[coldshoulder]

Doing median at non top 14 school will almost certainly mean shitlaw or other unemployment. your job picture situation is pretty realistic.

The only non-top T14 is GULC.

"Non top 14," not "non-top T14." He meant a school ranked 15th or lower.

He's just trolling GULC.

[dpk711]

Doing median at non top 14 school will almost certainly mean shitlaw or other unemployment. your job picture situation is pretty realistic.

The only non-top T14 is GULC.

"Non top 14," not "non-top T14." He meant a school ranked 15th or lower.

Ok, I'll admit I misunderstood. Nevertheless, there really isn't much difference between a 15-18th ranked school and GULC. On the other hand going from GULC to T13 makes a world of difference.