Quote:
Originally Posted by socialite
I am soo frustrated right now with the whole process and granted I'm only a sophomore but I'm the kind of person who freaks out easily about the near and up and coming future... I just recently decided that maybe I should go to law school and I just feel soooooo stupid every time I look at stats or take a Practice LSAT...
Granted I just decided this a couple of days ago but I feel like I could do well in law but so far I just feel more or less retarded...
Advice from any of you older/wiser crowd to put my nerves at ease?
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Ok; I'm going into my third year of school (a 4-year evening program), so here are my two cents. Also, I believe Shinerbock had a great post on the application process somewhere in this forum. You may want to look for it.
You mentioned that you "think you maybe" should go to law school. I would suggest that, before you go through all the trouble and cost of applying to school, you figure out whether you really want to do it. Law school is a ton of work, and a ton of money. Even for those of us who really want to do it, it can be frustrating at times, and make you want to pull your hair out. The application process can be annoying, but it's no match for the stress of finals (or, for taking the bar). You should think long and hard whether it's something you really want to do.
Now, if you do really want to do it, you need to first sit back and take a deep breath. The process is less annoying if you put a lot of thought into it. Unless you have the grades and are planning on going to a top-ranked school (like an Ivy, U of Chicago, University of Michigan, etc.), figure out where you'd want to practice when you graduate. You'll want to go to school in that geographic area, because once you get out of the top 20 or so, local connections become much more important.
Also, be very honest with yourself about where you would fit, numbers-wise. Your grades and LSAT scores are going to dictate where you'll be admitted. Some extracurriculars may help a bit in rounding out your profile, but the importance of your numbers can't be over-emphasized.
Now if your grades and LSAT scores aren't that good, it's not the end of the world. But, you also have to keep future job prospects in mind, and be VERY honest with yourself about your potential for good grades in law school. If you're at one of those top-20 schools, your grades aren't going to matter so much. Anywhere else, though, law school grades will make a big difference, for everything from law journal to jobs. No matter what you want to do, whether it be big law, government work, or public interest, they'll be looking for people with good grades. The general idea is, as you get into T2 and T3 schools, you're going to need higher grades, and higher class rank, to compete in the job market. Also, it will be more important that you've chosen a school with local connections.
As I said, I'm in my third year, and I couldn't be happier with the decision I made. I'm in an evening program at a school that's well-respected in the northeast, I've gotten good grades, and I'm a member of a law journal. It's very tough, and it's a whole lot of work, but I'm working to my goal of being an attorney. Any trouble with the application process was well worth it in the results I've seen in my education. If it's something you truly want to do, then I wish you the best of luck.