<p>I just finished my first year at a 4th tier law school. I basically went to law school because I felt like doing something different & had no idea what I was getting myself into. I only have average grades, no summer work, and a ton of debt from the past year. I do not know what to do, because I don't think law school is for me, but I will feel like such a failure for not going back. If anyone has any advice on whether I should just cut my losses and get out - or suffer through another two years of something I am not really into but will hopefully result in some sort of legal-related job? Please help, I am at my wits end & really don't know what I should do??</p>
<p>There are many successful people who started law school, but didn't finish. (Three examples: Paul Simon, Al Gore, and Carly Fiorina.) </p>
<p>Many people start along one path before realizing that they chose the wrong path. If you're sure law school is the wrong path for you, leaving after one year with a ton of debt sounds like a better idea than leaving after three years with three tons of debt.</p>
<p>You should also keep in mind, however, that law school is not the practice of law. I strongly disliked law school, particularly my first year of law school. The first day of class my second year of law school was the most miserable day of my life. I remember the sinking feeling I had, knowing that the grind of annoying classes and too much dry reading was starting all over again, and that I had twice as much of it ahead of me as I had behind me. But one semester later, I was half-way through, and two semesters later I was two thirds of the way through, and a year after that, it was all over. I have been happily (mostly happy) practicing law ever since. Twenty-some years after graduation, law school seems like a pretty short period in my life. </p>
<p>Results may vary. I didn't go to a 4th tier law school, and the debt I incurred was a fraction of my starting annual salary. The point I'm making is that even for people for whom law school is the right path, the summer after first year often marks an emotional low point on that journey. These emotions don't indicate that law school is, or is not, the right path for you.</p>
<p>So, is it the right path for you? There's no way to know for sure, a year into law school, or decades into your practice, if it was the right thing to do. But start by asking yourself what you most enjoy doing. Do you like reading critically? Do you like writing? Do you enjoy a well crafted argument? When you listen to people discussing public affairs on the radio or television, do you find yourself arguing out loud with them?</p>
<p>If your answer to most of these questions is, "No," you're probably on the wrong path.</p>
<p>I, too, was miserable after my first year of law school. It was the worst year of my life---all the reading for Contracts, Property, Torts, etc. And the competition was fierce at the 3d tier school I attended. It got better for me in the second year, and the final year was really fun!</p>
<p>I graduated a little more than 25 years ago and regret nothing. I have not always been happy day to day, but am generally quite pleased with the benefits my education has provided away from the office as well as in my career.</p>
<p>You should really do some soul searching this Summer and ask not only the questions posed by Greybeard (who had some great insight!) but also some additional ones of two or three close family and friends: what brought you (in their estimation) to choose law school? Are you analytical in other areas of your life? Do you like critical thinking as it relates to problem solving? Are you a fixer?</p>
<p>I agree that it is better to leave after one year of law school with much debt, than after 3 years with a mountain of bills, but the law has multitudinous opportunities for those who love the intricacies of it.</p>
<p>Think carefully. You may be wise to try something new. Let's just pause, pray, consider and evaluate ALL your options very carefully first!</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Cut your losses. If you don't do well (in terms of class rank) at a fourth tier law school, your chances of getting a job with a good law firm are low. Contrary to what some of the above posters have stated there are many similaries between law school and practicing law. For example, lawyers compete with every other lawyers just as law students compete. Often the competition can be of the "due or die" type which is extremely stressful. Lawyers are often left on their own in courtrooms and solving client problems. This can often feel like the socratic method used by law professors to "test the character" of law students.</p>
<p>If you have not decided you really want to be a lawyer after spending a year in law school, you should probably not place yourself through the misery of trying to be a lawyer.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your comments. I just hope some sort of path/direction comes to me some how this next month before classes start, but I really appreciated your comment about how twenty years later - law school was just a period in your life. That is what I keep telling myself, that law school doesn't define me & it won't be the end of the world regardless of the decision I make.</p>
<p>I agree with razorsharp. Six-figure debt has the potential to ruin your life for a long longer than the few years that law school lasts. If you're not willing to do document review for hours on end or work for an insurance defense firm, you should probably start looking for a job right now.</p>
<p>Why not look for an internship or job in the field? I realize it may be a bit late in the summer to be finding a summer job, but if you get a better idea of what your life will be like in two years (assuming you go back and finish), you'll know whether or not it's really for you. All the posts so far have been insightful, but you're the only one who can decide if you can be happy as a lawyer.</p>