"So You Want to Go to Law School"

littlesnickers

So I was reading a blog post on personal statements by the Yale Dean of Admissions, and she linked to this video as a "law school reality check:"

I know we have all heard these critiques about going to law school before, but watching it in the context of what not to do in my personal statement made me second guess everything I was planning on writing.

I'm hoping to get thoughts from you guys (because posting this on TLS would likely make me cry) regarding the video. How have you convinced yourselves that you're not whom this video is making fun of, and how will you prove that to law schools in your applications?

Thank you and I apologize if this is old news.

NYC12345

@sockstcat
I do not take heed to this advice because I do not feel it applies to me. I plan on pursuing a career at a big law firm, where I will be doing cutting-edge legal work and will be compensated generously for my work. I do, however, agree with the notion that going to law school to pursue a low-paying job is not the smartest move, unless money really isn't important to you at all, which I find hard to believe.

Pacifico

Hell... Screw cutting edge legal work, I'll review documents for 160k a year plus a bonus... Beats cooking on your feet for 14-16+ hours a day for 50k a year...

nicole.hopkins

@Pacifico said:
I'll review documents for 160k a year plus a bonus...

Upvote/props/amen

littlesnickers

Thanks for your responses haha... I feel you on the money and I look forward to joining you in the world of big law. My lament is that it doesn't go along with what I was planning to put in my personal statement.

NYC12345

@Pacifico
+1
@sockstcat
My advice to you is to not write about your career goals in your personal statement because adcomms read hundreds of those every day and it is highly unlikely that your statement will be original. Instead, write about what makes you unique--something no one else has written about.

nicole.hopkins

@alexandergreene93 said:
something no one else has written about.

like why your 7sage name is sockstcat

i mean ... is it about socks ??? a cat????? stocks ??? is there a compelling "overcoming dyslexia" story at hand ??

Student76

"What's fascinating is that you will be one of these poor people..."

sarkisp23

I couldn't care less about all this anti-law school rhetoric. I've had lawyers themselves tell me not to go. I've had other lawyers tell me to go or risk regretting it forever. But for me, law is not the only thing I'm doing with my life. It's just one part of my master plan for world domination.

I just think people aren't ambitious enough these days. They see this and think: if I go and waste all this money, I could end up making next to nothing after. Well then have multiple sources of income. Start a side business, invest in real estate. Like that saying, "it's not your fault if you're born poor, but it's your fault if you die poor."

As for personal statement, just be you and let it shine through in your writing. There's all this advice on personal statements as well. Just don't rehash your resume in your personal statement and that's it. Be honest. Be ambitious and don't waste too many brain cells listening to advice from pessimistic people.

Pacifico

@sarkisp23 said:
"it's not your fault if you're born poor, but it's your fault if you die poor."

Where is this a saying? That is terrible...

@sarkisp23 said:
Just don't rehash your resume in your personal statement and that's it.

Great advice, but also remember not to be inconsistent. Don't write about ending homelessness in your PS if you don't know where your local homeless shelter is. Make sure your entire application is at least internally consistent and at best a cohesive and engaging narrative.

@nicole.hopkins said:
like why your 7sage name is sockstcat

I just thought he was a cat from sock street...

nicole.hopkins

Just watched the video. ... I find the prospect of spending Thanksgiving in a warehouse reviewing documents quite thrilling. Wow, it would be great to have that much to do. To be that busy.

It's ok, I'll talk to my therapist about it.

nicole.hopkins

@Pacifico said:
"it's not your fault if you're born poor, but it's your fault if you die poor."

Yeah ... this makes baby kitties cry ...

littlesnickers

@nicole.hopkins @Pacifico lol good guesses. It's about my cat, though I like the dyslexia story. And thank you, I will make sure to keep my application consistent.

@alexandergreene93 Thanks, I agree that I should write something unique to me, but I haven't found a particularly exceptional/fascinating characteristic about myself to hone in on. It's been hard to separate my career goals from my overall message in trying to describe how my experiences have led me to apply to law school.

@sarkisp23 I liked reading that haha. It was real. I want to have your attitude toward the anti-law school stuff but it's everywhere and usually from people with more authority than I have. I do think of myself someone with a bit of hustle as well so I will think about incorporating that somehow. Good luck with dominating the world.

sarkisp23

@sockstcat Lol I'm glad to hear that. It's not everywhere. It's just everywhere you're looking. And honestly, this is going to make more "baby kitties cry" but don't over-respect anybody. When you do that, you tend to undervalue yourself. So if you want to do it, you think you'd be good at it and can't think of anything else to do, then those are good enough reasons to go to law school. Cultivate that talent, use it to catapult you to success, and in 20 years when some young person asks you if they should go to law school, you'll say "I absolutely recommend it."