I got accepted to Law School!

[LexiB]

LOL - dont worry, RP isnt in danger of any maniacal, axe - weilding law professors. Just in for a lot of work, to say the least.

 

On the flip side though, I have met some pretty incredible people here - including my BF so I cant complain too much

 

In any event it's definately a unique experience & I wish u the best of luck -

Keep us posted in the fall!!

[ladyintights]

Congrats, RP. But as one attorney to a future-attorney-to-be, can I say one thing? DON'T DO IT!!!

 

 

 

I don't want to burst your bubble here, RP, but as I've learned, if you end up in private practice (basically anything other than government service), you'll work yourself to death NO MATTER WHAT. It doesn't matter what school you go to or how big a firm - you WILL work long hours. You cannot avoid it. As one of my bosses once said, "The life of an attorney is one of sacrifice - and that sacrifice is of one's own personal time."

 

Top firms pay 6 figures for tons of hours, this is true. But they also pay for top notch talent and can afford to do so because their clients are willing to pay boo-koo bucks for the Harvard and Yale resumes. Smaller firms generally don't bill their clients as much per hour, and therefore don't make much money, and therefore generally have lower-ranking graduates amongst their ranks.

 

In essence, it doesn't matter if you're at a small or a big firm, top ranking school or a low ranking school. The practice of law is a business enterprise, and your bosses will expect you to bill, bill, bill.

 

And applying to 30 schools must have cost you thousands of dollars! And how did you have the time to craft so many personal statements!? I'm impressed!

 

But again, congratulations!! Just please take time to really assess whether the practice of law is really what you want to do. So many attorneys burn out after 5 years (I'm rapidly approaching that time!), even those who have yearned to practice and create law since they were wee kiddos. You have to really love it to be happy with it as a career choice, particularly if you intend on taking out a mortgage-sized amount of student loans to get your degree.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

But again, congrats!

 

 

Yeah, and it definitely doesn't sound like to much of a kid-friendly occupation, meaning if you have children, get used to spending little to no time with them during the week, much less on the weekend when more research time is needed. Very few people with kids already are willing to sacrifice their young child's years just for a job. This usually works out for someone already quite accomplished in the field and can actually AFFORD to set time aside and get special opportunities to work less in order to START having children. Law school in itself is way too draining on a person, especially a parent for god's sake.. wow.. good luck..

Don't expect leniency either just because you are a parent.

Get used to never seeing your kids and hiring babysitters.

Edited February 8, 2008 by ladyintights

[ladyintights]

No, this is not true. If 25% of students qualify for an A and 75% qualify for a B, that's the way they are going to be graded. The faculty will NOT create an artificial curve for the purpose of ranking students at all cost and forcing 25-40% out of their school.

 

I see that you're convinced that their main goal is to "weed out" a certain number of students. It's not! Their (and every professional school's) interest is to remove the bad apples. If the lowest-ranked student is good enough to obtain a GPA of 2.9, he is not going to be kicked out of the school.

 

Actually, I found this article about Western State Law School:

 

Orange County's oldest law school won provisional approval from the ABA in 1998. In 2003, the ABA's Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recommended that the college lose its status because of low test scores and a high dropout rate.

http://www.lawschool.com/lat-wsu.htm

 

As you can note, a high drop-out rate means that the school risks to lose its ABA accreditation.

 

 

I'M GUESSING THAT'S WHY THEY "WEED" OUT THE POOR STUDENTS THEMSELVES... TO KEEP THE "TEST SCORES" HIGHER AND BEAT THEM TO THE "DROP-OUT" GUN. It really would be awful for someone to spend a couple hundred thousand on law school, only to be kicked out. They should get refunded for something.

[RecordProducer]

Yeah, and it definitely doesn't sound like to much of a kid-friendly occupation, meaning if you have children, get used to spending little to no time with them during the week, much less on the weekend when more research time is needed...

Get used to never seeing your kids and hiring babysitters.

I guess it's a matter of a personal choice to sacrifice time with your family for a career (money). My choice is different: I will be at school while my kids are at school. In the evenings, we'll have dinner and spend some time together, then I will study, but still be at home and make frequent breaks to devote attention and affection to them. After I put them to bed and spend half an hour cuddling and chatting with them, I can go back to my studying. The weekends can be divided into two parts: half for spending quality time with them and half for studying.

 

When I start working, my kids will be almost 14 years old (not really small children). I will also have help from my husband and my mother. For the first few years, I don't have to choose a job position that requires 80 hours a week. I will have the opportunity for that when they go to college. That's the good side of having kids young and starting grad school in your 30's. Since the day they were born, I've been with my children. I didn't have a career that demanded long hours away from home or traveling. So in a way, my children are better off than the kids whose mothers went back to work when they were two months old and saw them 2-3 hours per day on work days throughout their entire childhood.

It really would be awful for someone to spend a couple hundred thousand on law school, only to be kicked out. They should get refunded for something.

This is not how the education system works; they did provide you the service that you paid for. The student needs to meet his or her end of the deal, too. When the antibiotic doesn't cure your infection, you don't go back to the pharmacy to request your money back. Edited February 9, 2008 by RecordProducer

[CantCutitOff]

I haven't read through all pages on this post, but congrats RP! I just finished law school after going part-time for 3.5 years. Now I'm studying for the bar exam at the end of the month. (Though I'm clearly taking a study break here). It's a TON of work, but you definitely sound like you've thought things through. And I know tons of women that managed to be very successful in school with younger children.

 

Also - just a note - when I was applying to schools, I got 3 wait-list offers... and got in off of every single one (AND ended up going to one of them)! Don't discount them.. they do work out!

[RecordProducer]

Also - just a note - when I was applying to schools, I got 3 wait-list offers... and got in off of every single one (AND ended up going to one of them)! Don't discount them.. they do work out!

Thanks a lot for the information and everything. What did you do to get off of the wait-lists? Did you send in more essays or kiss-ass letters? If yes, did you do it via mail or email? Were they self-praising or school-praising or both? Did you call them on the phone or visit the school?

 

Good luck with your Bar Exam? This is probably your last exam in your life. (Unless you continue)

[marlena]

RP,

 

Just wanted to say hi from here. Your excitement is contagious. I can feel it all the way from here! :bunny::bunny:

[CantCutitOff]

Thanks a lot for the information and everything. What did you do to get off of the wait-lists? Did you send in more essays or kiss-ass letters? If yes, did you do it via mail or email? Were they self-praising or school-praising or both? Did you call them on the phone or visit the school?

 

I kept updating and updating my application via mail. I decided to go right after undergraduate and was fortunate enough to have a very good last semester of undergrad w/ awards & honors & such. It definitely didn't hurt!

 

Also - when I was accepted into one University (a top T2 school), the Dean of Admissions called me to congratulate me. She also told me that she had looked at the other schools I was applying to & that I would be a decent candidate for them if I could just raise my LSAT score a little. She advised me to try to take it again. I hemmed and hawed - but I went ahead and did it. My score went up 10 points (very unusual, I know). The three schools I was wait-listed at were T1 schools - and I ended up at a Top 40!

 

Also - I read through some of the info on the post about grade curves & scores, etc. Most law schools have a mandatory grade curve for classes over a certain size - and these are typically published in the school's academic regulations. It'd be worth checking out if you're trying to decide between multiple schools.

 

I also know a handful of people that dropped out of school at various points - but you are correct in saying that those who want to make it work will

 

Good luck! PM me if you have any other questions.

[RecordProducer]

IMy score went up 10 points

I guess that resolves the mistery!

 

Good luck! PM me if you have any other questions.

Thank you. I will PM you.

[Gold Pile]

That's great! What a well rounded person you are.

 

Once you're a Lawyer.... are your panties considered legal briefs?

Please send me a pair of your used legal briefs.

[lovesickgurl]

Congratulations! I went to a 4T school and got hired right out of law school before I passed the Bar. I have no regrets, and I love my job. Good luck!

[RecordProducer]

Congratulations! I went to a 4T school and got hired right out of law school before I passed the Bar. I have no regrets, and I love my job. Good luck!

That's certainly encouraging. For how long have you been working after graduation? Is your salary anywhere near the average lawyer's salary for your city? Sorry for asking, but apparently, we don't choose the legal profession as a hobby. I have a big family to take care of all by myself, since my husband and I are divorcing (sigh).

 

That's great! What a well rounded person you are.

 

Once you're a Lawyer.... are your panties considered legal briefs?

Please send me a pair of your used legal briefs.

How did we find the co-relation between legal briefs and panties again?

 

Perhaps you're referring to my husbands' brief interest in my panties -counting from the moment we become legally married.

 

Once I become a lawyer, I am going to charge my clients for my sanitary pads if I get my period while defending them in court... I am sure there is a code for that in some law firms.

[whichwayisup]

RP, when you become a lawyer, I want you to send me your business card!

 

You're too cool.

[Art_Critic]

Once I become a lawyer, I am going to charge my clients for my sanitary pads if I get my period while defending them in court...

 

Isn't that bleeding a client dry ?

[whichwayisup]

Isn't that bleeding a client dry ?

 

You sick clown. Only you could say that and make it funny.

[RecordProducer]

Isn't that bleeding a client dry ?

As the mosquito in the "Bee Movie" said: "I've always been a blood-sucking parasite; I just needed a briefcase."

 

I just need a JD degree!

 

You sick clown. Only you could say that and make it funny.

Hahah! My kid just stopped by, glimpsed at Art's avatar and said: "That's so NOT funny!"

 

Legal joke

Professor: What's the retribution for bygamy?

Student: Two mothers in law?

[Sassy]

Woo-hoo! My first acceptance. It's a 4T school in the mid-west, not far from a big business center.

 

I didn't care much about going to a top law school anyway, because it only matters if you want to work for a big law firm right off the bat for a six-figure salary and 100 hours of torture per week. I'd rather have a decent/modest income, enjoy my job, and have time for my kids and a social life. After all, where I will be in three years (God willing) will be quite different from and much better than where I was two years ago. And ten years from now, nobody will care about which law school I attended; my success (or lack thereof) will reflect my true capabilities and skills.

 

So I am quite happy and excited. Life is in front of me again: new challenges, new people, new environment - a new life! I know that all this doesn't sound like a big deal to many of you, but to me it is. Especially with my failing marriage, slowly climbing up the staircase of success certainly feels better than slowly drowning in misery. Most of all, I am thrilled that I will be a lawyer; I will be able to try different aspects of the legal profession and find an area that I am passionate about. I will be able to help people through pro-bono work and make a difference.

 

I applied to 30 schools and received five replies: rejected, wait-listed, deferred (put on hold), rejected, admitted. Twenty-five more replies to receive. I expect to get a few more acceptances (and at least 20 more rejections, because I applied to many schools that are out of my reach - just to test my luck ). But, one acceptance is enough - I can only go to so many schools at once!

 

Congrats to me.

 

 

Congrats RP I am happy for you! Wow didn't know your marriage wasn't going so well.. It been awhile since I been on here ! Glad you got something to look foward to..

[Curmudgeon]

How did we find the co-relation between legal briefs and panties again?

 

When in company of members of the opposite gender, some individuals appear to wear their panties only briefly!

[RecordProducer]

When in company of members of the opposite gender, some individuals appear to wear their panties only briefly!

I think I know what you mean. When I received the bill from my attorney, I suddenly pictured my panties around my ankles (read: I realized I got f*cked).

 

Thank you, Sassy.

[Curmudgeon]

I think I know what you mean. When I received the bill from my attorney, I suddenly pictured my panties around my ankles (read: I realized I got f*cked).

 

Of course, now I have to get away from the computer so I don't spend too much time visualizing you with your panties down around your ankles.

 

At my age I can only handle just so much stimulation, don't you know.

[RecordProducer]

Of course, now I have to get away from the computer so I don't spend too much time visualizing you with your panties down around your ankles.

 

At my age I can only handle just so much stimulation, don't you know.

As lucky as I've been getting lately, the only time when my panties are around my ankles is when I am pooping.