Took a Leave of Absence before finals but am unsure about attending anymore... Forum

[Mr.Inference]

Dear TLS,

Advice on my situation please. I took a leave of absence from law school, one ranked in the 50/60s, due to health problems, before the end of the first semester. I had been open with the school staff about my health issues, and even that I think it might be better if I didn't enroll this semester. Their advice was to try attending classes and seeing things through. I ended up needing to take the LoA -- I was not able to put the amount of study time in to do well. However, I was always of the idea that I could do better on the LSAT, on which I scored in the low 160s. My UG GPA was an A-minus.

Now while the school is obviously not HYS, my goal is not biglaw, but rather becoming an ADA in NYC, family law, or combination of both-- if that helps clear things up. Nonetheless, the prospect of NOT having a job after 3 years of schooling puts the fear of god in me.

Here's my question: Should I decide to leave the school and reapply in another admissions cycle or am I locked into this school? Or should I pinch my nose and dig in at this school, considering my goals, although I fear that my dislike of the school will negatively affect my performance? Also, how much does a leave of absence ding one's job prospects? (I think I can be private about the matter in a job-interview, considering that it is a very private matter.)

I enjoy the real talk of TLS, especially since many, particularly family and friends, seem to thing law school equals golden-ticket to the ranks of America's upper-middle-class. I don't have any such illusions. Again thank you for your thoughts.

[Kaziende]

If you don't have any grades at this school and just a LoA, you are by no means "locked in" to attending this school. You can retake the LSAT, reapply to law schools, include a brief addendum describing the reason for the LoA, and no admissions officer will hold it against you.

Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss this in more detail.

[Mr.Inference]

Thank you for the advice, Kaziende. I very much appreciate it. I can't PM since I just joined, but if you PM me, perhaps I can reply via PM then.

Also, the school had an introduction-to-the-law-type six-week course, for which a grade exists, although it was not a full-course.
Does anyone have any thoughts on the effects of this?

[Npret]

Sorry I just saw this.

Here’s my advice - if your feeling is you no longer want to attend this school and you seem to have veryvalid reasons for not attending, then you should leave.

Law students forcing themselves to continue with law school they don’t want to attend is part of the reason why so many lawyers are unhappy.

You should listen to your good instincts in this one me and not return to the school.

[Mr.Inference]

Npret, thank you for your reply. Your point about those law students attending law school out of a vague sense of obligation that this is what they should do is quite valid, particularly when they're coming straight out of undergrad (if that's what you're referring to in regards to lawyer's unhappiness).

Now I do think I would like to attend law school and do public interest work, but I have reservations about this particular law school, whether it be that I believe its law rank indicate poor employment prospects, that I think I could've done better on the LSAT, or just that something didn't vibe. Also, I worry that not liking the school will hurt me grade-wise. Not to mention the LoA.

Do you think that a student's liking his/her law school affect their success?

[Mr.Inference]

Bump. Thoughts are welcomed. Also, at what point can a new user PM others?

[nixy]

There’s no reason your dislike of the school should affect your performance.

[Npret]

There’s no reason your dislike of the school should affect your performance.

Maybe if the person is depressed or seriously unhappy, it could affect performance.

[QContinuum]

Also, at what point can a new user PM others?

I believe it's when you hit 5 posts. That's the threshold for your posts no longer needing to be pre-approved by a moderator. Let me know if you find out that's not the case.

[Npret]

Npret, thank you for your reply. Your point about those law students attending law school out of a vague sense of obligation that this is what they should do is quite valid, particularly when they're coming straight out of undergrad (if that's what you're referring to in regards to lawyer's unhappiness).

Now I do think I would like to attend law school and do public interest work, but I have reservations about this particular law school, whether it be that I believe its law rank indicate poor employment prospects, that I think I could've done better on the LSAT, or just that something didn't vibe. Also, I worry that not liking the school will hurt me grade-wise. Not to mention the LoA.

Do you think that a student's liking his/her law school affect their success?

If you aren’t happy with this school and don’t want to attend it, why are you asking the question? It seems that it’s not too late to reapply elsewhere, though I’m not certain about the rules.

[Mr.Inference]

Also, at what point can a new user PM others?

I believe it's when you hit 5 posts. That's the threshold for your posts no longer needing to be pre-approved by a moderator. Let me know if you find out that's not the case.

Thank you, I appreciate the feedback. With this post, I've hit 5. And thanks to everyone who has replied or just given this thread a look over. I appreciate it. :