Should I go? Forum

[Tot12Tator]

Hey guys,

I'm a senior, criminal justice major. I'm not 100% positive being a lawyer is what I to do with my life. I had thought about using a JD as a way to get into the FBI, or maybe be a prosecutor. With the way the market is right now...and not being 100% positive on being a lawyer...would going to law school be worth it? By market, I mean overall job market. I know the take a year or so off, work, and see if you like it option...but getting a job isn't very easy right now.

Thanks!

[Gunnar Stahl]

If you aren't sure you want to be a lawyer, don't go to law school.

[RELIC]

Hey guys,

I'm a senior, criminal justice major. I'm not 100% positive being a lawyer is what I to do with my life. I had thought about using a JD as a way to get into the FBI, or maybe be a prosecutor. With the way the market is right now...and not being 100% positive on being a lawyer...would going to law school be worth it? By market, I mean overall job market. I know the take a year or so off, work, and see if you like it option...but getting a job isn't very easy right now.

Thanks!

Have you even taken the LSAT? What is your GPA?

[Tot12Tator]

Hey guys,

I'm a senior, criminal justice major. I'm not 100% positive being a lawyer is what I to do with my life. I had thought about using a JD as a way to get into the FBI, or maybe be a prosecutor. With the way the market is right now...and not being 100% positive on being a lawyer...would going to law school be worth it? By market, I mean overall job market. I know the take a year or so off, work, and see if you like it option...but getting a job isn't very easy right now.

Thanks!

Have you even taken the LSAT? What is your GPA?

I haven't taken the LSAT yet, but I am in June. My GPA is a 3.32, but I may do a 5th year because I want to add a major, so I could bring that up.

[Tot12Tator]

If you aren't sure you want to be a lawyer, don't go to law school.

It's not that I don't want to be a lawyer. I could have worded my question a little better. Would it be worth going into so much debt for a market that's so tough right now, if being in law enforcement would satisfy me just as much?

[North]

I wouldn't bother, dude. You're not set on it and, even with a 170+, you'd be a splitter. Splitters don't get much scholly money at the few schools worth going to, and putting in the work to break 170+ on the LSAT would suck without the drive that comes from being sure that this is what you want to do.

Go do something else for a few years. Come back here only (1) if you decide you 100% want to be a lawyer and (2) when the tuition bubble bursts.

[chugachjed]

http://youtu.be/193hOTS5xUI NTTAWWT

[A. Nony Mouse]

If you aren't sure you want to be a lawyer, don't go to law school.

It's not that I don't want to be a lawyer. I could have worded my question a little better. Would it be worth going into so much debt for a market that's so tough right now, if being in law enforcement would satisfy me just as much?

I think if law enforcement would be just as satisfying, go into law enforcement (not that I know anything about the process/market, so keep that in mind). The thing is, you could always go get a JD later if you decide that's your thing. There are quite a few former law enforcement people, especially in prosecution, and age isn't that big a deal; I started law school at 39. You could work in law enforcement for a decade, decide to go to law school, and still be younger than me when you start.

[Dr. Dre]

You're a criminal justice major? This will hurt you since most top law schools do not take that major seriously, even with a high GPA. The only way to remedy this shortcoming is a high LSAT. That will demonstrate that you have critical reasoning skills.

If you want to be a prosecutor, just go to any TTT with full scholarship, since DA offices are mostly filled with TTT graduates. Just make sure you're good at public speaking and bullshitting arguments.

[objection_your_honor]

You're a criminal justice major? This will hurt you since most top law schools do not take that major seriously, even with a high GPA. The only way to remedy this shortcoming is a high LSAT. That will demonstrate that you have critical reasoning skills.

If you want to be a prosecutor, just go to any TTT with full scholarship, since DA offices are mostly filled with TTT graduates. Just make sure you're good at public speaking and bullshitting arguments.

Wrong on both counts. Law schools don't really consider majors, and prosecutor jobs are extremely competitive.

[thatdude222]

You're a criminal justice major? This will hurt you since most top law schools do not take that major seriously, even with a high GPA. The only way to remedy this shortcoming is a high LSAT. That will demonstrate that you have critical reasoning skills.

If you want to be a prosecutor, just go to any TTT with full scholarship, since DA offices are mostly filled with TTT graduates. Just make sure you're good at public speaking and bullshitting arguments.

Horrible advice...

OP, if you're not 100% sure I'd take off a year or two and try working in criminal justice or another field and then reconsider law school. Law school isn't going anywhere and work experience will help improve your application/help overcome that lower GPA.

[Dr. Dre]

Law schools don't really consider majors

The law schools worth going to do not like criminal justice majors.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Law schools don't really consider majors

The law schools worth going to do not like criminal justice majors.

Based on...?

[Dr. Dre]

Because of Harvard's propensity to rely on numbers more heavily than most of its peers, the sage advice offered on TLS is to select the major that will most likely result in an LSDAS cumulative GPA approximating 4.0. On the other hand, students who majored in Criminal Justice are very hard to find at HLS, if they exist at all.

Also, the woman in this book says it


--ImageRemoved--

[A. Nony Mouse]

Because of Harvard's propensity to rely on numbers more heavily than most of its peers, the sage advice offered on TLS is to select the major that will most likely result in an LSDAS cumulative GPA approximating 4.0. On the other hand, students who majored in Criminal Justice are very hard to find at HLS, if they exist at all.

Correlation/causation much? (Also, it could be about bias in favor of certain schools rather than against the major, as I doubt most elite undergrads offer a criminal justice major.)

[AllDangle]

Law schools don't really consider majors

The law schools worth going to do not like criminal justice majors.

I'm a CJ major who is an incoming 1L at a T14 this fall. With that said, you obviously need the numbers for admission.

[cwid1391]

Statistically, CJ majors have the lowest average LSAT scores out of all majors.

[Dr. Dre]

Correlation/causation much? (Also, it could be about bias in favor of certain schools rather than against the major, as I doubt most elite undergrads offer a criminal justice major.)

This is the though process of all adcoms at elite skewls:


if major in criminal justice —> degree is worth shit and applicant went to TTT UG
if your degree is worth shit and your UG sucks —> applicant is not getting into our skewl


∴ major in CM —> enjoy Cooley



(the assumption here is that the applicant didn't get 3.95+ AND 175+)

[A. Nony Mouse]

Correlation/causation much? (Also, it could be about bias in favor of certain schools rather than against the major, as I doubt most elite undergrads offer a criminal justice major.)

This is the though process of all adcoms at elite skewls:


if major in criminal justice —> degree is worth shit and applicant went to TTT UG
if your degree is worth shit and your UG sucks —> your not getting into our skewl


∴ major in CM —> enjoy Cooley

How is this consistent with your persistent refrain that admissions is all about numbers and URM status?

[Dr. Dre]

Admissions is all about LSAT/GPA/URM

But, I'd say with a CM you must be above both medians. Especially dat LSAT score.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Admissions is all about LSAT/GPA/URM

But, I'd say with a CM you must be above both medians. Especially dat LSAT score.

But then it's not all about numbers.

[Bronte]

I think Dre is quasi-trolling as seems to be his wont. A criminal justice major is about as likely to hurt you as a mechanical engineering major is to help you: maybe I tiny bit. I would say it's a mildly negative soft. Not really worth extended discussion at this stage.

Anyway, more importantly, it does not sound like OP has a very strong desire to go to law school. If I were you OP, I would go the law enforcement route for now and reconsider law school in say 3-5 years.

[Dr. Dre]

Admissions is all about LSAT/GPA/URM

But, I'd say with a CM you must be above both medians. Especially dat LSAT score.

But then it's not all about numbers.

No, it is. A criminal justice major just has to have really strong numbers.

[sabanist]

OP, your major is irrelevant for the purpose of applications. One of my majors is CJ and I'm going to HLS next year.
If you decide to do the fifth year, see if your CJ program has any internship connections. My department landed me some work at the public defender's office last year, and the substantive experience really helped me make sure that I wanted to go into law. It helped me in the application process (gave me something great to talk about in interviews) and applying for legal jobs this summer (I'm at a biglaw firm) to boot.

I think if law enforcement would be just as satisfying, go into law enforcement (not that I know anything about the process/market, so keep that in mind). The thing is, you could always go get a JD later if you decide that's your thing. There are quite a few former law enforcement people, especially in prosecution, and age isn't that big a deal; I started law school at 39. You could work in law enforcement for a decade, decide to go to law school, and still be younger than me when you start.

This is really good advice.

[indo]

Hey guys,

I'm a senior, criminal justice major. I'm not 100% positive being a lawyer is what I to do with my life. I had thought about using a JD as a way to get into the FBI, or maybe be a prosecutor. With the way the market is right now...and not being 100% positive on being a lawyer...would going to law school be worth it? By market, I mean overall job market. I know the take a year or so off, work, and see if you like it option...but getting a job isn't very easy right now.

Thanks!

DO NOT go to law school