<p>Hello! Before I start I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to reply and I'm sorry if this isn't the right place to post this!</p>
<p>I'm in a six year accelerated law program. I'm guaranteed admission to my current school's law school with a minimum gpa and LSAT score.</p>
<p>However, I want to go to law school at a different university.</p>
<p>In college I wanted to study abroad, graduate with honors, do a co-op (basically 6 months of "real" work), and lots of club activities. My parents do want me to attend law school at a university closer to home but think that all of that is extraneous to finishing my education in three years.</p>
<p>I'm willing to make sacrifices to get into law school. I know there's still plenty of time to hold a nine to five and see the world. My question is: will I regret it if I don't do any of these things that I want to do as an undergraduate? Does graduating in three years really make a difference, is it actually impressive on a resume compared to graduating with honors, studying abroad, and completing a co-op?</p>
<p>A co-op takes six months. I have a minor, am in several clubs, studying for the LSAT, completed research this previous summer (I'm a sophomore), trying to find a part-time job, and I want to have a social life as well. I'm simply torn on what I should be doing. If I tried really hard I'm sure I could study abroad and graduate with honors. My only problem is convincing my parents that studying abroad isn't a waste of time.</p>
<p>Thank you for any opinions.</p>
<p>Will the cost of the six-year program at your current university be less than paying for the traditional four year undergrad/three year law school route? If so, frankly, I would have to advise you to continue the six year program. </p>
<p>At the risk of throwing some cold water on your career plans, I have to tell you that, at least in the U.S., this is the worst market for new lawyers in thirty years. Even graduates from the T14 law schools are having difficulty finding jobs. If you are really set on being a lawyer despite this depressing situation, you need to minimize your debt so that you don’t graduate law school with $120K in loans and working in a job that only pays $35K a year (and, sadly, that’s the new reality in the legal profession)</p>
<p>There is, at this point, no indication that the job market will be correcting itself any time soon. If you take the extra year, you’ll add an additional year in debt that may be impossible for you to repay down the road.</p>
<p>I don’t think there’s anything particularly impressive about graduating in three years. The benefit to only being in undergrad for 3 years is that you don’t have the expense of the 4th year. I don’t think most people reading your resume would notice (or particularly care) that you fnished in less time than most people do. There are a lot of students today who, with all the AP credits they’ve accumulated, can graduate early. Some do, others don’t and I don’t think it matters a whole lot to anyone other than the people footing the bill. </p>
<p>I’ve got to agree with Tranquil that the job outlook for young lawyers is pretty dismal right now. I’m sure those at the top of the class at the top schools are doing fine, but hiring is definitely down at the big firms. Of course, it all depends on what you want to do with your law degree - you may not be remotely interested in a law firm. In this market I’d aim for the best school I could get into, while of course watching the debt load. You’ve got a while before you finish - things could turn.</p>