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12 Likes
Too Old for Law School...
Logic Gainz
Alum Member ⭐
For all of you mortified at the thought of delaying a cycle because you're nearing your social security collection, go out and ask a friend what the business school average age is. You're welcome.
Comments
Haha!! Starting my morning off with a laugh. The world needs more people like you my friend!
facts...
-someone considering b-school
So true!!!
haha thank you.
I'm confused. The average for entering most top business schools is 27 or 28 nowhere near the age of social security collection. At law school it is between 26 and 27.
I do think much older applicants should be even more cautious about making a poor financial choice when entering law school due to the reduced number of years to pay off debt. Therefore, it is even more important for them to maximize LSAT score and therefore scholarships.
Maybe I'm just missing the joke though.
@"Seeking Perfection" Im guessing he is exaggerating.
I thought so too, but then the whole business school thing confused me a bit.
I guess the assumption is that business school graduates are older?
I'll be 29 when i enter law school...first time Ive thought about that and i immediately regret it
@"Seeking Perfection" you are easily my favorite person on the forum lol your appreciation for only the facts is going to make you a great lawyer Lol!
Haha! Too funny .... and yes this does make me feel better ... thank you!
Ditto! Not to mention @"Seeking Perfection" is the only person I know who scored a 180, so he's automatically my fav
Why worry about age? No one should. If you have the money put away for law school and have the means to do it, it shouldn't stop you. I remember reading that 98% don't pursue their dream and have the herd mentality. Only 2 % do pursue their dream. I can speak to this since I am over 40. I have no fear of what a school says. I believe being an older applicant that you bring your life experience in a way that is different. It doesn't mean you are over the hill.
You have to think that the cost is as much as with $150K-200K. Let's face it student debt is an asset to the bank and a liability to the student. A lot of what needs to happen with an older applicant is having right financial education before applying law school. I mean planning it out with a financial advisor. You cannot always rely on the government or non-profit to fund your education. Just look at the comprehensive financial report of most of the states annually. Illinois almost went bankrupt for a budget that almost didn't pass and their credit rating is in junk bond status.
https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/michigan-just-prevented-a-fiscal-crisis-are-other-states-paying-attention/
Here is thee state financial shape as it relates to the school
https://www.mercatus.org/statefiscalrankings
Puerto Rico defaulted on its obligations prior the hurricane.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rican_government-debt_crisis
If a state can't get is funding together, it can't fund the schools very well that are dependent on state funding.
My belief is you have be a bit of an entrepreneur and investor. If you have your financial house in order, it is not an issue. I didn't grow up rich and grew up very dirt poor. I had read a lot of books on financial education along the way.
My belief is US News and World Reports omits a lot of info that can hurt you as a student no matter what age you are. I mean they try to shove people to apply in the herd mentality of "I need to become a millionaire before I am 40 and get that law degree from a top tier school including having McMansion and Ferrari in my drive way. If I don't get there in time, it will be the end of the world". I think it is horrible, and they make law school seem like a lottery ticket. It is an opportunity to a better life and not a lottery ticket.
I will say this the schools don't teach about money and how to manage it. I mean the high schools and colleges don't teach about money and how to manage it. They create employees with an employee mentality and create a bunch of debtors. The schools don't want you to learn how to manage money. If they did, they go bust.
When you are an older law school student, your goal is not trying to change the world. It is get a law degree that you can have a sense of pride that you earned. You have an advantage as an older student where you can organize your finances a bit better. Some have military experience and can get the VA or the GI bill to pay for school. I have a couple friends who had the VA pay for the law school entirely.
Let's says my June 2018 score is 178 and no school offers me anything as far as scholarships. I will pay the school and that will be end of the story. For me, I would rather get my score that I am ranging now on my PTs between 176 and 180 on the real test for me as a sign that I did it and not so much where it is about getting the school to pay for my tuition. I will pay for the school. Plus, I rather have the degree for me. I got my funding out of the way already. Funding is not my issue. For me, it is finding a school where I can be near family while pursing my law school dream.
"I will say this the schools don't teach about money and how to manage it. I mean the high schools and colleges don't teach about money and how to manage it. They create employees with an employee mentality and create a bunch of debtors. The schools don't want you to learn how to manage money. If they did, they go bust." Thank you for mentioning this!! It is a critical factor that every working class family must recognize, but unfortunately only a few do. For those who do will be the ones who can be able to take the opportunity to stop their poverty tfor their next generations..how should we solve this problem?
I think the problem can be solved in two ways. First, recognizing that college isn't for everyone. Too many people seem to be going with no real plan, just because they feel like they have to. Nothing wrong with learning a trade or doing something before deciding to go to college.
Second, once you're in college, make sure you study something that will get you a good job. I think the entire "study what you're interested in" mindset is pure unadulterated crap. This might have been something to entertain doing in the 1960s before college degrees became de facto HS diplomas. Study what you're interested in by going to the library or using the internet. If you want to get out of poverty, study something that's going to make you money like accounting/finance or almost any STEM major. If you seek out to study finance you can avoid the dangerous/ignorant mindset many college students have re: economics/debt.
There's a reason gov't run schools teach you that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell but don't teach you anything useful about how monetary policy/economics work.
I chose accounting degree because I thought it was going to help me get a stable job plus financial independence right after the college. Regardless, while I was in my last semester to graduate, I realized that the accounting degree would bring me neither of my satisfactions. If I wanted to get both money and a stable job, I had to go for at least a medium size firm. Fortunately I did get a job offer at one of the medium size cpa firms, but they expected me to work for 50+ hours a week which was not going to happen since I am a single mother. I felt so lost. what ive learned from this experience was that one must approach their future or career life in a meticulous manner. Planning, analyzing, and forecasting of the future will definitely help one to be succeed way quicker without going around or falling into a trap. But in reality, not many people can do this including myself...!! Anyways, I made a hard choice to go for the law school and here I am now with 7sage! fingers crossed !
Hmmm. I challenged my first LSAT approx. 21 years ago with the hope of getting into Chapman University. I don't recall my score, but I believe I scored in the mid 40's. So, instead of giving it a second attempt, I decided to focus on finding a job that would help me save the funds to pay for law school. At the time, I was working as a Cardiac Rehab Specialist/Exercise Physiologist at Mt Zion Hospital in San Francisco until it was forced to close its doors. Jobless, I took this opportunity to affiliate myself with a temp agency landing me a job as a receptionist at a boutique law firm in San Francisco; Their specialty was in Intellectual Property, Copyright, Patent, Licensing and Corporate law. I enjoyed working here (approx 3-yrs) until it was acquired by a bigger law firm a few blocks down from us. It was definitely an interesting transition. But with most acquisitions you can imagine what came next, "reorganization and downsizing". The good thing that came out of this was that I left with a good understanding that I really didn't have to be working at a law firm to decide that was a profession I felt I could make the most difference. My only obstacle, financing my legal education. Fast forward 20-yrs, as I'm sitting in my car driving as a part-time Lyft driver (having been working as a Realtor going on 17-yrs) it hit me...that I needed to transition my 17-yrs working as a Realtor (in sales) to that of representing clients with issues related to the housing crisis that threatens the livelihood of many not only here in the Bay area but also that of my birth place, Puerto Rico. My inspiration, Emanuel McGee, one of my real estate clients and friend of approx. 13-yrs who recently passed away at the age of 100. I've convinced myself, if genetics doesn't get the best of me, as long as my heart continues to beat and my mind serves me well, transitioning into the legal side of real estate issues at my age (52), I can at least look forward to practicing law til my last days on Earth and make it a difference for ALL living beings sharing this planet. Age is but a number. Treat yourself right and it will treat you right. That said, if you feel you have what it takes to hit the list as one the best attorneys here on Earth, Go For It! It's bound to help you make a difference.
Love, love your story. Similiar to my story - approx 20 years ago I took my first LSAT, got a low score and didn't get in to law school. 20 years later here I am doing it again. I've gone back and forth about being "too old", etc., but I'm finally at a place where I know I want to do this. I know this is where my passion lies. My mother is 76 and still working and she loves it. No one can stop her. My dad is 80 and can't sit still. He still has a few clients that call him to do a job. I'm not saying I'm going to work until my 80's but even if I work until I'm 65 that's a good 20 years of life where I can finally realize my dream. Best of luck to you @lcmhomes. I'm rooting for ya.
LOL! Hey I almost qualified for my senior citizen discount, when I took the LSAT at 38.
I turn 48 this week and take my first LSAT in Feb.
Haha! Thanks! I am always down for a dose of humor.
Also, I recently read a short article about Walter Minton, who helmed the publishing house that brought Lolita to the US. After leaving publishing, he went to law school at 55. He's 94 now.
@cdawson1970, This is awesome! More power to you for this courageous step in embarking on a new career path.
Proof you're never "too old" for law school. Congrats on your journey and let us know how it goes in February.
What schools/region are you interested in?
I'll be taking my LSAT at 36. Granted, what my plan for law school/career is a little different so I don't think I'm too old to do this (the folks I've talked to that did what I'm planning on doing all went to law school in their mid-30s/early-40s).
I'm right there with you brother : )
@LCMama2017, This is so great! @wetcoastcanuck, This is really good!
Wow this is truly one of the most inspiring and helpful posts. Thanks to all for your input and I'm right there with you all at 51 and writing in June... @frayelizabeth thanks for the Minton story. Can't wait to look it up.
@"Alex Divine" Baton Rouge is most geographically feasible for me since it is 60 miles east of Broussard in Lafayette Parish where my family and I live. Southern University Law Center is the most economical and offers part-time, night school. I can work and attend. Would like to do well enough (only a 160) on the LSAT to get financial assistance and conditions would be ideal for me. My sister graduated from Notre Dame Law and dad from Tulane Law, so graduating from SULC should be attainable. Right?!
I think I can! I can!! Hope I will in 3 weeks do what I need to begin this fall.