Should I still consider law school?

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>Hi! I'm from Brazil and I'm a political science major. I was an exchange student at the University of Tennessee last semester ( it was a very selctive program by the US Department of State) and I tried to transfer to an American college but was rejected ( I need a lot of financial aid and the chances for an intl transfer asking for aid are 0 to none!)</p>

<p>The major reason I was trying to transfer is because I wanted to go to Law school in the US, and my chances would be way greater if I attend an American university. As I said, however, it was a dream that didn't come true :( </p>

<p>I still wanna go to a law school in the US, but I'm concerned I won't be admitted and will waste a lot of time and money! I think so because the curriculum at my college here in Brazil is very limited and I don't have the opportunity to take subjects from other majors. Therefore, I will not have much knowledge in areas that although not required, are strongly recommended such as creative writing, speech, communication skills, literature, calculus, logic, and so on.</p>

<p>The extracurricular activities are pratically non existent at my college. I'm a junior now and I haven't got any internship opportunities, let alone any work experience!</p>

<p>Also, I need a lot of financial aid, but not all law schools offer financial aid or full scholarships to international students.</p>

<p>I have good grades and recommendations, and I think if I study hard for the LSAT I can get a good score. However my background and pratically no experience or activity besides the exchange program at UTK really discourage me from applying.</p>

<p>I really don't wanna waste my time and money and end up disappointed again. Do you guys think I stand any chances? Do you know of any law school where I might have a shot? Considering that I'll graduate december next year, what do you guys think I could do to improve my stats?</p>

<p>Feel free to tell me that I should give it up and consider another path. I know that my situation is not optimistic at all! Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Before we worry about getting into law school, why do you want a US JD?</p>

3

<p>Well, first off Brazil uses the civil law system, and I like the common law system better. Then, I always wanted to work as a lawyer in the US, especially as a PD, and I have this sense that even under an economic crisis, things still work in the US. I always dreamed about living in America, and after I went to TN I am sure I wanna live in the US, it’s where I feel at home. I like the culture, the people, everything. (Go Patriots! :stuck_out_tongue: ). </p>

<p>I want to work in the public sector in the United States and make sure low income families have equal access to justice and then help create public policies that target poverty and help low income students go to college ( I know how hard it is to be academically qualified but have no money to pursue a higher education). I’m not 100% sure this is the path I’ll follow, but this is what I plan to do if I ever get my JD in the US.</p>

<p>Again I know my chances are pretty slim, so feel free to tell me the dream is over!</p>

4

<p>So here’s my question. We’ve been seeing a lot of threads on this question lately: Is a JD a path to immigrate? Are JDs and practicing lawyers eligible for H1B visas? Greencards? Some other means to stay in the country legally?</p>

<p>(1) Is it EVER possible? If so, what’s the precise legal path? (2) Is it common? In particular, is there some benchmark that’s theoretically possible but very hard to meet (e.g. getting an employer to sponsor you)? Or (3) Is it even possible?</p>

<p>We’ve been getting so many questions on this issue that I feel like I’m missing something here.</p>

5

<p>I can’t speak for everyone, but for me it would be a path to immigrate and live in the US and help the community I’d be living in. </p>

<p>In order to go to a law school they’ll need the F1 visa. The H1 visa is for work only. They are just eligible for the green card in case they marry an American or get a job offer in the US and their employer fill out the papers for them to get the green card. </p>

<p>So, the whole immigration issue aside, what do you guys have to say about my chances? Thanks!</p>

6

<p>I would definitely find someone who knows about immigration. It would be a shame to go into debt for a US law degree and then not be able to stay to use it. </p>

<p>As for law school, it’s not impossible. With a decent LSAT you could go on the cheap, that way if you can’t get a job afterwards at least your debt won’t ruin your life. Going into PI is also difficult. The PD is competitive. That means you’ll need to go to a decent school and get decent grades. PI also cares a lot about dedication, which means you need to get some sort of experience on your resume that says “I am willing to do PI.” You should tailor that experience to be more like whatever you think your interests are.</p>

7

<p>I’d recommend going to LSAC.org to read all they’ve got about admissions, etc and then ask questions(of them) from that point.</p>

8

<p>

Yeah, if it works. That seems to me like a big question to push “aside.”</p>

9

<p>Seriously, one thing that all of you who want to immigrate have to understand is that there is a glut of attorneys in the US. I have NO expertise in immigration law, but it seems to me that with a glut of attorneys employers are going to be less willing to sponsor aliens for law jobs and it’s less likely that the US government will approve these sponsorship applications.</p>

<p>I SUSPECT that the JD in home country/LLM in US route will work better as a pathway to immigration because the sponsoring firm can say “We need someone with knowledge of EU law” or “someone with knowledge of Brazilian law.” We advertised the position but couldn’t find a qualified candidate who is a US citizen. </p>

<p>You cannot rely on the experience of someone who was sponsored 5 years ago because the market for law jobs is completely different now than it was 5 years ago.</p>

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<p>Regarding going into debt for a US law degree, I don’t think that would be the case, because only US citizens or permanent residents can apply for loans, I’d only be eligible if I had a US citizen co-signer (which I do not). So if I don’t get financial aid or full scholarship there’s no way I can go to law school.</p>

<p>I know immigration is a big issue, but before dreaming about a career in law I wanna know if I still have any chances of going to a law school in the US and get the degree to try to pursue such career to start with.</p>

<p>So do you think that a decent LSAT score along with good grades and rec’s can make up for the lack of activity and experience and a very limited curriculum? If so, do you know of any law school where I might have a shot that offers fin aid or full scholarships to international students? Could you please list me some of those cheap law schools? I know state schools are less expensive, but the ones I’ve checked so far offer very little or no aid at all to intl’s. :(</p>

<p>I know Harvard, Yale, etc offer full aid to intl’s, but considering my limited background I know they’re beyond a reach for me!</p>

<p>My biggest concern is financial aid. I think that was the major reason I wasn’t accepted as a transfer student.</p>

<p>I’ve just got my rejection letter, so I can take it if it’s impossible for me to get into a US law school with full aid. Bad news don’t shake me that much anymore! I just wanna know whether it is woth applying or not.</p>

11

<p>You can presumably borrow from banks in your own country. Even a full ride won’t generally offer enough to cover cost of living, so you’ll need to get that money somewhere. There’s no such thing as a cheap law school with the possible exception of University of District of Columbia. Your only real shot at getting into a “cheap” law school is to go to an expensive one with a large award.</p>

<p>Recs don’t matter, it’s only grades and LSAT. I would go read up on LSAC how they treat foreign GPAs. I don’t remember exactly how it works. Without an LSAT score it’s hard to say how much further you should look. I would go take a practice under real test conditions. If you score 155 or better, we can talk. If not, I’d cut your losses.</p>

12

<p>I’ll check the LSAC website and contact them if I have any doubts. Thanks for the help!</p>

13

<p>Again, I admit I don’t know much about immigration, but…</p>

<p>Assume you get into a US law school and somehow miraculously are able to attend at little or no cost. At the end of 3 years, you may still have to leave the US.</p>

<p>Are you sure that at that point you’ll feel that spending 3 years here living at a subsistence level was worth it? </p>

<p>I live in NYC. A lot of people seems to be convinced that if they can only get to the US, somehow they’ll be able to figure out a way to stay here legally. One heck of a lot of them end up as illegal aliens working dead end jobs.</p>

<p>Oh, BTW, I disagree with Demo. Recs DO matter–especially for internationals.</p>

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<p>When US News starts evaluating based on quality of recommendations, law schools will care. Until then, go take a look at Law School Numbers and look at the pretty bands conforming to GPA and LSAT. The data provide all the confirmation you need.</p>

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<p>OP: I’ve re-read your initial post, and it seems to be a gigantic risk with too many variables,where you could end up out of the US after three years of law school. If this really is your dream, then it would be better to do what has become commonplace: get your law degree in Brazil, then come to the US for an LLM program. The LLM programs have become the way many foreign nationals make themselves eligible for a US bar exam. This doesn’t address the significant immigration issues, however. I’m no expert in that, but the challenges appear daunting, to say the least. At a minimum, I’d recommend working out the immigration issues before matriculating at any US school.
It’s also important to keep in mind that if you get a US JD and are not allowed to stay in the US, your US law degree will be of little value in Brazil.</p>

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<p>Well, there are a couple of ways to obtain permanent residence/work permit in the US after you graduate from law school. One is through marriage to a US citizen. The other is sponsored by an employer. Given the legal job market, it’s hard to imagine a law firm who’s willing to sponsor you. It costs them time and money. They can just call up any law school and get an even more qualified candidate than you! Even if they are willing to, they could have a hard time to justify the reason with the DoL. The previous post about LLM is the best suggestion, I think.</p>

17

<p>Consider law school? Only if you are a masochist.</p>