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I'm changing careers after 22 years and trying to cram all of this in hoping to knock this June LSAT out of the park and get accepted for Fall 2018. Just wondering if anyone else out there is in the same situation.
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@atdangcrash115 said:
@elliottscott8814 said:
Wow I feel young and inexperienced compared to this crowd of impressive and seasoned individuals :)
Enjoy the youth and inexperience. That's where most of the fun happens.
Thank you! Hopefully law school will be included with that fun :)
@elliottscott8814 said:
Wow I feel young and inexperienced compared to this crowd of impressive and seasoned individuals :)
Enjoy the youth and inexperience. That's where most of the fun happens.
Wow I feel young and inexperienced compared to this crowd of impressive and seasoned individuals :)
@sauljslowik759 said:
Same here. I'm 36 years old. I was in the Army up until this past February (medically retired). I was supposed to take the LSAT this past December but operational requirements got in the way.
I always wanted to go to Law School, but got distracted by a job in the Intel Community, which brought me to the Army and ultimately my Masters degree. I'm taking advantage of having uninterrupted time to study between now and June.
Thank you for your service.
Age is man-made
So many great stories in here! I'm happy for all of you.
After working 13 years as a police officer, I finally found what my passion is. I love to advocate for people. I never fit in with the "cop culture" I just stuck around for the pay check. I have a 16 year old and a 2 year old, both girls. When I was pregnant with my youngest, my passion to do better ignited.I found a new energy and a new passion. Life didnt seem so dull anymore. I bought a Kaplan LSAT prep book while on desk duty 2 years ago, (I didn't know better). My goal is to start law school the year my youngest starts pre k. My oldest would be graduating from high school at that time. The idea that I am too old has crossed my mind and I have even been told I was too old. But the fact of the matter is that somebody will need this old attorney some day....I will be too old when Im dead.
University professor w/Ph.D in a hard science. 43 yo. Took LSAT three times. Starting part-time in Fall 2018 and get to keep the very flexible full-time job and benefits so no financial stresses while in school. Many offers with $$ this cycle. Bailed last year due to the debt burden with no scholarships. PT programs eliminate the COL issue and scholarships plus my own $ mean virtually no debt at graduation which turned out to be a major influencing factor for me. The extra 6 months to year to graduation in a PT program well worth the financial savings for me. Preparing for patent bar exam right now to get that out of the way.
I'm 35 and a visual artist, working full time as an assistant to an established artist. No matter where we are in life, we can do this. My only caveat is to say that performing well on the LSAT can take a lot more time than expected, so try to remain flexible about your timeline. Preparing for the LSAT is a real test of one's commitment. I started prepping in the summer of 2016, thinking I could test in September. My first diagnostic score was a 143. I moved my test date to December, and withdrew after maxing out on PT's at a 159. I enrolled in a prep course a year ago, confident that it would get me ready for the June 2017 exam. After finally scoring consistently in the 161-166 range, I wound up getting strep throat the week of the test, sat for the exam and canceled my score. Finally I tested again in September and got a 154. I still applied to schools this cycle, but am landing on a lot of waiting lists. Resuming my studies again in hopes of being able to get off wait lists with a better score, or positioning myself more strongly to reapply early next cycle. Studying full time will probably improve your chances of making more progress in less time, but the key is to be patient and don't give up!
What's up! Checking in here. I am in my mid-30s, just hearing back, career changing from performing/theater arts. This is a harrowing process and even more so when I am not sure where I will end up...we will see! Fingers crossed to everyone here and even more to those of you studying with kids, etc. It's such hard work but it will pay off in the end.
Yay for all the 50+ year young people going for it! I was thinking I was the oldest to apply at 54; so happy to see I have great company! Good luck to everyone!
I'm 34 if that helps.
Well, I've been reading all the entries in this thread, thinking, nope! I'm not posting. But now, reading some of the entries, I feel heartened even though, clocking in at... 55, I still take the cake in the age department! I concur with the comments above about perhaps not being remotely capable of envisaging a career in law when I was younger. My trajectory has been in film and literature for decades. I've done well and in some way needed that life. Until now. For the last fifteen or so years, I have also worked as a court interpreter. Over the last year, taking stock of the future, I felt compelled to do apply to law school. Unlike others, I am single and have no children, no attachments. The notion of living another two decades say, and not being engaged with the needs of others really bothered me. I'm healthy and if I say so myself, reasonably bright. Working in the courts for so long has given me some understanding of how the justice system is working currently, and I guess my hope is to work for reform and/or to assist those that don't have the means to hire their own attorneys. All that said, the path ahead is often dauntingly long. The LSAT is such the first step. I'm taking it one piece at a time, but also seeing the end goal gives me courage and motivation and focus. Hoping to apply in 2018 and start in 2019. Fingers crossed. Good luck to all of us!
I am another non-traditional future law student in my 50's. After 30 very successful years in the tech industry, I took the LSAT with only mediocre results. However, I already have one acceptance for Fall 2018 and waiting on another. Neither school is a Tier 1 but at this point it doesn't make sense to take on the debt for a Tier 1 especially when I have one child in college I am paying for and another there shortly. Regardless, after reading an article in AARP about second careers featuring a 65 year old going to law school, it made me realize 50's is not old at all. I have no intention of ever retiring and love to work and help others. Therefore, it is never too late to go after your passion and dream.
@atdangcrash115 said:
I'm changing careers after 22 years and trying to cram all of this in hoping to knock this June LSAT out of the park and get accepted for Fall 2018. Just wondering if anyone else out there is in the same situation.
Hey There
I think I have you all beat. I am 48 years old, studying for the LSAT. I have owned my own company for the last 21 years and am now ready to make a change to the career I always thought I would have.
Never too old. Keep your mind nimble and ready to learn.
Me too. :) 48 is never too late!
This is a very comforting thread. Thank you! I am a professional writer and executive recruiter and decided to pursue my law career after a massive upheaval in my personal life made me really think about how I wanted my future to look. I tried as hard as I could to study for the LSAT, but did poorly in both September and December. I'm not sure when I'm ever going to get over those scores! Totally crushed my soul! I don't have the luxury of waiting until another cycle because I have major life decisions to make. It's either 2018-2019 or never. I put together my best application, wrote a diversity statement, LSAT explanation and sent in a writing sample. I also got the strongest, most persuasive, writers I know to write my LORs. I explained and took ownership that while I was studying, I went thorough about the greatest emotional turmoil a person could endure, worked full-time in my own business and was on deadline to complete a non-fiction book for my publisher...I truly gave it my all under the circumstances. I've been feeling pretty unsure about my chances. I applied to two school on 1/12 (I can't leave the state because I also care for my widowed mother) and haven't heard anything. I'm taking that as a good sign. So happy to know there are people here with an experience similar to mine! Whatever happens, I wish I just knew so I could start putting together plans. I've never been good at waiting, and particularly not so now. Good luck to all!
I am a 54 year old grandmother who has worked in the industrial setting for my adult working career. I completed my associate degree in 2007. I have always made good money but never enjoyed or felt challenged by my job. Probably because it was a job and not a career. I will complete my studies for my bachelor's degree in August and write the LSAT in June. I have been overwhelmed at times and felt that I do not have the energy for law school but my heart tells me if I don't follow through on this, I will regret giving up my dream of getting my law degree, for the rest of my life. So, I just keep moving ahead one step at a time and I know I will get there. Besides, we all know how fast time flies after 30. I am inspired by all your stories, I thank you for sharing with us. I wish you all the best : )
Same here. I'm 36 years old. I was in the Army up until this past February (medically retired). I was supposed to take the LSAT this past December but operational requirements got in the way.
I always wanted to go to Law School, but got distracted by a job in the Intel Community, which brought me to the Army and ultimately my Masters degree. I'm taking advantage of having uninterrupted time to study between now and June.
I find this thread so reassuring for a lot of reasons. I am also a nontraditional student; I am 34 and law school will also be a second career for me. Going to law school is something I wanted, but didn't pursue, after undergrad and has been gnawing at me ever since. I work full time and struggle with studying, with anxiety about being older, and with feeling comfortable owning it, so to speak. Thank you to all of you here offering solidarity and encouragement!
As for the diversity statement for the non-diverse albeit nontraditional student, which I am also considering whether or not to write, I would say that being a nontraditional student in and of itself, regardless of the incredible amount of experience you've had, it not enough. You would have to present a compelling demonstration that your experience supports your ability to contribute something meaningfully different or unique, beyond simply having sweet project management skills, a steadfast work ethic, or stellar interpersonal communication, for example. Which I have no doubt we all can do!
@justicedst105 said:
Guilty as charged. This will be my second career. I have a BA and MS. My JD will complete my alphabet soup. I have been putting off LS for a while now. I've finally got tired of hitting my head on the glass ceiling, so my goal it to slay the June 2018 LSAT and start in the Fall of 2018. I met with the assistant dean of admissions today to my #1 school and was told admission in the Fall is possible but tight. They have a waiting list to clear first. So if not in 2018, then Fall 2019.
Same here. I have to score 155 to really make it. Took my diagnostic and scored 145. I was hoping that I would be more around 150, but I think I have time to get 10 points. I left my job so I spend all day studying. I'm trying to find a balance between studying and not burning myself out. Best of Luck.
Guilty as charged. This will be my second career. I have a BA and MS. My JD will complete my alphabet soup. I have been putting off LS for a while now. I've finally got tired of hitting my head on the glass ceiling, so my goal it to slay the June 2018 LSAT and start in the Fall of 2018. I met with the assistant dean of admissions today to my #1 school and was told admission in the Fall is possible but tight. They have a waiting list to clear first. So if not in 2018, then Fall 2019.
Lots of great vibes in this thread. Good luck to everyone, where ever you are in your journey.
Just turned 46, and also a single mom. My kids are just old enough that I can now manage to leave them at home for a few hours at a time (no need for after school care, such a relief). I have a very non-linear path as well - was a PhD scientist, did well in research and teaching, then decided to become a stay at home mom for 5 years, then passed the patent bar and went back to work as an IP manager and contracts negotiator. I have wanted to go to law school for over 10 yrs, but the time was never quite "right." At this point, it feels that I've already done the "unthinkable" so many times career-wise, that going to law school seems pretty tame by comparison. I also have many non-traditional role models. My best friend had a high profile finance career, decided to go to law school four years ago, didn't like it after the first year, switched to social work grad school and loved it. She's now working again and loves every day she goes to work (she's the same age as me). Another friend of mine graduated from law school at age 50 and was voted the top IP law student in the nation her graduating year by the American IP Law Association. Honestly, for me, going to law school at 20 would have been too soon. I would have been settled in my career earlier, but I would not have been emotionally prepared for it all and probably naive about what type of law I was studying and why and where. Plus, the comfort of having had kids already is pretty substantial (I know a lot of people grappling with not being able to have them or not having the chance to be around them much). I have much more of an idea of what I want to do now and why, and no regrets about all the other cool stuff I got to experience along the way. I feel for those starting off young as well as old. Neither path is easy, and if the youngsters need to switch things around along the way, hopefully they'll understand it's going to be ok. Good luck to us all!
another NTS checking in! I'm 43 and finishing my BA in Criminology in December 2018. I'll be taking the LSAT this July for law school fall of 2019. I'll be 45 when I start law school, about to turn 48 when I finish.
I have three children - 25, 22, and 10 - the 25 year old will be starting law school one year before me :) My husband is an appellate attorney with a corporate insurance defense firm (snooze fest if you ask me but he loves it). I've been working for the past five years as a photographer. I love the craft, hate the business (well, the advertising/networking/"look how awesome my work is you should hire me" part anyway). Prior to that, I've been a stay at home mom and a paralegal in a Workers' Comp defense firm.
I've always been fascinated with crime, ever since I was a kid. I've wanted to be a criminal prosecutor since I was about 11. With my 10 year old not really needing me to be a full time stay at home mom anymore, I needed to find something to do. I still work as a photographer, but I've switched genres and am only shooting stock photography now (which means I can work as much or as little as I want; consequently, it also means I'm broke). But I need something more cerebral. So here I am!
so glad to read all of these replies!! thank you so much for starting this thread!!