So, I got Wait-Listed at 5/9 Law Schools (so far) . . .

[PosImpos]

I'm well aware of all that's been said and written about the law profession these days, and the increasing lack of jobs.  My hope is that in attending a top 25 law school and getting good grades, I will be able to find a decent job, even if it's not making me six figures a year from the get-go (but maybe with some hard work after some years).

It's interesting that there seem to be a lot of BC grads and BC Law grads on here.  I will say that I am a BC undergrad at the moment (graduating soon) and one of the schools to which I applied is BC.  I have yet to hear from there, but I will be very vexed indeed if I do not get in.  My numbers (and the fact I went here for undergrad) should make me a more than ideal candidate.

It could be, like Roy said, that having really good numbers for a couple of the schools might actually lower my chances because they could perceive that I am using them as a safety.  I am concerned that may have been the case with Boston University, which is the school that waitlisted me even though I was really confident I would get in.  I'd like to stay around here, so BU is actually probably my top choice (it's ranked significantly higher than BC), and I'm going to make sure to indicate as much to the admissions office there.

I still haven't heard from 4 schools, but I'm not particularly optimistic.  Aside from BC, the only schools I haven't heard from are reaches.

As a BC grad, I would definitely recommend BU, yeah.  I got into both schools, but BC was ranked more highly, so I went there (despite BU offering me significantly more money).  A decade later, and BU has surpassed them by quite a bit.  I still kick myself for that choice, after I'm paying back something like an additional $30k in loans.

BC has a lot of top-notch professors, but I'm not a huge fan of the administration, and the career services office was horrific.  My friends who went to BU have much better things to say.

Oh God, don't get me started on the career services office.  It still sucks for undergrad unless you're in CSOM.  Useless.

[letsgoblue86]

Sorry to hear about that, I just got accepted to undergrad at UGA and then Im planning on going to law school.  So I might be in your same position in 4 years.

[JSD]

I'm making this post primarily to vent, because I'm pretty frustrated with my law school admissions process at the moment.

I applied to 9 schools in February, which apparently is fairly late given rolling admissions, even though it was before the deadline.  My numbers were decent to great for all of the schools that I applied to.

So far, I've been wait listed (or, in one case, put on hold) at 5 out of 9 of them.  This includes one school that I thought I had a really good chance of getting into, given my numbers.

I'm not putting the schools I applied to or my numbers (LSAT etc) because the purpose of this post is not to brag or flash credentials. I'm just frustrated.  I feel as if I did everything I was supposed to, worked hard and all of that, and I'm now facing the prospect of potentially getting wait listed or rejected at every school I applied to.  

I know that being put on the wait list doesn't necessarily mean I won't get accepted eventually, but with the volume of applicants this year I don't feel very optimistic.  I'm also not really clear on all the things I can / should do in order to help get myself off the wait list or how I should do them.  I tend to be good at the academic / test taking stuff, but less so at the politicking / schmoozing / getting myself noticed type stuff (skills I'll need to learn eventually, I know).

Anyways, I just wanted to vent, because I'm frustrated.  If anybody on the site has had experience with this sort of thing, perspective or advice would be appreciated.  If you would like to know where I applied and all of that, I'll tell you.

Blah.

Sorry to hear things haven't worked out the way you planned. On the bright side, sometimes things happen for a reason and you benefit from delays or detours:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/business/09law.html

No matter the path, good luck.

[Las Vegas Asian]

Good Luck I'm sure it will all turn out for the best! Look on the bright side, you can always move out here to Vegas and start playing poker...it worked for Matt Damon in Rounders!!! 

[Fan from VT]

I don't know if it's anything like Med School, but if it is:
-Stay active: Do some stuff you are passionate about right now, and send a little letter to each school once a week or so updating your activities/reiterating your interest.
-If you don't make it this year, and law is your passion, keep applying.
-Stay Positive

(personal tangent: I got wait listed to med schools and failed to get in off the list for 2 years. My 3rd time applying, wait listed again, and this time I did the above: stayed active in my community and informed my 2 schools of my activities, then ended up getting into both. Whether it was the post-waitlist activity or the better overall profile (more relevant work experience, earlier application, etc.) I don't know. Additionally, because it was such a struggle getting in I was highly insecure and intimidated; I then ended up honoring every course of the first 2 years. So also keep in mind there isn't necessarily a correlation between ability to handle the material and getting into school).

[Shamrocker]

I’m in a similar boat, WL or priority reserve at a number of my top choices. But with deposits due soon hopefully some spots will open up. The good news is applications are actually down 15-20% for many T20 schools….

[CeltsAcumen]

Poslmpos,

I was wait listed at 3 law schools Pepperdine, UConn and Miami, got into all 3.  I went to Pepperdine and graduated in the top 10% of my class, was hired immediately after I passed the Cali Bar and worked for one of the top Entertainment companies as in house counsel for 10 years.

You will most likely get into a good portion and have a great career. 

Hell I showed up in Malibu, 3 day trek from New England to Malibu, 25 minutes before my first Contracts class and signed my first tuition check while I was reviewing material for class.

My point is, wait listed means nothing. 

Just take this advice:  When you do get in, hunker down, your first years means A LOT, get a good clerking job for the summer and take as many courses that teach you "how to be a lawyer" v. legal theory.  Your grades and work experience means more.

[Newguy]

To the OP,

As someone who graduated law school a couple of years ago, I would strongly recommend that you do not go to law school.  Unless you are 100% certain you want to be a practicing attorney, I wouldn't recommend it.  Many people go to school because they don't know what they really want to do with their lives.  Ironically, many of my friends who graduated with me are still in the same boat...without jobs. The legal market isn't that great right now.

I was one of the lucky ones to find a job right after graduation, but it's been extremely tough on those who haven't been able to secure a permanent position. I have friends working as waiters or working 3 jobs just to pay off their student loan debt.  The student debt is what kills everyone because you have to start paying it back within 6 months of graduation.  People end up taking legal jobs they really don't want just because they have to pay their monthly student loan bills, rent or mortgage, credit card payments, etc...Sad to say, but I'm in that position now.  

I'm sure lawyers from previous generations may disagree with me, but they also didn't come out with the same astronomically high student loan debt that this generation is coming out with.  Before you make the jump, please consider all other career options.  In retrospect, I wish I had.  

Read this NYTimes article about a former law student: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/business/09law.html

I'm sorry to be all cynical about your dreams, but I just want you to consider the pitfalls first.  If you really want to be a lawyer, then by all means, go for it and good luck!

[PosImpos]

To the OP,

As someone who graduated law school a couple of years ago, I would strongly recommend that you do not go to law school.  Unless you are 100% certain you want to be a practicing attorney, I wouldn't recommend it.  Many people go to school because they don't know what they really want to do with their lives.  Ironically, many of my friends who graduated with me are still in the same boat...without jobs. The legal market isn't that great right now.

I was one of the lucky ones to find a job right after graduation, but it's been extremely tough on those who haven't been able to secure a permanent position. I have friends working as waiters or working 3 jobs just to pay off their student loan debt.  The student debt is what kills everyone because you have to start paying it back within 6 months of graduation.  People end up taking legal jobs they really don't want just because they have to pay their monthly student loan bills, rent or mortgage, credit card payments, etc...Sad to say, but I'm in that position now. 

I'm sure lawyers from previous generations may disagree with me, but they also didn't come out with the same astronomically high student loan debt that this generation is coming out with.  Before you make the jump, please consider all other career options.  In retrospect, I wish I had. 

Read this NYTimes article about a former law student: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/business/09law.html

I'm sorry to be all cynical about your dreams, but I just want you to consider the pitfalls first.  If you really want to be a lawyer, then by all means, go for it and good luck!

I've read the article and heard all of those sorts of things.

The thing is, I really do think a career in law is for me (did Mock Trial the last 6 years and loved it, and it's been something people have told me I'd be great at since I was really young, etc etc).  My hope is that I can get into a top level law school and then work hard and get good grades and that will eventually translate into a job I can be proud of.

Since I'm an English / Philosophy major from BC, there's not a whole lot else I can attempt to do right now, anyway. :-p  But honestly, I am serious about pursuing a career in law and I am confident that it will be worth the investment.  I (and my parents) have already invested a lot of money into my education to come this so far, so I might as well continue and go as far as I can, reach as high as I am able, and so on.

Anyway, thanks for the kind words guys.  I'm trying to stay positive.  Hopefully the wait list isn't as much of a doom as I worry it is, as CeltsAcumen said.

[Roy H.]

Yeah, Newguy summarizes up a lot of what I hear from others in the field.

To hear the counterargument, I love practicing law.  It's challenging, and to date hasn't been as lucrative as we all dream about, but I find the work to be stuff I love.  Now, I haven't done a traditional path:  I've done a judicial clerkship, a year in a small firm, 7 years with the Attorney General's office, and now I own my own place.  None of that is the typical "chained to a desk" experience you hear from some, so maybe that makes a difference.  However, from my perspective, it's been great, student loans and all (and yes, they're fairly crushing).

[footey]

OP,

I got rejected by all but one Law School, deservedly so, as my grades were okay but my LSAT was mediocre.  The one school I attended was not a well ranked school.  My spouse at the time got admitted to Harvard grad school, which only accentuated my feeling of falling short.

That became a turning point in my life.  I decided to really focus on my studies  I absolutely loved my first year of law school, did very well (top 4 in ranking), invited to law review.  I then decided to transfer to a more prestigious (Ivy League) school, and was able to easily do so because of my first year performance. 

I have practiced law for nearly 28 years, and have made a good living, while enjoying sufficient independence, so that I can enjoy my family, including two children, one of whom is about to go to college.

In my years of practice, I have worked with, and negotiated against, a range of lawyers, from awful to magnificent. And you know what? Absolutely no correlation between their law degree and their legal talents. If anything, I find that attorneys from the "less prestigious" schools tend to work harder, and perform better, than those from the top schools, as if they have something to show, a chip on their shoulder. Kind of like Paul Pierce when his draft position slipped to 10. 

Good luck to you in your endeavors. Life will work out, just give it a chance, and take advantage of your opportunities.

[RebusRankin]

Sorry to hear it. Hopefully one decides to change.

As a teacher, I can sympathize. Male, elementary, always a job, never permanent.

[csfansince60s]

It could be, like Roy said, that having really good numbers for a couple of the schools might actually lower my chances because they could perceive that I am using them as a safety. 

Interesting that this supports strongly the thread about http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=45950.0 posters paying more attention to volume posters, particularly this quote:
"Does anyone ever notice on this board that posters usually tend to respond more to high-volume posters who they already know, even when the comments are redundant, rather than notice posts from others who they may not know?"

Just sayin'.

TP FRDrake for your observation. 

[PosImpos]

It could be, like Roy said, that having really good numbers for a couple of the schools might actually lower my chances because they could perceive that I am using them as a safety. 

Interesting that this supports strongly the thread about http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=45950.0 posters paying more attention to volume posters, particularly this quote:
"Does anyone ever notice on this board that posters usually tend to respond more to high-volume posters who they already know, even when the comments are redundant, rather than notice posts from others who they may not know?"

Just sayin'.

TP FRDrake for your observation. 

I'm not sure what you're getting at?

[csfansince60s]

It could be, like Roy said, that having really good numbers for a couple of the schools might actually lower my chances because they could perceive that I am using them as a safety. 

Interesting that this supports strongly the thread about http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=45950.0 posters paying more attention to volume posters, particularly this quote:
"Does anyone ever notice on this board that posters usually tend to respond more to high-volume posters who they already know, even when the comments are redundant, rather than notice posts from others who they may not know?"

Just sayin'.

TP FRDrake for your observation. 

I'm not sure what you're getting at?

Not a big deal, and just an observation.

Read my first post in response to your OP and then the third post subsequent to that. Then read the above quote,especially regarding the redundancy, and whose thought was acknowledged as opposed to the originally articulated same thought. Again, just another corroboration of FRDrake's thread and proposition on high volume posters being acknowledged often on this board, even if the thought that they expressed by the high volume poster was the same as a previous poster, hence the redundancy acknowledged as opposed to the person who expressed the idea first.