Përshëndetje!
When I asked you all to fill out my blog survey, I got a few responses asking for posts on law school. Seeing as the majority of you aren’t contemplating law school, I thought I’d attempt these posts in a more universally applicable way.
Today’s post is about making the decision to go to law school (or any graduate school/change in career).
My personal choice:
I never once contemplated being a lawyer. I had many dreams growing up: singer, actress, artist, stay at home mom, public relations exec, author, veterinarian, marine biologist, the list goes on and on.
Check out that hair…
When I went to college I had no idea what I what I wanted to do. I chose to apply to schools with marine biology programs since that had always been a real interest of mine and I was afraid I’d regret it if I didn’t give it a try. I LOVED studying marine biology. The classes were interesting and our labs were usually field trips outdoors or on the water. However, my professors basically presented us with the options of going to grad school and possibly becoming a professor, or doing scientific research. As much as I loved my classes, I knew that spending years collecting data was not for me. Basically, research is not “my jam.”
I don’t remember how the idea of law school got into my head (my dad claims he suggested it) but somehow I clung to the idea that I would go to law school and make an environmental difference through policy change and the law, rather than just doing research.
To be honest, I think I was scared. I didn’t know what to do when I graduated, so I picked law school as a goal and threw myself into it. I’ve always been hard on myself and I think I believed that I had to have a career that was “worthy” and “appropriate”; that if I became something else, like a personal assistant (I’d be SO GOOD AT THIS) or wedding planner (another dream job) then it wouldn’t be good enough.
Is that a good reason to go to law school? No. But I didn’t realize those were my reasons at the time. I applied for schools with environmental programs, visited several, and chose my current school in Chicago over others because I felt more at home in the Midwest.
Now, you might be thinking: “well that was stupid.” But I don’t think so. I don’t regret my choice to go to law school one bit. I firmly believe that everything that happens in our lives is for a reason. Moving to a new city (again) and starting over (again) with the added pressure of law school was really hard. I enjoyed my classes, but I put a lot of pressure on myself. If I hadn’t gone through this experience I never would have learned how to lighten up, how to be a little easier on myself, and how to find and make friends that I enjoy hanging out with. Life isn’t about fitting into a mold, it’s about finding who you are, and I learned that here in Chicago.
And anyway, a law degree can’t hurt, right? And don’t worry, I haven’t ruled out law as a career by any means. I just need to find a job I love (typical quarter life crisis…).
So that turned into a serious digression from what I intended… but anyway, now that you know how I chose to go to law school, here’s my advice if you’re looking to continue your education or go back to school:
1. Really assess your reasons: Are you avoiding entering the “real world”? Are you scared of the unknown and just want a plan? Or is ____ (insert law, nutrition, medicine, etc) what you really want to do with your life? If you’ve known you want to be a lawyer since you were 8, go for it, don’t let me dissuade you. Is this something really recent? Take some time to think about it, maybe write down your reasons.
2. Consider taking a year off. If you’re a student, I highly recommend taking a year off of school and trying out the working world for a bit. For one thing, this will give you great real life experience, as well as some time to start paying back any debt from undergrad you might have. Secondly, it might make you realize that whatever you wanted to study isn’t right for you. But as I said before, if you’ve always known in your heart that this is what you want, then go for it. There were tons of people in my class straight out of college.
3. Talk to current students. Find people that you know, or friends of friends, who are currently in the program or type of program that you’re looking at. Ask them what it’s really like, what their workload is like, what’s expected of them. Anything! Plus they are always full of great advice (feel free to email me if you want law school application or first year advice!!).
4. Look into programs across the country. If you have the ability to move away from home for school, do it. Yes, you’re losing your family as a support system, but one thing I have loved is being able to move around the country and experience life in different places. Plus, they might offer a great specialty that a school in your area doesn’t have. Remember, you can always go home 🙂
5. Once you choose to apply, put your whole self into it. It’s easy to get distracted by your life now and put off what you need to do for applications, but if you want to get into a certain school, those applications and test scores are SO IMPORTANT. I first planned to take the LSAT in June, before my senior year, but realized I hadn’t studied enough. I put it off until October and spent all summer and the beginning of fall studying my butt of with an online Kaplan course. It was hard to do that and work, take classes, and be on my sorority’s council, but it was worth it in the end.
My roommate and me during sorority rush while studying for the LSAT! Can you tell I’m tired? Hopefully not…
As I said before, always feel free to shoot me an e-mail (peaceloveandoats@gmail.com) if you ever need advice or have questions. One thing I’ve learned over the past couple of years is that whatever I end up doing, it’s got to involve helping people, because I LOVE IT! (it’s my jam).
Have you ever gone to grad school or gone back to school?
Have you ever changed career paths?
What advice would you give?
Im so excited for you.
my husband went to law school as an abrupt MIDSTREAM change in paths…he still finished his PhD but never looked back 🙂
I’m glad it worked out!
I’m in grad school now and I think a lot of my reasons echo yours. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life (and I still don’t) so I decided to go back to school. More education is never a bad thing, right? I’m enjoying the experience right now, but I find it pretty unlikely that I will actually want to work in the criminology field. Honestly, a lot of my decision was based on the desire to get another degree, and avoid the ‘real world’ for another couple of years. No regrets at all, but I’m more aware of my motivation behind my decision now.
I think we’re definitely in the same boat! Hopefully it will all work out for both of us.
I took Marine Biology as well, and didn’t pursue it after graduation for the exact same reasons! I think I thought fieldwork made up 90% of the job and data analysis the other 10%. Unfortunately, I had that backwards! Thanks for the post
Haha I wouldn’t mind it so much if it were just field work!
I agree with all your points above! I entered a Masters Degree program straight out of college and have discovered, while I like it, I don’t love it. I too realized that I did it pretty much in an attempt to avoid the “real world” for another two years. But, I wish I had taken a year off to assess my options! That would be my number one tip for anyone thinking about making that kind of decision! Make sure you REALLY want it, and if you’re not sure if you do, then take some time off and think about it! Great post all around.
Thanks, Maureen! I’m glad to hear it’s not just me who feels this way.
Great tips! You know if you are interested in marine policy, there are internships available in DC where you can work with different types of policy makers. If you’re interested, shoot me an email; I know someone who did one and she really enjoyed it, and I think I can find out what the exact name of the program is (I think it was maybe through NOAA or NSF). I went to grad school and got my MS and PhD in biology with my research based on marine critters. My main advice to anyone thinking of pursuing an advanced degree is to consider what the job market will be like when you get out. For example, the market is over saturated right now with PhDs in biology, so there’s a lot of competition for a few teaching jobs. I think it’s helpful to think about whether you really love what you do enough to really, really have to fight to get any job, even if it’s not your ideal job.
That’s great advice, it’s definitely important to consider how much you’ll want to fight for the job. And I’ve learned that DC probably isn’t the best place for me, but I’ll let you know if I’m interested!
Katie,
I love this post because it relates so much to my life!! I wasn’t sure what I wanted after college, so I just applied for every full time job out there and wound up on the fast-track to a career in finance…. With a degree in psychology. My job was stressful and I felt guilty for selling credit cards when I really wanted to help people. After 2 years of working, I realized that I wanted to become a counselor and applied to schools. This was risky because I really had no experience, but the career was always at the back of my mind. I love my program and feel so much happier than I was in my finance job. However, it is hard to go from making real world money to being a student again… I really had to change my lifestyle and budget when I started school.
I’m glad you were able to make the switch, sometimes it’s hard to go for what we really want to do, or even recognize it!
I am currently in grad school for my masters in business and marketing. I went back to school because there were not many jobs available with my undergraduate in equine science and ag econ that I was interested. I am hoping that all this time I am spending studying will not only provide me with a better idea of what I really want to do but also help me in getting there! I know many people who have taken a full semester of grad courses before realizing its not for them. That is a VERY expensive mistake to make!
Haha a very expensive mistake! But the good thing about getting the degree is that it can do nothing but help your resume!
Great post girl! I have been contemplating going back to school to, but I really want to take my time and decide 100% what I would like to do. Figuring out your career path is definitely a tough choice!
It’s so hard, and I’ve learned that a lot of people realize they want to change even beyond their 20s. I guess you’ve just got to go for it and know you can always try to make a change later on.
Research is not “my jam” either! That’s why after majoring in Chemistry I realized my junior year that there wasn’t a career in Chemistry that would make me happy. I went ahead a got the degree but am happy I ended up working in HR instead. It’s so hard to know what you want to do career wise when you are 18 or even 25!
Definitely, and I’m glad you found a job that you like!
I can SO relate to how you chose law school! I also was interested in marine biology or mammalogy. I eventually ruled this out as a career path for me since there weren’t many job opportunities in my area. I picked law school with a bit of a “I don’t know what else to do and this is a prestigious career that will make me be all that I can be and live up to my potential” mentality. The problem is now I’m about 9 months post-graduation and still can’t find a job in the legal field. I wish I had done more research about some of the legal field stats- there’s about 44k new law graduates and 22k jobs…depressing. But, EVENTUALLY I know I’ll get where I”m supposed to be. Just keep swimming 🙂 (and running :))
I totally agree, Lauren. Everything happens for a reason and both of us will find our place eventually!
We need to make that picture appear in as many posts as possible…
I am SO happy you went to law school for selfish reasons obviously but I also am a big believer in everything happens for a reason. You can always learn a lesson somewhere. Even if you don’t know the reason while you’re doing it, you’ll be able to reflect back and figure out why that happened at a later point.. IMO at least.
LYLAS!
I basically plan on inserting it in an incognito manner in every post for the rest of my life.
I loved this post and your tips are great! I went to grad school right after undergrad for the same reasons you did and I was the youngest student in the school. It made it really difficult to make friends and then when I graduated I was competing for jobs with people who had the same degree plus a few years of experience! I don’t regret my decision and I bet if I’d waited a few years I still would have gone into my field but I might have gone for a different level of degree or gone to a different school. It’s hard to say!
It is hard – there’s never a right answer on how to go about life!
This might be more geared towards people still in undergrad, but I really think the best thing you can do for yourself during college is to get an internship in what you think you want to do while you’re still in undergrad. Having something resembling real life work experience (like what you mentioned in your post when you suggested taking a year off) can really give you direction. Even if you HATE your internship, that’s still a valuable experience because now you know that you don’t like that field/type of work. Sitting in a classroom can be great for learning, but you can’t beat real world experience for finding out what your chosen career path is really like (not to mention the connections you make doing an internship can be insanely valuable later on!).
Haha I actually did this too, I interned for a year with a law office in Charleston and actually loved working there!
Great post Katie. As I am a junior in college now I am slowlstarting to panic on what to do after I graduate. I dont know if I want to go to Law School because of the money but I also I want to go to graduate school. Its so stressful right now in my life and I hate the fact that I am growing up way too fast! AHH! Thanks for the insightful post 🙂
Haha I know, it feels like time is flying by, right? As Bethany mentioned above, internships are really helpful for figuring things out. I worked for a year at a law firm in Chicago
This is an AWESOME post. I loved reading it, Katie!!
When I was in college I had considered going to medical school (and I knew that would make my parents pretty happy/proud<—my dad is a surgeon & half my family are doctors), but I also knew it wasn't my passion. But I also knew I was smart & worked hard, so I didn't want to just 'cop out' if you know what I mean?
When I was trying to decide what to do after college, I talked to a friend who LOVED her graduate program–and I ended up doing the same program! I loved it. Love, loved it. So glad I went to grad school eventhough it's not what I originally intended to do! plus I met my husband there–MAJOR WIN! 😉
I’m so glad it all worked out for you! Everything definitely happens for a reason, hopefully I’ll find my passion as well!
After getting my bachelors I took a year off work, then went back to school and got my paralegal degree, and then started working at law firms. I was ready to go back to school after taking some time off:) good luck with law school – that’s great!!
Thanks, Em!
I’ve been lurking for awhile but haven’t ever commented til now. But I just have to say that I could have written pretty much this exact same post four years ago. My undergrad was in Chemistry/Political Science and I did a Masters in Environmental Policy right after for lack of anything else to do. My heart was so not in it by the end of my program. Now I’m doing something completely unrelated, but something I wouldn’t have even know I liked/was good at if I hadn’t gotten exposed to it while in grad school. Funny how life works sometimes!
Haha I love that, “lurking,” feel free to continue! Also, I’m glad that all ended up well, it makes me more hopeful that things will workout well for me too!
*LIKE* this post. Great job explaining your Decision story!
Haha, thanks, Bailey!
This is so spot on! It’s crazy how many people including myself either go back to school or change their career path. I think it all just happens so suddenly in the early 20’s that it’s hard for many people to know for sure what they want.
I went to school for nursing originally and got inpatient to be on the waitlist for a few years so went to cosmetology school (fulfilling a dream of mine) knowing I’d go back for nursing. Here I am back in school. I always said I’d do both just much sooner than I’d thought.
Advice would be; work for a year if you’re unsure. School is expensive and you will feel a lot of pressure to be going but if you’re not sure, work and enjoy life for a season!
ooo cosmetology school sounds cool! Glad you got to do both!
I love this! I too got an undergraduate degree in a science field and then was clueless of what to do when I graduated. I applied for an MBA program on a whim and was accepted. It turned out to be a great thing – I learned so much about the business world, have a great job now and I met my husband in the program 🙂 I can’t wait to read about what you do following law school!
I’m glad that all worked out for you! Haha wish I’d met a husband here in law school!
I went back to school after I got married, but before kids. I continued in a field similar to the one I had my undergrad in, so it was not a huge career change. I was limited in my choices since I didn’t want to leave my newly married husband to go away to school, but lucky the university near me had the perfect program I was looking for.
That’s great that the school worked out, I wouldn’t want to leave my newly wed husband either!!!
Great post Katie!! I am almost done with my undergraduate degree and I feel pressure to go to grad school. With a degree in Art History, there aren’t many jobs out there. Last semester I learned that I don’t need a graduate degree, but my PHD!! Just getting your master is a waste of time! This information really scared me!! I know that whatever I do, it’ll work out in the end! 🙂
My friend is currently in grad school in Denver for Art History and she’s not loving it. She’s just going through the motions in hopes that the degree will help her find a job. Maybe try finding a job first, hopefully you’ll find something great and you won’t have to do all that school work! Haha that would scare me too!!!
I definitely need to email you. I took the LSAT and got decent scores my senior year of college. I thought I couldn’t do law school…now I am thinking I should. Who knows.
Definitely send me an e-mail, I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about it!
I considered going to grad school right after college (I even bought a whole study guide for the GRE), but then I realized that I was just running away from my problem (aka not knowing what I wanted to do). I believe that everything happens for a reason, too, and I think I am slowly figuring out what I want to do! I know you’ll figure it out too!
Haha wish I’d realized it right away! But I think it’ll all work out, for both of us!
Congrats on getting your law degree! One of my roommates submitted his apps a few months ago and the acceptance letters are slowly trickling in. I’m so happy for him.
I’m currently doing undergrad for nutritional sciences, but I already know I want to get my masters. With that in mind, I stayed local for my bachelors so I can spend more money and go to a top college out of state for my masters 🙂
Oh congrats to your roommate! I remember I was so proud when I got my first acceptance letter! That’s great that you already know what you want to do, and smart that you planned it out so you can afford it!
Awesome post girl! I changed career paths three times in college? First I was going to be a psychologist…then a child psychologist…then a social worker…and then I graduated in liberal studies…I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up! I’m taking this time to nanny and explore what I can, and I would love to go back to grad school at some point…but I’m trying to let life take me where it will right now, so we shall see!
At least your career paths were all similar!? And I LOVE nannying/babysitting, I think that’s the perfect thing to do while you’re figuring things out.
[…] off, I just wanted to say I am blown away at the response to my post yesterday about deciding to go to law school! I was afraid most people would just click past the post, but it was great to hear how so many of […]
I LOVED this post! I graduated last summer with a degree in biology and had big plan to go on to optometry school. During my 3 rd year of undergrad I applied and got into 2 schools and could have started without having my degree. I decided I wante to finish my bachelors and the next year got accepted into a highly competitive school in Alabama. I was a month away from moving from Michigan down to Alabama to start school and realized that I had no true desire to be an optometrist. I’m currently taking a year off working and trying to figure out what I am really passionate about and what I can see myself doing for the rest of my life. That is the best advice anyone ever gave me. There is no rush even though we all feel like we need to have our lives figured out NOW. I relate to feeling like you need to have a “worthy and “appropriate” degree . I really felt that doing anything less wouldn’t be living up to what I could do, even if I wouldn’t be happy. I think I’ve fallen back to reality and realize that anything I do I can be good at and be respected in that field. What a great post, you don’t realize how’s many people go through exactly what you do.
I’m glad you get the whole “worthy” career feeling, and I feel like you’ve articulated it better than I did! It’s definitely important to not get caught up in that and take a real step back to think about what makes you happy.
Yes to all of that! As someone who did take a year off between college and grad school I agree that it really helps to get some “real world” experience. Also, I agree with your suggestion to really assess what school would be best for you. I also think grad students should take advantage of as many opportunities as possible. That’s what gets you jobs when you graduate!
[…] I chose my school (and the school’s I applied to) because it offered an environmental law certificate, which I received while at school. This basically means the classes that I took were environmentally centered. Anyhoo – that’s what kind of law I would like to practice if I practice law… If you’re curious about why I went to law school and my thoughts on it now, check out this post. […]
I’m sad we didn’t get to connect a lot in law school because we had so many of the same friends, but I want you to know that I’m in the same boat as far as “gotta find a job I love.” The one I have isn’t igniting my heart or my passion. I got a certificate in public interest law with the dream of helping others…whatever that may be..legal or non-legal. I’ve thought a lot about policy work or something involving a lot of writing (hence my journalism B.A.) Who know where we’ll end up in a few years, but remember who you are during this job search process and never let others dictate what you “should” be doing. Sometimes God’s plan is entirely different then what we thought it would be. 🙂 xo