Best law schools for older students Forum

[texaslawyer]

I would love to go to a T1 school, who wouldn't ? Although I hear they aren't very kind to older students. A friend of mine went to Duke at 45 and felt very out of place. What schools would any of you suggest ? I know that my LSAT scores must be off the chart to go T1, however T1 isn't an absolute requirement. You read some much info these days, it's hard to sort out what's relevant and what isn't. However, that's what we as attorneys will do. It's kind of what I do in my current position as an insurance agent.

[doyleoil]

northwestern? their emphasis on work experience leads to having an older student body - but fwiw 45 is gonna be significantly above the average age at any law school, which i'm assuming leads one to feel out of place naturally....overcoming that will be an uphill battle....not that it's impossible (and not at all that it SHOULD be that way)

[doctorgonzo]

If you are significantly older than the average student, you will be out of place. Especially if you are married, have children, and are just generally further along in your life than a 22-year old college graduate. No school is really going to change that. You just have to be prepared for it.

I'd recommend reading the book Later in Life Lawyers. It's pretty interesting.

[Helmholtz]

Out of the last eight years, the oldest age at matriculation at Northwestern was 45 years old in 2006. The average age is around 26, so at 40+ one would still be much older than at least most of the other students. Almost all schools are going to be in the 23-26 average age range.

[texaslawyer]

I agree that I will most likely be the oldest in any class or school. I know the average student may resent me being there, that's their perogative. If I worried about what people thought I wouldn't have accomplished anything. By their very nature attorneys have to be thick skinned individualists. IF THEY AREN'T THEY NEED TO DO SOMETHING ELSE ! I know that I need to hit a good LSAT score. I feel confident that I can do this. I hope to go to Northwestern. I like the Chicago area and it's definitely a top school. Wish me luck.

[uvalaw4l]

I agree that I will most likely be the oldest in any class or school. I know the average student may resent me being there, that's their perogative. If I worried about what people thought I wouldn't have accomplished anything. By their very nature attorneys have to be thick skinned individualists. IF THEY AREN'T THEY NEED TO DO SOMETHING ELSE ! I know that I need to hit a good LSAT score. I feel confident that I can do this. I hope to go to Northwestern. I like the Chicago area and it's definitely a top school. Wish me luck.

As a traditional student, I didn't ever pick up on any resentment towards non-trads. I think it's just that older or married students feel left out of the post-undergrad social groups. 30-40 year olds typically have less in common and/or aren't interested in hanging out with a bunch of 23-25 year olds. And most social events revolve around drinking and bars, so those aren't prime for people with families. I felt it was more like the older students didn't want to hang out with us rather than vice versa. That being said, there were a few that would go to section events like pot lucks or group dinners and all was fine.

[littleboyblue]

i will be one of the "older" students with two young kids. i am planning on going to the best school i can get into (assuming all works out with moving my family, etc.) i don't think there will be any resentment. i am just preparing myself for having a different experience - i won't be going to many bar reviews b/c i'll be home with my kids and husband (and will probably be commuting to school). but i will also try to make an effort to get to know people even if we aren't the same age and don't share many life experiences...

[staplegunsarefun]

Depending on your situation (and how much you care about feeling older than the average student), you might try one of the evening programs. The median age for admitted students in evening / part-time programs tends to be older (I know at one of the programs I applied to the average incoming part-time student was 29). Of course T1 schools tend to only have full-time, day programs. But some of the T2 schools have evening programs.

[uvalaw4l]

i will be one of the "older" students with two young kids. i am planning on going to the best school i can get into (assuming all works out with moving my family, etc.) i am not worried about resentment by the younger students. i am just preparing myself for having a different experience - i won't be going to many bar reviews b/c i'll be home with my kids and husband (and will probably be commuting to school). but i will also try to make an effort to get to know people even if we aren't the same age and don't share many life experiences...

This is a really good attitude. There was a much older student at my school and he was actually pretty popular (not the clique type of popular but in that most students knew who he was and most genuinely liked him). He wasn't showing up to the bars or anything but he participated in Libel Show (our "school play") which everyone thought was pretty cool and generally, he's just an awesome guy. I don't want to say too much and identify him but he spent a long time doing something else and he had a lot of great stories and advice.

Why do you all feel there's resentment from younger students? That surprises me.

[littleboyblue]

This is a really good attitude. There was a much older student at my school and he was actually pretty popular (not the clique type of popular but in that most students knew who he was and most genuinely liked him). He wasn't showing up to the bars or anything but he participated in Libel Show (our "school play") which everyone thought was pretty cool and generally, he's just an awesome guy. I don't want to say too much and identify him but he spent a long time doing something else and he had a lot of great stories and advice.

Why do you all feel there's resentment from younger students? That surprises me.

I don't think there will be resentment. I do think some of the younger students will think of me as the "mom" in their class however.

[uvalaw4l]

This is a really good attitude. There was a much older student at my school and he was actually pretty popular (not the clique type of popular but in that most students knew who he was and most genuinely liked him). He wasn't showing up to the bars or anything but he participated in Libel Show (our "school play") which everyone thought was pretty cool and generally, he's just an awesome guy. I don't want to say too much and identify him but he spent a long time doing something else and he had a lot of great stories and advice.

Why do you all feel there's resentment from younger students? That surprises me.

I don't think there will be resentment. I do think some of the younger students will think of me as the "mom" in their class however.

haha gotcha. Yeah, there's that.

[texaslawyer]

I was worried that the traditional students might feel like they are going to school with their parents and I thought some may resent it. I am married and have no kids, two stepsons, both grown. I really would love to interact with the traditional students. I feel like they can teach me as much, if not more than I can teach them. I'll socialize and got pot luck suppers, whatever. I really mean this. I went to undergrad with a lot of older students and we go along great. I don't know, maybe it's all in my head. What do you all think ? I mean being an insurance agent I have to deal with people 18-80 in terms they can appreciate and understand.

[amyLAchemist]

I was worried that the traditional students might feel like they are going to school with their parents and I thought some may resent it. I am married and have no kids, two stepsons, both grown. I really would love to interact with the traditional students. I feel like they can teach me as much, if not more than I can teach them. I'll socialize and got pot luck suppers, whatever. I really mean this. I went to undergrad with a lot of older students and we go along great. I don't know, maybe it's all in my head. What do you all think ? I mean being an insurance agent I have to deal with people 18-80 in terms they can appreciate and understand.

I guess it depends on the individual students I'll be 27 when I start law school, and I know that I would be happy to interact (have lunch, go to dinner, study together, etc) with someone almost 15 years older than me, granted that they are fun to be around.

[texaslawyer]

I can be a character, so I'm told. I love to listen and learn. Sometimes I tend to talk too much, but I'm working on that. I should have gone to law school in my 20s. However, partying was more of a prioirty. Live and learn.

[laurathenerd]

BYU might be good for an older student, just because so many of the students are already older than average due to 2 year church missions for the guys. Many of the students are married and have young kids. I'm doing my undergrad at BYU and we have lots of older women who are going back and earning their degrees and they usually fit in just fine, and I would assume that it would be similar at the law school (although you never know)

[bigben]

Although I hear they aren't very kind to older students.

How is that exactly? Like, the administration hates you? Or do you think that there is something about law students at top schools that makes them, as a group, particularly malicious towards people who are older than them?

None of this seems likely to me.

I don't know, maybe it's all in my head.

It sounds like you're just asking about the social dynamics of being in a group where you are older (by 20 yrs?) than everybody else. The answer is probably that it is what you make of it. For example, ask yourself if you are going to law school as a fun social activity versus doing it to get an education. If the latter, I can't see how any of this would matter much.

[Paichka]

I'll be 27 when classes start next fall, and the babybump will be 6 months old by then. I'll WANT to hang out with people at bars and blow off steam when I can, but...meh. We'll see how it goes. I'm essentially rocking the single-mom status during 1L, because the hubs will be heading downrange for his third (!!) deployment, but hopefully nobody holds it against me if I'm totally boring.

[hayman]

I'll be 27 when classes start next fall, and the babybump will be 6 months old by then. I'll WANT to hang out with people at bars and blow off steam when I can, but...meh. We'll see how it goes. I'm essentially rocking the single-mom status during 1L, because the hubs will be heading downrange for his third (!!) deployment, but hopefully nobody holds it against me if I'm totally boring.

if youre preg, you should just stay home and drink

[Paichka]

I'll be 27 when classes start next fall, and the babybump will be 6 months old by then. I'll WANT to hang out with people at bars and blow off steam when I can, but...meh. We'll see how it goes. I'm essentially rocking the single-mom status during 1L, because the hubs will be heading downrange for his third (!!) deployment, but hopefully nobody holds it against me if I'm totally boring.

if youre preg, you should just stay home and drink

That was actually my first thought. Then I decided FAS is a total drag.

[lollypotter]

There were some non trads at my UG and people liked them. I can't imagine that people would resent you (why? you've earned your place fair and square). The only thing is that if you think people dislike you and act accordingly, it may become a self fulfilling prophecy. Also <45 is a huge age range, you may get on with some of the students and not others. I wouldn't worry about it though.

I'm gonna be honest, I've been in the workplace for 2 years now and I spend a lot of time with people of all ages. I cannot wait to get back to people in their mid 20s. I'm not a big drinker, or a heavy partier, or stupid. I just miss the intellectual freedom of debating til 3 in the morning about something abstract and no one getting offended. In my office, for example, you weren't allowed to talk about the election (actual HR rule). It just creates a totally different kind of dynamic. So it may be worth being aware that people are at different stages in their lives, need different things and there's nothing wrong with that.

[TopCat]

Although I hear they aren't very kind to older students.

How is that exactly? Like, the administration hates you? Or do you think that there is something about law students at top schools that makes them, as a group, particularly malicious towards people who are older than them?

None of this seems likely to me.

I don't know, maybe it's all in my head.

It sounds like you're just asking about the social dynamics of being in a group where you are older (by 20 yrs?) than everybody else. The answer is probably that it is what you make of it. For example, ask yourself if you are going to law school as a fun social activity versus doing it to get an education. If the latter, I can't see how any of this would matter much.

+1

You probably will be fine, OP. I bet many traditional students appreciate there being non-trads around. However, just make sure you don't come off as a condescending "what do you kids know about life and living?" old bore.

In any case, I think that will be the least of your worries once in LS. As the (in)famous and enlightened real-estate developer-cum-philosopher of our times said, "Get in, get it done, get it done right, and get out."

[littleboyblue]

I'll be 27 when classes start next fall, and the babybump will be 6 months old by then. I'll WANT to hang out with people at bars and blow off steam when I can, but...meh. We'll see how it goes. I'm essentially rocking the single-mom status during 1L, because the hubs will be heading downrange for his third (!!) deployment, but hopefully nobody holds it against me if I'm totally boring.

wow - how are you planning on handling law school and parenting (esp. since your hubby will be away)? i am nervous about it (i have two young children) and the childcare stuff is freaking me out!

[Paichka]

I'll be 27 when classes start next fall, and the babybump will be 6 months old by then. I'll WANT to hang out with people at bars and blow off steam when I can, but...meh. We'll see how it goes. I'm essentially rocking the single-mom status during 1L, because the hubs will be heading downrange for his third (!!) deployment, but hopefully nobody holds it against me if I'm totally boring.

wow - how are you planning on handling law school and parenting (esp. since your hubby will be away)? i am nervous about it (i have two young children) and the childcare stuff is freaking me out!

Well, finding out I was knocked up made the "which region?" question a lot easier. I focused my apps on schools in the DC area (Georgetown is my first choice) because my parents live in NoVa. Mom has already said she'll watch BabyPai while I'm in class. It's not going to be easy, but it'll be worth it. Once my husband is back from deployment, things will get a lot easier, so I just have to tough it out for one year.

[amyLAchemist]

I'll be 27 when classes start next fall, and the babybump will be 6 months old by then. I'll WANT to hang out with people at bars and blow off steam when I can, but...meh. We'll see how it goes. I'm essentially rocking the single-mom status during 1L, because the hubs will be heading downrange for his third (!!) deployment, but hopefully nobody holds it against me if I'm totally boring.

wow - how are you planning on handling law school and parenting (esp. since your hubby will be away)? i am nervous about it (i have two young children) and the childcare stuff is freaking me out!

Well, finding out I was knocked up made the "which region?" question a lot easier. I focused my apps on schools in the DC area (Georgetown is my first choice) because my parents live in NoVa. Mom has already said she'll watch BabyPai while I'm in class. It's not going to be easy, but it'll be worth it. Once my husband is back from deployment, things will get a lot easier, so I just have to tough it out for one year.

Yeah, I think if you have family that will make it easier.

[StCuervo]

Depending on your situation (and how much you care about feeling older than the average student), you might try one of the evening programs. The median age for admitted students in evening / part-time programs tends to be older (I know at one of the programs I applied to the average incoming part-time student was 29). Of course T1 schools tend to only have full-time, day programs. But some of the T2 schools have evening programs.

+1

The DC area has five top-100 schools (four T1) with PT programs. Check out GULC, GW, Mason, American and Catholic. You might run into me at one of them -- I'll be 33 next year.