I've Decided to wait, will I be too old? Forum

[juriluv]

I have decided to wait two years before starting law school. I am currently already 3 years post UG and by the time I apply again I will be 5 years post graduation and 27 years old. I have decided to wait so that I can retest and raise my chances of a scholarship as well as so that I can save money. I am currently a teacher and I have a young son, and we really want to pay off some previous debt before jumping into law school. I guess my question is, will law school still want me?

[Void]

I have decided to wait two years before starting law school. I am currently already 3 years post UG and by the time I apply again I will be 5 years post graduation and 27 years old. I have decided to wait so that I can retest and raise my chances of a scholarship as well as so that I can save money. I am currently a teacher and I have a young son, and we really want to pay off some previous debt before jumping into law school. I guess my question is, will law school still want me?

I was 28 when I applied; nobody noticed/cared. The "old" people in law school are 45+. Also, there are lots and lots of threads about this already.

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

I'm a 2L in my 30s, have NYC big law SA. No one cares as long as you can fit in with other associates in a reasonable way.

[JazzOne]

I went to law school in my 30s, and I never felt like my age was a hindrance at all.

I was also a teacher for several years before law school, and I had a family to think about. There are a lot of threads on this topic, but you can PM me if you'd like.

[dixiecupdrinking]

You will not be too old. On the other hand, rushing into school now and passing up potential scholarships is something you WILL regret. So you're definitely on the right track.

[Ti Malice]

I am currently already 3 years post UG and by the time I apply again I will be 5 years post graduation and 27 years old.

This is nothing.

[sd5289]

I have decided to wait two years before starting law school. I am currently already 3 years post UG and by the time I apply again I will be 5 years post graduation and 27 years old. I have decided to wait so that I can retest and raise my chances of a scholarship as well as so that I can save money. I am currently a teacher and I have a young son, and we really want to pay off some previous debt before jumping into law school. I guess my question is, will law school still want me?

Simple answer: the only thing it can do is help you. I'm a 2L and 29 years old. Will be 30 when I graduate. The only thing it's done for me is help me get jobs/clinics that my younger classmates aren't getting because they don't have "life experience" and/or don't know what they want to do.

Also, while a generalization, it seems to be that those who are "older" seem to understand that holy shit it's not the apocalypse if you didn't get to that very last squib case assigned before you walk into class (this also wears off after 1L). Students who've lived in the real world for a few years (I was out for six) seem to have better perspective and a lot healthier approach to 1L year than those who did not. Once you survive 1L with your sanity intact and good grades, you're in a golden position for the rest of law school.

As for the comment about regretting passing up scholarship money: yes, I went on a full scholarship but that was a product of the atrocity that is the law school / legal job market right now. Unless you've heard something I haven't, that's not going to change any time soon unless it's in the direction of getting worse. So, schools are scrambling to compete for talent, which means generous scholarship offers. Part of me does wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to go now (assuming you know *exactly* what you want to do...I wouldn't recommend going otherwise because it'll be a costly waste of time) before the bubble completely bursts.

[Void]

I agree that it's good to have a really strong sense that you want to be a lawyer before choosing law school, but knowing *exactly* what you want to do before going to law school is a little unrealistic because you have no idea how many career paths are possible or what any of them are actually like. Going through law school refusing to stray from a predetermined goal can also be a costly waste of time.