Should I Become A Lawyer Dilemma! Help a HS Junior out!

[artfuldodger23]

Hey Guys,

I have a major dilemma about planning to go to law school. I have heard from so many sources that it is very difficult to get a job as a lawyer now a days for all reasons regardless of a bad economy/recession. I heard this is due to a loss of respect or dislike against lawyers. Is this true or is the exception those who graduated from T14 Law Schools. If I don't get into a T14 law school is it worth it to practice law at all? Also what do you think about 3+3 accelerated programs some universities have these days where one can get a BA/JD or BS/JD within six years? I am seriously considering it but a lot of people say its a bad idea! I am really going nuts about this and I really need some mature advice!

Any Help Is Really Appreciated

Thanks

[Cicero]

You can get a job if you are not in the T14. You may even be able to get a job as a lawyer if you graduate from a T-4 school, but yes, you should aim as high as you can based on your LSAT and GPA. That being said, you're a junior in HS. You still have a lot of time to make your decision about whether to go to law school. You may change your mind about what you want to do after your first year or two of college (changing majors is pretty common). Even if you want to do a 3/3 program you have some time to decide--you should have until next year's deadlines for ED programs at the earliest. Maybe you should try to volunteer at a law firm (especially if you're seriously considering a 3/3 program), so that you can get a more realistic feel for whether or not it's something you want to do. If that doesn't work as an option, you could probably find an attorney that would let you shadow him/her for a few days.

[Morten Lund]

I agree with Cicero.  High school doesn't matter.  What will overwhelmingly determine which (if any) law school you attend is your college GPA and your LSAT score.  If you want to place yourself in the best situation to go to a good law school, take college seriously from the very beginning.  As Mr. Aurelius will testify, a bad freshman year can haunt you forever.

And, conveniently, this approach will benefit you greatly whether or not you ultimately decide to go to law school.

[artfuldodger23]

Thanks a lot guys, I am really worried though if I have time in undergraduate to decide is law is right for me... I know I have time left but I have been known to be a somewhat indecisive person about these things..... Also what major would you guys recommend to get into law school... I love economics/government, politics, and history and I heard those were good tracks for Law but which one is the better one?

[Cicero]

I think you should pick whichever one (or even two) you find the most interesting and in which you can excel.  The specific major doesn't really matter that much. Your GPA matters a lot more. My BA was in Anthropology & Latin and I got a minor in Archaeology, so not exactly the typical kind of BA one gets before going to law school. Don't focus so narrowly on your end goal of going to law school that you don't take the chance to experiment with classes from different departments that sound interesting to you, even if they don't relate to your goal. I took a lot of electives that just sounded interesting to me like sign language and a class about juvenile delinquency. I actually started college as a Biochem/Latin major. I took Anthro my 1st year and found it much more interesting than Chemistry, and then switched majors. Anyway, don't box yourself in so much that you don't explore your options in college.

[artfuldodger23]

I think you should pick whichever one (or even two) you find the most interesting and in which you can excel.  The specific major doesn't really matter that much. Your GPA matters a lot more. My BA was in Anthropology & Latin and I got a minor in Archaeology, so not exactly the typical kind of BA one gets before going to law school. Don't focus so narrowly on your end goal of going to law school that you don't take the chance to experiment with classes from different departments that sound interesting to you, even if they don't relate to your goal. I took a lot of electives that just sounded interesting to me like sign language and a class about juvenile delinquency. I actually started college as a Biochem/Latin major. I took Anthro my 1st year and found it much more interesting than Chemistry, and then switched majors. Anyway, don't box yourself in so much that you don't explore your options in college.

Cicero, I wanted to explore new subjects/areas of interests in the beginning but my parents want me to stick with the major for four years, this is because my brother explored different areas of interest (first physics, then philosophy, then math and finally biochemistry) and he constantly changed majors (about 4 times total corresponding to the subjects I listed previously) and now he is going to be a 5 year grad due to so many major changes.  Is this true for all people who changed their major or "explored" so many times or is it a policy at certain schools (My brother attends the university of texas at austin)

[Cicero]

Yeah, people can go overboard exploring. I only switched majors one time. I graduated in 3.5 years and could have graduated earlier if I had wanted to do so. I wanted to get the minor and thought I'd be too young for grad school at 20. (I didn't have a bunch of AP classes or anything like that. I took classes in the summer.) I'm not saying you should change majors. I'm just saying you should allow yourself to have some fun with your electives and explore your interests.

[Cicero]

Oh, as to why it has taken him 5 years. During the brief time I was a biochem major, I learned that 5 years was not uncommon for that degree. So, the fact that your brother was able to change majors so many times and graduate in 5 years with a biochem degree is actually pretty good. He must have already been taking a lot of the classes toward it because (at least where I went to school) you had to take through Cal III, chem, organic chem, biochem, other chem classes, lots of bio classes, etc, which can easily take 4 or 5 years when you already have a lot of other required courses for the university itself.

[artfuldodger23]

Oh, as to why it has taken him 5 years. During the brief time I was a biochem major, I learned that 5 years was not uncommon for that degree. So, the fact that your brother was able to change majors so many times and graduate in 5 years with a biochem degree is actually pretty good. He must have already been taking a lot of the classes toward it because (at least where I went to school) you had to take through Cal III, chem, organic chem, biochem, other chem classes, lots of bio classes, etc, which can easily take 4 or 5 years when you already have a lot of other required courses for the university itself.

Yeah he was actually ahead in calculus and he just finished organic chemistry one.... so i guess its a good thing... Another quick question.... I heard that a good SAT score will lead to a LSAT score because LSAT is logic and SAT is also logic (especially for the critical reading)?  It sounds kind of absurd because its a pre-college level test but I heard this from a lot of people who took their LSATs and are heading for law school

[Morten Lund]

I heard that a good SAT score will lead to a LSAT score because LSAT is logic and SAT is also logic (especially for the critical reading)?  It sounds kind of absurd because its a pre-college level test but I heard this from a lot of people who took their LSATs and are heading for law school

The only thing that will "lead to" a good LSAT score is lots and lots of preparation.  It is somewhat similar to the SAT in the sense that neither are really testing substantive knowledge, but that's about as far as that comparison goes.  A good SAT score may be predictive of a good LSAT score - I don't know - but one thing that is abundantly clear is that a good LSAT score requires preparation.  Lots and lots of preparation.

Just in case you missed that:  Lots and lots of preparation.