Asking for your wisdom and thoughts Forum

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dawon5508

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Asking for your wisdom and thoughts

Post by dawon5508 » Mon Mar 11, 2019 5:15 am

Hello, everyone.

I decided to post this to ask for wisdom from you all, after feeling anxious for couple days. Never in my LIFE I felt this anxious, concerned and don't know what to do. I never even thought about law school until few days ago, when one immigration attorney working in NY advised me to go to the law school after seeing my transcripts (and now my parents are totally into this idea, but they never pressure me to do what they want). I have graduated high school and college from the States, and worked at an international school for 2 years outside of the U.S. I graduated with Psychology and International Studies double majors from UW in Seattle, with GPA 3.65. Got couple of Dean's lists, too. And I absolutely enjoyed studying both majors no matter how much reading I had to do.

As you can see, I am not the US citizen, but hope to work in the States in the future. This is the biggest concern for me; work permit is on the lottery base, so nobody never knows, but are there a lot of international students in the law schools? I know there is a lot to read; but do students have to memorize hundreds of case studies? Law school is like a thick, dark cloud that I know nothing about.

Also, I have done couple researches, browsed through TLS posts and watched videos (which only raised my concern whether I can survive in law school) on what do law students do after graduation, too. I am quite interested in child advocacy law or working at the corporations... what I really care is the balance between life and work. Do these sound like a good career path to pursue?

I bought LSAT book today, but my mind is still running crazy between 'I can do this' and 'I know nothing about legal system and never was interested before'. If it wasn't that attorney, I was gonna to go for the Master degree with Psychology... but my mom is true with this one: What are the chances for non-US citizen to find H1B Visa sponsors with MA in Psychology :< And it is true that the attorney's suggestion of law school intrigued me.

I am the one who needs to decide eventually, but I wanted to ask you guys who have more knowledge in law schools and legal professions than me. What are your thoughts in pursuing law school as an international student and working in the States as a lawyer?

Thank you for your comments. It is great to hear critical ideas from people with different perspectives and experience.

acr

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Re: Asking for your wisdom and thoughts

Post by acr » Mon Mar 11, 2019 9:46 am

dawon5508 wrote:Hello, everyone.

I decided to post this to ask for wisdom from you all, after feeling anxious for couple days. Never in my LIFE I felt this anxious, concerned and don't know what to do. I never even thought about law school until few days ago, when one immigration attorney working in NY advised me to go to the law school after seeing my transcripts (and now my parents are totally into this idea, but they never pressure me to do what they want). I have graduated high school and college from the States, and worked at an international school for 2 years outside of the U.S. I graduated with Psychology and International Studies double majors from UW in Seattle, with GPA 3.65. Got couple of Dean's lists, too. And I absolutely enjoyed studying both majors no matter how much reading I had to do.

As you can see, I am not the US citizen, but hope to work in the States in the future. This is the biggest concern for me; work permit is on the lottery base, so nobody never knows, but are there a lot of international students in the law schools? I know there is a lot to read; but do students have to memorize hundreds of case studies? Law school is like a thick, dark cloud that I know nothing about.

Also, I have done couple researches, browsed through TLS posts and watched videos (which only raised my concern whether I can survive in law school) on what do law students do after graduation, too. I am quite interested in child advocacy law or working at the corporations... what I really care is the balance between life and work. Do these sound like a good career path to pursue?

I bought LSAT book today, but my mind is still running crazy between 'I can do this' and 'I know nothing about legal system and never was interested before'. If it wasn't that attorney, I was gonna to go for the Master degree with Psychology... but my mom is true with this one: What are the chances for non-US citizen to find H1B Visa sponsors with MA in Psychology :< And it is true that the attorney's suggestion of law school intrigued me.

I am the one who needs to decide eventually, but I wanted to ask you guys who have more knowledge in law schools and legal professions than me. What are your thoughts in pursuing law school as an international student and working in the States as a lawyer?

Thank you for your comments. It is great to hear critical ideas from people with different perspectives and experience.
There are lots of international students at most law schools.

Having said that, I don't think law school is the best option for you, taking into consideration what you've just explained about yourself. That could change depending on your LSAT score.

You mentioned that you want to eventually work in the U.S. The best chance (if not the only chance) of obtaining visa sponsorship is to get employed by one of the big law firms. The big law firms don't have as many issues sponsoring visas for foreigners. But to get an offer from a big law firm, you need to go to a very good law school, which requires a very good score on the LSAT. So there is a potential route for you to get into the U.S. (for 3 years under a student visa then more time from work sponsorship).

Ultimately, the decision to attend law school should hinge on what you want to do with your life. If you are keen on the idea of devoting your life to doing the job of a lawyer, then it might be worth going down the law school path.

Law school is less about memorization than you think. Yes, you have to read lots of cases, but there isn't much emphasis on remembering minor details. It's more about memorizing and understanding legal concepts, but it's not like you have to read a code of laws and be able to recite them cold. And most classes you are allowed to take in notes/books for the exam.

I think at this point, you should devote a few months to studying hard for the LSAT. Once you have an LSAT score, you'll have a better picture of your options moving forward.

Lxwind

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Re: Asking for your wisdom and thoughts

Post by Lxwind » Mon Mar 11, 2019 10:14 am

dawon5508 wrote:Hello, everyone.

I decided to post this to ask for wisdom from you all, after feeling anxious for couple days. Never in my LIFE I felt this anxious, concerned and don't know what to do. I never even thought about law school until few days ago, when one immigration attorney working in NY advised me to go to the law school after seeing my transcripts (and now my parents are totally into this idea, but they never pressure me to do what they want). I have graduated high school and college from the States, and worked at an international school for 2 years outside of the U.S. I graduated with Psychology and International Studies double majors from UW in Seattle, with GPA 3.65. Got couple of Dean's lists, too. And I absolutely enjoyed studying both majors no matter how much reading I had to do.

As you can see, I am not the US citizen, but hope to work in the States in the future. This is the biggest concern for me; work permit is on the lottery base, so nobody never knows, but are there a lot of international students in the law schools? I know there is a lot to read; but do students have to memorize hundreds of case studies? Law school is like a thick, dark cloud that I know nothing about.

Also, I have done couple researches, browsed through TLS posts and watched videos (which only raised my concern whether I can survive in law school) on what do law students do after graduation, too. I am quite interested in child advocacy law or working at the corporations... what I really care is the balance between life and work. Do these sound like a good career path to pursue?

I bought LSAT book today, but my mind is still running crazy between 'I can do this' and 'I know nothing about legal system and never was interested before'. If it wasn't that attorney, I was gonna to go for the Master degree with Psychology... but my mom is true with this one: What are the chances for non-US citizen to find H1B Visa sponsors with MA in Psychology :< And it is true that the attorney's suggestion of law school intrigued me.

I am the one who needs to decide eventually, but I wanted to ask you guys who have more knowledge in law schools and legal professions than me. What are your thoughts in pursuing law school as an international student and working in the States as a lawyer?

Thank you for your comments. It is great to hear critical ideas from people with different perspectives and experience.
I'm an international student with a masters in public administration. It was definitely very very hard for me to find a job that sponsors a visa (despite the fact that I graduated from Columbia, am in NYC - supposedly one of the most international-friendly job markets, and have had several relevant internship experiences both overseas and in the US.) It was true for basically all of my international friends, especially those without significant work experiences. Is MA in psychology usually considered a STEM major? If not, it's definitely hard to obtain an H1B visa.

However, on the other hand, although biglaws do sponsor visa, it is hard to get into one unless you graduated from a top law school. It is perhaps even more so for international students. Also, from what I've been told, the work-life balance basically does not exist in biglaws, especially for junior associates. Hours are generally long, unpredictable and often times not flexible. It is quite possible that a junior associate will be pulled out of a party, a movie, a reunion dinner or whatever to deal with sth. urgent, day or night. My advice is to talk to some current JD students and practicing attorneys to obtain more info. On the other hand, if OP does decide to apply to law school, LSAT is the single most important factor at this point. Besides, students don't need to memorize a lot of cases, usually just the major issues and rules. Exams are typically open-book/half open-book.

dawon5508

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Re: Asking for your wisdom and thoughts

Post by dawon5508 » Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:01 am

acr wrote:
dawon5508 wrote:Hello, everyone.

I decided to post this to ask for wisdom from you all, after feeling anxious for couple days. Never in my LIFE I felt this anxious, concerned and don't know what to do. I never even thought about law school until few days ago, when one immigration attorney working in NY advised me to go to the law school after seeing my transcripts (and now my parents are totally into this idea, but they never pressure me to do what they want). I have graduated high school and college from the States, and worked at an international school for 2 years outside of the U.S. I graduated with Psychology and International Studies double majors from UW in Seattle, with GPA 3.65. Got couple of Dean's lists, too. And I absolutely enjoyed studying both majors no matter how much reading I had to do.

As you can see, I am not the US citizen, but hope to work in the States in the future. This is the biggest concern for me; work permit is on the lottery base, so nobody never knows, but are there a lot of international students in the law schools? I know there is a lot to read; but do students have to memorize hundreds of case studies? Law school is like a thick, dark cloud that I know nothing about.

Also, I have done couple researches, browsed through TLS posts and watched videos (which only raised my concern whether I can survive in law school) on what do law students do after graduation, too. I am quite interested in child advocacy law or working at the corporations... what I really care is the balance between life and work. Do these sound like a good career path to pursue?

I bought LSAT book today, but my mind is still running crazy between 'I can do this' and 'I know nothing about legal system and never was interested before'. If it wasn't that attorney, I was gonna to go for the Master degree with Psychology... but my mom is true with this one: What are the chances for non-US citizen to find H1B Visa sponsors with MA in Psychology :< And it is true that the attorney's suggestion of law school intrigued me.

I am the one who needs to decide eventually, but I wanted to ask you guys who have more knowledge in law schools and legal professions than me. What are your thoughts in pursuing law school as an international student and working in the States as a lawyer?

Thank you for your comments. It is great to hear critical ideas from people with different perspectives and experience.
There are lots of international students at most law schools.

Having said that, I don't think law school is the best option for you, taking into consideration what you've just explained about yourself. That could change depending on your LSAT score.

You mentioned that you want to eventually work in the U.S. The best chance (if not the only chance) of obtaining visa sponsorship is to get employed by one of the big law firms. The big law firms don't have as many issues sponsoring visas for foreigners. But to get an offer from a big law firm, you need to go to a very good law school, which requires a very good score on the LSAT. So there is a potential route for you to get into the U.S. (for 3 years under a student visa then more time from work sponsorship).

Ultimately, the decision to attend law school should hinge on what you want to do with your life. If you are keen on the idea of devoting your life to doing the job of a lawyer, then it might be worth going down the law school path.

Law school is less about memorization than you think. Yes, you have to read lots of cases, but there isn't much emphasis on remembering minor details. It's more about memorizing and understanding legal concepts, but it's not like you have to read a code of laws and be able to recite them cold. And most classes you are allowed to take in notes/books for the exam.

I think at this point, you should devote a few months to studying hard for the LSAT. Once you have an LSAT score, you'll have a better picture of your options moving forward.
Thanks a ton. I will study for June LSAT and see how it goes. At this point, getting H1B is the most priority on my list; too bad nobody can predict the outcome with this visa. I am glad the law school isn't just about memorizing! Phew. I guess why everyone say it's difficult is the amount of reading, analyzing and writing about unfamiliar topics...? Especially when we are not too familiar with the law. Anyways, it was a great help!

dawon5508

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Re: Asking for your wisdom and thoughts

Post by dawon5508 » Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:06 am

Lxwind wrote:
dawon5508 wrote:Hello, everyone.

I decided to post this to ask for wisdom from you all, after feeling anxious for couple days. Never in my LIFE I felt this anxious, concerned and don't know what to do. I never even thought about law school until few days ago, when one immigration attorney working in NY advised me to go to the law school after seeing my transcripts (and now my parents are totally into this idea, but they never pressure me to do what they want). I have graduated high school and college from the States, and worked at an international school for 2 years outside of the U.S. I graduated with Psychology and International Studies double majors from UW in Seattle, with GPA 3.65. Got couple of Dean's lists, too. And I absolutely enjoyed studying both majors no matter how much reading I had to do.

As you can see, I am not the US citizen, but hope to work in the States in the future. This is the biggest concern for me; work permit is on the lottery base, so nobody never knows, but are there a lot of international students in the law schools? I know there is a lot to read; but do students have to memorize hundreds of case studies? Law school is like a thick, dark cloud that I know nothing about.

Also, I have done couple researches, browsed through TLS posts and watched videos (which only raised my concern whether I can survive in law school) on what do law students do after graduation, too. I am quite interested in child advocacy law or working at the corporations... what I really care is the balance between life and work. Do these sound like a good career path to pursue?

I bought LSAT book today, but my mind is still running crazy between 'I can do this' and 'I know nothing about legal system and never was interested before'. If it wasn't that attorney, I was gonna to go for the Master degree with Psychology... but my mom is true with this one: What are the chances for non-US citizen to find H1B Visa sponsors with MA in Psychology :< And it is true that the attorney's suggestion of law school intrigued me.

I am the one who needs to decide eventually, but I wanted to ask you guys who have more knowledge in law schools and legal professions than me. What are your thoughts in pursuing law school as an international student and working in the States as a lawyer?

Thank you for your comments. It is great to hear critical ideas from people with different perspectives and experience.
I'm an international student with a masters in public administration. It was definitely very very hard for me to find a job that sponsors a visa (despite the fact that I graduated from Columbia, am in NYC - supposedly one of the most international-friendly job markets, and have had several relevant internship experiences both overseas and in the US.) It was true for basically all of my international friends, especially those without significant work experiences. Is MA in psychology usually considered a STEM major? If not, it's definitely hard to obtain an H1B visa.

However, on the other hand, although biglaws do sponsor visa, it is hard to get into one unless you graduated from a top law school. It is perhaps even more so for international students. Also, from what I've been told, the work-life balance basically does not exist in biglaws, especially for junior associates. Hours are generally long, unpredictable and often times not flexible. It is quite possible that a junior associate will be pulled out of a party, a movie, a reunion dinner or whatever to deal with sth. urgent, day or night. My advice is to talk to some current JD students and practicing attorneys to obtain more info. On the other hand, if OP does decide to apply to law school, LSAT is the single most important factor at this point. Besides, students don't need to memorize a lot of cases, usually just the major issues and rules. Exams are typically open-book/half open-book.
Thank you so much for your insight. I don't think Psych is part of the STEM major although it does require licenses to be able to work at the clinics. I am planning to take June LSAT and started studying from yesterday; this test is something I have never done before. After few practice questions, I was totally miserable. But I will keep on trying. I hope you have a nice day!

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QContinuum

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Re: Asking for your wisdom and thoughts

Post by QContinuum » Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:24 am

acr wrote:I think at this point, you should devote a few months to studying hard for the LSAT. Once you have an LSAT score, you'll have a better picture of your options moving forward.
I disagree. I think it's premature to encourage OP to start prepping for the LSAT. Literally up until "a few days ago," OP was all set to pursue psychology. Then, a single immigration lawyer offhandedly suggests that OP consider law school (apparently based on nothing more than the fact that OP did reasonably - though not super - well in college); OP's Mom buys into the idea; and now OP is all set to go to law school. OP expressly says that he was "never ... interested before" in the legal system, let alone working in it as a lawyer. This is a terrible basis for deciding to go to law school.

This is compounded by OP's lack of U.S. citizenship, which rules out many potential legal career paths (OP mentions "child advocacy law," but most nonprofits won't be in a position to sponsor a non-citizen, and I'm not sure OP will even be eligible to pursue government roles).

The issue is further underscored by OP "really car[ing about] the balance between life and work." Entry-level, private-sector legal work - whether low-paid or high-paid - is notorious for having awful/nonexistent work-life balance. (Yes, there are some cushy 9-6 government gigs, but again OP's lack of U.S. citizenship will be a major issue if not outright disqualifying for those jobs.)

TLS repeatedly tells 0Ls not to go to law school unless they have a burning desire to practice law. I don't think this is remotely true of OP. This isn't an attack on OP by any means, just an observation that going full-steam into law school may be one of the biggest mistakes they could end up making. Let's not forget that up until a few days ago, OP was all set to become a psychologist. There's a substantial risk that, a few years down the line, OP will bitterly regret giving up on their passion for psychology. Sure, there's an outside chance that OP will discover a heretofore unknown passion for the law - an even greater passion than his known passion for psychology - but those aren't odds I'd bet on.

Bingo_Bongo

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Re: Asking for your wisdom and thoughts

Post by Bingo_Bongo » Tue Mar 12, 2019 1:46 am

I agree with what's posted above.

Do you want a job as a lawyer? If yes, go to law school. If no, don't. If you're unsure, look into the job a little more to get the info you need to answer this question.

In terms of life in American law schools: yes, there are a bunch of international students at most schools. You definitely wouldn't be alone there.

In most classes, you don't have to memorize a lot of cases. It's mainly concepts, and applying facts to concepts. There is a bit of rote memorization, though. You'll sometimes have to memorize elements for crimes/torts. In some Constitutional Law classes, they'll make you memorize case holdings and case names. But this is all manageable.

I know absolutely nothing about Visas, or anything like that, so I can't help you there.

The most important question you need to answer first, before you do anything else, though, is "Do you want to be a lawyer?" Going to law school for any other reason (especially in a foreign country) is a horrible idea.

I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide to do!

acr

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Re: Asking for your wisdom and thoughts

Post by acr » Tue Mar 12, 2019 5:26 am

QContinuum wrote:
acr wrote:I think at this point, you should devote a few months to studying hard for the LSAT. Once you have an LSAT score, you'll have a better picture of your options moving forward.
I disagree. I think it's premature to encourage OP to start prepping for the LSAT. Literally up until "a few days ago," OP was all set to pursue psychology. Then, a single immigration lawyer offhandedly suggests that OP consider law school (apparently based on nothing more than the fact that OP did reasonably - though not super - well in college); OP's Mom buys into the idea; and now OP is all set to go to law school. OP expressly says that he was "never ... interested before" in the legal system, let alone working in it as a lawyer. This is a terrible basis for deciding to go to law school.

This is compounded by OP's lack of U.S. citizenship, which rules out many potential legal career paths (OP mentions "child advocacy law," but most nonprofits won't be in a position to sponsor a non-citizen, and I'm not sure OP will even be eligible to pursue government roles).

The issue is further underscored by OP "really car[ing about] the balance between life and work." Entry-level, private-sector legal work - whether low-paid or high-paid - is notorious for having awful/nonexistent work-life balance. (Yes, there are some cushy 9-6 government gigs, but again OP's lack of U.S. citizenship will be a major issue if not outright disqualifying for those jobs.)

TLS repeatedly tells 0Ls not to go to law school unless they have a burning desire to practice law. I don't think this is remotely true of OP. This isn't an attack on OP by any means, just an observation that going full-steam into law school may be one of the biggest mistakes they could end up making. Let's not forget that up until a few days ago, OP was all set to become a psychologist. There's a substantial risk that, a few years down the line, OP will bitterly regret giving up on their passion for psychology. Sure, there's an outside chance that OP will discover a heretofore unknown passion for the law - an even greater passion than his known passion for psychology - but those aren't odds I'd bet on.
That's why there's no harm in OP taking the LSAT to see if law school could help him accomplish his goals. Just because the idea of law school was a recent development in OP's life, or recently became a possibility to OP, doesn't mean it's wrong. And when you're giving advice to people on a personal level you don't have to talk like a lawyer, fwiw.

dawon5508

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Re: Asking for your wisdom and thoughts

Post by dawon5508 » Tue Mar 12, 2019 7:54 am

Bingo_Bongo wrote:I agree with what's posted above.

Do you want a job as a lawyer? If yes, go to law school. If no, don't. If you're unsure, look into the job a little more to get the info you need to answer this question.

In terms of life in American law schools: yes, there are a bunch of international students at most schools. You definitely wouldn't be alone there.

In most classes, you don't have to memorize a lot of cases. It's mainly concepts, and applying facts to concepts. There is a bit of rote memorization, though. You'll sometimes have to memorize elements for crimes/torts. In some Constitutional Law classes, they'll make you memorize case holdings and case names. But this is all manageable.

I know absolutely nothing about Visas, or anything like that, so I can't help you there.

The most important question you need to answer first, before you do anything else, though, is "Do you want to be a lawyer?" Going to law school for any other reason (especially in a foreign country) is a horrible idea.

I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide to do!
Thanks for your insight. I am gonna try out for this June LSAT, and decide from there. It's a little relief that law school isn't all about memorizing- I guess the amount and the familiarity of the material make law school so difficult? Anyways... yeah. Thanks for wishing me a luck!

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dawon5508

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Re: Asking for your wisdom and thoughts

Post by dawon5508 » Tue Mar 12, 2019 8:03 am

QContinuum wrote:
acr wrote:I think at this point, you should devote a few months to studying hard for the LSAT. Once you have an LSAT score, you'll have a better picture of your options moving forward.
I disagree. I think it's premature to encourage OP to start prepping for the LSAT. Literally up until "a few days ago," OP was all set to pursue psychology. Then, a single immigration lawyer offhandedly suggests that OP consider law school (apparently based on nothing more than the fact that OP did reasonably - though not super - well in college); OP's Mom buys into the idea; and now OP is all set to go to law school. OP expressly says that he was "never ... interested before" in the legal system, let alone working in it as a lawyer. This is a terrible basis for deciding to go to law school.

This is compounded by OP's lack of U.S. citizenship, which rules out many potential legal career paths (OP mentions "child advocacy law," but most nonprofits won't be in a position to sponsor a non-citizen, and I'm not sure OP will even be eligible to pursue government roles).

The issue is further underscored by OP "really car[ing about] the balance between life and work." Entry-level, private-sector legal work - whether low-paid or high-paid - is notorious for having awful/nonexistent work-life balance. (Yes, there are some cushy 9-6 government gigs, but again OP's lack of U.S. citizenship will be a major issue if not outright disqualifying for those jobs.)

TLS repeatedly tells 0Ls not to go to law school unless they have a burning desire to practice law. I don't think this is remotely true of OP. This isn't an attack on OP by any means, just an observation that going full-steam into law school may be one of the biggest mistakes they could end up making. Let's not forget that up until a few days ago, OP was all set to become a psychologist. There's a substantial risk that, a few years down the line, OP will bitterly regret giving up on their passion for psychology. Sure, there's an outside chance that OP will discover a heretofore unknown passion for the law - an even greater passion than his known passion for psychology - but those aren't odds I'd bet on.
Nah, I don't take it as an attack at all. Your point is exactly what I am concerned about; I would disagree if someone sends their child away as a boarding student if the child is not even willing to; same goes here. What I think law school might be an advantage is that earning J.D can help me finding the visa sponsors. I guess big firms do so, but then I will have to graduate from top law school and give up on my work-life balance (sigh) I will tryout for June LSAT since I already bought the book and etc, and see from there. Thankfully, my parents never push me to a path I am not willing to do. Thanks for your insight, pal.

albanach

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Re: Asking for your wisdom and thoughts

Post by albanach » Tue Mar 12, 2019 9:55 am

dawon5508 wrote:
Thanks for your insight. I am gonna try out for this June LSAT, and decide from there. It's a little relief that law school isn't all about memorizing- I guess the amount and the familiarity of the material make law school so difficult? Anyways... yeah. Thanks for wishing me a luck!
June seems like a very short period of time in which to prep. Your GPA is decent, but it's below median at most of the top law schools. You're going to need a stellar LSAT score. Unless you're naturally gifted in that area, it's going to be hard work (if not impossible) to go from nothing to the 98th/99th percentile in ten weeks.

Do you have funding for law school? Without a significant scholarship, tuition over three years runs to about $200,000 with living expenses on top of that.

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LSATWiz.com

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Re: Asking for your wisdom and thoughts

Post by LSATWiz.com » Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:20 pm

June probably is not enough time.

I also think you should research your immigration situation and chances of securing a visa before investing time and energy into LSAT prep. I know of people who succeeded in law school and legal practice only to be sent out of the US in 2 or 3 years. You must also consider whether you'd still be happy going to law school in the US with all the costs and stress if you knew you could be sent back to your home country.

QContinuum

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Re: Asking for your wisdom and thoughts

Post by QContinuum » Tue Mar 12, 2019 4:58 pm

acr wrote:
QContinuum wrote:I disagree. I think it's premature to encourage OP to start prepping for the LSAT. Literally up until "a few days ago," OP was all set to pursue psychology. Then, a single immigration lawyer offhandedly suggests that OP consider law school (apparently based on nothing more than the fact that OP did reasonably - though not super - well in college); OP's Mom buys into the idea; and now OP is all set to go to law school. OP expressly says that he was "never ... interested before" in the legal system, let alone working in it as a lawyer. This is a terrible basis for deciding to go to law school.

This is compounded by OP's lack of U.S. citizenship, which rules out many potential legal career paths (OP mentions "child advocacy law," but most nonprofits won't be in a position to sponsor a non-citizen, and I'm not sure OP will even be eligible to pursue government roles).

The issue is further underscored by OP "really car[ing about] the balance between life and work." Entry-level, private-sector legal work - whether low-paid or high-paid - is notorious for having awful/nonexistent work-life balance. (Yes, there are some cushy 9-6 government gigs, but again OP's lack of U.S. citizenship will be a major issue if not outright disqualifying for those jobs.)

TLS repeatedly tells 0Ls not to go to law school unless they have a burning desire to practice law. I don't think this is remotely true of OP. This isn't an attack on OP by any means, just an observation that going full-steam into law school may be one of the biggest mistakes they could end up making. Let's not forget that up until a few days ago, OP was all set to become a psychologist. There's a substantial risk that, a few years down the line, OP will bitterly regret giving up on their passion for psychology. Sure, there's an outside chance that OP will discover a heretofore unknown passion for the law - an even greater passion than his known passion for psychology - but those aren't odds I'd bet on.
That's why there's no harm in OP taking the LSAT to see if law school could help him accomplish his goals. Just because the idea of law school was a recent development in OP's life, or recently became a possibility to OP, doesn't mean it's wrong. And when you're giving advice to people on a personal level you don't have to talk like a lawyer, fwiw.
Did you even read my post? My whole point is that law school is - at least as of now, based on OP's own words - not the right choice for OP. My advice would be the same even if OP were to score 180 on the June LSAT. If OP's real passion lies in psychology - and every indication points toward this - then law school will most definitely not help him accomplish his goals.

Of course people change their minds about what they want to do. Thing is, OP hasn't changed his mind. This is not a case of OP realizing they actually want to practice law. This is a case of a single offhand remark from an immigration lawyer plus strong encouragement (a.k.a. pressure) from OP's Mom pushing OP to start stressing out about the possibility of pursuing law.

Why are you against my advice to OP to reflect further on whether he actually wants to practice law?

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