These horror stories are not made up BS, you SHOULD second guess your decision. Instead of only listening to the people telling you what you hope to hear, you would be well served to listen to the words from people telling you what you don't hope to hear. These messgae boards may be the place for some basic info and to develop your line of inquiry, but you need to get out into the real world and talk to people in practice. You could very easily find local grads from these schools by going through the state bar - they would be glad to talk to you and give reliable feedback on pros and cons. A life decision should not be made based on the words off an anonymous internet message board.
...I was stressed beyond belief and really REALLY second guessing my decision to go to school after reading post after post after post about the horror of the "TTT" schools.
1225 . . . the answer as to whether you should do it goes to a core question of who you are. If you know in your bones that you absolutely, positively must be a lawyer . . . good. That's a good sign. If, however, your commitment is any less than that, redouble your consternation.
Assuming the answer is affirmative, then the choice should relate not to the schools (!) or to the trees, or even to the money. The choice of school should relate to, yes, you. Where do you absolutely, positively want to be? This is especially important with local (i.e., 3rd and 4th tier) schools. Yes, if you do very well (such as top 5%), then you might have options. But in the main your choice should be deeply personal. Do you love Maine? Rhode Island? Massachusetts? It's a fairly small community in New England, so it wouldn't be unheard of to find a job in Maine from Roger Williams, but even so, it will be harder. If there's a clear preference, listen.
Be wary of chasing after money. First, you can likely call the law schools that didn't offer money, tell them about the offers you do have, and see what they do. A law professor with a new book out (Law School Undercover) reports just how successful this tactic is. Second, getting a scholarship in first-year is no guarantee of keeping it, so look at the three-year picture. Assume that you will NOT have a scholarship in years two and three. For those who might not have seen it, here's a recent article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/business/law-school-grants.html?_r=1And, as everyone has written, best of luck. No one likes being the naysayer, and of course the market is sufficiently dismal there's plenty of fodder for doom. If you're truly a lawyer itching to break out, fear not. Law school can be a terrific avenue. Just keep in mind what everyone's telling you, and DON'T keep in mind what everyone else does in first-year. Be smart, be focused, be cool. Enjoy law school. (If you're not enjoying law school, something is wrong. Hard work? Sure. Frustrating? At times. Exhausting? You bet. But fun!)
Best of luck,
Thane.
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