Hey Guys- Im a High School Junior And Want To Study Law

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>Hey</p>

<p>Im a High school junior. </p>

<p>Here is some info about me:</p>

<p>I live in South Florida, in a suburb of Fort Lauderdale
I go to one of the biggest high schools in the country, and it is the best high school in all of South Florida according to many people. </p>

<p>My GPA:
Unweighted: 3.5
Weighted: 4.52
Core: 3.84
Class Ranking: 168 out of 949.
PSAT Sophomore Year: 173
Math: 65
Verbal: 55
Writing: 53</p>

<p>I am unhappy with my class ranking. The fact that I took a couple of regular classes messed me up with this. </p>

<p>I am really good at math, but my verbal and writing scores weren't that high because I wasn't prepared and ran out of time at the beginning.</p>

<p>My top college choices are UM, UF, FSU, Georgetown and Nova Southeastern</p>

<p>I wanted to study either medicine or law, but I realized that medicine isn't for me since science isn't my thing. So now I want to study law. My dad wanted me to be a doctor but I would commit suicide if I had to study science for that long.</p>

<p>I will post my next PSAT score and SAT scores when I take them soon </p>

<p>So I have a few questions.
The big law firms, what kinds of law do they usually do for the most part?</p>

<p>My ideal law would be criminal. I am GREAT at arguing and winning. This coming from other people, not just me. But I think being on the prosecutor side is kind of dangerous, and being on the defense, I just couldn't do it moraly.</p>

<p>Other types of laws I am interested in:
Immigration Law(Im hispanic so VERY familiar with this, TRUST ME ;)
Civil Litigation
My mom said business law is good but I dont just want to be writing paper work ALL day. I dont mind a little, as all lawyers have to, but all day would be hard.</p>

<p>Also,
What major should I take in college?
I am interested in political science because I love learning about history and politics, etc.
What other majors are good?</p>

<p>Would it help if I take a law class in high school? Because my school offers one.</p>

<p>What club should I join? Law and justice or debate?</p>

<p>Does it matter where you get your undergrad? Or for example if I do my undergrad at Georgetown, will it help me get into their law school?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance and sorry for the long message</p>

2

<p>Ok, quickly. </p>

<p>SAT scores do not matter for law school. It they aren’t even that good of an indicator of the LSAT. </p>

<p>Next being a good debater has absolutely nothing to do with success as a lawyer. The VAST majority of hours put in are in reasearch and writing. </p>

<p>You can do Criminal law, but generally you will need to work for a District Attorneys office or a become a PD. Neither of which pay very well. Almost no big law firm has specific crim divisions. </p>

<p>Next the money is in the business type of law. If you aren’t doing that then you are generally making 50k. Now I’m not assuming that you care about money, but just know that 50k is about the salary the majority of lawyers make. </p>

<p>What you take in college and what you major in has absolutely no bearing on law school. </p>

<p>Every undergrad and high school type law class is useless except for you might see if you like some of the studying you would be doing. </p>

<p>And IMHO you should go to Georgetown over those others because you will have a lot of better opportunities after undergrad in employment. Now where you go to school doesn’t matter at all for law school admissions but it does come up occasionally in hiring later. And more importantly you really have no idea currently what being a lawyer entails (mostly writing and research) or anything else for that matter. You need to figure it out in college and Georgetown will leave you the most room for post graduation choices.</p>

3

<p>Thanks. I know that SAT scores dont matter for law school, but they do for getting into college. Thanks for all the info you provided. That’s very helpful.</p>

<p>And if I dont get into Georgetown, or dont go because its “too far” for my parents, which of the others do you recommend?</p>

4

<p>Well, if you want to stay in state it probably won’t matter as there aren’t any prestigious schools in Florida. Florida is a good public school so that would be fine. If you want to go to a state school I recommend where you can go the cheapest but also get far enough away from family to live on your own and not be able to go home every weekend. But if you can go to a prestigious school like Georgetown, Duke, or Vanderbilt I suggest that. But keep in mind where you go to undergrad has no actual bearing on law school admissions.</p>

5

<p>Alright. Thanks for that advice. Florida is a cheap option. UM is also local, and if I could get a good scholarship, that would be great since its incredibly expensive. I dont really have to go away from my family. They aren’t on top of me all day, but afterall, they are parents. For graduate school, yea, but for my first few years, I dont think its necessary. And wouldn’t going to the same school for undergrad that I want to go to for law school help me get into the law school?</p>

<p>And most importantly,</p>

<p>What have you guys heard about international law?</p>

6

<p>I would strongly advise every kid to get away from their parents and to go experience college life. Also, your a kid, go get drunk and get laid. Stop worrying about this it’s way too far in advance and the legal profession isn’t go so hot. International law doesn’t necessarily exist, in the sense that there are so few jobs and so many people want them that it just doesn’t really happen. And no going to a schools undergrad does not help for law school with the only real exception being Harvard. Go have fun, take different classes, figure out what you want to do, and live on your own. Believe me it’s likely you won’t want to go to law school in 3 years.</p>

7

<p>You’d have to work a few miracles to get into Georgetown undergrad, I think. The PSAT scores are too low - I’d be surprised if you could get in without 700s in each section, 600s minimum (maybe). Your class rank isn’t particularly high, either. That’s not on-level classes, that’s making Bs in them. Maybe if you study a lot for the SAT and bring up your scores and take challenging classes and get all As to pull up your class rank.</p>

8

<p>Guys</p>

<p>I can get drunk living in my house. It’s not like I haven’t done it yet. My parents are cool with it.</p>

<p>Now getting laid in my house would be different, but it doesn’t have to be in my house.</p>

<p>Its different POV’s. If my parents were strict, I would want to move out extremely quick, but its not the case.</p>

<p>As for my PSAT scores, I didn’t know I was taking it until the day before. it was sophomore year and I had no idea that the tests were divided into small, individually timed sessions, so I didn’t finish some parts. And I hadn’t studied at all either. That will improve. I believe I can get a 700 at least in all sections. My GPA will also improve with all the AP’s Im taking.</p>

9

<p>I understand having a drink or two, but your parents are OK with you being drunk in their house? Damn. </p>

<p>In any case, it’s not just drinking and getting laid. It’s about being (quasi) independent and exploring new places.</p>

10

<p>No I’ve never been drunk at all. I have drank though, even in my house.</p>

<p>Also, I am interested in medical malpractice law. Anyone have any insight into this degree/career?</p>

11

<p>Dolphinfreak, I hate to say this, but honestly, you are wasting everyone’s time here. I would not worry about law school right now. You need to focus on getting into college. You may not understand it now. However, 5 years from now, you will understand how useless this discussion is right now. A lot can change in five years. Maybe, you will have the GPA and LSAT to go to law school, and maybe, you won’t. Maybe, you will hear about law school horror stories, and that will deter you from going (by the way, you should take those stories seriously). Maybe, you will decide to be an engineer, doctor, or investment banker.</p>

<p>Regardless, law school and becoming a lawyer are different ball games than the one you’re playing right now. You don’t even have the tools or know the rules. So, focus on going to the best school for you, majoring in something that inspires you, and excelling at every thing you do (not just academically).</p>

12

<p>Please don’t think about this yet. You are way too young to even be thinking about the LSATs or BigLaw firms. </p>

<p>Law is about a lot more than just arguing and winning…and frankly, a lot of it is boring paperwork, no matter what specialty you go into. Even the best litigators have to deal with tons of awful, boring bureaucratic nonsense before they actually to go trial. If your impressions of law are based off TV or mock trial, the real deal is very very different. So before you get dead set on a career in law, try to intern at a law firm and see what it’s really like. </p>

<p>I go to a school that produces a lot of lawyers, so naturally, I have a lot of friends who are now working as attorneys. Almost all of them hate it. Law is really really not for everyone, so for your own sake don’t get set on it before you work in a firm and see if it’s for you. </p>

<p>Also, your <em>college</em> activities don’t matter at any law schools except two, and your high school accomplishments stop mattering after your freshman year of college. So, what clubs you join/classes you take in high school don’t matter once you set foot on campus. Law schools definitely will not care at all.</p>