Is a Paralegal Degree Best to Obtain Before Law School? Forum

[Aiming For the Top]

Hello Everyone,
I just applied to law school because it has been a dream of mine for years to do it. My only problem is I have phenomenal grades (3.83 cumulative gpa from a University of California campus) but a terrible LSAT score (144 ouch). I've always been a bad test taker and even though I'm a URM, I know my test taking skills will hinder me when it comes to getting into a top law school. I met someone recently who suggested that getting a paralegal degree is a good way to get hands-on experience and truly realize whether I want to go to law school. If I decide that law school is the path that I want to take (once I improve my test scores that its), she informed me that I would have an easier time getting a job out of school because I have experience working in the legal field. I just wanted to know what your thoughts about this are. As of now if I don't get into any schools, I plan to pursue a paralegal degree either in the summer or fall.

[sunynp]

No. You can be a paralegal without a degree. With your GPA you should be able to find a job. A paralegal degree would be a total waste of time and money.

As for the LSAT, you can learn the rest, you just have to study really hard and very specifically for it.

[morris248]

I tend to agree. I don't think that a paralegal degree is going to help you that much in law school. Get a job doing something else and improve your LSAT score.

[Aiming For the Top]

Thank you for your feedback!