Dropping out Forum

[wtfamidoing]

I am a 1L at HYS and feel like I have started on a completely wrong path. I have been having doubts about a career in law since I first started the application process. Parental and peer pressure combined with the fact that I had spent the last 4 years of my life in pursuit of going to law school forced me into enrolling. I will admit when I started on this path, I was money crazy. I wanted to make a lot of money fast and a top law school seemed like the easiest way to do it. However over the past year, money and prestige have stopped mattering to me. I want to do something I enjoy;I am leaning towards becoming a psychiatrist. That's something that I have always wanted to do but was scared off at first by the length of medical school/residency. How do I brake this news to my family and friends? Any input from someone who has been in this position or knew someone that dropped out would greatly appreciated.

Ps. I know my writing sucks and that's one more reason I should not become a lawyer.

[bearsfan23]

Drop out today, for the reasons you've stated

[Leonardo DiCaprio]

drop out bro. this shit is way too expensive and stressful if you don't enjoy it on some level at the end of the day

[whats an updog]

if somehow you are on a full scholarship, i would keep going at HYS. if you're paying and can still only pay a prorated tuition for Fall semester, I'd drop the fuck out.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Just tell them you've realized the law isn't for you and you want to be a psychiatrist. They're not living your life; you are. You're the one whose opinion matters.

[jbagelboy]

drop out. if you're not interested in becoming an attorney, don't go to law school. 'Prestige' doesn't mean anything and you'll probably make as much if not more money as a psychiatrist.

[Mack.Hambleton]

Lots of people do this, just be glad you're doing it early

[Minnietron]

Drop out NOW! Take whatever the monetary hit is and begin moving on. Also, do not jump directly into a psychiatry-driven career/life path. Counsel youth. Work as a consultant. Travel. Work in the financial sector. Start a band. Learn to cook; do anything else that holds your fleeting interest. Psychiatry isn't going away any time soon (especially with unhappy attorneys paying the bills!) so take the time to figure out what you truly want to do.

The initial loss - monetary or otherwise - might sting, but much less so than an unfulfilled life will continually ache. You will also have the ultimate prestige of saying you rejected HLS!

[koalacity]

Drop out-the sooner the better.

[mvp99]

drop out but also dont let it happen again wtih med school

[mvp99]

I also want to add that it may be that youre motivated by some type of prestige but that you already got this by being admitted. you have "proven" to yourself that you are "special" and so theres no more joy in pursuing a law degree. this happens a lot with goal driven people. once you "make it" (some define this as getting biglaw) it all seems pointless and unenjoyable. if you think this is you, then this whole thing will prob happen again with med school

[wtfamidoing]

Thanks a lot guys. I need to figure out a plan to let my parents know gently. I think I should wait a couple more weeks because right now they would probably say I haven't been here long enough to make this decision.

[smaug]

Anybody call flame yet?

Just drop out. You're an adult.

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

Thanks a lot guys. I need to figure out a plan to let my parents know gently. I think I should wait a couple more weeks because right now they would probably say I haven't been here long enough to make this decision.

Op they might say this, but everyone in this thread is telling you to ignore your parents. Probably the worst possible reason to get a graduate degree and enter a profession is bc your parents want you to do it, and the second worst reason is to make a lot of $.

[AReasonableMan]

If you're smart enough to get into HYS then you're smart enough to succeed in any number of fields without your parents' support. If you remain dependent on your parents' approval then you will never burgeon into the successful individual you are capable of blossoming into.

[star fox]

If you want to quit, drop out. Just make sure you're not making any sort of rash decision.

[wtfamidoing]

No, this is not a flame by any means. You guys have been a lot more supportive than I imagined and have made me feel a lot better about my decision. I think I am going to take a couple years off to work/volunteer and figure out what I really want to do. I have one final question, how big of a impact will dropping out have on admissions if I want to go get an MD or MBA later?

[star fox]

If you want an MBA get a real job. You seem pretty unsure what you want to do. Good luck.

[AReasonableMan]

It sounds like you're just a really smart kid who is very pampered. If I was you I'd live on my own and get a job tutoring the LSAT to make good money relatively stress free until you figure out who you are. The fact you got into HYS is marketable in and of itself, and can buy you time to come up with a life plan.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Dropping out won't affect future grad school plans. Failing out would, but changing your mind is fine.

[pancakes3]

drop out but also dont let it happen again wtih med school

+1. Med school costs even more.

[Attax]

Dropping out is hard, even though it shouldn't be. I had mixed reactions, from some people treating me like a failure (mostly friends at TTTTTTTs), to people being very supportive and excited for it.

It helps having a plan already. Dropping out without a plan makes it a lot harder. Get a plan, drop out, go after that plan, fuck the haters.

[jets875]

CCN and in the same boat. Just not sure I can muster the energy I know I'll need to get by. Best of luck with your decision.

[debdeb2]

The more time you spend, the more you'll have to contend with sunk costs, and the harder it will be to walk away. Best to leave in the first semester.

Take a year off to work in a lab or in clinical research at an R1 (or go for something like the 1-year MS in Neuro at Northwestern), and see if you're truly into medicine. If you don't like writing, MD>PhD, and you probably won't aim for an academic career in the long run. Best of luck

[unclej]

you cant let your parents decide your future. otherwise, you will end up hating them forever.

"chase your dreams"
if your dream is to be a lawyer, then dont drop out, if your dream is to be a psychiatrist ,then drop out