156/3.8 gpa from UC. Need general life-advice. Forum

[yunjh2725]

Hi-

Currently working as an assistant at a BigLaw. (Make about $43000 before taxes). Have a paralegal certificate. I don't know where future holds with this law firm because although it's a BigLaw it has been slow and I have not been given tasks. Is this normal? It's been about 3 weeks with no significant work load.

Studying while working full time with a total commute of 2 hours is a little tiring... I don't want to quit my job and dedicate to LSAT. I have done that before I landed on this job but still ended up with 156. Maybe I didn't give it all when I studied but studying for a third retake this time around wouldn't be significantly different.

What would you do? What am I going to do with my life? Build my way up to be a paralegal? But it's been 2 years since I graduated and my work experience has not been refined... I love my current job because it's chill but it's just super slow these days and afraid that I may be laid off.

I'm pretty sure my third retake would, at best, take me to low 160 or not even... This would get me to Loyola, Pepperdine, or Chapman. I wonder how much a small law office that does family law/PI would make compared to me making 40k right now. But after 10 years, wouldn't those who graduated from Chapman/Loyola make more than a paralegal with 10 years of experience?

I've met a guy who works at a BigLaw as a global support/tech person. He makes 80,000 (about 10 years of experience/started young in his teens). Would you prefer this life or a lawyer from Chapman/Loyola making 60000 around their 3rd year after graduation with better prospects/promotions?

I know money isn't everything that should be taken into consideration. But technically, when it comes to law school, it apparently is.

I am just devastated that I am not motivated because of my LSAT score. I am just not motivated to pursue anything else in general... I know, SMH. In need of some motivation/cheers/critiques! Thanks in advance.

[OhBoyOhBortles]

80k in late twenties with no debt sounds nice. I'd figure out how he did that and then follow the trail. Especially if you have a good work schedule/40 hour week right now.

If you know you want to be an attorney, keep studying until you are PTing consistently in the upper 160s, your GPA is solid enough to get you a good admissions cycle you just need to pair it with an equally strong LSAT.

[yunjh2725]

That guy is in his 30s with 2 kids. He worked his way up and landed on one of top law firms in LA.

I feel like I need to apply this year and get in next year. I only have 2 1/2 months to go through 50 PTs Will do my best and if can't reach those high 160s consistently, then...will just work work work...

[CanadianWolf]

You need to raise your LSAT score to at least 159 before you can get any significant scholarship money.

[unsweetened]

How have you been studying? I got help from a tutor and it made a big difference. Did this nights and weekends while working full time. Mid 160's could probably get you into UCLA.

[OhBoyOhBortles]

That guy is in his 30s with 2 kids. He worked his way up and landed on one of top law firms in LA.

I feel like I need to apply this year and get in next year. I only have 2 1/2 months to go through 50 PTs Will do my best and if can't reach those high 160s consistently, then...will just work work work...

Why rush? Put the requisite time and effort in. Check out the LSAT prep threads for some quality guides.

[hearsay77]

Hi-

Currently working as an assistant at a BigLaw. (Make about $43000 before taxes). Have a paralegal certificate. I don't know where future holds with this law firm because although it's a BigLaw it has been slow and I have not been given tasks. Is this normal? It's been about 3 weeks with no significant work load.

Studying while working full time with a total commute of 2 hours is a little tiring... I don't want to quit my job and dedicate to LSAT. I have done that before I landed on this job but still ended up with 156. Maybe I didn't give it all when I studied but studying for a third retake this time around wouldn't be significantly different.

What would you do?

Others have addressed your need for a retake, which I completely agree with, but I want to address this. OP, this sounds exactly like my life until a couple of months ago. I graduated from a UC in 2014, and got a job in an admin-type position at a V10 firm last year, was commuting close to 3 hours/day, and studying for the LSAT all at the same time. One year later, I can promise you, it was all worth it. When I first started, I didn't get much work either, but it definitely picked up as they became more confident in my training and my ability to perform well. The work was never extremely interesting, but it was undoubtedly a good experience and I genuinely believe that it helped me outperform my numbers during the admissions process. It sounds like you're unsure about whether you want to go to law school or not, so thats the first thing you should figure out. Talk to attorneys at your firm, and any friends, family, alumni, etc. you know that are in the legal field about their jobs and get a better idea of whether it is really something you want to pursue or not. After that, if you decide you want to go to law school, I know that the full time job, commute, and studying for the LSAT all at the same time can be EXTREMELY draining and difficult, but if you truly want to be a lawyer, keep at it. Give up your social life for a few months and focus on the LSAT. Study at least an hour/night and several hours on the weekends. When you're closer to the test, take 3-4 PT's per weekend, because I know its really hard to take them at night when you get home from work and its late and you're exhausted. Give yourself a night off once in a while. Studying while working full time is MUCH harder than just taking a few months off to study, but its definitely possible and myself and tons of other people on this forum have managed to do it successfully. I hope this was at least a little helpful. Good luck, OP!