if your professor asked you, why law school? Forum

[laggyking]

I requested LOR from two professors, both of them asked the same question, why law school?
I replied with a metaphor, a TV show, or opera show. My old major was like lighting and stage setting, lawyer is like a screenplay writer, with the understanding of both whats on the stage and whats behind the stage could help me make a great show.
I would like to hear advice from yall, how did you answer this question? feel like this is a very tricky question. were they just curious why I quit my old job and try to become a lawyer? or its going to be part of LOR.

[blueapple]

It's not a tricky question. They want to be able to write the best possible LOR for you which means they need to understand your goals and your reasoning for why you want to go to law school. You should reply again and explain why you want to be a lawyer.

[cantyoloforever]

What was your old major/career? And what is the "great show" that you wish to make by being a lawyer in combination with this old career? Kind of a strange metaphor to be honest, but maybe the missing pieces will reveal the murkiness.

[Rigo]

Lolwut your answer is super weird.

[TLSModBot]

Tell them you want a life where even in a day that you rush out of a partner call to get to your daughter in the emergency room and spend time there dealing with her dislocated arm, you still manage to bill 9+ hours that day.

Don't go to law school.

[cavalier1138]

Are you seriously asking other people to tell you why you want to go to law school?

[rcharter1978]

Are you seriously asking other people to tell you why you want to go to law school?

Yeah...this is strange, and I feel like OP's professors were probably super confused and are going to incorporate some weird ass metaphor into their LOR.

Oh well, maybe someone will be impressed.

[azaleafire]

IDK what your professors normally do, but mine ask for everything. We are talking personal statement, diversity, statement, resume, **and** an explanation about why I want to go to law school. It is what helps people write a good letter of rec, especially if you haven't been in their classroom for a while.

[laggyking]

What was your old major/career? And what is the "great show" that you wish to make by being a lawyer in combination with this old career? Kind of a strange metaphor to be honest, but maybe the missing pieces will reveal the murkiness.

Well, seems that my post was a little bit too ambiguous. I was a architect/urbanist, I was just trying to connect the stage thing with my readings in his class. We use theater as a metaphor to architecture. In my real email, I wrote much more than what I posted in this forum.

[laggyking]

It's not a tricky question. They want to be able to write the best possible LOR for you which means they need to understand your goals and your reasoning for why you want to go to law school. You should reply again and explain why you want to be a lawyer.

thanks!

[laggyking]

Lolwut your answer is super weird.

just want to know the taboo here, never asked a recommendation letter through email before, I usually did that in person. Since I graduated a year ago, going back to school, ask a letter in person become impossible.

[Rigo]

Lolwut your answer is super weird.

just want to know the taboo here, never asked a recommendation letter through email before, I usually did that in person. Since I graduated a year ago, going back to school, ask a letter in person become impossible.

Just come up with a better elevator small talk answer for next time.
I'm hoping you have a real reason and not that you want to write life's screenplay or whatever.

[laggyking]

Tell them you want a life where even in a day that you rush out of a partner call to get to your daughter in the emergency room and spend time there dealing with her dislocated arm, you still manage to bill 9+ hours that day.

Don't go to law school.

loool, I admit that my post was ambiguous, the way I say it was not accurate. but I dont understand what are u trying to say here. I don't know if I could be a good lawyer, but I'm pretty sure, you wont be a good one, because, before you ask me why I wrote these, u already start been sarcasm, and tell me not to go to law school. where is your critical thinking? You are not prepared for Law school.

[TLSModBot]

Tell them you want a life where even in a day that you rush out of a partner call to get to your daughter in the emergency room and spend time there dealing with her dislocated arm, you still manage to bill 9+ hours that day.

Don't go to law school.

loool, I admit that my post was ambiguous, the way I say it was not accurate. but I dont understand what are u trying to say here. I don't know if I could be a good lawyer, but I'm pretty sure, you wont be a good one, because, before you ask me why I wrote these, u already start been sarcasm, and tell me not to go to law school. where is your critical thinking? You are not prepared for Law school.

I'm definitely not already in practice and the above definitely didn't happen to me last night, that's for sure!

[laggyking]

Lolwut your answer is super weird.

just want to know the taboo here, never asked a recommendation letter through email before, I usually did that in person. Since I graduated a year ago, going back to school, ask a letter in person become impossible.

Just come up with a better elevator small talk answer for next time.
I'm hoping you have a real reason and not that you want to write life's screenplay or whatever.

Thank you. I was an architect, my professor has theater background, during his class, we used theater, lighting, and etc to discuss design and the impact of design. I was trying to make some connections here. I did not include everything I wrote in email on this post, that might cause some confusion.

[laggyking]

Tell them you want a life where even in a day that you rush out of a partner call to get to your daughter in the emergency room and spend time there dealing with her dislocated arm, you still manage to bill 9+ hours that day.

Don't go to law school.

loool, I admit that my post was ambiguous, the way I say it was not accurate. but I dont understand what are u trying to say here. I don't know if I could be a good lawyer, but I'm pretty sure, you wont be a good one, because, before you ask me why I wrote these, u already start been sarcasm, and tell me not to go to law school. where is your critical thinking? You are not prepared for Law school.

I'm definitely not already in practice and the above definitely didn't happen to me last night, that's for sure!

KK, whatever. Have a nice day.

[blueapple]

Tell them you want a life where even in a day that you rush out of a partner call to get to your daughter in the emergency room and spend time there dealing with her dislocated arm, you still manage to bill 9+ hours that day.

Don't go to law school.

loool, I admit that my post was ambiguous, the way I say it was not accurate. but I dont understand what are u trying to say here. I don't know if I could be a good lawyer, but I'm pretty sure, you wont be a good one, because, before you ask me why I wrote these, u already start been sarcasm, and tell me not to go to law school. where is your critical thinking? You are not prepared for Law school.

I'm definitely not already in practice and the above definitely didn't happen to me last night, that's for sure!

Hope your daughter is doing okay!

[Winter is Coming]

Yeah, when a professor asks you why you want to go to law school they usually want a real answer, not sometime of metaphor. If you can't give a real answer to that question you should hold off applying until you can.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I mean, it's fine, if the answer was referencing stuff they discussed in class I would imagine the prof got it. But really it isn't a tricky question at all - no one is trying to trip you up, they really just want to know why you're changing careers so they can write a persuasive letter for you. I wouldn't overthink things so much.

[vcap180]

Bumping this hilarious thread; hoping for another page or two of content.

OP: has your professor responsed since you delivered your metaphor?

[bmathers]

That metaphor response reminds me of the countless responses by my classmates and I in undergrad, when our education professors had us author why we wanted to be a teacher/go into education (our philosophy of education).

We call them "Hallmark Responses" (like Hallmark cards). Very Utopian, unrealistic, obviously written before practice. Let's just say, after years in practice as a teacher, mine has changed dramatically. I imagine the same will be true for "why law?"