Am I making a huge mistake? Forum

[checkered2]

I am just so overwhelmed with worry about attending law school that I am seriously on the verge of changing my mind.

I am supposed to attend Columbia next year and I got a nice scholarship 60k+. I know that I am very lucky to have been accepted to CLS and to have received a nice chuck of change. However, I will still end up with a ton of debt and I am dreadfully worried about job prospects.The economy looks like it is going to continue to suck for some time- even the Fed estimated 5-6 years for full recovery- and this just makes job prospects look bleak.


Everyone in RL keeps saying not to worry "because it's Columbia," but that just does not help at all. I don't think Yale students ITE can afford to to just not worry "because it's Yale," much less graduates of "not-Yale or Harvard."

Some background that may be helpful if anyone is interested.

I graduated top of my class (above a 4.0) from an Ivy (not a great one though) and I think I could land a decent job with my degree if I really tried. Many of the people graduating below me got nice I-banking jobs with great paychecks. I think I would hate I-banking though.

I think I want to practice law and I think (how can I know if I have never done it) that I would enjoy it. I have had a lot of exposure to the law in undergrad. I have taken four classes (four WHOLE classes LoL) that are cross-listed in the law school and received excellent marks on all of them (3 A+s and 1 A-). A couple of my professors who are graduates from top law schools and actual law professors have indicated that they think I have the "legal analysis gene."

I really enjoyed that classes I took and the challenges they posed. Those classes are what made me so interested in going to law school. From my conversations with practitioners I feel that this is what I really want to do. My decision to attend law school is not a product of aimlessness or having a worthless UG degree. I decided to go because I think I would like to make a career out of it and I think I would enjoy that career. Working in a field I will enjoy is important to me, but so is having a decent standard of living. BIGLAW is probably where I will try to end up once I graduate.

However, I have no idea how I will actually perform next year. I am fairly certain that tons of Columbia students will be equally talented and hardworking. What if I don't measure up? What if I end up at the bottom of the class and have no job? Who ends up at the bottom of the class? Is it only slackers or people who don't want to be in law school in the first place?

It's so much debt to think about and so much time. It's just so scary!

So anyway, with all this information should I go or try to find something that I like less but has better job prospects? I ask this here because there are some people who give reasoned, good advice (this is an alt, so I am not a noob) and I am genuinely interested in what people have to say.

Also, as you may be able to tell this is a mega-panic rant. Sorry if it is unclear/wordy/useless.

[sundance95]

[afa_brandon]

I won't bite and reassure you with comforting words, but I will say that if you're scared of not being first, the real world will tear you apart. Measure your success by how satisfied you are with yourself, not how you rank.

[270910]

Beh, you'll be fine. It's good to soul search and second guess, but Columbia is worth every penny these days if you want to be a lawyer.

If you don't want to be a lawyer, then dag yo - the time to figure that out would have been pre-LSAT.

Honestly, when I saw this: "I think want to practice law and I think (how can I know if I have never done it)" I knew you should go to law school. That's a seriously wise world view.

Get out there, tiger.

[checkered2]

I won't bite and reassure you with comforting words, but I will say that if you're scared of not being first, the real world will tear you apart. Measure your success by how satisfied you are with yourself, not how you rank.

Not being first is not my concern. Being jobless and heavily indebted is!

[270910]

I won't bite and reassure you with comforting words, but I will say that if you're scared of not being first, the real world will tear you apart. Measure your success by how satisfied you are with yourself, not how you rank.

ppffbbbttt.

You have to go into law school with the right attitude, namely pure unmitigated greed. If you plan on crushing all your rivals and using their skulls to decorate your office, you have the right attitude. If you want to "help society" or "defend the rights of the oppressed" please do us all a favor and kill yourself.

[afa_brandon]

In the words of the Duke,

Courage is being scared as hell, but saddlin' up anyway.

Just fucking do it. You'll regret never trying way more than failure.

[emorystud2010]

.

[vespertiliovir]

I graduated top of my class (above a 4.0) from an Ivy (not a great one though) and I think I could land a decent job with my degree if I really tried. Many of the people graduating below me got nice I-banking jobs with great paychecks. I think I would hate I-banking though.

Do you really think, ITE, that they have greater job security than lawyers? I know you're not interested in IB per se, but it still seems like you'd have better odds at landing a well-paying job with a Columbia J.D. on your résumé.

[094320]

..

[checkered2]

Beh, you'll be fine. It's good to soul search and second guess, but Columbia is worth every penny these days if you want to be a lawyer.

If you don't want to be a lawyer, then dag yo - the time to figure that out would have been pre-LSAT.

Honestly, when I saw this: "I think want to practice law and I think (how can I know if I have never done it)" I knew you should go to law school. That's a seriously wise world view.

Get out there, tiger.

You are one of the posters I referred to when I wrote that some people on here give reasoned advice so thanks for the pep-talk!

[checkered2]

I graduated top of my class (above a 4.0) from an Ivy (not a great one though) and I think I could land a decent job with my degree if I really tried. Many of the people graduating below me got nice I-banking jobs with great paychecks. I think I would hate I-banking though.

Do you really think, ITE, that they have greater job security than lawyers? I know you're not interested in IB per se, but it still seems like you'd have better odds at landing a well-paying job with a Columbia J.D. on your résumé.

Well I think the concern is about the difference between #1 in UG and #398 at Columbia. You know what I mean? I get what you're saying though.

[checkered2]

If ur scared of going to Columbia with a good scholarship, then the 99% of the rest of us on this site should be jumpin off bridges.

Nah, I was just having a b*&^% moment. I think I have been watching too much CNBC/Glenn Beck.

[GATORTIM]

unclear/wordy/useless.

[northwood]

its normal to second guess yourself. I would even go so far as to say its a good idea to take a look deep down inside you before you start to see if this is what you want to do.

I say go to school. If after the first year or semeseter, you dont like it, drop out and figure out what you would like to do. You are young, so you have a lot of time to make up for that expensive life lesson. If you end up liking law, and become a lawyer- then you're on the gravy train. Do you want to go through life asking yourself what if? I'd presume no, give it a shot, and see what you got!

Good job and good luck

[vespertiliovir]

Well I think the concern is about the difference between #1 in UG and #398 at Columbia. You know what I mean? I get what you're saying though.

Yea, I gotcha -- I think it's a common fear among us 0Ls that we'll be the dumb guy/girl. You've just gotta make sure you study and do reasonably well (easier said than done, right?), and you shouldn't have too much trouble.

[CG614]

You will be fine, in fact since you were #1 at UG, don't even worry about studying at LS.

[vandalvideo]

Or you could wait a year and try to get a full ride at Michigan.

[checkered2]

You will be fine, in fact since you were #1 at UG, don't even worry about studying at LS.

"Don't worry. You don't need to study," says my competition!

[checkered2]

Well I think the concern is about the difference between #1 in UG and #398 at Columbia. You know what I mean? I get what you're saying though.

Yea, I gotcha -- I think it's a common fear among us 0Ls that we'll be the dumb guy/girl. You've just gotta make sure you study and do reasonably well (easier said than done, right?), and you shouldn't have too much trouble.

I wonder who ends up in the bottom? Is it people who try really hard but miss something? Or, is it generally those who put little or not effort in for whatever reason?

[CG614]

You will be fine, in fact since you were #1 at UG, don't even worry about studying at LS.

"Don't worry. You don't need to study," says my competition!

haha... Gave it a shot.

[270910]

Well I think the concern is about the difference between #1 in UG and #398 at Columbia. You know what I mean? I get what you're saying though.

Yea, I gotcha -- I think it's a common fear among us 0Ls that we'll be the dumb guy/girl. You've just gotta make sure you study and do reasonably well (easier said than done, right?), and you shouldn't have too much trouble.

I wonder who ends up in the bottom? Is it people who try really hard but miss something? Or, is it generally those who put little or not effort in for whatever reason?

The bottom of the class consist of the people who are the worst at taking law school exams.

/zen

Realistically, the actual bottom 10% or so are going to be people who didn't put in the time, didn't 'get' it, or had to deal with life emergencies, depression, bla bla bla that took them out of the running. The bottom of the class requires consistent failure. The more common sob story is the person who tries like crazy and only winds up in the middle third of the class. I'd say true honest effort is enough to guarantee top 66% (i.e. better than 1/3 of the class).

[legends159]

Fear is a strong motivator. The fact that you are going into LS scared will give you a leg up.

[NotANoob]

Don't go.

Now is probably the best time to learn that just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should -- even if there 1,000 people who are lined up behind you to take your spot.

You seem to a good head on your shoulders. A $60 scholarship to Columbia is nothing to sneeze at. But, you are still looking at $150k of debt, at least, unless you have other sources of funding. That much debt means that it will be making career decisions for you. Your ability to explore your options is at its high point right now.

Once you commit to law school, you really are committing yourself to a path. Burn out is a real concern. One of the best ways to combat it is to be in a position where you know, that the greatest extent possible, you have been driving your career, and your career hasn't been driving you. Taking time off between undergrad and law school really helps in this pursuit. It can help shape your interest in the law, help you navigate the "job" part of the job, can inform your career moves along the way, and can help with "the grass is always greener" syndrome.

Of the attorneys I know, 75% of the ones who went straight through wouldn't repeat that decision. Close to 100% of the ones that took time off would do it the same way (a few would take more or less time off, though). Until about 5 years out, the ones who went straight through, were pretty happy with their decision, but at the 3-5 year mark, something tends to change. Now this population is pretty much folks that worked at firms, so other paths may remarkably different in this regard. (However, the percentage of people who go into law school thinking they will do something other than a firm job, and the percent that actually follow through with that is very different, especially at Columbia.)

If you have concerns about whether this opportunity is worth the debt, listen to them. Law school will be there next year. It will even be there 10 years from now, if you want. You don't need to jump into it with doubts.

Figure out whether you have a case of nerves or doubts -- if it's the latter, don't go.

[jdhonest]

Go to UVA for free and learn to play softball, hit on sorority girls, drink beer and chill the freak out.

Enjoy life.