Finished first semester at T6...should have done Pod School Forum

[LawBrah]

Much better quality of life, guaranteed job security, excellent mobility, autonomy, decent $$$$ (150K for paid podiatrist, but 200K-500K if you buy a practice and are good at business), 35hrs/week, no competition, etc.

Also Pod school is easy as hell to get into....just need a 3.2 GPA and a 22 MCAT. A 22 MCAT is about 30th percentile. By comparison the average MD school matriculant has a 3.7 GPA and 32 MCAT (87th percentile)

I can't drop out though....loans are killing me

[bartleby]

do you need core bio/chem classes; considering dropping out (not sure law is for me)

[LawBrah]

do you need core bio/chem classes; considering dropping out (not sure law is for me)

Yes it's basically the same requirements as med schools. 1 year of bio, chem, o-chem, and physics. Also for some schools a year of English.

I actually took the premed requirements (including organic and physics) but my science GPA was much lower than my overall GPA (3.1 vs 3.65) so I decided against med school. But apparently for Pod school a 3.1 science GPA is about average.....wish I knew about it when I was in UG I'm a really good test taker (99th percentile on SAT and LSAT) so I figure I can get a 30th percentile on the MCAT easily even though science is not my strong suit.

The other problem is you need to shadow a Podiatrist for some months and do clinical related volunteer work to show that you actually care about it.....not sure if I want to waste 6-12 months to do this.

[rftdd888]

do you need core bio/chem classes; considering dropping out (not sure law is for me)

1700 posts on a law school admissions forum ---> considering an outright change of direction

law school is grim!

[FryBreadPower]

do you need core bio/chem classes; considering dropping out (not sure law is for me)

I actually took the premed requirements (including organic and physics) but my science GPA was much lower than my overall GPA (3.1 vs 3.65) so I decided against med school. But apparently for Pod school a 3.1 science GPA is about average.....wish I knew about it when I was in UG I'm a really good test taker (99th percentile on SAT and LSAT) so I figure I can get a 30th percentile on the MCAT easily even though science is not my strong suit.

The other problem is you need to shadow a Podiatrist for some months and do clinical related volunteer work to show that you actually care about it.....not sure if I want to waste 6-12 months to do this.

So you decided to take out 200k in loans and go to school for 3 years?

[Mce252]

Or you could just drop out of law school and go figure out what kind of job you will enjoy. You're really going to commit yourself to a career because of its mobility and pay? This is why so many lawyers are miserable. Smart people with absolutely no common sense. How do you know you aren't going to hate studying podiatry just as much?

[LawBrah]

do you need core bio/chem classes; considering dropping out (not sure law is for me)

I actually took the premed requirements (including organic and physics) but my science GPA was much lower than my overall GPA (3.1 vs 3.65) so I decided against med school. But apparently for Pod school a 3.1 science GPA is about average.....wish I knew about it when I was in UG I'm a really good test taker (99th percentile on SAT and LSAT) so I figure I can get a 30th percentile on the MCAT easily even though science is not my strong suit.

The other problem is you need to shadow a Podiatrist for some months and do clinical related volunteer work to show that you actually care about it.....not sure if I want to waste 6-12 months to do this.

So you decided to take out 200k in loans and go to school for 3 years?

It was a terrible decision that I sorely regret.

[LawBrah]

Or you could just drop out of law school and go figure out what kind of job you will enjoy. You're really going to commit yourself to a career because of its mobility and pay? This is why so many lawyers are miserable. Smart people with absolutely no common sense. How do you know you aren't going to hate studying podiatry just as much?

It's not just that I hate studying law it's also that my career outlook is grim and there is too much pressure to do well in school. I didn't do so well this semester (predicting below median). If I had a guaranteed six figure job waiting for me after law school regardless of my performance I would grind through this bulls*t . I might hate Pod school but at least I will have a guaranteed job and will stomach it and I just need to pass.....I could be the last guy in my class and will still get a six figure job.

[TMC116]

Which T6?

[Gail]

Or you could just drop out of law school and go figure out what kind of job you will enjoy. You're really going to commit yourself to a career because of its mobility and pay? This is why so many lawyers are miserable. Smart people with absolutely no common sense. How do you know you aren't going to hate studying podiatry just as much?

Yeah. "Enjoy life"!........... in a cardboard box.

Much more intelligent than going to school for career prospects. Half the people I know that are going to law school are doing it because there only other option is automatic poverty and no career at all.

[bartleby]

do you need core bio/chem classes; considering dropping out (not sure law is for me)

1700 posts on a law school admissions forum ---> considering an outright change of direction

law school is grim!

lol, i can't handle the stress. and i know it's nothing in the long run in terms of a legal career. i'm just not built that way

[LawBrah]

Which T6?

A school in NYC. Sorry don't want to potentially out myself by giving the exact school.

[hyakku]

So....you decided to be a lawyer based off the prospects of being able to get a great job and pay, took out 200k to go to NYU and realized it wasn't for you. You now want to do the same thing or wish you had done the same, only in another field?

Gotta be a troll post, never known anyone to think, "Podiatry is the guaranteed way to riches."

[justinp]

So....you decided to be a lawyer based off the prospects of being able to get a great job and pay, took out 200k to go to NYU and realized it wasn't for you. You now want to do the same thing or wish you had done the same, only in another field?

Gotta be a troll post, never known anyone to think, "Podiatry is the guaranteed way to riches."

Everyone knows that podiatry is the best way to hoof your way to the top.

[Tom Joad]

So....you decided to be a lawyer based off the prospects of being able to get a great job and pay, took out 200k to go to NYU and realized it wasn't for you. You now want to do the same thing or wish you had done the same, only in another field?

Gotta be a troll post, never known anyone to think, "Podiatry is the guaranteed way to riches."

Everyone knows that podiatry is the best way to hoof your way to the top.

+1

But the real question is, do you have a foot fetish?

[MachineLemon]

Don't worry, you'll get back on your feet.

[NoleinNY]

I can't read this thread without thinking of Bob and Margaret.

[anthony55]

To the OP:

I just wanted to say I understand how you feel, and I think you're making the right decision to drop out of law school and attend "pod school", if that is indeed something that you are passionate about. It takes bravery, IMO, to drop out of anything, especially a prestigious education.

If things had happened a bit differently for me, I may have been in the same boat as you. I initially planned on attending law school this year (September 2011), but due to personal reasons, chose to apply again this cycle for entry in the fall of 2012. Though I have been accepted to the "T14", my interest in the legal field has almost evaporated completely. TBH, a large part of the reason I had chosen to apply to law school was because 1) it is generally a respected and admired profession (despite the many jokes made about it), 2) I wanted to be able to get a job that would easily make 6-figures, and 3) I felt pressured being at a competitive undergrad institution where everyone was Type A and wanted to work on Wall Street or do something equally prestigious.

I'll probably get ridiculed for saying I wanted to attend law school for the above reasons, but it is the truth. I imagine some people who read this comment may be doing the same, though I'm sure many of you have a really strong passion for law.

But to me - and I know this may sound trite or corny - I think the most important thing to do in life is to follow what you're (most) passionate about. Your work is a major part of your life, and if you don't think you're headed in the direction of something you'll enjoy, you're going to have to wake up every day for the rest of your life and dread the majority of your day. Additionally, if it's a field such as law - which can be competitive, cutthroat, and time-consuming - you may not have a great deal of down time. Of course, this varies a lot, and of course, the pay tends to be good-to-great. And there are obviously lots and lots of people who love it, and have known they wanted to be a lawyer from a young age. But at the end of the day, I think it is better to enjoy work/life and make "X" salary than to feel like you're trudging through the mud everyday at a job you don't enjoy (or even a job you only feel neutral about) while making "2X" salary.

But obviously this varies by person. I realized pretty late in the game (e.g. after graduating from college and working for a little while) that I am not someone who wants a highly stressful office job in corporate America - especially one with the potential of being even somewhat greater than 40 hours/week. I realized that I am just someone who values free/leisure time with friends, family, and even myself. For years I had been suppressing what I knew was my passion - to be a high school English teacher - because of how poorly regarded the teaching profession is in the US and because of how poor their salary tends to be. But as I said, I realized that I'd rather be an English teacher, which I know is what I'm most passionate about due to my love for working with students, being creative, the discipline of English, helping others, etc. That, coupled with the fact that I live in the area of the country in which teachers make the highest income (obviously, I value money to an extent), I realized that it really is in my best interest to avoid law school and follow what I'm truly passionate about, rather than what may "look good" to outsiders. I'm the only who has to wake up everyday and live my life, so what other people think of me should be of little importance.

But I know a lot of people - many of my friends - who have admitted to doing what "looks good" because of various reasons (often familial/cultural ones), rather than something they'd genuinely prefer. So, I just wanted to commend the OP on making what I think is a brave and probably wise decision, and to anyone reading this who has doubts about law (or whatever field they have chosen to break into), I think the best thing to do is to follow what you are most passionate about and what can contribute most to your quality of life. Fancy cars and houses and material things are nice, but if those are the primary reasons for you following a certain career path, you should probably question yourself and your motives. Those aren't necessarily bad motivations, but if they are the primary or only ones, then it may indeed be a poor decision. At the end of the day, I think it's better to live in a "normal" sized house and make a "normal" amount of money but genuinely enjoy how you spend the bulk of your days and feel happier overall, than to merely "get by" at a job you lack passion for but which affords you the ability to live in opulence or grandeur or have disposable income.

[LawBrah]

To the OP:

I just wanted to say I understand how you feel, and I think you're making the right decision to drop out of law school and attend "pod school", if that is indeed something that you are passionate about. It takes bravery, IMO, to drop out of anything, especially a prestigious education.

If things had happened a bit differently for me, I may have been in the same boat as you. I initially planned on attending law school this year (September 2011), but due to personal reasons, chose to apply again this cycle for entry in the fall of 2012. Though I have been accepted to the "T14", my interest in the legal field has almost evaporated completely. TBH, a large part of the reason I had chosen to apply to law school was because 1) it is generally a respected and admired profession (despite the many jokes made about it), 2) I wanted to be able to get a job that would easily make 6-figures, and 3) I felt pressured being at a competitive undergrad institution where everyone was Type A and wanted to work on Wall Street or do something equally prestigious.

I'll probably get ridiculed for saying I wanted to attend law school for the above reasons, but it is the truth. I imagine some people who read this comment may be doing the same, though I'm sure many of you have a really strong passion for law.

But to me - and I know this may sound trite or corny - I think the most important thing to do in life is to follow what you're (most) passionate about. Your work is a major part of your life, and if you don't think you're headed in the direction of something you'll enjoy, you're going to have to wake up every day for the rest of your life and dread the majority of your day. Additionally, if it's a field such as law - which can be competitive, cutthroat, and time-consuming - you may not have a great deal of down time. Of course, this varies a lot, and of course, the pay tends to be good-to-great. And there are obviously lots and lots of people who love it, and have known they wanted to be a lawyer from a young age. But at the end of the day, I think it is better to enjoy work/life and make "X" salary than to feel like you're trudging through the mud everyday at a job you don't enjoy (or even a job you only feel neutral about) while making "2X" salary.

But obviously this varies by person. I realized pretty late in the game (e.g. after graduating from college and working for a little while) that I am not someone who wants a highly stressful office job in corporate America - especially one with the potential of being even somewhat greater than 40 hours/week. I realized that I am just someone who values free/leisure time with friends, family, and even myself. For years I had been suppressing what I knew was my passion - to be a high school English teacher - because of how poorly regarded the teaching profession is in the US and because of how poor their salary tends to be. But as I said, I realized that I'd rather be an English teacher, which I know is what I'm most passionate about due to my love for working with students, being creative, the discipline of English, helping others, etc. That, coupled with the fact that I live in the area of the country in which teachers make the highest income (obviously, I value money to an extent), I realized that it really is in my best interest to avoid law school and follow what I'm truly passionate about, rather than what may "look good" to outsiders. I'm the only who has to wake up everyday and live my life, so what other people think of me should be of little importance.

But I know a lot of people - many of my friends - who have admitted to doing what "looks good" because of various reasons (often familial/cultural ones), rather than something they'd genuinely prefer. So, I just wanted to commend the OP on making what I think is a brave and probably wise decision, and to anyone reading this who has doubts about law (or whatever field they have chosen to break into), I think the best thing to do is to follow what you are most passionate about and what can contribute most to your quality of life. Fancy cars and houses and material things are nice, but if those are the primary reasons for you following a certain career path, you should probably question yourself and your motives. Those aren't necessarily bad motivations, but if they are the primary or only ones, then it may indeed be a poor decision. At the end of the day, I think it's better to live in a "normal" sized house and make a "normal" amount of money but genuinely enjoy how you spend the bulk of your days and feel happier overall, than to merely "get by" at a job you lack passion for but which affords you the ability to live in opulence or grandeur or have disposable income.

thanks for the insight......honestly i would love to teach history or classics in a private, upscale high school....but the pay and prestige associated with that position is not that much hence my thoughts on pod school. being a podiatrist i will still be called "doctor" and chicks will still get to tell their friends that their bf/fiance/husband/etc
is in the operating room.....plus the guaranteed job and steady six figure income that comes with being a doctor without facing the same barrier of entrance compared to an MD.

[Mce252]

Or you could just drop out of law school and go figure out what kind of job you will enjoy. You're really going to commit yourself to a career because of its mobility and pay? This is why so many lawyers are miserable. Smart people with absolutely no common sense. How do you know you aren't going to hate studying podiatry just as much?

Yeah. "Enjoy life"!........... in a cardboard box.

Much more intelligent than going to school for career prospects. Half the people I know that are going to law school are doing it because there only other option is automatic poverty and no career at all.

Yeah, this makes complete sense. Law school or automatic poverty. Or, how about any one of the other career paths that make up one of the largest economies in the world? All those business men and women are surely living in cardboard boxes.

[BeerMaker]

Can you go the podiatry school with significant scholarships like law school? Law school is a great bargain for many considering school in the top 30 will throw huge scholarship money at someone that has over a 165 LSAT and a decent GPA. What about podiatry? There doesn't seem to be a ton of podiatry schools out there.

[Bildungsroman]

Just do sales.

[LawBrah]

Can you go the podiatry school with significant scholarships like law school? Law school is a great bargain for many considering school in the top 30 will throw huge scholarship money at someone that has over a 165 LSAT and a decent GPA. What about podiatry? There doesn't seem to be a ton of podiatry schools out there.

You can get scholarships but not significant ones like you can for law school (ie full or 3/4). There are a few types:

1) MCAT based. If you get a 25+ MCAT many places will give you a scholarship
2) Minority based - for URM's.
3) Performance based - if you maintain a certain GPA in your first 2 years.

Remember though that the job security coming out of Pod school and residency is excellent - unlike law.

[Transferthrowaway]

Guys at my high school used to do pod school all the time. 35 hrs/week now with smoking hot wives.

[flcath]

Bro don't do pod school. Yeah, it's better than law, but law is shit.

Just suck it up and do a post-bacc and go to med school. In addition to a fabulous life of job security, career portability, high salary, and making women wet themselves at the thought of being seen with you, you will have the opportunity to save lives, and, in doing so, live a meaningful life yourself.