To what degree does being VERY young hurt/harm me? Forum

[Sweetneers]

I started college at 15. I've heard different opinions about this being something that will help (I appear intelligent) and I've heard that it also can harm me (I appear immature).

Any input appreciated. TIA.

[acr]

As long as you are mature relative to your peers, I don't think it will hurt you. The one place it might make more of an impact is at OCI when employers are looking to hire mature individuals.

That being said, I wouldn't recommend law school at such a young age to anyone. I went to law school at a slightly younger-than-normal age, against the advice on this forum, and regret it every day. I wish I would have taken a few years to work a decent job, enjoy life, travel, etc. Law school is truly miserable and I can't think of a pressing reason to ever thrust yourself into it if there are questions about your maturity

[ltbenn]

I would also advise you to take a few years to work/explore -- WE/international experience can only improve your chances both for school acceptance and for job offers.

Less important but certainly still significant - law school social life pretty much revolves, for better or for worse, around drinking. If you're under 21, you will be very overtly left out of a lot of the socializing.

In short - you have the opportunity to start law school when you're the same age as "regular" K-JDs but with the work experience (and possibly the savings account!) of a non-traditional applicant. Take some time off, work, travel and enjoy yourself. Then apply when you can get into bars.

[QuentonCassidy]

I started college at 15. I've heard different opinions about this being something that will help (I appear intelligent) and I've heard that it also can harm me (I appear immature).

Any input appreciated. TIA.

Completely anecdotal, but this lsn user gets mentioned a lot in regard to this situation: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/proud2b19
19 years old when applying to law school and severely underperformed their numbers (172/4.18 and only T-14 acceptance was Gtown).
Thus your age may make you less competitive, but once again, one lsn profile isn't the most rock solid evidence in the world.

I would echo other posters' advice to work for a couple of years, can only help.

[Clearly]

I genuinely think you'd be massacred at OCI without WE. You could take some time off and work, then apply and you'd be as young as K-JDs but with WE and would do fine. But being younger than KJD with no WE would be a strong hill to climb.

[Lincoln]

A partner told me during recruiting that his test, after you've passed the academic hurdle, is "would I leave this person alone in a room with my most important client?" Only you (or your friends) can know if your age means you appear immature compared to what is generally a very buttoned-up profession, but it's worth thinking about.

FWIW, I started law school at 29 and did better during the job hunt than pretty much any of my peers with similar academic pedigree.

Also I echo the sentiment expressed by other posters that taking time off before law school is time well invested.

[PoopyPants]

I'm going to echo everyone else. You have a great opportunity to be the same age as K-JD applicants, but with a few years of work experience. That is a great advantage that you should definitely take.

[landshoes]

I graduated from college early and I am really glad that I took a ton of time off. One of the nice things about graduating early is that you have more years of freedom while you're young. I suggest taking advantage of it instead of tying yourself up in law school, especially if you can get a job that pays a decent salary and allows for a decent standard of living.

That said, I know we have a few people in our class who are under 21, so it's not an absolute bar to you being admitted to law school. That doesn't mean it's a good idea, though.

[kaiser]

I wish I had taken some more time before law school to get some work experience and life experience in general. Yes, being young and appearing immature is something that tends to work against you. You would be doing yourself a disservice by applying too early.

[crumb cake]

I genuinely think you'd be massacred at OCI without WE.

[Mack.Hambleton]

u irl

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/proud2b19

[Stardust84]

Being the doogie howser of law would suck bad. Take some time to live some life. You're not even old enough to drink for a couple years. The perspective and experience would only help.

[twenty]

It sucked to be one of the youngest people at my school. I can't even imagine how much more it would have sucked if I'd gone at 19.

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

The truth is that it depends. I turned 22 in the middle of OCI and never felt like my age was a problem. If you'd be 21 by OCI that's gonna be a speed bump but it isn't a disqualifier in any way if you honestly do carry yourself well--grades, charisma and good bidding trump all.

I know that most voices seem to go the other way on this, but count me as someone very relieved to have gone to law school early. When I think about the financial benchmarks that you need to hit in order to live a UMC life in the NYC area, having another year to build on that/compound investments is a huge relief for me, and more personally satisfying than having taken a year or two to go fuck around somewhere temporarily. Between college, the spring/summer I spent abroad after college, and 2L/3L, I feel like I've had plenty of time to fuck around. I feel bad for the kids that are going to start Biglaw at like 30--it seems like they've just wasted time to wind up in the same place as the 25-year-olds. Also, I couldn't imagine the stress of starting a family (like most people want to do by their early/mid-thirties) with the debt monster still hanging over your head.

[A. Nony Mouse]

1) not everyone goes into life-affecting debt.
2) not everyone does biglaw.
3) not everyone spends the time before law school "fucking around."
4) a year or two in the grand scheme of things is not remotely a big deal, and only seems so the younger a person is.

(All that said, go to law school when you want to go to law school, but there isn't one correct route - there are just different reasons for different people.)

[Lincoln]

The truth is that it depends. I turned 22 in the middle of OCI and never felt like my age was a problem. If you'd be 21 by OCI that's gonna be a speed bump but it isn't a disqualifier in any way if you honestly do carry yourself well--grades, charisma and good bidding trump all.

I know that most voices seem to go the other way on this, but count me as someone very relieved to have gone to law school early. When I think about the financial benchmarks that you need to hit in order to live a UMC life in the NYC area, having another year to build on that/compound investments is a huge relief for me, and more personally satisfying than having taken a year or two to go fuck around somewhere temporarily. Between college, the spring/summer I spent abroad after college, and 2L/3L, I feel like I've had plenty of time to fuck around. I feel bad for the kids that are going to start Biglaw at like 30--it seems like they've just wasted time to wind up in the same place as the 25-year-olds. Also, I couldn't imagine the stress of starting a family (like most people want to do by their early/mid-thirties) with the debt monster still hanging over your head.

Every single one of your statements refers to money, whereas none of the benefits I got from being older have anything to do with money. To wind up with the same salary =/= "to wind up in the the same place." We 30-somethings don't need your sympathy.

[03152016]

I feel bad for the kids that are going to start Biglaw at like 30--it seems like they've just wasted time to wind up in the same place as the 25-year-olds.

i feel bad for kids who go straight through and never experienced life
20 years of straight schooling and then dumped directly into a grinding firm job
sry, u may find that to be an appealing existence but i'd rather put a bullet thru my skull, i'm not joking

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

1) not everyone goes into life-affecting debt.
2) not everyone does biglaw.
3) not everyone spends the time before law school "fucking around."
4) a year or two in the grand scheme of things is not remotely a big deal, and only seems so the younger a person is.

(All that said, go to law school when you want to go to law school, but there isn't one correct route - there are just different reasons for different people.)

In the context of T14 students,

1. Most do
2. Most do
3. If you have some important personal goals to accomplish, go for it. If you're just getting a job to have a job, that's a waste.
4. Personally? Probably not. Financially? Compounded investment gain really add up. One year might not be a huge difference; three or four could be pretty noticeable by the time you're middle-aged.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Lincoln said it way better than I could:

Every single one of your statements refers to money, whereas none of the benefits I got from being older have anything to do with money. To wind up with the same salary =/= "to wind up in the the same place." We 30-somethings don't need your sympathy.

Your perspective on this is pretty narrow.

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

Every single one of your statements refers to money, whereas none of the benefits I got from being older have anything to do with money. To wind up with the same salary =/= "to wind up in the the same place." We 30-somethings don't need your sympathy.

Fine. Like I said, most of them don't seem to regret it. I told you I was in the minority on this. It doesn't mean there aren't some practical difficulties with doing so, and it's still worth a cost-benefit analysis like any trade off. But I didn't tell anybody that following a dream, or even a worthwhile endeavor, was a dumb idea.

i feel bad for kids who go straight through and never experienced life
20 years of straight schooling and then dumped directly into a grinding firm job
sry, u may find that to be an appealing existence but i'd rather put a bullet thru my skull, i'm not joking

Not that anyone at all is particularly excited to dive into Biglaw, but it's dumb to think K-JDs haven't "experienced life" in the context of something you could only learn/do by waiting a few years before going to law school.

[03152016]

[...] 2) not everyone does biglaw. [...]

In the context of T14 students, [...]
2. Most do [...]

sure, "most" do
but barely

[A. Nony Mouse]

Not that anyone at all is particularly excited to dive into Biglaw, but it's dumb to think K-JDs haven't "experienced life" in the context of something you could only learn/do by waiting a few years before going to law school.

Unless that K-JD was actually independent and supported themselves entirely by working full-time while/before going to school (in which case mostly they wouldn't be K-JDs), that's not true at all. Living on your own and supporting yourself through your job - and having had that experience already before going to law school - is a big life thing. It's not that you'll never do that if you don't go to law school; it's that when you do it before law school, you have way more information to make informed decisions about what you do while in law school.

[03152016]

Lincoln said it way better than I could:

Every single one of your statements refers to money, whereas none of the benefits I got from being older have anything to do with money. To wind up with the same salary =/= "to wind up in the the same place." We 30-somethings don't need your sympathy.

Your perspective on this is pretty narrow.

ya this is a good point

to add my 2c, i used my yrs off to take on the kind of risk i knew i would only tolerate while i was young
like eschewing a normal job to focus on my art and be part of an amazing artistic community in ny
like joining political movements and spending my days taking direct action
like starting two successful small businesses from scratch
and much more

these experiences i would not trade for any amount of money in the world
they make my life rich in a way that compounding interest does not

[Monochromatic Oeuvre]

Not that anyone at all is particularly excited to dive into Biglaw, but it's dumb to think K-JDs haven't "experienced life" in the context of something you could only learn/do by waiting a few years before going to law school.

Unless that K-JD was actually independent and supported themselves entirely by working full-time while/before going to school (in which case mostly they wouldn't be K-JDs), that's not true at all. Living on your own and supporting yourself through your job - and having had that experience already before going to law school - is a big life thing. It's not that you'll never do that if you don't go to law school; it's that when you do it before law school, you have way more information to make informed decisions about what you do while in law school.

What exactly is it that you'd expect someone in their early twenties to learn? Most jobs are kind of dreary even if you have the vague notion that Biglaw is going to be a lot worse? Bills are kind of a pain in the ass? Getting blitzed on Tuesday nights is not a good idea when you have to be in the office the next morning at 9? In the real world, people won't let you know how you're doing by assigning you a letter? It's worth investing 30 minutes now to learn how to tie a decent tie knot for the rest of your life?

I never endorse anyone going to law school if they're not sure based on a "fuck it" rationale, or because they just don't know what else they could do. But if you're sure you want to go law school and you're not going to use the intervening time to do something cool or personally gratifying, and instead you're just going to wind up in marketing or some bullshit desk job like the majority of them do, then I'm not sure there's really a point to it.

[seashell.economy]

I'm 30, just now applying to law school, spent a few years fucking around, and I am seriously worried about money. I'll take monochromeatic's sympathy if no one else wants it, lol