To those anxiously waiting for responses

Bamboosprout

Many of your say that you've made your peace, and are ready to accept any outcome that comes to you.
The thing I would say is that, it doesn't sound like you're truly ready to move on. It doesn't sound like you've sincerely internalized the possibility that you won't get into anywhere you like, and can move on, because if you have, then you wouldn't be anxious. Embrace that other side of the coin flip, because that's what this is, it's out of your control now, and simply a coin flip.
I would say that you should focus on other things, things that are in front of you, and things that you've put off because of law school. Learn to love fate, wherever it takes you, and whatever it gives you. The likely truth is, you will be just as happy, if not happier, without law school, and you've learned a lot about being a logical and good person from this experience either way. Look at the long run, 5, 10 years down the line, there is no guarantee that having gone to law school would mean you would have a better future. The legal job market is more competitive than ever before, people are working more hours and taking longer to make partner; relationships suffer; you might be making more money, but there is no guarantee that you will be happier; IIRC, turnover is higher than ever before; you would have spent 3-4 years in a grueling bootcamp, and another 2-3 years insufferably working 80+hours a week. Is losing this future really worth getting anxious about? Don't let the delusions of law school success blind you. Sure, it sounds good, and prestigious, but do you need that in life? Remember there is survivorship bias in every area of life. Even if you got into law school, what's to guarantee that you would do well, or even not flunk out or not fall into depression like so many current law students?
Every close friend I have spoken to, who is a current student or alumni, talk to me about law school with shades of regret and sadness, and they're all incredibly successful relative to their peers in T14 schools. This has helped me understand that law school, like anything else in life, is not all it promises to be, and that the grass only looks greener on the other side, but isn't really.
Hope this ramble helps you feel better. Cheers

PS: I'm glad that everyone has such positive outlooks. Know that I'm not saying everyone going to law school is going to be miserable, as you should be able to do with so much practice with MBT questions. All I'm saying is that this is a possibility, and life is unpredictable, and any path you take, will be a good one, as long as you choose to walk it with a positive attitude.

_oshun1_

Every close friend I have spoken to, >who is a current student or alumni, >talk to me about law school with >shades of regret and sadness, and >they're all incredibly successful >relative to their peers in T14 schools.

I’ve been working at law firms for 5 years mostly with attorneys who went to low ranked schools and I haven’t met a single person who didn’t love law school and isn’t happy with what they’re doing. Even the unsuccessful ones.
I don’t think that telling people “you might have a shitty time in law school” is helpful at all. One might have a bad time with anything one does.

LSAT_Wrecker

@oshun1 said:

I’ve been working at law firms for 5 years mostly with attorneys who went to low ranked schools and I haven’t met a single person who didn’t love law school and isn’t happy with what they’re doing. Even the unsuccessful ones.
I don’t think that telling people “you might have a shitty time in law school” is helpful at all. One might have a bad time with anything one does.

Replace "law firm for 5 years" with "legal aid clinic for over a year" and ditto for me.

Chardiggity

FWIW, someone in my close circle of peeps has a JD from a 4th tier law school and has had steady employment as an attorney for 14 years now, and has good work-life balance. Sometimes the grass is just as green when you get there. Chin up, folks! Even if you don't get in to your dream school, you may find yourself in schools, areas of law, cities, etc. that you weren't expecting, but still work out pretty great.

Alex

Totally agree with the sentiment that people shouldn’t expect law school or law practice to make them happy. It’s really never a good idea to expect things like career to be what truly brings you happiness.

However, I’ve worked closely in my career for the past 3.5 years with a good number of attorneys. And, unsurprisingly, like every job I’ve had before, some are happy and others not so much. I’ve realized that a lot of people — lawyers included — that are happy in their jobs/life are mostly made up of just happy persoanlities in general. Stress resistance always seems to be another common trait of the happier people I know working in law.

Things like faith, friendship and family are the reasons I’m happy everyday. No job or stress is going to change those things. So, I agree we should focus on being mindful of the “now” and not be overly anxious about the future!

On a positive note, turnover being high(er) is to a large extent due to two things: When the top firms increased their base from 160k-180k, many midsized firms increased their base salaries as well. This has caused a lot more attys to lateral to midsized firms. More than would have when the pay was less at these midsized firms. We’ve seen the same phenomenon occur in the banking sector.

Secondly, I believe something like 50% of attys leave by the end of their 4th year at large firms. It’s been this way for quite some time. It’s built into the model in some sense. I just point this out to make the case that it’s not all due to unbearable unhappiness.
Moreover, the job market for lawyers isn’t more competitive than ever. At least not relatively speaking. Arguably, it was at its most competitive back in 2010-2011. The job market has actually been getting better for lawyers since then! We’re still not back to the boom years of the early 2000s, and we may never get back there, but it’s better than it was.

I hope your cycle turns out well and you cheer up!

Bamboosprout

@oshun1 said:

Every close friend I have spoken to, >who is a current student or alumni, >talk to me about law school with >shades of regret and sadness, and >they're all incredibly successful >relative to their peers in T14 schools.

I’ve been working at law firms for 5 years mostly with attorneys who went to low ranked schools and I haven’t met a single person who didn’t love law school and isn’t happy with what they’re doing. Even the unsuccessful ones.
I don’t think that telling people “you might have a shitty time in law school” is helpful at all. One might have a bad time with anything one does.

I'm glad you have such a positive outlook, but for many people, with myself included, who might end up with nowhere to attend, I think this is a healthy outlook to have as well. Ideally, one will be able to balance both perspectives, but seeing so many people anxious, I just wanted to share with them how I overcame my anxiety. The perspective that you've shared is the one I see very often, and I imagine, is the typical view on law school. So I just wanted to share a different perspective. At the end of the day, the readers should be able to form their own opinion, and the more perspectives available, the better, right?

Bamboosprout

@Alex said:

Moreover, the job market for lawyers isn’t more competitive than ever. At least not relatively speaking. Arguably, it was at its most competitive back in 2010-2011. The job market has actually been getting better for lawyers since then! We’re still not back to the boom years of the early 2000s, and we may never get back there, but it’s better than it was.

I hope your cycle turns out well and you cheer up!

Oh, yeah. Just checked, you're right. I can't find data on 2010-2011, but 2017 was nowhere as bad as 2013-2014. Wait... nvm, 2013 graduating class is 2010 entering class, so it's probably the same thing?