Should I really go to law school? Forum

[blugirl400]

I've been reading the info on going to law school, and it doesn't look good. But I just really don't know what else to do. I've been out of college three years with an English Degree and only able to obtain minimum wage jobs. I really want to do something I'm passionate about but there just don't seem to be that many jobs. I want to help animals and I thought maybe I could do this with animal law but I've also read that it's unlikely one can do anything for the common good with a law degree. Basically, I've already taken the lsat, almost finished my apps, and asked for LORs so I figure I have to apply now. My question is, how bad would it be if I went?

[sparty99]

Why don't you be a vet? The law market is horrible.

[ilovesf]

It doesn't sound like you actually want to be a lawyer. Also, I'm not really sure what "animal law" is. Maybe you should apply to some non-profits that help strays or something.

[mg7]

I've been reading the info on going to law school, and it doesn't look good. But I just really don't know what else to do. I've been out of college three years with an English Degree and only able to obtain minimum wage jobs. I really want to do something I'm passionate about but there just don't seem to be that many jobs. I want to help animals and I thought maybe I could do this with animal law but I've also read that it's unlikely one can do anything for the common good with a law degree. Basically, I've already taken the lsat, almost finished my apps, and asked for LORs so I figure I have to apply now. My question is, how bad would it be if I went?

Graduating 3 years later with a mountain of debt and a degree you didn't even want to begin with would be much worse than just pulling out of the app process now.

[Rahviveh]

What about working at a zoo? Also what are your stats?

[gman1978]

Why don't you be a vet? The law market is horrible.

veterinary school is also very expensive and you don't make much money doing it. OP there's no way to evaluate your question without more information. If you have the ability to go to a T14 or to a reasonable school with a full ride, then it may make sense to do it. But you have to have eyes wide open about the employment situation. If you are going to take on $100,000 or more in debt, my personal advice would be don't go unless you can get into a T14 school.

[ilovesf]

Why don't you be a vet? The law market is horrible.

veterinary school is also very expensive and you don't make much money doing it. OP there's no way to evaluate your question without more information. If you have the ability to go to a T14 or to a reasonable school with a full ride, then it may make sense to do it. But you have to have eyes wide open about the employment situation. If you are going to take on $100,000 or more in debt, my personal advice would be don't go unless you can get into a T14 school.

I don't think it ever makes sense to go to law school if you want to practice "animal law" and help animals.

[BullShitWithBravado]

Why don't you be a vet? The law market is horrible.

It doesn't sound like you actually want to be a lawyer. Also, I'm not really sure what "animal law" is. Maybe you should apply to some non-profits that help strays or something.

Going to graduate school just because you don't know what else to do, especially with the way the market is right now and the rising cost of law school, is probably not a good idea. Have you ever thought about teaching? Your English degree could be useful in that field. You could try to do Teach for America or get your masters in education (I've heard that in certain states in the South, you don't even need a masters). I know that there are some programs out there where you can get your masters for free if you teach at an approved inner city school for three years. There are (or at least were) programs like this in Baltimore (you get to go to Johns Hopkins for free), NYC, and Oakland, although there should be similar programs in other cities as well.

[gman1978]

Why don't you be a vet? The law market is horrible.

veterinary school is also very expensive and you don't make much money doing it. OP there's no way to evaluate your question without more information. If you have the ability to go to a T14 or to a reasonable school with a full ride, then it may make sense to do it. But you have to have eyes wide open about the employment situation. If you are going to take on $100,000 or more in debt, my personal advice would be don't go unless you can get into a T14 school.

I don't think it ever makes sense to go to law school if you want to practice "animal law" and help animals.

This is probably true. Also, I don't have a ton of experience (I'm a 1L) but the people in my class who attended thinking that they're not really interested in the law but something else that the law is involved in (like, I'm interested in finance and want to do M&A; or I'm interested in feminist issues, so maybe I'll do civil rights work for women's groups) are in a really bad position, because most people find legal work really boring, and it is hard to control the area that you go into.

[paratactical]

Why don't you be a vet? The law market is horrible.

veterinary school is also very expensive and you don't make much money doing it. OP there's no way to evaluate your question without more information. If you have the ability to go to a T14 or to a reasonable school with a full ride, then it may make sense to do it. But you have to have eyes wide open about the employment situation. If you are going to take on $100,000 or more in debt, my personal advice would be don't go unless you can get into a T14 school.

I don't think it ever makes sense to go to law school if you want to practice "animal law" and help animals.

Yeah.

OP - you are not going to work in animal law. You are not going to do law things that help animals. You are also never going to shit diamonds or puke rainbows. I find it hard to believe that someone old enough to be out of UG for three years can think that "animal law" is a career option. Do not go back to school for anything. Even if you could get into school for anything at a decent price point, you're clearly too naive to actually comprehend what you're doing. You will be better off working your way into middle management at McDonald's than you would trying to go to law school.

[justonemoregame]

whether you should go to law school or not is almost entirely dependent upon your LSAT/GPA combo. As for figuring out what you want to do - work on that between now and matriculation like other normals. And then cross your fingers that your grades allow it.

[blugirl400]

Yeah.

OP - you are not going to work in animal law. You are not going to do law things that help animals. You are also never going to shit diamonds or puke rainbows. I find it hard to believe that someone old enough to be out of UG for three years can think that "animal law" is a career option. Do not go back to school for anything. Even if you could get into school for anything at a decent price point, you're clearly too naive to actually comprehend what you're doing. You will be better off working your way into middle management at McDonald's than you would trying to go to law school.

Wow.

[blugirl400]

I didn't make this shit up either.

http://aldf.org/section.php?id=100

[paratactical]

Yeah.

OP - you are not going to work in animal law. You are not going to do law things that help animals. You are also never going to shit diamonds or puke rainbows. I find it hard to believe that someone old enough to be out of UG for three years can think that "animal law" is a career option. Do not go back to school for anything. Even if you could get into school for anything at a decent price point, you're clearly too naive to actually comprehend what you're doing. You will be better off working your way into middle management at McDonald's than you would trying to go to law school.

Wow.

Sorry. But it's better that someone be honest with you than you go into six figure debt in hopes of getting a job that is about as likely for you to get as it is for me to get a Super Bowl ring.

[ilovesf]

I didn't make this shit up either.

http://aldf.org/section.php?id=100

People are trying to help you by giving you advice. Just because there is a website on it, it doesn't mean there are a lot of jobs available in that field (assuming it even is a field).

[nickb285]

.

[blugirl400]

So animal law is bullshit?

[nickb285]

.

[Aawaldrop]

whether you should go to law school or not is almost entirely dependent upon your LSAT/GPA combo.

As well as whether or not you actually want to be a lawyer or you just can't figure out what to do with your English degree.

OP, believe me, I know it sucks--I graduated a couple years ago with a political science degree, so I was in the same boat. But I actually wanted to be a lawyer, and only put it off for a couple years because I was sick of being in school. Going to law school even though your only legal ambition is "I dunno, maybe something with animals" is like going to med school even though you're "I dunno, kinda interested in biology and stuff." Law school is not Undergrad 2.0, it's a trade school, and unlike most trade schools it costs a fuckton of money. If you don't want to be a lawyer, or if you would only be happy as a lawyer doing one incredibly rare and unlikely kind of law, don't go to law school.

+1

[paratactical]

I didn't make this shit up either.

http://aldf.org/section.php?id=100

I didn't say that there aren't any attorneys out there doing your feel-good dream-job. I just said you aren't going to get that job because, guess what, statistically, you aren't going to get that job. There are also lawyers that do space law and sports law and entertainment law and civil rights law and every other bullshit super fun idea of a lawyer you can come up with, but the bottom line is that they are a very very very small percentage of the barred attorneys out there. The fact that you can't comprehend that this is what people are telling you only reinforces my belief that you are too naive to be making the decision to go into debt for more education.

[blugirl400]

You're nice. I understand what you're saying just not so nice to hear.

[paratactical]

You're nice. I understand what you're saying just not so nice to hear.

As someone with a useless Creative Writing major that spent quite sometime debating attending law school and decided that it is, most likely, unfortunately a financially unsound choice, I sympathize.

[blugirl400]

So why are you still on this site?

[paratactical]

So why are you still on this site?

I'm a loser that works way too many hours at a small law firm.

[ilovesf]

So why are you still on this site?

So she can pass along wisdom to people like you.