Had a bit of a meltdown

enrique.patino.daly

Studying was going well for about 5 months, had a bit of a meltdown at my job - wasn't sure if I wanted to try go to law school anymore and stopped for two months, now I need to push back to a later test if I want to try.

Short version is that I turned 26 on March 1 and work about 50 hours a week in a mid-level marketing role in enterprise tech. I wanted to go to law school since I was a kid but am feeling like I'm already too far behind. Anyone else have success after being removed from undergrad for a few years?

Guidance is always welcome.

-Thanks

Cant Get Right

I'm 30 and so this is a topic I've been really interested in as well. From what I've read, it's a plus if anything. Schools want to build diverse classes, and that includes a diversity of ages. The experience from having been in the work force is also attractive.

danielznelson

I've only been away from school for two years, though this is definitely longer than I ever thought it would be. I think the most important thing is to just start the process again. With a high-stress, heavy-hour job, and with having been out of school for several years, you're admittedly in a tough spot. But that doesn't mean anything aside from the fact that you'll have to work hard to succeed in your law school venture.

I don't think the two-month break is so bad. I actually did this around the time of my wedding. It set me back, sure, but I was back on track sooner or later. And I'm glad I took the break. You'll come in with a better understanding of the test, so studying won't seem so overwhelming and confusing. The frustration will be there with PTs when you get there, of course, but you will definitely be more comfortable with what you are doing. I think that alone will make a big difference.

Your age is no more than a few years above the median age, so you certainly aren't a black sheep. It seems a very considerable number of 7Sagers are even older than the both of us. I'm with @"Cant Get Right" on experience; law schools really seem to go for that. Your work and position will probably lend well to your candidacy.

Alejandro

You can do it man! I believe in you!

Nicole Hopkins

@enrique.patino.daly said:
Anyone else have success after being removed from undergrad for a few years?

I was in a very similar line of work as you and I'll be 30 when I start at Northwestern this fall. There were a good number of folks around my age at ASW and PLENTY around your age. So you should come to Northwestern. Just saying Seriously though. You're fine.

Nicole Hopkins

And it's DEFINITELY a very strong plus. Being on the older edge of traditional students (as I am) was a HUGE advantage for me this cycle. No doubt about it.

R Miranda

Hi Enrique - I'm in a similar boat as you. I'm 28, turning 29 this year, and work between 40 and 60 hours a week. Studying for the LSAT under these conditions sucks, but think of this challenge as an opportunity. You're going to enter law school with life experience, including how to excel in a challenging environment.

enrique.patino.daly

Thanks all for the motivation and good counsel - the community here is definitely one of the best parts of this program. @"Nicole Hopkins" - Believe me, I would love to! Northwestern is one of my top target schools.

nickott10

I will echo the comments of others on this thread; I believe having professional experience is a huge advantage. The perspective that you have gained from your career thus far will allow you to interpret your legal studies more competently. You actually have something to relate the content to. The way I look at it, each year you wait is a year closer that you could be towards your end goal of becoming an attorney. I will be 29 when I begin at IU McKinney School of Law in the fall, and will enter with 8 years of professional experience (worked full-time through undergrad and my MBA). If you plan to continue working while in law school like I will (part-time, evening program), balancing your LSAT studies with your job will give you an idea of what it will take to succeed in law school. Obviously, law school will be more time-consuming over a longer period of time. However, I felt my LSAT study months gave me a view of what life in law school would be like. "Do I think I can keep up this type of pace for 3 years? Am I content with spending a majority of my weekends with my nose in the books?" It serves as a good self-reflection exercise to determine if this point in your life is the right time.

allergic

I'm older than you and will be starting law school this fall. You're not falling behind!

MrSamIam

When I was finishing up my UG, I met plenty of students in their late 30s, early 40s, who were JUST starting their Masters program. Trust me, you're nowhere near "behind."

chelsLSAT

You're totally fine. I work in a firm right now and one of the partners sons is easily mid-30's and is in law school.

jennilynn89

I know exactly how you feel! I am 27, got a late start with college, and didn't graduate until last year. I've worked all through undergrad and it took me forever to graduate.
I was planning on attending law school this year, didn't prep well enough, took the December LSAT and had an epic fail. Talk about meltdown.I felt like such a failure and like I am majorly falling behind.
Now I'm back to working 40-50 h a week, and just started going through the 7Sage curriculum a couple weeks ago, and am trying to find my groove again. I'll take the LSAT when I'm ready, with the hopes of starting law school next year.
If being a lawyer is truly what you want, you'll work for it. You'll have to work HARD for it. But if you (like me) know that this is the path you want to take, minor setbacks don't mean much when you eventually will be able to reap the benefits of the outcome.
Don't lose yourself in this journey, keep your head up, and stay positive! You got this!!!

Farabian-Platonist

I am in my earlier 30s, and I have just decided to start studying for the LSAT and attend law school. I didn't even attend UG until I was in my mid 20s. I didn't know what I wanted after completing High School, so I enlisted in the military and gained invaluable experience. This led to a deepening interest in the Middle East and the acquisition of Arabic.

Concerning the burn-out phenomenon, I would suggest you find some type of spiritual outlet for yourself. If you already have one, great! I try to find some personal quiet time in the early hours of the morning for meditation and self-introspection. This allows me to maintain balance and perspective. Another possible solution is to read something totally unrelated to LSAT prep. I hope my 2 cents helped.

stepharizona

I'll be 39 by the time I finally start school, and if you look at the age range for most schools is often ranges into the 50s even 60s. So you absolutely will not be out of your age range. People go back to school all the time, or are like me and are transitioning careers after 20 years in a specific field.

Every school I have met with looks at this as an advantage for many reason. Many have told me, that they know I "understand" what I am getting into, that I'll have a distinct advantage when it comes to understand cases, because ill have some experience that somehow relates to them, simply from my years of experience in business. The only thing I have been warned about is to be sucsssful, you must realize that your classmates are your equals. This comes from an OWL at Columbia. Older students who think they are better, simply because of their age will struggle, but those that embrace their knowledge rather than there years will thrive.

@enrique.patino.daly said:
I wanted to go to law school since I was a kid but am feeling like I'm already too far behind.

The only thing I will say about this, is do not go to law school because you wanted to as a kid. Go because you have a passion for it, and realize it is the path you want to be on. I am guessing it still is, but the debt of law schools even on scholarships, when you figure in what your earnings would have been had you continued working is huge.

@enrique.patino.daly said:
stopped for two months, now I need to push back to a later test if I want to try.

Thats a great decision! pushing back will give you the best opportunity, even if it takes you a year to get to the score you want, its still not going to be "too late". No such thing.

Take your time, work towards the score you need and dominate law school, if you decide that is the right path for you,

lsatings

@enrique.patino.daly said:
Anyone else have success after being removed from undergrad for a few years?

This actually happened to me less than a year ago. I was working a very stressful legal job at a large corporation and realized that I kept shafting my goals of going to law school and working abroad and starting to break into the field I wanted to go into academically. All my friends had graduated and gotten top fellowships, grants, or been accepted to amazing grad schools and had a trajectory they were following. I used to be able to compete with everyone but felt like I was seriously falling behind, so I started to try and put my applications together but with the long hours I was doing (70 hours a week, no joke) and the high level of stress, etc. I kept missing my own deadlines and had to keep putting important things off (like taking the LSAT).

After a few frustrating months of trying to balance both my personal goals and major deadlines at work that pushed me over the edge (corporate is very unforgiving of even the tiniest mistakes), I came to the brutal realization that I couldn't have both simultaneously and that I was exhausting myself. I also felt over worked, under appreciated, and very upset that I had wasted so much of my time doing something that kept making me sacrifice things in my life that would have been better for me to pursue. My frustrations escalated. I had a meltdown and then quit my job.

I took a few weeks to calm myself down and decompress. Then, I made a list of things that I wanted to accomplish during my time off, outlined how I was going to accomplish them, and got to work. It wasn't easy, and there were a lot of times I doubted the decision that I made to leave my job. Was I being impulsive? Was it reasonable? Why did I ever do it? After a few months, I was accepted as a panelist on 8 conferences, was accepted into Fulbright scholars program, finished my law school applications (all but my LSAT, which is giving me anxiety actually), transitioned into a job that I like and that is more in line with what I want to do, etc. and I feel so much happier as a result.

I think meltdowns can be extremely difficult to go through, especially if you're 'highly functioning' and tend to like to see results in your life and career. I constantly equate my value with how much I am able to produce/how successful I can be, I'm aware of it as an unhealthy mentality to have, but it is difficult to remove myself from it. If things move slowly, or if I'm not meeting new thresholds for different accomplishments, I tend to get restless and have a lot of anxiety. I definitely think it was hard for me to leave my job and become willingly unemployed, especially when I have always had a job since high school. But it was quite possibly the best thing I could have done for myself. I needed to steer in a different direction, and quitting to focus on myself was exactly what I needed to do. I hope this helps.

rakinalikhan

completely understand the feeling enrique. ive taken a money and a half break from lsat studying and just getting back into it today. i got so burned out from studying everyday and being in a rut on my score. i think it was a good thing i stepped back. i was able to focus more on school and do well. now that summer is here i can dedicate to it full time with less stress. im turning 23 this september and next year is my graduating year but because i took an extra 5th year and did my final year of high school again psychologically for me it feels like im behind even though everyone says im not. i thought about writing the test this february but i knew i wasnt ready so i pushed it off to september. dont write the test if youre not 100% confident youre ready

zphib121406-1

I'll be 39 in a few months and if all goes well on the LSAT, I'll be 40 when I start LS. I totally understand how you feel , but, I've talked to older law students who were glad they started when they did. Some of them had good careers and wanted a change and even one I met was laid off from his banking job and decided to go to LS. So, you are not behind at all! Good luck!

GordonBombay

As a K - JD (and someone who knows other K - JDs at top schools) let me tell you there really is no serious benefit to being one that I've ever heard of. It's probably a negative thing if anything. Real world work experience will only help you so don't be so hard on yourself OP.

What matters is that you know you want to go to law school, know what 7sage is, and know that having a strong LSAT score can really help you jump start a successful legal career. Take as much time as you need on the LSAT, and apply to schools when you're ready. I don't see the need to rush. You're certainly not "too far behind". Not even close. Keep on keeping on. The LSAT can be maddening, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

danilphillips

I'm 35. I had a whole different career and got married and now have 2 children. I moved abroad 3 years ago and was very confused about what I wanted to do for a long time. I have enough life experience now to know that this is definitely what I want, which motivates me to work hard (so far i've studied the LSAT harder than I studied anything in undergrad. or grad school). It's an entirely different type of interest and focus- one that I never would have been capable of in my 20's. Back then I was more interested in the social aspects of school and doing what came easiest.

It's never too late. There is no such thing as being 'behind.' Behind who? Behind what? Once you become a working adult (maybe even married or a parent) you realise that the rat race of comparing yourself to others' accomplishments is futile and a tremendous waste of time. No one really gives a shit about what others accomplish, they just want to use it to compare themselves to each other. Looking to others for approval won't make you happy, it never has made anyone happy I don't think.

Lastly, time will pass no matter what we do, whether you work in a tech company, go to school, etc. You might as well pursue your goals while it does!