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I'll be a 1L this fall at Rutgers-Camden, a school next to Philadelphia that has about 60% job placement in the legal field, and my debt per year is about $30k.
I enjoyed law classes in high school and college, and I'm a history buff whose familiar with contrasting and comparing materials, and making arguments. But I'm nervous about making such a large commitment of time and debt, and I have almost no contacts in the legal field so I don't know if it's even the field for me. Is it a good idea to attend law school for a year, and leave if I don't like it?

ChrisW wrote:I'll be a 1L this fall at Rutgers-Camden, a school next to Philadelphia that has about 60% job placement in the legal field, and my debt per year is about $30k.
I enjoyed law classes in high school and college, and I'm a history buff whose familiar with contrasting and comparing materials, and making arguments. But I'm nervous about making such a large commitment of time and debt, and I have almost no contacts in the legal field so I don't know if it's even the field for me. Is it a good idea to attend law school for a year, and leave if I don't like it?

It's a good idea to drop out after a year if your grades don't put you in a position to have a good shot at a good job. But the first year of law school is NOTHING like being a lawyer, so that's a terrible way to try to judge whether you like "the law."

$30k is a lot to pay for those odds, even if you knew you wanted to be a lawyer.

And of those employed and willing to report their salary, the median salary is $49k/year. Something to consider.

Maybe get a job on the staff at a law firm first.

The better option would be just not to go.

ChrisW wrote:I'll be a 1L this fall at Rutgers-Camden, a school next to Philadelphia that has about 60% job placement in the legal field, and my debt per year is about $30k.
I enjoyed law classes in high school and college, and I'm a history buff whose familiar with contrasting and comparing materials, and making arguments. But I'm nervous about making such a large commitment of time and debt, and I have almost no contacts in the legal field so I don't know if it's even the field for me. Is it a good idea to attend law school for a year, and leave if I don't like it?

that is too much to pay for rutgers - especially given everything you're saying. i would withdraw, think things over, retake the lsat, and re-evaluate.

Thanks for the advice. What's the big difference between law school and law practice?

ChrisW wrote:Thanks for the advice. What's the big difference between law school and law practice?

Mainly that for the most part, law school teaches you legal theory that has little to no significance in the real world of practice. The most useful class you will take during your first year will be the legal research and writing course that taches you how to draft memos, demand letters, etc. It's not until the third year and in some cases the second half of the second year that you have the opportunity to get hands on experience. To put it bluntly, I learned more about being a lawyer during my 8 week summer internship this summer than I did all of 1L