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Question
#1:
When
Should I Start Law School?
The
commonly-held view of many college juniors and seniors is
that one should begin law school immediately after college.
If you graduate in May, begin the following September.
As
your prelaw advisor and advocate in the law school admission
process, I strongly dispute this view. Many brand-new college
graduates should not go immediately to law school. Let me
tell you why.
First,
prelaw students must understand that they need to develop
a strategy not only for law school admission, but one that
prepares them for:
- success
in law school, particularly during the challenging first
year;
- success
at the right law school, one located in a setting appropriate
for the student's future plans, a law school with a track
record and an alumni network that will meet the student's
future objectives;
- success
in professional job hunting, which is greatly affected by
prior law-related work experience, choice of law school,
and performance in law school (especially first-year performance);
- success
in your future professional career, which ideally is founded
on an outstanding performance in the law school best suited
to the student's objectives.
A
student strategy that focuses on immediate admission alone
creates significant risks for the student's future professional
plans.
Remember,
only about one third of American law students now go to law
school directly out of college, and I believe that this number
will continue to fall. It is now quite common for college
graduates to have two to five years of work experience before
starting law school.
Question
#2
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