Should I leave school? Forum

[ohiohawk58]

I'm a 1L at Akron. I did decent in first semester and should be in the top 1/3 of my class. Problem is I determined over winter break that I'm going to be moving to Charlotte after I graduate because that is where my gf and her family lives. Her dad is very well connected in the business field and he said there is a good chance he would get me a job at a law firm though, although I'm kind of skeptical. Any thoughts and ideas? I don't want to waste another two years of my life going to law school and not using the degree nor do I want to transfer to a NC school because I can't get into the top schools and the other schools aren't worth it IMO with the debt I would take on.

[omninode]

Yes.

[reasonable_man]

Well connected in the business field?

Excuse me sir, what do you do for a living? I'm in business.

[traehekat]

Yes, be skeptical. But what would you do otherwise? Are you on a scholarship at Akron? I'm assuming you probably are since you referred to the debt you would take on by transferring, but if not and you know you are going to end up in NC, then I would definitely consider trying to transfer to a NC school. Depending where you actually fall in your class (top quarter, top third, etc.) you might have a decent shot at somewhere like Wake Forest.

I will say that your instinct is probably correct though - decent grades from Akron isn't going to pull much weight in NC when you start looking for a job. I don't know if this necessarily means you should just drop out, though, instead of trying to transfer. I mean, how much do you want to practice law?

[flcath]

Does it matter? Are you going to, even if you should?

It takes major balls to drop out of LS, which is why very few people do it, even among the crowd that heavily advocates for it and makes fun of those who don't do it, but should.

[shock259]

I'd be wary about basing a decision like this on a significant other and/or a significant other's connections.

Also: how much debt are you taking on?

[pillowpet]

dropping out because your GIRLFRIEND lives elsewhere? Unless she's your wife I would not do anything that dramatic.

[NeighborGuy]

Wait, so if I'm reading this right, you're going to move to another state regardless of whether you stay in law school or not so you can be closer to your girlfriend?

Maybe you need to re-examine that one, dude. Why preemptively limit your options?

[I.P. Daly]

I'd probably stay though the spring semester and apply for NC internships like crazy. If I did not get any hits, I might consider dropping. Check with career services to see if your school has NC contacts.

[leobowski]

You need to do some long, hard thinking about your future. Are you going to marry this girl? And why can't she move to Ohio where you have better options? If you're that important to each other you both need to be realistic and make sacrifices. You might have a shot in Ohio but NC sounds pretty sketchy for you at this point. You're also correct to be skeptical of this girl's dad getting you a jerb. He's not a hiring partner at a major firm; he's just in business. Sounds pretty sketchy dude.

As I see it, you have 3 realistic options:
1) Graduate, move to NC, and probably be royally fucked over for legal jobs.
2) Stay in Ohio and maybe not be royally fucked
3) Drop out right now, break your lease, and get second semester's tuition refunded. Hopefully you have a useful B.S. degree.

[Wholigan]

How well connected is this guy? I think there is good reason to be skeptical, but if he is an executive who sits on several boards of directors, etc, it's not unreasonable to think some firm might hire you hoping to get business out of it if you are otherwise qualified.

That said, your gf probably doesn't understand the regional dynamics of law school and likely thinks you'll get a job no problem on account of being a lawyer. Is she willing to move to OH if her father can't help you get a job? If you and she break up, will you regret having dropped out of law school?

[morris248]

dropping out because your GIRLFRIEND lives elsewhere? Unless she's your wife I would not do anything that dramatic.

Agreed. However, since you are in the top one third, transferring should not be that much of a problem and if you are going to stay in NC then the move would be worth it depending on the difference in the costs. Having a law degree is a valuable asset in any business, not just actively practicing law. Stick it out.

[maf70]

I can guarantee Akron has absolutely zero contacts in North Carolina. I'd strongly consider transferring rather than dropping out.

[sunynp]

I've been to Akron - I agree that moving asap is a good plan for your future. I don't know if you should finish the year first or not.

Marriage is not required to make a good decision to move.
What is your debt situation? Maybe dropping out would be the best plan. I'm not sure what future you would have from Akron - what schools would you be looking at in North Carolina?

[AVBucks4239]

I know 2-3 people who were on Law Review at Akron who needed almost a year just to get small firm jobs making $45k/year. Akron is known for luring in pretty smart kids with almost full-ride scholarships, filtering them out with an absolutely brutal curve (need 3.2 to keep scholarship and they curve to a B-/C+), and then having a pretty poor career services office.

You're going to need to finish top 10-15% at Akron to get anything that is worth staying for in Ohio. Otherwise, nothing is guaranteed at this point. I'd being networking in NC, try to get 1L summer employment there, and then potentially transferring to a similar T3 in NC. If you want to stay in Ohio, I'd be shooting for straight A's next semester.

[ohiohawk58]

There is certain reasons why she has to stay in NC. My undergrad degree was in accounting so it wouldn't be too hard to find a job. This year I only had to take out 3k in loans so I'm doing well in that area. Talked to a former teacher who is a lawyer in Cincinnati and he advised to leave school and wait to apply to NC schools after a few years working and to be able to get in state tuition.

[AlexanderSupertramp]

There is certain reasons why she has to stay in NC. My undergrad degree was in accounting so it wouldn't be too hard to find a job. This year I only had to take out 3k in loans so I'm doing well in that area. Talked to a former teacher who is a lawyer in Cincinnati and he advised to leave school and wait to apply to NC schools after a few years working and to be able to get in state tuition.

There are two public law schools in NC- UNC and NCCU. There is also Wake Forest which gives good financial aid packages. Your girlfriend is in Charlotte, but I'd stay away from Charlotte School of Law. You'd do better to commute to Wake or try to live in the Durham/Chapel Hill area and attend Duke or UNC and see her on the weekends.

[AVBucks4239]

There is certain reasons why she has to stay in NC. My undergrad degree was in accounting so it wouldn't be too hard to find a job. This year I only had to take out 3k in loans so I'm doing well in that area. Talked to a former teacher who is a lawyer in Cincinnati and he advised to leave school and wait to apply to NC schools after a few years working and to be able to get in state tuition.

Interesting. Have you thought about getting a JD and a CPA?

[ohiohawk58]

There is certain reasons why she has to stay in NC. My undergrad degree was in accounting so it wouldn't be too hard to find a job. This year I only had to take out 3k in loans so I'm doing well in that area. Talked to a former teacher who is a lawyer in Cincinnati and he advised to leave school and wait to apply to NC schools after a few years working and to be able to get in state tuition.

Interesting. Have you thought about getting a JD and a CPA?

Yup....not sure if the MBA would be better over CPA though

[AVBucks4239]

There is certain reasons why she has to stay in NC. My undergrad degree was in accounting so it wouldn't be too hard to find a job. This year I only had to take out 3k in loans so I'm doing well in that area. Talked to a former teacher who is a lawyer in Cincinnati and he advised to leave school and wait to apply to NC schools after a few years working and to be able to get in state tuition.

Interesting. Have you thought about getting a JD and a CPA?

Yup....not sure if the MBA would be better over CPA though

My vote is get your CPA this summer with a part time legal job (you don't have to put hours on your resume, get experience from a friend's dad or something), then gun for Price Waterhouse in Cleveland this summer. Top grades at a school in the region + CPA = pretty good job prospects.

My friend did that, albeit at Ohio State, and has his job already lined up there.

[Arbiter213]

I'm a 1L at Akron.

Yes.

[Antilles Haven]

You know what two degrees are completely useless against each other? A JD and a CPA.

[deebs]

You know what two degrees are completely useless against each other? A JD and a CPA.

Except CPA is a designation, not a degree and no clients or accounting firms want a tax attorney who is also a CPA... Law firms might not give a shit about having a CPA, but you are going to be pretty attractive for tax advisors/consultants at accounting firms. And working 8-6 sounds awful for comparable pay.

[YourCaptain]

You know what two degrees are completely useless against each other? A JD and a CPA.

Except CPA is a designation, not a degree and no clients or accounting firms want a tax attorney who is also a CPA... Law firms might not give a shit about having a CPA, but you are going to be pretty attractive for tax advisors/consultants at accounting firms. And working 8-6 sounds awful for comparable pay.

not arguing just curious why?

[deebs]

You know what two degrees are completely useless against each other? A JD and a CPA.

Except CPA is a designation, not a degree and no clients or accounting firms want a tax attorney who is also a CPA... Law firms might not give a shit about having a CPA, but you are going to be pretty attractive for tax advisors/consultants at accounting firms. And working 8-6 sounds awful for comparable pay.

not arguing just curious why?

Was being sarcastic