Junior DD wants to be a lawyer
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
DH and I are both in business so not at all familiar with this field, but DD (junior) texted me last week "I think I really wanna go for a law degree now" and has been on the topic ever since..
Sigh.. At first she had her heart set on the medical field...but after taking a few AP science courses this year she's decided she never wants to hear the word chemistry after this year and thereby ruled out anything medical...then she had her heart set on being an English major at "a cute liberal arts college" but then decided she'd never get a job with an English degree. So now, she's thinking law. Truth is, I think she would make an excellent lawyer. She is very much a humanities kid - I envy her writing skills, she has competed nationally on the forensics circuit and is very persuasive. But quite frankly, the job market for lawyers scares me and I'm not really on board with her getting into mounds of debt with little job prospects. Thoughts? FWIW, she's not as ditzy as she often comes across as. |
Anonymous
| Encourage her to major in something practical that will lead to a decent job when she graduates from college. Then take the LSAT. Go to LS only if she has a high score and is accepted to a top school. Not really worth the time, effort or money these days otherwise. |
Anonymous
|
First, she doesn't come across as ditzy. She comes across as a teenager.
My advice would be for her to simply take advantage of the fact that she doesn't have to declare a major until the end of her sophomore year in college. She should simply be UNDECIDED and spend the first year and a half of college experimenting and figuring it out. |
Anonymous
| Are you talking about a HS junior? At that age kids are really still figuring out who they are and what they like. It sounds like lawyer is a much better fit for her than a medical career, and I'd take this as a sign that she's learning more about herself and her option. If she's still thinking pre-law when she applies to college she'll want a school that has strong humanities and social sciences, and she'll want to work hard to get a high GPA. Both of these are good ideas anyway. However, she has 5.5 years to explore different classes, volunteer, work, do internships, join clubs, and learn a lot more about herself. The chances that at the end of those 5.5 years she'll want the same career she talks about now are slight. When I think about all the people I went to college who said they knew exactly what they wanted as freshman, and what they're doing now, only 2 match, an engineer and a newspaper editor. Everyone else changed their mind and their major, and many have changed their mind many times, like my pre-med roommate who switched to economics, became a consultant, then a SAHM, and then went back to school for physical therapy and loves her new career. |
Anonymous
| You and DD need to know that the majority -- really, the majority -- of law school graduates get their JDs and leave law school unemployed. Default rates on LS loans are over the 25% point for some schools. Essentially, the top law firms and Fed agencies hire only from the top-ranked 14 to 25 law schools, period. Individual records generally don't count. |
Anonymous
| If she's a HS junior don't worry about it. Almost any challenging major is good prep for law school as long as she develops strong critical thinking skills. There are two good reasons for law school: 1) a kid passionately wants to be a lawyer for many reasons that make sense to her; or 2) a kid passionately wants to do something else and sees the law degree as key enhancement (e.g., MBA/JD type). The worst reason to go to law school these days unless you are independently wealthy is having nothing better to do, curiosity, etc. Law schools may see a big transition over the next 10 years as well due to high costs, fewer jobs, etc. 6 year combined undergrad /law degrees may start expanding (always been around, but very few programs/few students). It is just a very uncertain time. Job wise -- who knows. Law school applications have dropped dramatically since the recession. In five years, we could have a shortage of young lawyers. Nobody knows how this will all play out. If the law is a "calling" for a kid, then none of this matters. If it's only a career, then it all matters. |
Anonymous
| I was an English major at a "cute liberal arts" college, and i also had a second major in an even less practical liberal arts field (to remain unnamed so as not to identify me) because I truly loved it. I have had a successful and fulfilling career as a lawyer. As others have said, it doesn't really matter what you major in, as long as you can think critically, express yourself well, and, most of all, write well. Also I think it is important to major in what you really love, because you are more likely to shine in that area and get the kind of one on one attention from professors that advances learning (and gets you good recommendations). If you are worried about her having an "impractical" major, consider finding a school where she can double major in a "fun" subject she loves and something you think is more marketable in case she doesn't want to go to grad school right away. Good luck! I feel sorry for all these kids whose parents are steering them toward STEM or business because "that's where the jobs are." If a kid doesn't have an interest or aptitude in these areas, it seems unlikely she will be very happy or successful in the long term |
Anonymous
basically it's been the fallback position for people who can't get into med school. Half my generation seems to have gone into law. Its for people with no real talent for doing anything truly worthwhile. So what're you going to do - say no we won't pay for it? |
Anonymous
This is well said. The issue of course is that the Liberal Arts do preapre you quite well for law school in that it teaches the critical thinkinga and all important writing skills. Problem is that in today's envrionment, people really are afraid to send their kids (at $60,000 +) to a liberal arts school since there's just no jobs available upon graduation. They miss the point! The Liberal Arts prepares you for grad school (law school in the case of this post). There is raging controversy about the future of the liberal arts. One can only hope it survives. Looks bleak today! |
Anonymous
Ha. I can't wait until you find yourself in a pickle with the law one day and try to get your own damn self out of it. Good luck with that. |
Anonymous
C'mon. You can't swing a dead cat around here without hitting a half a dozen lawyers. And for your info, I am one. |
Anonymous
So you are admitting that you are a self-loathing loser who believes she has no talent to do anything worthwhile? |
Anonymous
right, that's why I became a lawyer. No real talent for anything worthwhile, so I help move money from one deep pocket to another. 
|
Anonymous
| Sigh? My child is a HS senior and I would be thrilled if DC had that sort of focus and direction! I would also know that lots can change between now and end of sophomore year of college when students must declare majors. Hang in there! |
Anonymous
| is she capable of getting being on the top 20% of a top 20 school? If so, she'll get a job |