So, after several hours of deliberation, you have decided that you want a comfortable upper-middle class lifestyle...er, I mean you really, really want to be a lawyer and this is the profession to which you have been called. Now you can get started on your application.
Listen--any guidance counselor/Princeton Review book/KAPLAN guide can tell you all about filling out your application. How to apply in a timely manner, how to write a personal statement that wows your audience, how to mask a bad semester as an undergraduate as a sign of your commitment to improvement...yadda, yadda. Although these details seem like the secrets that could push you into your dream school, I can safely tell you they mean absolutely nothing. There is only one thing that matters: the LSAT.
Now, undoubtedly you're saying, "Well, duh." But I don't think you quite understand how literal I mean this. Despite all the outright lies by law schools concerning admissions ("LSAT scores and undergraduate grades are important, but we consider everything when reviewing a candidates application" and similar horseshit), those wonderful (or horrible) three digits will determine your law school career.
Personally, I did not know this before applying to law school. I thought, "I have great grades! Look at all my community service and leadership activities! That LSAT? Minor setback! I'm a shoo in!" Alas, this is not true, and I want to underscore its importance for you.
You will read about "the Complete Candidate" who has great grades, great scores, great experience, and a great personal statement. You will probably try to be this Complete Candidate. You will also read about something about a LSAT/GPA index, where a school weighs your LSAT and GPA, gets a number from combining the two, and voila, that is how applicants will be ranked. Both of these are complete fictions. It's possible that schools actually do this, but the LSAT is still the threshold that all applicants must pass before even being considered for admission.
So, you get a 163 on your LSAT. The school you want to go to has a 25%-75% range of 166-170. I'm sorry, but you will not get accepted. You *might* get wait-listed, and eventually fall in, but there is no way you will be accepted outright, regardless of your GPA or resume. Even if your "index" places you in the running for your dream school, it does not matter. The LSAT is the first thing they look at, and if you do not fall into their range, you are out.
Of course, other things (GPA, resume, etc.) could count. Let's say you are applying to a school, and it's between you and candidate X. If you and X both have the same scores, the school will look at your GPAs. This is especially important for incredibly selective schools like Harvard/Yale/Stanford, where all applicants have great scores. But, if your LSAT by itself is not in the running at the school where you apply, you will not get in.
Why is this important? If you do not do well on your LSAT, you have substantially limited the possible number of schools you can go to. This is even more important when considering your post-law school career. The difference between a 172 and a 170 is staggering (it's the difference between Harvard and Michigan); 170 and 165 is alarming (the difference between Michigan and Notre Dame); 165 and 162 is frightening (Notre Dame and the bottom of the Top 100); and 162 and 159 is unbearable (Top 100 and the rest of the schools).
Of course, if you took my advice and you are only applying to law school because you really, really want to be a lawyer, then your LSAT score only matters in terms of getting you into a law school (if you're worried about money, and you score low on the LSAT, try again or go to B-School). Nevertheless, all your grades, community service activities, and gold stars mean nothing without a good LSAT score. You need a good LSAT (or at least one that is adequate for your school) to even get into the ballpark of getting into a certain school. Once you get that score, you can worry about grades.
NOTE: Is this fair? I don't know. I will grant that the LSAT measures (in some way) your raw intelligence. I do not doubt that people who score higher are generally quick, bright people. However, there is no correlation between an LSAT score and law school success. Even if you may have to spend more time to understand a subject, if you are determined, you can do just as well as anyone who scores higher than you. Unfortunately, the problem is that the legal profession revolves around prestige. If you get into a great school, no matter how you perform, you will automatically be considered for a job over someone who may actually be a better lawyer but went to a lower-ranked school. Sadly this is true.
Showing posts with label Getting In. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Getting In. Show all posts
Friday, January 18, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Getting In: Caveat
Do you really want to go to law school? You probably find this question a little annoying, because of course you really want to go to law school. My goodness, you've always talked about going to law school. You are smart! You read newspapers! You understand the government! You gloat about how you choose to watch CNN over VH1! In fact, the question should be "Why shouldn't I go to law school?" (And look at how you turned it around, just like that! Lawyer-to-be, for sure!).
Before I tell you why those answers above are horrible answers, let me start by saying before you read about rankings, LSAT scores, and job placement, you really need to have a good answer to this question. If your motivations for going to law school are not sincere, your law school career, no matter how successful, will be a boring, soul-corroding, and unfulfilling experience.
Let's be honest. You probably want to go to law school because of one of the following reasons:
1) You majored in the humanities or social sciences and it seems that law is the natural progression of your education.
2) Sames as (1) except you have come to the realization that you will never find a job with your major and law school is the only way to support a comfortable, upper-middle class lifestyle that you secretly desire/have grown accustomed to.
3) Same as (1) except you just have no clue what to do with yourself now that you are graduating, you want to stave off the "real world" by staying in school, but the thought of reading another novel/philosophical treatise/statistical report on the voting behavior of Iowans is making you ill.
4) You have been working for a few years in a career that sucks, and you figure that by going to law school you can find an easy way to prestige and money.
These are probably the most common reasons for going to law school. Later in your life (or hopefully not), you will be in an interview, and a lawyer will ask you "So, why did you go to law school?" and you will be stymied. You will sit with your spouse/friend/cat and practice answering this question, trying to find a good answer. You'll choose something safe like, "I loved the idea of entering a career where I face intellectual challenges daily," or "The sophisticated work attorneys do on a day to day basis drew me to law school." And despite your spouse/friend/cat's eager nods of support, you will know in your heart of hearts that this is all bullshit.
In my experience, no one really knows why they want to go to law school. Most people wander aimlessly into the profession for no real reason. This seems ridiculous: no one just becomes a mechanical engineer or a medical doctor because they didn't know what to do with their life. Why are law students different? I guess it's because when you say, "I'm going to law school" everyone smiles and says "Wow, great, etc." Your mom will brag about her son/daughter in law school. But this instant goodwill is based largely on myths about the profession. Ask any attorney if you should go to law school, and you will likely hear anything but enthusiasm. You'll probably think that the lawyer's just being an arrogant prig, trying to keep you out of her elite club. Chances are, however, that she's just trying to be nice and not scare you off from this experience.
Being smart is a stupid reason for going to law school. There are many doctors, teachers, engineers, sales managers, government officials, journalists, and baristae that are "smart." Your raw intelligence shouldn't make you think, "Jeeze, if I don't go to law school, I'm wasting all my talent."
Your humanities/social science degree has nothing to do with law school, success in law school, or your career as a lawyer. Any degree qualifies you to go to law school. You are not more skilled because you know how to use semicolons correctly. Also, law school is not a natural progression from these degrees. Your first month in law school will prove that to you (trust me, you don't want to find out for yourself). Law is a completely new animal, and you will not be familiar with any concepts or prepared for the reasoning expected. Aside from your fond memories of reading Virginia Woolf in the quad (or being able to skip class all semester and still get an A-), your humanities/social science degree is essentially useless. (NOTE: I hate to be harsh here--obviously, these studies are valuable to your soul and human spirit. Reading Dostoevsky on your bus ride to work will make you a richer person. However, law school is designed to crush the human spirit, and trust me, finding a job with your BA is all but impossible.)
Money and prestige are obviously the real reasons why people go to law school. I don't care what altruistic motives you have for wanting to go, the idea of making six figures at the age of 26 is alluring to anyone, not to mention the outright joy in saying "I'm a lawyer" in the presence of others (those bumpkins at the 10 year reunion won't know what hit 'em!). This is not necessarily a bad motive. But here's the catch that no law school student ever realizes until it is too late: the money and prestige are no longer a guarantee for all lawyers. Sure, if you go to a Top 10 school or graduate in the top 15% of a Tier 2 school (or the top 5% of a Tier 3 or 4), you can get a great job right after graduation. But obviously, this does not apply to many law students. A law degree is not a winning lottery ticket. If you aren't part of this elite, you will likely make no more than you would if you just got an entry level job after graduating college (and don't forget the mountains of debt you incur as a law student). Also, not being in the elite denies you any meaningful choice in choosing your career path and area of practice, unless you have a passion for criminal defense/plaintiff litigation/family law. This is a whole post unto itself, but if this is your true, meet-your-maker reason for going to law school, 'tis folly.
So what is a good reason for going to law school? There is really only one: I completely understand what a lawyer does for a living, and it is what I want to do with my life. That's it. You should only go to law school (gasp!) if you really want to be a lawyer. And not in some cosmic sense. If you have concrete reasons why law is the profession for you, you should go to law school. Otherwise, save yourself the time, expense, trouble, and disappointment.
Before I tell you why those answers above are horrible answers, let me start by saying before you read about rankings, LSAT scores, and job placement, you really need to have a good answer to this question. If your motivations for going to law school are not sincere, your law school career, no matter how successful, will be a boring, soul-corroding, and unfulfilling experience.
Let's be honest. You probably want to go to law school because of one of the following reasons:
1) You majored in the humanities or social sciences and it seems that law is the natural progression of your education.
2) Sames as (1) except you have come to the realization that you will never find a job with your major and law school is the only way to support a comfortable, upper-middle class lifestyle that you secretly desire/have grown accustomed to.
3) Same as (1) except you just have no clue what to do with yourself now that you are graduating, you want to stave off the "real world" by staying in school, but the thought of reading another novel/philosophical treatise/statistical report on the voting behavior of Iowans is making you ill.
4) You have been working for a few years in a career that sucks, and you figure that by going to law school you can find an easy way to prestige and money.
These are probably the most common reasons for going to law school. Later in your life (or hopefully not), you will be in an interview, and a lawyer will ask you "So, why did you go to law school?" and you will be stymied. You will sit with your spouse/friend/cat and practice answering this question, trying to find a good answer. You'll choose something safe like, "I loved the idea of entering a career where I face intellectual challenges daily," or "The sophisticated work attorneys do on a day to day basis drew me to law school." And despite your spouse/friend/cat's eager nods of support, you will know in your heart of hearts that this is all bullshit.
In my experience, no one really knows why they want to go to law school. Most people wander aimlessly into the profession for no real reason. This seems ridiculous: no one just becomes a mechanical engineer or a medical doctor because they didn't know what to do with their life. Why are law students different? I guess it's because when you say, "I'm going to law school" everyone smiles and says "Wow, great, etc." Your mom will brag about her son/daughter in law school. But this instant goodwill is based largely on myths about the profession. Ask any attorney if you should go to law school, and you will likely hear anything but enthusiasm. You'll probably think that the lawyer's just being an arrogant prig, trying to keep you out of her elite club. Chances are, however, that she's just trying to be nice and not scare you off from this experience.
Being smart is a stupid reason for going to law school. There are many doctors, teachers, engineers, sales managers, government officials, journalists, and baristae that are "smart." Your raw intelligence shouldn't make you think, "Jeeze, if I don't go to law school, I'm wasting all my talent."
Your humanities/social science degree has nothing to do with law school, success in law school, or your career as a lawyer. Any degree qualifies you to go to law school. You are not more skilled because you know how to use semicolons correctly. Also, law school is not a natural progression from these degrees. Your first month in law school will prove that to you (trust me, you don't want to find out for yourself). Law is a completely new animal, and you will not be familiar with any concepts or prepared for the reasoning expected. Aside from your fond memories of reading Virginia Woolf in the quad (or being able to skip class all semester and still get an A-), your humanities/social science degree is essentially useless. (NOTE: I hate to be harsh here--obviously, these studies are valuable to your soul and human spirit. Reading Dostoevsky on your bus ride to work will make you a richer person. However, law school is designed to crush the human spirit, and trust me, finding a job with your BA is all but impossible.)
Money and prestige are obviously the real reasons why people go to law school. I don't care what altruistic motives you have for wanting to go, the idea of making six figures at the age of 26 is alluring to anyone, not to mention the outright joy in saying "I'm a lawyer" in the presence of others (those bumpkins at the 10 year reunion won't know what hit 'em!). This is not necessarily a bad motive. But here's the catch that no law school student ever realizes until it is too late: the money and prestige are no longer a guarantee for all lawyers. Sure, if you go to a Top 10 school or graduate in the top 15% of a Tier 2 school (or the top 5% of a Tier 3 or 4), you can get a great job right after graduation. But obviously, this does not apply to many law students. A law degree is not a winning lottery ticket. If you aren't part of this elite, you will likely make no more than you would if you just got an entry level job after graduating college (and don't forget the mountains of debt you incur as a law student). Also, not being in the elite denies you any meaningful choice in choosing your career path and area of practice, unless you have a passion for criminal defense/plaintiff litigation/family law. This is a whole post unto itself, but if this is your true, meet-your-maker reason for going to law school, 'tis folly.
So what is a good reason for going to law school? There is really only one: I completely understand what a lawyer does for a living, and it is what I want to do with my life. That's it. You should only go to law school (gasp!) if you really want to be a lawyer. And not in some cosmic sense. If you have concrete reasons why law is the profession for you, you should go to law school. Otherwise, save yourself the time, expense, trouble, and disappointment.
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