Second Thoughts

[alibami_z]

miguel,

I'm sorry to read that you are having serious doubts about law school but it is far better to have them now when you have the luxury of time to check out if it is more than just cold feet.  Also, you haven't committed money yet (besides the 17 million for the LSAT and app. fees) so it would be a lot easier to pull out now then after you've signed the loan papers for law school.

You might consider checking out the book Should You Really Be A Lawyer?: The Guide To Smart Career Choices Before, During & After Law School
by Deborah Schneider, Gary Belsky

I looked through this book and it helped to solidify in my mind why I'm doing what I'm doing.  My only reservation with the book is the quiz results.  Should you look at the book, take the quiz and read the responses but don't calculate an overall score.  The methodology is flawed (you actually get points for wanting to go to law school for the wrong reasons and can score higher than if you want to go to law school for all the right reasons).

Also, have you spoken with practicing attorneys?  Or even someone with a JD that isn't practicing?  They may be able to give you a perspective that others cannot give.

If you're still not sure, I'd agree with those who suggest deferral. 

As the start of school approaches I, too, am getting rather nervous.  I'm excited but also scared that I will not have the stamina to do all the work.  Among other fears, I'm also concerned about the impact law school will have on my marriage.  Not small matters.  In the end, I keep coming back to the fact that there's nothing that appeals to me more. Through life I have learned to trust my gut.  My gut, though filled with butterflies, says go to law school. If later I decide that the price (monetary or otherwise) is too high, then I'll reevaluate my decision then. 

Trust your gut and good luck with your decision.

[_____]

I took the LSAT, applied, got in to good school, and then accepted the offer of admission. The past couple weeks, however, have been the first time I actually thought about ATTENDING law school as seriously as ever, and the more I think about it, the more I really don't want to do it. I mean REALLY don't want to do it, not just having cold feet. Every reason I can think of about why I should do have to do with following through, making the most of it, seeking the prestige, and having the credential. There are number of extenuating circumstances, but I am certain that if I went, I would in many ways just be forcing myself to follow through with it. That wouldn't be the end of the world, but I am questioning if maybe I should just listen to my gut and pull out before it's too late... what would you all do? Just curious...

My question to you: what would you do if you DIDN'T go? 

There are always moments of self doubt.  I think everyone in undergrad goes through that moment of, "I don't have to do this... No one is forcing me... Why am I here?"  (I also believe that this is why so many people who drop out do it either after their first or second semester... Once you get beyond that point, you get your second wind, and you're almost home free...)

When I was going through that phase, I constantly reminded myself:  You are here because you don't want to be a bank teller for the rest of your life.... (That was my full time job before undergrad...)

Of course, this is a little different--you already have a college degree and could likely find a decent position in some major-related field.  But the question remains:

Do you prefer your alternatives?

Look past the whole "not going to law school" thing and try to see what you're left with if you don't.

This should be the real question you are asking yourself--not "Should I go to law school?" but rather, "What happens if I don't?"

Look at it that way, and I think you'll have a clearer idea of whether law school is right for you... (Because you basically know what will happen if you go to law school--you'll more than likely become a lawyer--but do you know what you will do/become if you don't???  Whether you go to law school or not, you have to have a plan--and planing to not have a plan doesn't count... Even "see the world and find myself" is a plan--you just have to make sure you have one...)

[miguel]

Thanks for your thoughts - they are all appreciated!