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2 Likes
Kind of embarrassing... need advice
Andrew Alterio
Alum Member
I have been telling everyone that I will be going to law school this year (including someone who is going to the same school I plan to go to as a 1L)... what can I tell people to not look stupid for waiting a year? Everyone thinks I'm starting this september. I know it doesn't matter what they think... just looking for a good excuse to not look stupid. Or a reason to maybe hold off a year, even if they think I got in.
Comments
Why not just tell them whatever reason you had for deciding to wait for a year? I don't think you need an excuse for making your decision.
You're saving money for law school or taking another year to pay off undergraduate debt?
Don’t we all swim the same current ? I’m pretty much in the same position. Apply when you’re ready not when people want you to be in law school. Life happens . You’ll have to really not give a wazoo about what people think (easier said then done ) . My fav response? None of your business Lol. Word of advice I personally don’t tell people about my plans. Less pressure to uphold them . Pm if you like
The best excuse is the truth. I told people the truth for 3 cycles. If people judge you then they don’t belong in your life.
The truth will set you free.
I agree with JustDoIt. There's no point in lying about when you plan to begin law school. Whenever you begin, you begin. The most important thing is that you graduate from law school and get a decent job.
I made a similar mistake , and I told people the truth. Life happens . Thank God I have an amazing group of friends who are cheering me on . I hope you do as well. You don’t have to explain yourself to anybody.
If you're embarrassed then just say, "oh, I wanted to get some real life experience for my resume before I start law school". Or, "I'm a little burnt out from undergrad and need a break". I can definitely relate. I told my boss a year ago that I would be taking the LSAT and I'm still studying for it. She knocked it out in two months and plus got a full ride scholarship. Plus I have to see her every day so that sucks. I told her I would be retaking the LSAT and she said, "oh, really? You have to retake it?" So that felt really good.... If I could go back I would not mention the LSAT to anyone especially my employer who happens to be an attorney. She asked about my plans after I graduate so that's why I told her.
Don't worry about it! People delay going to grad/law school ALL THE TIME. There are so many reasons: "It just wasn't the right time for me." "I really love my job and I wanted one more year of experience." "I wanted to take a year to be really sure." "I wanted to save money." "I wanted to travel." "I had to help my family out this year." "I didn't get into the school I wanted, so I'm going to try again next year." "I'm going to try again next year for a bigger scholarship."
Really, some of these might feel embarrassing to you to say to someone. But trust me, as someone who knows lots of folks who have gone/are considering going to grad/law school, NO ONE WILL BLINK AN EYE at any of these. Higher higher ed is such a financial commitment, a time commitment, and a life commitment that lots and lots of people take a year(s) longer than they expected to go. And honestly, many people around you will probably commend you for your maturity when you give one of these answers, or at the very least say, "Yeah, that's a good idea."
I'm in the same boat, but the decision is ultimately yours. Are they going to help you pay for law school? Are they going to gain or lose anything from you waiting a year to law school? What's it to them? Don't worry, do what's right for you. You can't please everyone.
There are a lot of good reasons a person might have for waiting a cycle. People who ask this probably just want to make sure that you have a plan. Just give them a detailed explanation and they will support you
Oh man! She did it in two months!!! Wow. Yeah, I told my boss LAST MARCH (2017) that I was going to take the lsat and go to law school Sept 2018. Nope, didn't happen. It really is so demoralizing to have to tell people who ask you about law school and why you are "still studying".
@"Drew Alterio" I say stick with the truth and hope no one else asks. That's what I do - I just say I'm still studying because I need to get a good score and the test is super hard. I then change the subject quickly and people generally get the hint.
I have found that people don't care as much as we think we do and are more likely to be understanding without judgment than we give them credit for. So be honest and be true to yourself and you'll find people will understand or if they don't, will still think the best of you.
If anything, a lot of people that have studied for the LSAT and are attending law school (or who have finished) probably think that studying for a couple of months, taking the test, and then starting school is not quite as easy as some might think. I, like many others on here, have delayed and have felt the need to explain my reasoning to work and family. Most seem to understand the desire to knock it out of the park, attend the school of our dreams, and the desire to get the scholarship we know we are capable of getting! If nothing else, most everyone in the 7Sage community does!!!! If you are not ready quite yet, then there is simply no other choice to be made! Best of luck to you.
Just tell people you are holding off to get your LSAT score up so that you can get more scholarship money. A 10 more points can mean thousands more in free money. "I want to go to school at a good cost, not at any cost." Taking a year off never killed anyone. Some who are going this year could stand to gain if they worked at bringing their scores up some more. Good luck mu dude!
@"Drew Alterio" , I agree with every person in this thread who has said to stick with telling people the actual reason (whatever that is).
A large part of performing well on the actual test is being able to reduce the amount of pressure you feel to perform well. If you come up with a phony explanation to tell friends/family, I suspect you'll be allowing the desire to please them to continue being a significant factor in how you approach the test, and those types of emotional associations will be running wild if you begin to freeze on the test. Do yourself a favor, if someone asks, tell them the actual reason, and allow yourself to be comfortable with your progress, whatever that looks like for now. I can't help but think that it will reduce the amount of pressure you feel as you do your prep.
Just a couple weeks ago, I had to say to my parents (kindly), "I don't think I'm as smart as you think I am." For a while I was carrying an unhelpful amount of anxiety about this test, feeling that if I didn't score in the 99th percentile, I would feel like a fraud, and I wouldn't be the bright son my parents thought I was. I explained to them that there was the possibility that I might retake in November, and what I really needed was to know that they would be okay with that. They understood, and have taken the "Oh, you're brilliant and will do well on this test" stuff ever since. Lessening that pressure as made a world of difference in my ability to focus during PTs.
As @JustDoIt noted, the truth will set you free!
Hope that helps!
haha I know!!! I couldn't believe it when she told me!!! It's weird how some students are able to study for the LSAT for a couple months and that's it. Also, I was watching this youtube channel and this girl said that she didn't study for the LSAT at all and got into her top pick school. WTF. I almost barfed. Can you imagine? She said she didn't study at all.....
Better to go into Law School mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and financially as prepared as possible rather then trying to adhere to a scheduale and/or opinioins of people who aren't YOU.
I was hell bent on going to law school this year and I had to step back and be brutually honest with myself. It was best for me to take a break (aim is to limit the break to just 1 year). Plus, the possibilty and fact that some folks drop out of law school because they are NOT prepared or healthy was way more motivational then anything else. I didn't want to think about paying for a semester or more and getting so burnt that I wouldn't be able to handle everything.
I got crap from family and friends but they aren't taking the LSAT for me, they aren't going to have to be in the classes and taking exams for me, and they aren't going to being working as the professional I am striving to be.
So if people keep pushing, just tell them "Greatness takes time".
Hope this and all the other awesome answers helped you out!