Going to a law school after graduating early Forum

[ylee11]

Hello. I'll be a college freshman after this summer and i was planning to graduate early.
It seems like if i take 20-25 credits per a term, i can graduate in 2-3 yrs since my college's graduate requirement is 120 credits.
This would be a good opportunity to save money since the college i go is one of the most expensive schools in US.
But i was worrying that some law school admission officers consider students who graduate early as immature and unexperienced.
What do you guys think about this? Would it really? I really want to and need to graduate early.
What would be the best option for me to take?

[maxm2764]

Hello. I'll be a college freshman after this summer and i was planning to graduate early.
It seems like if i take 20-25 credits per a term, i can graduate in 2-3 yrs since my college's graduate requirement is 120 credits.
This would be a good opportunity to save money since the college i go is one of the most expensive schools in US.
But i was worrying that some law school admission officers consider students who graduate early as immature and unexperienced.
What do you guys think about this? Would it really? I really want to and need to graduate early.
What would be the best option for me to take?

Have fun taking 20-25 credits a term. I'd be worried about keeping your GPA high with that course load.

But in all seriousness duder, have fun in college and come back in three years. Hell, you might decide that law school isn't for you between now and then.

[sambeber]

Hello. I'll be a college freshman after this summer and i was planning to graduate early.
It seems like if i take 20-25 credits per a term, i can graduate in 2-3 yrs since my college's graduate requirement is 120 credits.
This would be a good opportunity to save money since the college i go is one of the most expensive schools in US.
But i was worrying that some law school admission officers consider students who graduate early as immature and unexperienced.
What do you guys think about this? Would it really? I really want to and need to graduate early.
What would be the best option for me to take?

Have fun taking 20-25 credits a term. I'd be worried about keeping your GPA high with that course load.

But in all seriousness duder, have fun in college and come back in three years. Hell, you might decide that law school isn't for you between now and then.

This. Also, most colleges have a maximum credit load you can take -- might want to check on that before you start making plans.

[BaiAilian2013]

Most people who graduate early do so because they come in with a ton of AP credit. Unless you go to a really easy school, or "credit" doesn't mean what it usually means, taking more than 18 credits per semester is just stupid - particularly if you're planning on applying to law school.

[c_dubya_s]

Hello. I'll be a college freshman after this summer and i was planning to graduate early.
It seems like if i take 20-25 credits per a term, i can graduate in 2-3 yrs since my college's graduate requirement is 120 credits.
This would be a good opportunity to save money since the college i go is one of the most expensive schools in US.
But i was worrying that some law school admission officers consider students who graduate early as immature and unexperienced.
What do you guys think about this? Would it really? I really want to and need to graduate early.
What would be the best option for me to take?

Have fun taking 20-25 credits a term. I'd be worried about keeping your GPA high with that course load.

But in all seriousness duder, have fun in college and come back in three years. Hell, you might decide that law school isn't for you between now and then.

This. Also, most colleges have a maximum credit load you can take -- might want to check on that before you start making plans.

+1 I wouldn't be surprised if you had to pay for the credits you take past the credit limit (which, at my undergrad, was 17 credits a semester). So it may make college more expensive, not less. Relax and get through it in 3 or 4 years.

In response to your earlier question--I graduated in 3.5 years from undergrad, although that was due to AP credits. I don't think it affected my law school apps one way or another.

[Patriot1208]

I seriously doubt your school will allow you to take that many credits. Generally, 18 is max and if you want to do more than that you have to get approval from the dean. I don't think any dean will allow you to take that many credits a semester every semester.

Your grades are also going to suffer and i'm not sure you could schedule your classes needed to do that straight through without taking any classes that end up being useless.

Make some fucking friends and have some fun.

[ladybug89]

Do not, under any circumstances, graduate in 2 years, though it's probably possible to do it in 3. Obviously you'd have a way better time (and probably a higher gpa) if you take the full four years, but if you have to, you have to. I have a good friend who graduated in 3 years from top5 undergrad because of money issues, and he had a great time in college and is now having a great time making bank. He did have lots of AP credits though, and if you don't I would seriously advise against it.

lastly, as for how law schools look at younger grads, search the forums. people have different opinions - some say it doesn't matter, others say it does matter but that solid WE or really good internships help counterbalance that.

[Magnolia]

I went to a really expensive UG and graduated early to save money. Looking back, I'm not sure it was worth it. I took multiple 18 credit semesters, and it was a lot of work. My 20 credit semester was absolutely brutal. If law school is your end goal, then getting a high GPA should be your primary focus. By taking on extra credits, you risk lowering your GPA. Having taken extra credits is not going to make up for a low GPA in the eyes of the adcomms. The money you save by graduating early with a lower GPA is just money you'll end up spending on LS when your lower GPA results in lower scholarship offers. Even worse is if the lower GPA forces you to go to lower ranked schools and costs you job prospects.

Also, your peers will all be taking standard course loads and they'll have much more free time than you. Taking 20+ credits will cause you to miss out on a significant portion of social activities, and you'll probably regret that once you've graduated. You'll spend more than enough time studying in law school. Spend your UG time having fun.

[BlakcMajikc]

My suggestion if you want to graduate early due to financial concerns, then take advantage of the LSAC GPA.

Do four 18-hour semesters (12 additional credits) during your sophomore and junior years, and then take 6 hours of community classes (two classes) each summer for three summers (18 total credits) while doing your internship/working. That will give you the 30 credits or two semesters worth to graduate in the summer.

Obviously, the downfall to that is if you plan on going directly to law school, then you will be taking undergrad classes even during the summer before 1L year. sounds awful to me, but I think it makes more sense than packing 20+ hours into semesters, especially starting with freshman year. (but IMHO, I think its better to take a year off if you are graduating early anyway)

[ebeth]

Hello. I'll be a college freshman after this summer and i was planning to graduate early.
It seems like if i take 20-25 credits per a term, i can graduate in 2-3 yrs since my college's graduate requirement is 120 credits.
This would be a good opportunity to save money since the college i go is one of the most expensive schools in US.
But i was worrying that some law school admission officers consider students who graduate early as immature and unexperienced.
What do you guys think about this? Would it really? I really want to and need to graduate early.
What would be the best option for me to take?

If you've decided that you "want to and need to graduate early" then it seems like you're just looking for reassurance that this won't hurt you in the admissions process. We don't really know if it will or won't. It depends on what your numbers will be and which schools you're aiming for. I am graduating in a week after three years of undergrad. I did this for several personal reasons, but I also never had to take more than 16 credits/semester. I absolutely would not have done it if I had to take much more. It sounds like you'd be setting yourself up to be miserable all throughout college, leaving yourself burnt out and without a lot of energy to go to law school. Also, the semesters that I spent studying for the LSAT and applying to law schools were extremely difficult. At the end of the day you have to think about which path is right for you and then follow it regardless of what other people think. Make sure you are involved in your undergrad and get good work experience during the summer to compensate for being young. Although if you are taking that many classes I'm not sure how you'd do that.

[MattThiessen]

My suggestion if you want to graduate early due to financial concerns, then take advantage of the LSAC GPA.

Do four 18-hour semesters (12 additional credits) during your sophomore and junior years, and then take 6 hours of community classes (two classes) each summer for three summers (18 total credits) while doing your internship/working. That will give you the 30 credits or two semesters worth to graduate in the summer.

Obviously, the downfall to that is if you plan on going directly to law school, then you will be taking undergrad classes even during the summer before 1L year. sounds awful to me, but I think it makes more sense than packing 20+ hours into semesters, especially starting with freshman year. (but IMHO, I think its better to take a year off if you are graduating early anyway)

TITCR, assuming you really want to graduate early. I did this, basically, except did 9 hours of credits at a local college over the two summers so that I graduated in May with everyone else and didn't have to stay on for more summer classes (feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions). In the end though, the joke was on me because I graduated in 2009. Couldn't hardly pick a worse time to graduate early, IMHO.

The summer classes I took were wicked easy and I was working full-time while doing it. Graduating early really isn't that hard (assuming you don't go to a really tough school or have a really tough major). BUT, I still took a couple of years off before entering law school.

Edit for disclaimer: This is a terrible idea if it will negatively impact your grades (and I will venture a guess that if a school would theoretically let you take 25 credits, it probably would impact your grades. This wasn't the case for me due to the way I set up my schedule, but I think it all depends on your personality/work ethic/how easy your major is/etc...

[BlakcMajikc]

Good point, 9-credit summers are definitely reasonable. I took 6 each summer, but could have taken 9 without a problem.

So 4 semesters of 18 hrs (spring semester freshman yr, fall of sophomore year, and both semesters junior year), 2 summers of 9 credits. Then LSAT preparation during the 15 credit spring of sophomore year to take the June LSAT (optimal date). Or LSAT prep during the summer for the October LSAT, but the 9 credits+work+LSAT may be too much.

[tea_drinker]

Hello. I'll be a college freshman after this summer and i was planning to graduate early.
It seems like if i take 20-25 credits per a term, i can graduate in 2-3 yrs since my college's graduate requirement is 120 credits.
This would be a good opportunity to save money since the college i go is one of the most expensive schools in US.
But i was worrying that some law school admission officers consider students who graduate early as immature and unexperienced.
What do you guys think about this? Would it really? I really want to and need to graduate early.
What would be the best option for me to take?

Many top schools don't care if you have no work experiences or how old you are when you start law school. Just make sure you can get high GPAs doing what you plan to do and have a killer LSAT score.

[Georgiana]

Hello. I'll be a college freshman after this summer and i was planning to graduate early.
It seems like if i take 20-25 credits per a term, i can graduate in 2-3 yrs since my college's graduate requirement is 120 credits.
This would be a good opportunity to save money since the college i go is one of the most expensive schools in US.
But i was worrying that some law school admission officers consider students who graduate early as immature and unexperienced.
What do you guys think about this? Would it really? I really want to and need to graduate early.
What would be the best option for me to take?

Many top schools don't care if you have no work experiences or how old you are when you start law school. Just make sure you can get high GPAs doing what you plan to do and have a killer LSAT score.

Truth.

I did high school in 3 years, boyfriend did college in 3 years... making us both barely 21 when starting law school, we both got into law school (but had great GPAs even though we were "young"). They don't really care about your maturity

I think its fine to do it in 3, doing it in two seems ridiculous. Law school is much less fun than undergrad, so try to slow down and enjoy it a little.

[gwuorbust]

I graduated undergrad way early, but it was worth it cause I save ~75k. however, I would not advocate doing so if you aren't saving money. also, I advocate taking 1 or 2 years off between graduation and lawl school.

[alexanderhamilton]

I graduated a year early because I came in with 14 credits, and then I took 18 credits a semester. It wasn't that much work (history) and I'm saving a good deal of money, and my school keeps hiking tuition every year so no regrets. I also had a life, you don't need to be a recluse.