What next? Forum

Knuckles · Post by **Knuckles** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:26 am

I read GTM twice, really put in the hours, and ended my semester with a great understanding of the material. Unfortunately the only grades I have right now are C- and two C+'s. I go to a TTT, and I just don't know if sticking it out is my best option from a financial standpoint. I never had a burning passion for law; my decision was based on reason and what I thought was an educated assessment of my skill set. But, if I don't continue in the spring, I'm really left with a question mark for the future.

I'm 22. My undergraduate degree was in linguistics. I have literally no job experience save for tutoring people throughout my undergraduate years. Every job in the classifieds wants the applicant to have 3+ years of experience or something of that ilk, and I'm terrified that no one will give me the chance to take a job and run with it. To top it all off, I have virtually no financial support system; my relatives and partner are supportive, but about as broke as they come.

I don't know what I'm asking you guys. I guess the smartest thing to ask is what you would do in my circumstances. I am going to a counselor on campus tomorrow (not career services, like a therapist) to get a neutral, third-party perspective. I'm trying to stay collected, but that's all I can summon right now.

tl;dr What would you do, what would be your next step?

truevines · Post by **truevines** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:36 am

Knuckles wrote:I read GTM twice, really put in the hours, and ended my semester with a great understanding of the material. Unfortunately the only grades I have right now are C- and two C+'s. I go to a TTT, and I just don't know if sticking it out is my best option from a financial standpoint. I never had a burning passion for law; my decision was based on reason and what I thought was an educated assessment of my skill set. But, if I don't continue in the spring, I'm really left with a question mark for the future.

I'm 22. My undergraduate degree was in linguistics. I have literally no job experience save for tutoring people throughout my undergraduate years. Every job in the classifieds wants the applicant to have 3+ years of experience or something of that ilk, and I'm terrified that no one will give me the chance to take a job and run with it. To top it all off, I have virtually no financial support system; my relatives and partner are supportive, but about as broke as they come.

I don't know what I'm asking you guys. I guess the smartest thing to ask is what you would do in my circumstances. I am going to a counselor on campus tomorrow (not career services, like a therapist) to get a neutral, third-party perspective. I'm trying to stay collected, but that's all I can summon right now.

tl;dr What would you do, what would be your next step?

Bottom of the class in a TTT = dropping out.

It's only one semester. drop out before it's too late.

ben4847 · Post by **ben4847** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:44 am

I agree. The best decision is probably to drop out. It kind of stinks, but you're only 22, and you've got a whole life ahead. I don't know anything about linguistics, so I can't offer advice on that.

Blessedassurance · Post by **Blessedassurance** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:47 am

You could be an officer in the military.

Knuckles · Post by **Knuckles** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:51 am

Blessedassurance wrote:You could be an officer in the military.

True, I speak Russian too. But I'm super puny (willowy has been used to describe me most of my life), so I don't know about meeting any physical demands.

Blessedassurance · Post by **Blessedassurance** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:52 am

Knuckles wrote:
Blessedassurance wrote:You could be an officer in the military.
True, I speak Russian too. But I'm super puny (willowy has been used to describe me most of my life), so I don't know about meeting any physical demands.

You'll like the Airforce.

Blessedassurance · Post by **Blessedassurance** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:54 am

I agree though, the military isn't for everybody.

Knuckles · Post by **Knuckles** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:57 am

Blessedassurance wrote:I agree though, the military isn't for everybody.

Yeah and being gay and in a long term relationship makes a choice like that have implications that it may otherwise not imply. He's hopefully going to get in at a med school (37 MCAT), but I don't want to bank on anything.

The idea of leaving him and my family to join the military makes me sick to my stomach.

memo2partner · Post by **memo2partner** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:58 am

I think you know what to do.

thesealocust · Post by **thesealocust** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:58 am

Knuckles wrote:I read GTM twice, really put in the hours, and ended my semester with a great understanding of the material. Unfortunately the only grades I have right now are C- and two C+'s. I go to a TTT

You should drop out of law school.

kalvano · Post by **kalvano** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:07 am

Knuckles wrote:
Blessedassurance wrote:You could be an officer in the military.
True, I speak Russian too. But I'm super puny (willowy has been used to describe me most of my life), so I don't know about meeting any physical demands.

You should apply to the CIA, no bullshit. People who can speak Russian and have a gift for languages are some of their most prized candidates.

NeighborGuy · Post by **NeighborGuy** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:18 am

Gub'ment work. Linguistics folk are in high demand, especially for Russian and middle-eastern languages. Not to be a jerk, but from my objective viewpoint, law school was a horrible idea in the first place considering your options and the fact that you didn't even really want to go that bad.

Going to the USAF and getting your butter bar would be the easiest and fastest way to get yourself a jerb with good quality of life. CIA would be good too, but the application process takes as long as a year (so I'm told). Talk to your nearest AF recruiter tomorrow and get the ball rolling!

NoleinNY · Post by **NoleinNY** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:21 am

Drop out. Use the money you save from law school to buy a $40 pull up bar. Do pull ups and pushups every day for 6 months and apply for the military/CIA/FBI.

Richie Tenenbaum · Post by **Richie Tenenbaum** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:40 am

What's the curve at your school? Are you paying sticker? Telling people 3 grades doesn't give complete information, especially since it's likely your curve will be lower than the schools of many of the people responding to this thread. With that said, unless your curve is just absolutely brutal, it seems very likely you are significantly below median. If that's the case, cutting your losses right now might be the most logical decision.

ETA:
If it was me, I would find out: 1) when tuition is due for the next semester; 2) my class rank (or approximate class rank); and 3) what my grades would need to be to be in at least the top 20% (maybe 10% if you are paying sticker, since you really need to try and get biglaw).

It seems likely that end result of getting this information is that I would drop out very soon. I would start planning on post-law school plans. And if your partner is planning on being a doctor, then you seem to be in a good position if the relationship is a serious one. Look at the potential silver-lining--you can now be geographically flexible to follow him wherever he goes and get a job in that city.

Blessedassurance · Post by **Blessedassurance** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:41 am

Knuckles wrote: Yeah and being gay and in a long term relationship makes a choice like that have implications that it may otherwise not imply. He's hopefully going to get in at a med school (37 MCAT), but I don't want to bank on anything.

The idea of leaving him and my family to join the military makes me sick to my stomach.

Making plans on a relationship is even worse than Law School. I understand if you hate the military, a lot of people do. It's one of those things where you either love it or hate it. You have other more attractive options besides law school. At the very least you should take some time off and do some serious soul-searching.

In the interim, it's probably best to cut your losses. The more debt you get into, the more dire your situation will become.

HBK · Post by **HBK** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:12 am

You're 22, you should disregard any relationship you are in when considering your future. 18-25 year old relationships are doomed for failure.

kalvano · Post by **kalvano** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:14 am

HBK wrote:You're 22, you should disregard any relationship you are in when considering your future. 18-25 year old relationships are doomed for failure.

Not always.

HBK · Post by **HBK** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 4:09 am

kalvano wrote:
HBK wrote:You're 22, you should disregard any relationship you are in when considering your future. 18-25 year old relationships are doomed for failure.
Not always.

Not always, but if I was still with the girl I was dating when I was 22, I wouldn't be anywhere close to law school. Additionally, if his S.O. is going to med school, a move is in their future regardless.

reasonable_man · Post by **reasonable_man** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 9:46 am

I don't really see why you would stay. It doesn't sound like you were meant to be a lawyer and frankly, no matter how good the rest of your grades are, you're not going to drastically improve your GPA. Unless you are going for free (and there are no stipulations attached to your scholarship), I'd cut my losses and try something new.

crossarmant · Post by **crossarmant** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 9:48 am

Cut your losses and drop out. If the poor performance wasn't for lack of trying, then maybe you just aren't cut out for the next 5 semesters of law school. If you really want more graduate work or whatnot, see about a graduate level linguistics program to help your employment chances with the government or something. You could probably get enrolled in a decent program by the fall.

As for work, I can feel you not wanting to go into the military. I know I sure as hell wouldn't. That's one area I can't help you with though.

Borhas · Post by **Borhas** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 10:51 am

Knuckles wrote:I read GTM twice, really put in the hours, and ended my semester with a great understanding of the material. Unfortunately the only grades I have right now are C- and two C+'s. I go to a TTT, and I just don't know if sticking it out is my best option from a financial standpoint. I never had a burning passion for law; my decision was based on reason and what I thought was an educated assessment of my skill set. But, if I don't continue in the spring, I'm really left with a question mark for the future.

I'm 22. My undergraduate degree was in linguistics. I have literally no job experience save for tutoring people throughout my undergraduate years. Every job in the classifieds wants the applicant to have 3+ years of experience or something of that ilk, and I'm terrified that no one will give me the chance to take a job and run with it. To top it all off, I have virtually no financial support system; my relatives and partner are supportive, but about as broke as they come.

I don't know what I'm asking you guys. I guess the smartest thing to ask is what you would do in my circumstances. I am going to a counselor on campus tomorrow (not career services, like a therapist) to get a neutral, third-party perspective. I'm trying to stay collected, but that's all I can summon right now.

tl;dr What would you do, what would be your next step?

drop out, become a teacher or something, but most importantly, drop out

BaiAilian2013 · Post by **BaiAilian2013** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:47 am

Not that it necessarily changes the answer, but where does three Cs put you on the curve at your school?

I would consider options like...
-Teach English abroad for 1-2 years, retake LSAT, reapply and go to a better school (the wisdom of this one depends on whether your current grades put you at like, bottom third, or bottom twentieth. It might be that law school is just incompatible with your brain, but some TTTs have curves harsh enough that I wouldn't necessarily infer that from your grades.)
-Get an M.Ed or somesuch and be a teacher (but the job market is really, really harsh unless you can teach science or something else that's in demand).
-Get a master's in applied linguistics, which sadly is nothing like real linguistics but can lead to some neat careers, including teaching ESL if that's something you're interested in.
-Probably the smartest option: apply to all the jobs that ask for experience anyway. They ALL ask for experience, but most of them are being buttheads, so apply anyway. Apply to be a paralegal, apply for jobs in banks, apply for clerical/administrative positions, see if temp agencies will take you, apply to work in group homes - all of these are things you can do with a bachelor's, and people with no experience do get hired. Apply to ALL of them. Take any full-time job on which you can support yourself, and then you can sit back, breathe, and consider your future in a less terrified manner. Obviously, finding a job will take a while, because the job market is straight-up horrible. You said you have no financial support, but if there's someone you can just move in with, that would be helpful.

keg411 · Post by **keg411** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:42 pm

1. Drop out tomorrow and don't bother with Spring semester
2. Listen to everyone here about what you can do with a linguistics degree because they seem to know stuff. Worst case, while getting a masters still involves loans, is probably cheaper than 5 more semesters at a TTT law school.

Knuckles · Post by **Knuckles** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:20 pm

For the sake of clarity, I'm paying about 20k a year (all included) after a half-tuition scholarship that requires I keep a 2.0. Median has been about a 3.0 for the past three years.

I've been thinking all night and day about what my next move needs to be, and I think I need to get job experience before I dream up any elaborate graduate plans. I've been on an academic track for a very long time and I need to hone the kind of skills that will help me support myself. Linguistics sounds great, but the jobs aren't there.

Whatever happens I appreciate all the responses and helpful suggestions.

BeachandRun23 · Post by **BeachandRun23** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:24 pm

Any interest in cia, fbi, department of state? All those really value foreign languages and could be really fascinating careers.

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