Top Law Schools

1L here at a T2 in a major Northeast city (think Cardozo/Brooklyn, American, Northeastern, etc.). Received a major scholarship and am living at home so my COA/debt is very minimal. Three weeks in and I already know I made a huge mistake by choosing law school. I went because I thought it was the only thing I could do. I was a history major in college and spent two years after graduation as a paralegal at an elite boutique firm in my home city. When I got the scholarship offer and realized I could live at home I thought to myself, why the hell not. Turns out that was a bad decision.

It's not the hours or stress that's freaking me out. I worked plenty of long hours and late nights at my last job and I knew what to expect with the law school workload going into it. I've just finally realized that I really don't want to be a lawyer. I was almost forcing myself to go to law school due to a lack of other options and the tempting scholarship/lack of debt. But I never actually thought to myself, do I like the law? I always thought about it as a way to make some money with my liberal arts background. And I know that all the 1L courses are not the most exciting and will often bore you to tears, but I have this gut feeling telling me that I would be nothing short of miserable if I pursued a career in law. Being a lawyer, at least from my perspective, is essentially a job where you get paid to do homework. That's not what I want with my life.

Now that my rant is over, I have a decision to make. I have two days to withdraw and get a 50% tuition refund, which for me would be a near-full reimbursement. Should I cut my losses now while I still can? The only thing that worries me is telling interviewers (I have already started looking at full-time jobs) why I dropped out and that could reflect poorly on my character. No clue what my next step is, but I have a small background in marketing due to some college internships, so I'd look for a job in that field while I figure out the next step.

TLSers, please help me out. I made a huge mistake going to law school but I'm scared to face the wrath of my parents, the judgment from classmates and friends, and the potential drawbacks of finding employment. My heart is telling me to cut my losses, but I need some reassurance.

I have two days to withdraw and get a 50% tuition refund, which for me would be a near-full reimbursement. Should I cut my losses now while I still can?

Now is the time to do it. If you're certain that you're not interested in law, pull the plug before you rack up more costs.

The only thing that worries me is telling interviewers (I have already started looking at full-time jobs) why I dropped out and that could reflect poorly on my character.

Why would it do that?

"I tried out law school, very quickly realized I didn't want to be a lawyer, and got out before I waded too far into it." Anybody who doesn't respect that is an idiot. Heck, spin it into a positive:

"I'm a decisive person. I went to law school for a semester thinking that law may have been my thing, but I realized that it wasn't. Instead of being sucked into the sunk cost trap that many students fall into, I made the correct decision and stopped after my first semester. Also, I was savvy enough to avoid the trap of enormous student loans by using my foresight to contain costs by living at home and going to a school that gave me a substantial scholarship."

Also frankly there isn’t any reason why you’d have to tell prospective employers that you went to law school for 3 weeks. (I mean obviously unless they have an application that requires listing every school you ever matriculated at, but most won’t.) Just leave it off your resume.

yea agreed with nixy above. It's only three weeks that's not a major gap in your resume presumably.

earlgreytea wrote:yea agreed with nixy above. It's only three weeks that's not a major gap in your resume presumably.

The only issue is that I left my previous job in June to take the summer off and travel/relax before 1L (as a lot of people do). That’s a three month period since I had employment, so I’m concerned they would think something isn’t right if I just neglected to mention law school on my resume.

earlgreytea wrote:yea agreed with nixy above. It's only three weeks that's not a major gap in your resume presumably.

Only problem is I left my last job in June to relax/travel before 1L (which I think a good amount of people do). I’m just concerned that if I neglect to mention law school, employers will be a little concerned by the three month period since my last job

3 months is nothing. Lots of people have gaps like that and they’re totally fine.

That said, I don’t think explaining that you starteae school but decided it wasn’t for you is going to be terrible, at all, but I still don’t think you need to include it.

Drop out now! There’s nothing wrong with it. You tried and found out you didn’t like it. That said, if you later decide that you may want to be a lawyer, law school will always be there.

Mousecop wrote:
I made a huge mistake going to law school but I'm scared to face the wrath of my parents, the judgment from classmates and friends, and the potential drawbacks of finding employment.

That bit about facing the wrath of your parents... I feel you buddy. Awful.

You live at home with them, what would happen? Would it be bad enough/they be pissed enough that they would kick you out of the house?

Make sure you don't have to pay back the scholarship if you drop out.