Should I Apply to Law School? Should I Even Go?
The process of applying to law is not so much difficult as detailed. We've put together a convenient way to have your Frequently Asked Questions answered.
While the decision to attend any graduate school is a big one, law school in particular seems especially so given its length (three years), expense ($50,000 + a year is not uncommon). The decision to study law is one that you want to make only after solid self-assessment and occupational research. A "default" decision - made just because you are unhappy in your current position or the job market may be in a downturn - is the weakest of the rationales. At best, it seems risky to your future happiness if you put yourself through the whole application process and don't feel reasonably confident that a legal education is a comfortable fit.
So, should you go to law school? When considering the study of law, there are key skills that you should excel in and enjoy using: analytical reasoning; research, research, and research (remember Senior Thesis?); communication skills – oral and written; critical analysis of written works, to name a few. Do you like to argue your point of view? Yes? Good. Now, can you argue the exact opposite point of view with equal passion and conviction? Seeing all sides of any argument will put you in good standing in law school - even if you never plan on doing trial litigation.
Conduct research on what lawyers really do, in all practice areas that may interest you. Talk to fellow alumni! Use the Alumni Careers Network (ACN) to contact alumni and find out how they enjoyed, or are currently enjoying, their law school experience and what it's like to actually practice law. If you don’t relish the idea of doing all this research now, you might just want to reconsider law school – where you will be doing research and reading most of your waking hours.
Once you've read the through this web site information, feel free to call the office at 609-258-3325 to schedule a phone appointment with the Pre-Law Advisor, Lyon Zabsky.