any ex-military people???

[dustoffdax]

I think they would look on leadership and responsibility with more favor than serving as an underling. Just my opinion.

[swifty]

Speaking strictly as a civilian, and knowing that our military is no longer made up of a bunch of losers who didn't know what to do after high school, add to that the current war, and terror, I could reasonably conclude that any military background (with no bad marks) would be conceived equally with some one who has a ton of quality work experience, meaning, if I had to choose between my 20 years of work experience and someone in the military, I would choose the military person.  Times have changed, soldiers, Sargent's, NCO's, doesn't matter, our militart is highy respected since we dropped the draft.  They don't just let anybody in now, do they.  It takes a quality breed of people.

[mikeb]

I was enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in the delayed entry program when I was a junior in high school.

This June I was discharged during recruit training because of an asthma attack, which is why im back pursuing a career in law 

[gidro]

thanks
i'm bascially faced with a dilemma of either serving as a private for 2 years, or as an officer for 3, and (I'm Korean by the way) it's compulsory so I have to go... i graduated this past may in the states with a 3.3 gpa and have yet to take the lsat (latest score was cancelled) and "expect" a score in the low 170s...

so i'm wondering wheher I should wait out on the application process since i hear that a few years of work experience can help offset a  relatively low gpa (given that i do well on lsats)... or just apply this december (which i hear is bad cuz over half of the seatings at most law schools are full by then)
if i do serve in the military, i'm either gonna be a 'translating(?)' officer or a private in the Korean Augmentation Troops to the US Army stationed in Korea... OR i can work in the defense industry as a software engineer for 2 years in lieu of active duty... which option u guys think is best??

Become the translation officer.  Privates have low pay and often little respect.  Plus the work would be doing as a lower enlisted would probably bore you (I am speaking from experience in the US Army).  I did do some translation and interpretation later on and I enjoyed it.  The conditions were better and I felt that my skills were more useful than when I was mowing lawns.  Officer experience will show more leadership diversity while still showing your patriotism AND you will earn more money $$$.

[lp4law]

I was in the Marine Corps Reserves for 8 years.  2.5 years of that was spent on active duty.  Every bit of that experience ended up being valuable to me, from recruit training, to tech school, through OCS.  You can't go wrong with any of it.  Especially these days, people will recognize the sacrafice you made, and the training will significantly improve your focus and discipline in the classroom.  You'll have a natural edge over most of your peers, who will seem whiny and undisciplined to you.

[mikeb]

I was in the Marine Corps Reserves for 8 years.  2.5 years of that was spent on active duty.  Every bit of that experience ended up being valuable to me, from recruit training, to tech school, through OCS.  You can't go wrong with any of it.  Especially these days, people will recognize the sacrafice you made, and the training will significantly improve your focus and discipline in the classroom.  You'll have a natural edge over most of your peers, who will seem whiny and undisciplined to you.

If you completed OCS that would make you an officer. (Duh)

Point being, good to have you here Sir.

I wish I could have earned my title but I have a little idea of what your talking about as far as the "natural edge" that the Corps can give a person.

[StraightUp]

Former Marine, 4years active enlisted, stationed in Camp Lejeune, NC, Combat Engineer, made things go boom, got out in '98 graduating University of Houston in less then two weeks, major in finance, minor international studies.  Loved being a Marine, love not being a Marine now.

[kernelgt]

I'm in the Army, 1 year in Iraq.  Like the Army OK, but after Iraq, "been there, done that, don't want to do it every 2 years for the next 10."  Besides, I want to live in a metropolitan area, not the small town areas of the south for the rest of my life (I mean no offense, it's just my preference to live in areas more like chicago, wash d.c., denver, etc., and to be able to establish myself for more than three years)

So, I guess the obvious is: no, I'm not doing FLEP.

[fineprint]

If you are a Korean, where it is mandatory for everybody to serve in the military, I don't think it'll make that much of a difference in your law school application. That being said, I believe serving in the US Army or other branch of military would be a plus, and more so if you were an officer.

I remember reading somewhere that asst. dean of admin from GW saying that he likes ex-military applicants for their discipline; I would think schools like UT Austin would like military experience (with Ft Hood at all). Some applications specifically ask if you served in the US military, so those schools I would think give a plus for those who served.

US Army, E-5 by the way.

[mcleod13]

I am hoping that my military experience(8 years navy, assited in 3.5 ton cocaine bust, and going to school full time while working 50+ hours in the navy) will help me get into a school. I have a good GPA 3.9 Degree, 3.7 LSAC, but 2 horrendusly low LSAT scores 144 and 146(good reasons for both being low and will retake in June and score significantly higher). I am not shooting for anything TOO high, FSU, Miami, Stetson. Florida schools hopefully.