<p>My son was just accepted to Florida State law school for the fall. He is 20 (will be 21 when school starts in the fall) and is graduating with Honors in 3 years from his undergrad university. He is excited to go to FSU law school. However, he is apprehensive about going to law school so young. Is deferring for a year possible? He would probably use finances as a reason.</p>
<p>He is considering whether he should work for a year or two for experience, confidence, and to save money before attending law school. His degree is poly science with a minor in economics so I'm not sure getting a "professional' job or even clerking in a law office are very likely. </p>
<p>We would appreciate any insight you can offer about chances of deferring as well as things to consider as he makes this difficult decision. </p>
<p>I think he should defer, retake the LSAT, and apply to somewhere besides [url=<a href=“http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/fsu/2012/]FSU[/url”>http://www.lstscorereports.com/schools/fsu/2012/]FSU[/url</a>]. Even if he wants to stay in Florida to practice, going to FSU is extremely risky. This is especially true if he is paying anything to go. With a full scholarship with decent stipulations and a desire to stay in FL, maybe FSU is worth considering. Otherwise it puts him in serious danger. Let me know his GPA/LSAT and we can devise a better law school strategy.</p>
<p>If I can’t persuade you to persuade him not to go to FSU, then yes he should defer and work for a bit. Two years is better than one. He probably won’t clerk in a law office, but paralegal is a possibility and a common route for those looking at law school. Work experience will make him look better to employers, which if he goes to FSU he will desperately need.</p>
<p>I agree he should not go to FSU especially if it is going to cost a lot of money. What do his LSAT/GPA look like. He can probably do better and it may be worth taking a test masters course and retaking. I agree with Demo, that he would be better served working 2 years (even if he considers TFA, Americorp or working as a paralegal(to see if he really wants to be a lawyer).</p>
<p>In this job market, deferring is probably a good idea, since the later he attends law school, the more time the job market will have had time to recover.</p>
<p>It is usually possible to defer at most schools, but a request isn’t automatically granted, so it would be best to make a decision to attend/defer as quickly as possible. Also available on the FSU website is info about the current student body and three years worth of employment statistics for recent graduating classes. You may want to take a look at that also before making a decision. </p>
<p>So what happens if your son “can’t” defer? He has to shell out another $30 to apply to FSU again? </p>
<p>get out and work two years is my advice…he is too young and FSU is not a good return on investment of his talents. The LSAT should be tackled when he closer to his full maturity. I have a son working in a law firm for a couple of years who is 23 now. He may be 24.5 when he starts in a law school but there is some talk about a third year in the work force some place…we shall see. He is lucky to have found this position (paralegal type work) but he had an excellent undergrad resume and knew someone. Seriously, don’t send a 20-21 year old to law school. He is not mature enough to have seen the big picture yet or the miserable job prospects for those who don’t enter the most selective law school possible when they are most ready to be in that experience. Take a look at “who” is in a first year class and you will see that many of them have had significant work experience, military service, master’s degrees etc. Love our son but since his father is a grad of Vandy law, I know what it is really like in the workplace. If your son wants to practice in Florida, am not totally dissing FSU. But he should widen his options and be shrewd. Rushing doesn’t make sense. His LSAT is going to be very important. best wishes.</p>
<p>Take a year or two off, work, gain experience and retake the LSAT. Make sure he invests in some of the many excellent LSAT study guides out there and takes dozens of practice tests until he’s consistently scoring 165-170+ on diagnostics. This way, he gets the money he wants for a better law school, and some experience and maturity under his belt before he begins. Good luck!</p>