Law

[Mirage~]

Heya dear b-f,
I'm preparing for law school and working on a few things. I haven't quite decided to go yet . The reason why I haven't put my whole heart in it is because I don't have enough exposure to law just yet and am thinking of three options:

1) apply now and if accepted, go straight

2) apply for a certificate or diploma at a college for Paralegal studies, work in the field and get a very good grasp of what I'm getting myself into, and then apply for law school

3) just work. somewhere.

#3 allows me to save up for school so that I won't be a burden to my parent. I haven't written the lsat but my gpa is at 3.8 - I'm hoping for some financial aid/scholarship/bursary and draw out as little loans as possible.

#2 is still going to be a money drain but I'll move out from where I am now and back in with my parents temporarily and then work as a paralegal for 2-3 years and save up, working parttime the whole time.

#1 just gets it over with asap (while working part time also).


Do you have any experience with this? What would you advise? I'm just trying to get as many thoughts from others as possible. Don't worry, I'm also speaking councellors and contacting universities.

[Ceilidh]

My response would be to go immediately. Trust me, I put off my masters and it's really been difficult to get myself back to school. Is there some reason that you don't think that you're going to want to be a lawyer?

[Fem-me]

Heya dear b-f,
I'm preparing for law school and working on a few things. I haven't quite decided to go yet . The reason why I haven't put my whole heart in it is because I don't have enough exposure to law just yet and am thinking of three options:

1) apply now and if accepted, go straight

2) apply for a certificate or diploma at a college for Paralegal studies, work in the field and get a very good grasp of what I'm getting myself into, and then apply for law school

3) just work. somewhere.

#3 allows me to save up for school so that I won't be a burden to my parent. I haven't written the lsat but my gpa is at 3.8 - I'm hoping for some financial aid/scholarship/bursary and draw out as little loans as possible.

#2 is still going to be a money drain but I'll move out from where I am now and back in with my parents temporarily and then work as a paralegal for 2-3 years and save up, working parttime the whole time.

#1 just gets it over with asap (while working part time also).


Do you have any experience with this? What would you advise? I'm just trying to get as many thoughts from others as possible. Don't worry, I'm also speaking councellors and contacting universities.

As in other fields, like social work, there are many types of law practices. You might want to gain some experience in the fields of law which interest you. It might ignite your passion a little more if you can identify an area of law which really speaks to you. Let your interests guide you, rather than trying to pursue a field which seems right, but which may not be for you. It's a lot of money and time to invest if you aren't pretty sure. Just being a paralegal may be less valuable than, say, working in a human service agency or another place which serves the type of clients you think you might want to serve in the future. Just my thoughts. All the best.

[ms jeckals' hyde]

if i could do it again i'd go now
i ended up working for 10 yearS
then with a break in study another 5yrs
i lost lots of credits they expired whilst all my mates have BA's masters
and dipolmas and my sis has a Phd im not bitter cause i did it in the end

im home now and qualified and very employable working
two jobs ... but the wait made me loose out
lots of pay rises the chance to buy a house of my own
lots of kudos as all my previous colleagues
are managers and high up and im at the bottom battling
and the working to save didnt happen and i still owe

but hey whatever you do im sure you'll do it well
GOOD LUCK

[hollylewya]

Heya dear b-f,
I'm preparing for law school and working on a few things. I haven't quite decided to go yet . The reason why I haven't put my whole heart in it is because I don't have enough exposure to law just yet and am thinking of three options:

1) apply now and if accepted, go straight

2) apply for a certificate or diploma at a college for Paralegal studies, work in the field and get a very good grasp of what I'm getting myself into, and then apply for law school

3) just work. somewhere.

#3 allows me to save up for school so that I won't be a burden to my parent. I haven't written the lsat but my gpa is at 3.8 - I'm hoping for some financial aid/scholarship/bursary and draw out as little loans as possible.

#2 is still going to be a money drain but I'll move out from where I am now and back in with my parents temporarily and then work as a paralegal for 2-3 years and save up, working parttime the whole time.

#1 just gets it over with asap (while working part time also).


Do you have any experience with this? What would you advise? I'm just trying to get as many thoughts from others as possible. Don't worry, I'm also speaking councellors and contacting universities.

DO IT NOW!!!

The longer you put it off, the easier it will be to put it off longer

It doesn't get easier as you get older


Dylan

[perse]

hey Mirage!

I am starting law school this fall. I have worked for the past five years as a legal assistant while attending undergrad. I would recommend going directly to law school. Even if you decide you never want to go into private practice, a law degree will stand you in good stead. There are many different branches of the law, ranging from working for nonprofit companies to help protect the environment or defend human rights (stop torture and female genital mutilation), to working as in-house counsel to companies, to working for civil rights equality etc.

Working as a paralegal will only let you see one tiny sliver of the opportunities available to you with a law degree. For example, the attorney I worked for did mostly estate and trusts law within a law firm. I do not particularly care for that area of the law, and do not intend to go into it. You will also not save much money by working either as a legal assistant or as a paralegal. It is something we all plan to do, but life gets in the way.

What I would recommend, is preparing for and taking the LSAT. Your LSAT score and your GPA are the two most important criteria for getting accepted to law school. Once you know your LSAT score, you will be in a better position to weigh scholarship opportunities. If I were you, I would try to study my brains out for the September 29th LSAT. I would also start working on writing a personal statement, which will be crucial to your application. One you receive your LSAT score, start applying to law schools. Keep in mind this is for Fall '08 admissions, which means you still have an entire year before you actually start school.

Keep in mind that there are restrictions on working if you are attending law school fulltime. Also look into going to law school part-time. It will take an extra year to graduate, but may be worth it financially. If you know any attorneys, talk to them about their experiences with law school and how they financed their education.

Also, check out http://www.lsac.org (the company that administers the LSAT, and a whole lot more).

If I can be of any help at all, please feel free to send me a pm.

~perse


p.s. Sorry for being so long-winded.

[msdemeanor]

I think perse nailed it. Study your butt off for the LSAT and then get into school, get thru, study your butt off even more for the bar, and be done with it Better to do it while you're young and have the energy.

[Mirage~]

Wow. Thank you thank you, all of you !

At the moment I'm in a Canadian university that doesn't have a law program nor specialized law academic councellors albeit it's a recognized, medium sized school. I would like to continue my studies in Canada.

I have heard that it's often difficult to get back into the academic grind when life starts to catch up. Ideally we like to think we have so much time ahead of us.. I'll be 23 this september. But I think Perse said it best.. life gets in the way.

I don't know how I'll be able to study for the lsat for this september?! Or did you mean september 2008? That is doable. However the university (close by) that has a program I find interesting is U of Alberta - one of the smaller ones in Canada and not as reputable but it's fine for me. If not this then probably something in my own backyard, U of BC or Victoria.

I've thought of applying to the States. But the tuition is just nuts. I also don't have close family in the States who will help me with getting PR status after I graduate from law school. If I want to come back up to Canada, I have to spend an additional $40 000 on legal conversion courses and bar exams. There's no way I can afford this, especially not in the near future. If I ever decide to move down to the US, I'd do it after working in Canada for awhile.

Ceilidh,
I'm quite sure this is what I want to do but the reason I'm unsure is because I have not been out in the field of law, gotten elbow deep and worked with the people and the lifestyle. I've been pursuing concurrent (undergraduate) degrees in Anthropology and English for 5 years and have wrestled with the idea of doing graduate studies in Anthro or English to the phd level but I can't justify that kind of investment. I know I want to do more with my life (on my own terms - not saying that it's not fulfilling for others). I just know I won't be happy with advanced degrees in these areas. I'm now finishing my concurrent degrees within the next 4-6 months.

Fem-me,
Thank you for those wise words. I don't have my heart dead set on any particular area of law but I do have interests right now. I don't feel I would be making a real educated decision until I've completed my first year of law school and have spoken to other law students, gotten a taste of the material and spoken to faculty members who very likely are practicing lawyers with experience too.

ms jeckel's hyde,
Thanks for being so candid. I really appreciate that and admit I didn't think of that either. I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying yourself now despite starting out a little later. I know you'll achieve all you want in time.

Thank you too, Dylan and msdemeanor.

If you guys have any valuable links, please share here regarding the lsat. Which books did you find worked for you, Perse? How did you study for it? I would like to work/volunteer also but I don't know where to look. You sound like you've been planning for law school for years. I've sort of always been of the mindset that I would do graduate and phd in the arts. It's only in the past year that I've played with the idea of law school. I would certainly have done a few things differently to better prepare myself had I known from the start. But such is life. Any help/suggestions would be much appreciated !!

[EnergyInACan]

mirage, i was 23 when i decided i wanted to become a doctor and a scientist, and i was graduating with a non-science degree. i worked my way in medical research through premed classes, discovering what i liked and didn't like clinically and the many reasons i wanted to pursue a dual career. 23 is STILL young. lmao. getting actual experience helped me get into the program i wanted to attend. plus, knowing why i want to have this career helps push me along during those long days and nights of studying.

i'd advise against going the paralegal route if you have ever entertained notions of being a lawyer. it will only be a derailment financially, timewise, and energywise. as has been stated previously, it's difficult to save money on that kind of salary -- not that it can't be done.

good luck to you whatever route you decide!

[perse]

hey Mirage-

I took a Kaplan course to prepare for the LSAT. I decided that having a structured course would work best for me because of my tendency to procrastinate horribly. Other people have worked through the Princeton Review books and/or TopScore (or something like that) books. You can also get copies of the the past few LSATs for free from LSAC (http://www.lsac.org).

Other sites that I have found helpful to different degrees when making decisions are the websites of individual law schools, www.lawschooldiscussion.org and www.lawschoolnumbers.com. Keep in mind the last two websites are just advice from other people going through the same process (i.e. not all the advice is good advice). Talking to attorneys was also terribly helpful, as was my college advisor (there was no law school advisor at my undergrad).

Good luck with the process!

~perse

[Mirage~]

Energy,
Thank you for your advice about starting now. Regarding the paralegal, as I said I was planning on moving with my family while I worked to save up. But it's a long long route and I don't know if I'd burn out in the process. What I meant by 23 is that yes, I am still very young. I didn't mean to imply that I was getting old but rather that I do have "all the time in the world" but life just happens. I'd like to do other things in my twenties, not just school.

Perse,
Thanks again. Really appreciate those recommendations and I'll have a look into that. Yes, someone in one of my classes who I met briefly was also taking a course this summer with Kaplan. How did you find the Kaplan course? Was it a good investment? I guess it was since you got accepted. But how effective was it or did you have to do additional studying on your own? with other material etc.?

[hollylewya]

I too recommend a Kaplan course for the LSAT (I think Princeton Review also offers a class for the LSAT)

Last I checked, it was around $250 (US), although, I'm sure it's completely dependent on where you live

I have the LSAT study books (Princeton Review), but a class in which I was able to ask questions would have paid off a lot more. I've also done some research, and those who take the class fair far better than those who don't. Since your acceptance into law school is based soooo heavily on grades and LSAT scores, it seems a small price to pay.


Dylan

[perse]

The only preparation I did for the LSAT was the Kaplan course, and I must admit, I did not do all the assigned work in the Kaplan course because I was working and taking 3 other classes at the time, not that it is an excuse. By taking the Kaplan course I raised my score 12 points (based on practice tests). That 12 points made a huge difference for me in terms of acceptances from law schools. I would not have been accepted to any of the law schools (except possibly one) with my original practice score. The LSAT has three main sections for your score: reasing comprehension, logical reasoning and logic games. Logic games started out as my worst section of the three, and ended up being my best section. For me, the Kaplan course was well worth the money.

~perse

[Mirage~]

Thanks for the advice, Dylan and Perse. The Kaplan course sounds tempting. I have a couple of books to study from (past tests) and online resources.

I have one question for now, however. I did seem to pick up somewhere that some schools average out your first and second (or even third if there's a third or more) lsat score. Meaning they average out your results of however many times you've taken it. Is this true? Other schools don't seem to care - they just take your latest score. Others take the better one. Does anyone have any insight on this?

[perse]

Hi Mirage-

Until this past year, schools had to send in averaged scores for candidates for the law school rankings. This was done to discourage taking the test multiple times. Starting this year, the policy has changed and schools are now allowed to report only the highest score of each candidate. Therefore, the schools are looking at the higher score, more than the others, but of course they also take the other scores into consideration when making decisions.

I hope this helps a bit.

~perse

[Mirage~]

Thank you, Perse.