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Deciding to Wait a Year

Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 9:43 pm
by BrownBears09
Thank you TLS.

Background:
159 LSAT (159 Diagnostic)
3.3 GPA (2.2 -> 4.0 extreme upward grade trend with non-punitive 1st year withdrawals)
Major: Economics
WE: 1year+ Data Analysis
All-Ivy League Athlete
URM

Point blank, I want NYC (preferably corporate) BigLaw. After testing terribly, I was stubborn and set on attending a Rutgers/St. John's/Seton Hall tier school with minimal scholarship. This forum (minus the fanatical naysayers and doom-and-gloom ranters) provided a very large resource for job placements and expected outcomes in our current economy. While I may not agree with some of the information, the insight has been tremendously helpful in my decision.

I realized that the price of another year of WE (further distancing myself from my below average GPA), a professionally administered LSAT prep course, and an LSAT retake far outweigh the $100,000+ in debt burden. Furthermore, this site showed me that I DO have other options. I hate my current job location, and began applying to jobs near NYC. The end result is a position with a large hedge fund located in the tri-state area, the opportunity to further expand my skill set in an area of interest, and an increased nest egg.

I hope that this serves as a reminder that others should, and I cannot emphasize this enough, heavily weigh the risks of debt versus the expected job prospects of your chosen school. Even with loan repayment assistance, debt of this magnitude is no joke. Thank you again, TLS.

TL;DR Version:
Want biglaw. URM who underperformed test. TLS showed me the light. Decided to gain additional WE and retake.

Re: Deciding to Wait a Year

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 8:50 pm
by zonto
Here's to hoping they make a Lifetime movie about your experience!

Re: Deciding to Wait a Year

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:51 am
by whymeohgodno
Scoring your diagnostic on the real thing must suck. Did you just not do an entire section?

Re: Deciding to Wait a Year

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:53 am
by fatduck
whymeohgodno wrote:Scoring your diagnostic on the real thing must suck. Did you just not do an entire section?
it's not that uncommon. i scored the same as my first diagnostic, despite PTing much higher.

Re: Deciding to Wait a Year

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:56 am
by FeelTheHeat
Topics like this genuinely make me happy. Makes me feel I'm fighting the good fight.

Re: Deciding to Wait a Year

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:57 am
by whymeohgodno
fatduck wrote:
whymeohgodno wrote:Scoring your diagnostic on the real thing must suck. Did you just not do an entire section?
it's not that uncommon. i scored the same as my first diagnostic, despite PTing much higher.
Scoring 170 on your diagnostic is uncommon you bastard.

Re: Deciding to Wait a Year

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 9:55 pm
by NoJob
BrownBears09 wrote:Thank you TLS.

Background:
159 LSAT (159 Diagnostic)
3.3 GPA (2.2 -> 4.0 extreme upward grade trend with non-punitive 1st year withdrawals)
Major: Economics
WE: 1year+ Data Analysis
All-Ivy League Athlete
URM

Point blank, I want NYC (preferably corporate) BigLaw. After testing terribly, I was stubborn and set on attending a Rutgers/St. John's/Seton Hall tier school with minimal scholarship. This forum (minus the fanatical naysayers and doom-and-gloom ranters) provided a very large resource for job placements and expected outcomes in our current economy. While I may not agree with some of the information, the insight has been tremendously helpful in my decision.

I realized that the price of another year of WE (further distancing myself from my below average GPA), a professionally administered LSAT prep course, and an LSAT retake far outweigh the $100,000+ in debt burden. Furthermore, this site showed me that I DO have other options. I hate my current job location, and began applying to jobs near NYC. The end result is a position with a large hedge fund located in the tri-state area, the opportunity to further expand my skill set in an area of interest, and an increased nest egg.

I hope that this serves as a reminder that others should, and I cannot emphasize this enough, heavily weigh the risks of debt versus the expected job prospects of your chosen school. Even with loan repayment assistance, debt of this magnitude is no joke. Thank you again, TLS.

TL;DR Version:
Want biglaw. URM who underperformed test. TLS showed me the light. Decided to gain additional WE and retake.
There are people with law degrees and Ivy League credentials who are unemployed or who were laid off by biglaw (which is dying anyways).

Stay with the hedge fund, get some experience, and stay away from law. You will be much better off going down this road and maybe getting an MBA from Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, etc. than throwing your life away going into law.