Deposited at HYS. Having doubts. Forum

albpert · Post by **albpert** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 11:53 pm

At what CoA should I consider going back to school a viable option?

Context: Deposited at HYS. I have around $75k saved up that won't count against my financial aid calculation and don't have rich parents so I should get some need based aid based on the financial aid handbook's formula. Longterm goals are academia and/or mediation/arbitration. Short term goals, other than avoiding debt, are anything that gets me closer my longterm ones (litigation, VAPs, etc). BigLaw scares the shit out of me based on what people post here, but a couple year stint seems doable.

I currently have a pretty low stress job that pays ~$75k/yr. Back when I applied I thought for sure law school was the right move. Now after working a few years I have no clue given that law school performance is impossible to predict, I don't need dat $160k to be happy, and I already make more than most PI jobs pay.

Ron Don Volante · Post by **Ron Don Volante** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 11:55 pm

do it and don't look back

ymmv · Post by **ymmv** » Wed Feb 04, 2015 11:58 pm

albpert wrote:At what CoA should I consider going back to school a viable option?

Context: Deposited at HYS. I have around $75k saved up that won't count against my financial aid calculation and don't have rich parents so I should get some need based aid based on the financial aid handbook's formula. Longterm goals are academia and/or mediation/arbitration. Short term goals, other than avoiding debt, are anything that gets me closer my longterm ones (litigation, VAPs, etc). BigLaw scares the shit out of me based on what people post here, but a couple year stint seems doable.

I currently have a pretty low stress job that pays ~$75k/yr. Back when I applied I thought for sure law school was the right move. Now after working a few years I have no clue given that law school performance is impossible to predict, I don't need dat $160k to be happy, and I already make more than most PI jobs pay.

Doesn't sound like you have much of any reason to go to law school.

mpc347 · Post by **mpc347** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:02 am

albpert wrote:At what CoA should I consider going back to school a viable option?

Context: Deposited at HYS. I have around $75k saved up that won't count against my financial aid calculation and don't have rich parents so I should get some need based aid based on the financial aid handbook's formula. Longterm goals are academia and/or mediation/arbitration. Short term goals, other than avoiding debt, are anything that gets me closer my longterm ones (litigation, VAPs, etc). BigLaw scares the shit out of me based on what people post here, but a couple year stint seems doable.

I currently have a pretty low stress job that pays ~$75k/yr. Back when I applied I thought for sure law school was the right move. Now after working a few years I have no clue given that law school performance is impossible to predict, I don't need dat $160k to be happy, and I already make more than most PI jobs pay.

Why don't you just defer for two years, maximize your savings, and then go so the debt doesn't hurt quite so much? Theoretically you will also be older, so the deemed parental contribution might drop off as well.

albpert · Post by **albpert** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:08 am

mpc347 wrote:Why don't you just defer for two years, maximize your savings, and then go so the debt doesn't hurt quite so much? Theoretically you will also be older, so the deemed parental contribution might drop off as well.

Already deferred for a couple years, have considered requesting an extended deferral though.

mpc347 · Post by **mpc347** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:10 am

albpert wrote:
mpc347 wrote:Why don't you just defer for two years, maximize your savings, and then go so the debt doesn't hurt quite so much? Theoretically you will also be older, so the deemed parental contribution might drop off as well.
Already deferred for a couple years, have considered requesting an extended deferral though.

Well... I guess the relevant questions are: what is your current field of work, can you see yourself progressing significantly therein, and what sort of law do you want to do/study?

Johann · Post by **Johann** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:23 am

You have a chance at academia so if this something you have to do with your life and that will define your life go for it.
If this was me and it was an means to end, I'd stay with what you have right now. If your job feels empty right now, academia won't make you feel any better as it's likely you'll be at a law school where kids go hundreds of thousands into debt and turn from naive 1ls hopeful about effecting significant change on the world into jaded third year law students without legal jobs or selling themself out into a personal injury ambulance chasing firm.
So unless law is something you have to do for self worth and life achievement purposes, I'd stick with what you have. Enjoy a less stressful life and appreciate the finer things in life.

mono172000 · Post by **mono172000** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 8:10 am

I don't actually have any valuable advice for the OP (in the exact same position: 0L, HYS, leaving a 75k job). I'm just curious how you expect the 75k you have saved up not to count against your financial aid. Sorry for the slight tangent.

pylon · Post by **pylon** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 8:54 am

albpert wrote:so I should get some need based aid based on the financial aid handbook's formula.

I didn't know this was a thing - mind sharing a link or something?

ballcaps · Post by **ballcaps** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 9:47 am

absolutely do it, especially if you won't be paying actual sticker.

ymmv · Post by **ymmv** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 10:31 am

JohannDeMann wrote:You have a chance at academia so if this something you have to do with your life and that will define your life go for it.
If this was me and it was an means to end, I'd stay with what you have right now. If your job feels empty right now, academia won't make you feel any better as it's likely you'll be at a law school where kids go hundreds of thousands into debt and turn from naive 1ls hopeful about effecting significant change on the world into jaded third year law students without legal jobs or selling themself out into a personal injury ambulance chasing firm.
So unless law is something you have to do for self worth and life achievement purposes, I'd stick with what you have. Enjoy a less stressful life and appreciate the finer things in life.

Besides, if it's not Yale he doesn't have anything like a reasonable shot at academia. And even from Yale it's unlikely.

ChemEng1642 · Post by **ChemEng1642** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 11:38 am

mono172000 wrote:I don't actually have any valuable advice for the OP (in the exact same position: 0L, HYS, leaving a 75k job). I'm just curious how you expect the 75k you have saved up not to count against your financial aid. Sorry for the slight tangent.

pylon wrote:
albpert wrote:so I should get some need based aid based on the financial aid handbook's formula.
I didn't know this was a thing - mind sharing a link or something?

Curious about both these things

gamerish · Post by **gamerish** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 12:49 pm

Post removed...

jingosaur · Post by **jingosaur** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 12:26 am

I made more money in a low-stress job and went to H and so far I don't regret it one bit. But I didn't feel like I would have been happy doing the job that I was doing forever. It's really a matter of personal choice. If I were you, I would attend the school's ASW and then make a decision from there.

ETA: Have not graduated.

fats provolone · Post by **fats provolone** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 12:27 am

have you graduated?

UnicornHunter · Post by **UnicornHunter** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 12:31 am

gamerish wrote:Do you actually like your job? If so I don't see a reason for you to go to law school at all.

Yea, I would ask three things:

a) Do you like your job
b) do you have a reasonable chance at progressing in your job
c) do you have a reasonable chance of being happy with your career in 10-20 years if you stay at your job

If you can say yes to 2/3 of those things, I would stay put.

Julius · Post by **Julius** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 8:41 pm

jingosaur wrote:I made more money in a low-stress job and went to H and so far I don't regret it one bit. But I didn't feel like I would have been happy doing the job that I was doing forever. It's really a matter of personal choice. If I were you, I would attend the school's ASW and then make a decision from there.

ETA: Have not graduated.

84651846190 · Post by **84651846190** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 10:36 pm

HYS are the only law schools worth sticker, IMO. They will open up plenty of opportunities for you. The real question is this: Do you want to be a lawyer for the rest of your ENTIRE LIFE. If the answer to that is yes, then go. If not, then don't.

dabigchina · Post by **dabigchina** » Fri Feb 06, 2015 11:00 pm

jingosaur wrote:I made more money in a low-stress job and went to H and so far I don't regret it one bit. But I didn't feel like I would have been happy doing the job that I was doing forever. It's really a matter of personal choice. If I were you, I would attend the school's ASW and then make a decision from there.

ETA: Have not graduated.

What is this magical job that pays north of 75k for low stress? Are they hiring?

grizzlybear · Post by **grizzlybear** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 12:24 am

Post removed.

jingosaur · Post by **jingosaur** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 3:57 am

I worked in software testing. At the end of my run, I was working with a bank account platform and opened about 100 fake accounts per day to ensure that the system worked. Every 1000 accounts or so, I'd find something wrong and it would get fixed by an offshore development team withing a couple of weeks. So I'd find about 36 mistakes per year and worked on a base salary with no bonus so I ended up making around $2500 per mistake identified. There was zero upward mobility and the only way up was to supervise what I was doing and there was about 6 people on line in front of me to supervise. If you just want to make $90k per year forever and don't care about what you have to do to get there, get into software testing.

PeanutsNJam · Post by **PeanutsNJam** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 7:47 am

jingosaur wrote:I worked in software testing. At the end of my run, I was working with a bank account platform and opened about 100 fake accounts per day to ensure that the system worked. Every 1000 accounts or so, I'd find something wrong and it would get fixed by an offshore development team withing a couple of weeks. So I'd find about 36 mistakes per year and worked on a base salary with no bonus so I ended up making around $2500 per mistake identified. There was zero upward mobility and the only way up was to supervise what I was doing and there was about 6 people on line in front of me to supervise. If you just want to make $90k per year forever and don't care about what you have to do to get there, get into software testing.

Go to HYS. Seriously people ITT are acting like it's not a phenomenal opportunity/privilege. It is. When life hands you a high GPA and an LSAT you ride life's silver platter to the top. Maybe you won't be SCOTUS, but it beats making test accounts all day.

Instinctive · Post by **Instinctive** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 2:29 pm

PeanutsNJam wrote:
jingosaur wrote:I worked in software testing. At the end of my run, I was working with a bank account platform and opened about 100 fake accounts per day to ensure that the system worked. Every 1000 accounts or so, I'd find something wrong and it would get fixed by an offshore development team withing a couple of weeks. So I'd find about 36 mistakes per year and worked on a base salary with no bonus so I ended up making around $2500 per mistake identified. There was zero upward mobility and the only way up was to supervise what I was doing and there was about 6 people on line in front of me to supervise. If you just want to make $90k per year forever and don't care about what you have to do to get there, get into software testing.
Go to HYS. Seriously people ITT are acting like it's not a phenomenal opportunity/privilege. It is. When life hands you a high GPA and an LSAT you ride life's silver platter to the top. Maybe you won't be SCOTUS, but it beats making test accounts all day.

Agree. Had plenty of 70k opportunities with Oil and Gas Accounting and as a public accountant. That sounded like hell then, and sounds like hell now.

HYS has already opened doors for me that never would have opened before. I've emailed people in the NBA, NFL, and MLB on my job search and got immediate responses and interviews. I had previously emailed the same people from my state UG and never got responses. That @HYS.edu email is incredibly underrated.

Cogburn87 · Post by **Cogburn87** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 2:37 pm

Instinctive wrote: HYS has already opened doors for me that never would have opened before. I've emailed people in the NBA, NFL, and MLB on my job search and got immediate responses and interviews. I had previously emailed the same people from my state UG and never got responses. That @HYS.edu email is incredibly underrated.

yeah, but u have 2 b a lawyer, tho

CanadianWolf · Post by **CanadianWolf** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 2:40 pm

If you were accepted to at least one of Harvard, Yale & Stanford law schools, then you should have been offered substantial scholarship money from other T-14 law schools. If so, have you considered taking a full-tuition scholarship to a T-14 law school ?