Feelin dwon a bit --looking for non trad support

[Eddiev31]

Hey, I'm a Commercial banker in Manhattan....36, married 3 years with one kid on teh way....I took my LSAAT and got a 145...neeed to retake, might not start until fall 2010 now.....not feeling good about it, really wanted 2009 start.....any words of support would be greatly appreciated.

[Crimson:devil(red)]

Hey, I'm a Commercial banker in Manhattan....36, married 3 years with one kid on teh way....I took my LSAAT and got a 145...neeed to retake, might not start until fall 2010 now.....not feeling good about it, really wanted 2009 start.....any words of support would be greatly appreciated.

Look at it this way - Now you won't miss out on all the wonderful things your baby will be doing because you are in the library studying all night. I imagine it would be really hard to have a newborn during 1L year, so maybe it is for the best that Law School gets put off for one more year.

[SwampFox]

1) I second what Crimson:devil(red) said.  Babies are wonderful, but they are SO much higher maintenance in their first year.

2) At this point in the admissions cycle, a lot of places have already filled up and handed out the best scholarship money.  Many schools are just doing leftovers.  You'll have a better odds starting early the next year.

3) Relax, as you have plenty of time to prepare for the June LSAT.  Most people show the most improvement working hard on the logic games ("Five people sitting at a table in different order each hour...").

[hopeb]

A similar thing happened to me.  I took the LSAT in December 2007 and scored a 145.  Needless to say,  I was rejected from all the schools I applied to last year.  The whole thing was really depressing.  I graduated from undergrad in May  and took last summer off to spend time with my 3-year old daughter.  Did I really want to be an attorney?  Were my motives pure?  Was I willing to put myself back in the game?  Let me tell you, it was time well spent.  Eventually, I decided to enroll in an LSAT prep course and give it my all.  As a result, I improved my score 11 points- enough to get me into those same schools that rejected me last year.  Please don't be discouraged.  I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.  Give yourself time to bond with your new baby, you won't regret it.  Law school can wait.  Best wishes to you!    

[diet_shasta]

cheer up man. I feel the same way. I'll be 37 in August with 4 kids, ranging from 5 to 13. I've wanted to go to law school for over 15 years now. I'm hoping that I'll be able to make the transition and go back next year. I haven't taken the official LSAT, but my diagnostic tests are in the 140's. It's very disheartening to score that low, reading this discussion forum gives me hope. The best thing to remember is that having important people around provides an invaluable support system; i.e. wife and kid. One of the biggest challenges I've run into lately is the negative attitudes from 'supposed' friends. They question whether I'm doing the right thing. They tell me that I won't be able to find a job as a lawyer. I've been told that being a lawyer is 'overrated'. Well, working at a call center during the day and being a janitor at night isn't much of an improvement, if you ask me. Don't get yourself down man. Keep your chin up and you'll score find in the LSAT with some hard work. I hope to go to ASU Law next year (crossing fingers).

[Ajiambo]

I feel so encouraged by y'all.

I was reading through posts by people much younger and feeling like 'Oh my God, am so behind'. I am 31, and have had quite a trying time in my life. I am currently scoring 153 on past LSATs, but have a hard time managin time. I was about to say maybe it is not my thing, Until I got here. I have wanted to pursue law for as long as I got into college, but had to take detours to support ailing parent.

Thanks all.

[ThePaperChase]

A great many non-traditionals are in the same boat (i.e., changing careers, family responsibilities, mortgages, etc.).  I concur with the others; this time could be a blessing in disguise. While you're taking this time to ramp up your LSAT and start law school, you might feel better if you are ultra productive.  By that I mean, until you start law school...
1. Become a better spouse (remember to treat your wife like you did when were you dating)
2. Start a "God Only Knows" (GOK) Fund (save a little extra for unexpected events that are sure to come)
3. Read as many books as possible (this will also help you on the LSAT since it furtively tests vocabulary and reading speed)
4. Volunteer (volunteering an hour or more a month for a nonprofit organization that you support can be very rewarding and your volunteer experience will make you a more interesting applicant when you start applying again)
5. Be the best commercial banker in the building (you never know, doing so might win you a promotion that makes law school an undesirable option)

Be Blessed 

[psychfrog]

Congratulations on the baby-on-the-way!

As far as encouragement - I'd just like to echo the words about baby's first year.  I'll be 30 when I start law school this coming year, and I have two kids.  I love 'em both to death, but I am glad that our youngest will be close to one year old by the time I start school.  Four years in, it's become obvious to me that parenthood will never be 'easy.'  It is certainly rewarding.  But the first year of a child's life can be particularly challenging, and your entire family will likely find itself in transition.  If you were to take on law school and new parenthood at the same time, you could easily end up shortchanging yourself, your family, and your legal education all at once.

So don't be discouraged.  This year's LSAT score may have put you in good position to get a great start on both parenthood and your legal career.

[JD2b2010]

I feel so encouraged by y'all.

I was reading through posts by people much younger and feeling like 'Oh my God, am so behind'. I am 31, and have had quite a trying time in my life. I am currently scoring 153 on past LSATs, but have a hard time managin time. I was about to say maybe it is not my thing, Until I got here. I have wanted to pursue law for as long as I got into college, but had to take detours to support ailing parent.

Thanks all.

I had to do the same thing. I gave up a successful career as a journaist to come back home to care for my grandmother. Worked at some horrible jobs to balance her care with my need to pay bills.  But in the end what looks like a dead end leads to something much better. As for the LSAT stick with it. Consider taking a prep course ( I would recommend Powerscore Virtual - I'm taking that now) if you are not scoring where you want. But don't  ever give up!

[lisak]

Hey, I'm a Commercial banker in Manhattan....36, married 3 years with one kid on teh way....I took my LSAAT and got a 145...neeed to retake, might not start until fall 2010 now.....not feeling good about it, really wanted 2009 start.....any words of support would be greatly appreciated.

I know it is hard to do, but don't feel discouraged.  You have been blessed with having a child, and from what I hear (my husband and I are trying to have kids right now), that is the greatest blessing ever.   This way, you will have enough time to spend with your baby before you start the gruelling 1L experience.

As for the LSAT, you can definitely improve your score significantly!  I was testing in the 160s (mid-to-high), but totally froze on the real LSAT and did not get much sleep the night before (my husband was snoring).  I got a 148.  Needless to say, I was shocked and mortified.  I had never scored anywhere near that range.  I also have been out of school for 10+ years.

I retook the LSAT 3 months later in a different location (the test site can make a big difference - something to keep in mind), and I got a 157.  This still is nowhere close to what I had been scoring on practice tests, but, again, I did not sleep the night before...my husband again was snoring, and I get pretty bad panic attacks during tests (which I need work on)...but I figure if I get a good night sleep before the next LSAT (I will be sure to have my husband sleep in a different room that night so that his snoring won't keep me up), I *hopefully* will get a score in the 160s and maybe even in the 170s (hoping for at least upper 160s).

Anyway, this is just proof that the LSAT measures virtually nothing (if you can have a 20-30 point deviation depending on the day / time, that means that the test is very prone to luck / happenstance IMHO).

Notwithstanding all of this, my score of 157 was enough to get me into a top 100 / regional school so I have toyed with going there, but think I will probably just retake the LSAT next year to get into one of my target schools. 

I am going to try to calm my test anxiety through taking a dedicated prep course rather than just studying on my own, am going to study with some friends who are actually good at taking standardized tests (I am not naturally a good standardized test-taker...it is a skill / art IMHO), and am going to just pray that God's will will be done. 

I feel like with the economy in tatters as it is now, law firms laying off people by the dozens / hundreds, and me being gainfully employed, going to law school right now probably makes no sense.  In a year, hopefully, things will be more settled in the economy and, quite possibly, law firm salaries will shrink meaning that some people who were going into the field for impure reasons (e.g.  for the money) will rethink taking on such a sizable amount of debt for such uncertain returns / salaries.

Lastly, just as an FYI, a lot of law schools are taking the higher of the LSAT scores since that is all they have to report for US News & World Report nowadays.  This - I think - helps people like you and I who bombed one of their tests.

Just my two cents.  I hope this helps you and brightens your heart and your spirits today!