Drop out or... drop out? Forum

[pleasetryagain]

Best advice so far: don't seek significant life advice from complete strangers, who have no way to know what your "big picture" is, on a law school message board full of young people who have no idea wtf they are talking about (as evidenced by the lack of meaningful responses in this thread and the brilliant math exposition/ninja edit fail. Good luck.

[random5483]

wait. You knowingly attended a school where you would be horrified to be top 20% and upset to be top 5%?

Why would anyone attend a school they would be "upset" being in the top 5% and horrified to be top 20%?

Your career prospects in the "region" of the T4 won't be horrible. As others have said NY and SF jobs, specifically big law are impossible with your grades. Many prestigious government positions are out of the question as well. However, top 20% of a T4 is not a horrible position to be in, especially if you have a scholarship.

[happy187]

If you goal is to practice law in NY, dropping out of law school is counter-productive to meeting that target. If the end game is to only practice in NY and your school has a strong regional influence I would stay the course graduate and practice in your region. After a few years of real practice I would then look to lateral to NY.

[rangers0412]

Best advice so far: don't seek significant life advice from complete strangers, who have no way to know what your "big picture" is, on a law school message board full of young people who have no idea wtf they are talking about (as evidenced by the lack of meaningful responses in this thread and the brilliant math exposition/ninja edit fail. Good luck.

[AnyRandChangedmylife]

wait. You knowingly attended a school where you would be horrified to be top 20% and upset to be top 5%?

Why would anyone attend a school they would be "upset" being in the top 5% and horrified to be top 20%?

Your career prospects in the "region" of the T4 won't be horrible. As others have said NY and SF jobs, specifically big law are impossible with your grades. Many prestigious government positions are out of the question as well. However, top 20% of a T4 is not a horrible position to be in, especially if you have a scholarship.

I disagree. I think you are fine. You mentioned transferring. If you get into a NY school you should have no problem if you have similar grades in New York. You should find work though. No excuses. Get your ass on Craigslist and find a legal job! Top 20% is not bad, in fact, it's similar to where I am at. Also, you have a shot at Biglaw, but a slim one.

I liked the advice the best saying don't listen to anyone. Everyone's life is different, and people who listen to others end up getting not far. Believe me.

[moandersen]

wait. You knowingly attended a school where you would be horrified to be top 20% and upset to be top 5%?

Why would anyone attend a school they would be "upset" being in the top 5% and horrified to be top 20%?

Your career prospects in the "region" of the T4 won't be horrible. As others have said NY and SF jobs, specifically big law are impossible with your grades. Many prestigious government positions are out of the question as well. However, top 20% of a T4 is not a horrible position to be in, especially if you have a scholarship.

I disagree. I think you are fine. You mentioned transferring. If you get into a NY school you should have no problem if you have similar grades in New York. You should find work though. No excuses. Get your ass on Craigslist and find a legal job! Top 20% is not bad, in fact, it's similar to where I am at. Also, you have a shot at Biglaw, but a slim one.

I liked the advice the best saying don't listen to anyone. Everyone's life is different, and people who listen to others end up getting not far. Believe me.

dude's at a T4 in the top 20% my man. the biglaw boat likely left the dock once he enrolled. youre definitely smoking something.

[gwuorbust]

dude's at a T4 in the top 20% my man. the biglaw boat likely left the dock once he enrolled. youre definitely smoking something.

who says it ever left the dock?

--ImageRemoved--

[glewz]

You people can't change my quote when you quote it. What is the point of that?

Oh, I didn't realize the post was going to say "edited"

Wowww.

I laughed out loud

[Zazelmaf]

Thank you all for your kind replies. To be honest, I am going to wait and see what happens with my transfer apps. I have pretty much applied to every school in the NYC area, and am going to shoot some in SF (Hastings) and maybe L&C in Portland (as I was bred in the Northwest, and would not mind living in Portland). I am sure I can get in somewhere, and if I do, maybe with my GPA resetting, I'll have a good chance at getting top 10% or better. That's my plan as of now.

[shepdawg]

I don't get the problem. You did pretty good. Sure, you're not going to get a $100k job, but you'll still get a job. There's tons of people that graduate in the bottom of their class in TTTT who get jobs.

[Lucidity]

As I see it, your biggest problem isn't so much your grades, it's the fact that you weren't able to find any summer employment. That gaping hole in your resume will be extremely damning. Most 1l's start looking for summer jobs anywhere from late November all the way through to April. That means that while you're looking for your 1l summer job, you only have your first semester grades to report on your resume. I don't care where you go - top 5% at any aba accredited law school will get you a summer job, provided you actually put some modicum of effort into your job search. The fact that you have rock solid grades and yet were still unable to find a job was a big red flag for me, as it will likely be for any future employer.

If you decide to stay, i would suggest that you start working on a good explanation on why you can't find 1l summer work. Top 18% ish is still very respectable and grades can always be improved upon. The lack of legal experience, however, will be your biggest weakness.

[Zazelmaf]

As I see it, your biggest problem isn't so much your grades, it's the fact that you weren't able to find any summer employment. That gaping hole in your resume will be extremely damning. Most 1l's start looking for summer jobs anywhere from late November all the way through to April. That means that while you're looking for your 1l summer job, you only have your first semester grades to report on your resume. I don't care where you go - top 5% at any aba accredited law school will get you a summer job, provided you actually put some modicum of effort into your job search. The fact that you have rock solid grades and yet were still unable to find a job was a big red flag for me, as it will likely be for any future employer.

If you decide to stay, i would suggest that you start working on a good explanation on why you can't find 1l summer work. Top 18% ish is still very respectable and grades can always be improved upon. The lack of legal experience, however, will be your biggest weakness.

Yeah, I know. I guess I didn't really realize this. I have always been bad at finding work, and I thought, "I have nothing to offer". It's sad, but that's how it went and I can't change the past. I just have a hard time with what I can offer an employer and I know that's going to hurt me in this process. However, now I am looking, but not getting many replies. I applied to everything on my school's job board that is within reach. I hope to still have a chance to find a job this summer.

[FantasticMrFox]

Besides, if I could do math, I wouldn't be in law school

....

[boilerplated]

I don't have any good guesses as to what school you go to, but leaving aside the where, top 18% is pretty damn good. If you're really that down on yourself for that, you need to get some perspective. From a purely academic standpoint, you're doing fine, and may be in a position to transfer to somewhere better if that's what you want.

The no summer job thing isn't good, but I know where you're coming from. I've always been someone who just didn't apply to things because I assumed I was underqualified and didn't want to waste time writing a cover letter that I was sure would get passed over. One thing you may still be able to look for is an RA position, which a lot of professors hire for throughout the summer. It's probably not what you want, but it would be something to plug your resume with. I think employers know it's tough out there for law students, so if you can pull together anything at all I don't think you're in too bad of shape.

Last thing: If you're really set on living in NYC, already at a T4 and worried about debt, have you considered applying for a transfer to CUNY? I ask because I'm looking into it myself right now. It's strictly a public interest school, so maybe not what you're looking for, but it might be a wise consideration for you given some of the other things you've laid out.

[zeth006]

Best advice so far: don't seek significant life advice from complete strangers, who have no way to know what your "big picture" is, on a law school message board full of young people who have no idea wtf they are talking about (as evidenced by the lack of meaningful responses in this thread and the brilliant math exposition/ninja edit fail. Good luck.

[zeth006]

As I see it, your biggest problem isn't so much your grades, it's the fact that you weren't able to find any summer employment. That gaping hole in your resume will be extremely damning. Most 1l's start looking for summer jobs anywhere from late November all the way through to April. That means that while you're looking for your 1l summer job, you only have your first semester grades to report on your resume. I don't care where you go - top 5% at any aba accredited law school will get you a summer job, provided you actually put some modicum of effort into your job search. The fact that you have rock solid grades and yet were still unable to find a job was a big red flag for me, as it will likely be for any future employer.

If you decide to stay, i would suggest that you start working on a good explanation on why you can't find 1l summer work. Top 18% ish is still very respectable and grades can always be improved upon. The lack of legal experience, however, will be your biggest weakness.

Yeah, I know. I guess I didn't really realize this. I have always been bad at finding work, and I thought, "I have nothing to offer". It's sad, but that's how it went and I can't change the past. I just have a hard time with what I can offer an employer and I know that's going to hurt me in this process. However, now I am looking, but not getting many replies. I applied to everything on my school's job board that is within reach. I hope to still have a chance to find a job this summer.

Bro, employers for 1L summer aren't retarded. They've been where we've been. If you can just hurry up and find a summer job with a firm or nonprofit org, you'll probably just get questions about your favorite class or your writing skills. Or your view on a particular case they're handling and how you'd approach it. You won't get your ass grilled on the hot seat until OCI.

In other words, don't short-sell yourself. Now get going on finding that 1-2 month job.

[Zazelmaf]

I have a judicial internship interview coming up. I am pretty confident I will get it, so that would make me feel a ton better.

[kwais]

You people can't change my quote when you quote it. What is the point of that?

Oh, I didn't realize the post was going to say "edited"

Wowww.

I laughed out loud

+1 From incredulous to sheepish in 3 seconds flat. Love technology