okay, i dont have a good feeling about this admissions cycle. I just got my august scores (a 28O) and for some reason im already looking towards next years cycle, just one of those feelings you get. I was thinking of next year of throwing in a few law school applications in case med school admissions dont work out. Anyone ever consider this
anyone ever think of law school as a backup
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i put on a shirt and tie, stood in front of the mirror and said "have you been injured in an accident lately?"
it felt dirty and wrong. i immediately dismissed law as a possible career.
it felt dirty and wrong. i immediately dismissed law as a possible career.
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why? law school and medicine school are completely different endeavors. if you want to be a doctor, believe me, law school's not going to do it for you. we all know that law school seems like a good backup because there are no prerequisites that need to be fulfilled -- just get that bachelors, and you're good to go. however, there are lots of people myself included who attended law school for the wrong reasons and wound up pretty miserable. law school is a great thing for some people and a horrible thing for others. only go if you are very serious about practicing law, and don't believe any of that cr@p law schools try to sell you about a jd being a generalized liberal arts degree. try to get a non-legal job with a jd, and you'll see how untrue that is.
if you don't get in this year, take a year off and figure out if it's worth reapplying or if there's anything you'd rather do (law could fit in here). don't go to law school just because you didn't get into med school.
if you don't get in this year, take a year off and figure out if it's worth reapplying or if there's anything you'd rather do (law could fit in here). don't go to law school just because you didn't get into med school.
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jackets5 said:
It's a long and expensive proposition unless you actually think you might want to be a lawyer. I suggest working as a paralegal in a law firm first before you drop a ton of cash doing something you may not even like. No point going to school just to be a "professional".
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I wouldn't just question law school given the overall tone of your post, I would question medical school as well. Sounds like you may need some exposure to both fields to really hammer down what it is that you want to spend the rest of your life doing.
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jackets5 said:
I would never consider law, simply because I cant see myself happy in that field.....but hey, If you see yourself happy doing that--go ahead (I think law requires LSAT tho.....?) Personaly, my backup is probably Phd.....
Your sores arent too low (if your gpa, etc...are ok...) I have noticed that sdn seems to suck the confidence out of a lot of people, fast (including me).
its definatley not a matter of being not exposed to medicine just looking at it practically. I was actually interested in entertaiment law (being a sports agent) its a good backup for me with my experience former minor league baseball player and college football player (i was offered a summer intership as well by a very well know agent that ive meet, which is what got me thinking about it as a backup). I dont know just wanted to see if anyone else had the same idea.
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What he said.Flopotomist said:
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jbrice1639 said:i put on a shirt and tie, stood in front of the mirror and said "have you been injured in an accident lately?"
it felt dirty and wrong. i immediately dismissed law as a possible career.
Jackets5-
I think your situation reminds me a lot of my own path to medical school. I got a phd and currently work in the patent field as i apply to med school this cycle. First off, like others have said, get exposed to the legal practice and decide if its something you want to do. I was seriously contemplating applying to both law and medicine after my phd since i really do find both fields fascinating. However, after talking to many lawyers and doctors and working in the legal arena for a couple of months here's what I found:
1. A LOT more docs were satisfied with their careers versus the lawyers and I have spoken to partners that were making huge sums of money with a corner office overlooking the park etc. etc.
2. When I asked if they would do it all over again, >90% of the lawyers wish they followed their hearts and went into something other than law whereas >90% of the docs said they couldn't see themselves doing anything else but medicine
These are my own experiences. Granted, a lot of docs wished they pursued other passions BEFORE medical school but they always said becoming a doc was the goal ...they just wanted to travel, pursue hobbies, etc. before 4 yrs of med school, residency, fellowship, etc. etc.
I will be 31 when I enter med school next year but I've finished my phd in o-chem, used my bachelors in business to intern in accounting firms, ran marathons, traveled around the world, work as a patent agent, etc. etc....you get my drift. Med school will always be there, don't be afraid to follow other passions - it doesn't mean that you're not going to be a great doctor someday just because you didn't want to be a doctor since you were a fetus and you had to follow the undergrad --> med --> residency --> fellow --> attending route!
Plus interviews are a lot more fun and interesting when you can relate stories from different experiences (I've been told by my interviewers!)
Best of luck in whatever route you follow!
I think your situation reminds me a lot of my own path to medical school. I got a phd and currently work in the patent field as i apply to med school this cycle. First off, like others have said, get exposed to the legal practice and decide if its something you want to do. I was seriously contemplating applying to both law and medicine after my phd since i really do find both fields fascinating. However, after talking to many lawyers and doctors and working in the legal arena for a couple of months here's what I found:
1. A LOT more docs were satisfied with their careers versus the lawyers and I have spoken to partners that were making huge sums of money with a corner office overlooking the park etc. etc.
2. When I asked if they would do it all over again, >90% of the lawyers wish they followed their hearts and went into something other than law whereas >90% of the docs said they couldn't see themselves doing anything else but medicine
These are my own experiences. Granted, a lot of docs wished they pursued other passions BEFORE medical school but they always said becoming a doc was the goal ...they just wanted to travel, pursue hobbies, etc. before 4 yrs of med school, residency, fellowship, etc. etc.
I will be 31 when I enter med school next year but I've finished my phd in o-chem, used my bachelors in business to intern in accounting firms, ran marathons, traveled around the world, work as a patent agent, etc. etc....you get my drift. Med school will always be there, don't be afraid to follow other passions - it doesn't mean that you're not going to be a great doctor someday just because you didn't want to be a doctor since you were a fetus and you had to follow the undergrad --> med --> residency --> fellow --> attending route!
Plus interviews are a lot more fun and interesting when you can relate stories from different experiences (I've been told by my interviewers!)
Best of luck in whatever route you follow!
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tanksljp said:
well, i made a 178, and my friend made a 179. j/k -- i felt like being a typical sdn'er. i made a 171, and it was actually implied here that that was a mediocre score. anyway, the moral of the story is to not go be tempted to go to law school because of that high lsat if you don't really want to go. i was actually dumb enough at 22 to think law school would be a good match for me because i did well on the lsat; i can't believe i was ever so stupid.
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seadizzle said:
that's the best reason ever.
i've gotta admit the lsat is a cool test because it doesn't require you to know anything. if only all things in life were like that.- Joined
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Maybe if I was going to get paid like 10 million a year so I could retire after a year or so. I hate looking in law books... it sucks. Anyways... there are to many lawyers out there and not enough jobs.
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fullefect1 said:
this, too, is true, and omg, the horror of reading cases. so, so, horrible -- some judges actually write sentences that last a whole freaking paragraph, and a long paragraph at that.
also, most lawyers work their a$$es off to do little good -- look at harriet miers if you want an example of that. she works all the time, but the world's not a better place because of her efforts.
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i'm considering mba as a backup if i don't get in...
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I always said that if I couldn't get into med school, I'd become a malpractice lawyer and sue every doctor I could for not letting me into their club, starting with the AC members.
But seriously, I think med people and law people's brains are wired oppositly. I doubt any of us would be happy as a lawyer.
"Hi i'm Lionel Hutz. Here's my card, it turns into a sponge when you put in water"
"I've argued in front of every judge in this state, often as a lawyer"
But seriously, I think med people and law people's brains are wired oppositly. I doubt any of us would be happy as a lawyer.
"Hi i'm Lionel Hutz. Here's my card, it turns into a sponge when you put in water"
"I've argued in front of every judge in this state, often as a lawyer"
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Honestly I would really never do it. Law is way to much talking, and not enough doing. Thats just my opinion.
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ive thought about law as a backup considering that ever since i was old enough to think of a career i wanted to be a lawyer..i still wonder where and when this whole medical school thing came from. but apparently its here and its here to stay. unfortunetly i can't say like most of you that i wanted to be a doctor ever since i was a kid. anyway, i did consider law but decided against it b/c i don't think i could compete with all those lawyers out there. and commercials? they're not for me...more importantly i don't think i'd be happy nor proud of myself. i'd feel like i gave up..
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NismoZ32 said:I always said that if I couldn't get into med school, I'd become a malpractice lawyer and sue every doctor I could for not letting me into their club, starting with the AC members.
LOL! I've had the same thought!
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NismoZ32 said:
I don't think so, but my dad is a lawyer, so I've been exposed to it since a very young age. I certainly have a higher respect for the rigor of thought and the precision of language that is required by the profession. I actually started college thinking about law. Honestly even after I did really well on the MCATs I still haven't ruled it out.
Maybe I just don't have the typically wired medicine brain. I'm doing a math major and was for a time considering math grad school too.
I could be weird.
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I think certain areas of law would interest me while personal injury/malpractice gives me no desire.
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BrettBatchelor said:
So personal injury/malpractice doesn't turn you on?
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No...Im not too into using TV commercials to solicit business.tomorrowgirl99 said:
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BrettBatchelor said:
Just FYI, this kind of lawyer really constitutes only a very small percentage of the profession. They get noticed by the public because they advertise on TV -- the vast majority of the profession would never do PI or run TV ads. In fact, the largest percentages of the profession work for the government, and/or practice corporate/commercial law (and never "sue" anyone). The smaller and noisier components of the profession are the litigation and criminal law bars that seem to generate so much ire. Just bear in mind, that all of us future doctors will need the services of lawyers at some point in our career (either in setting up a practice, or in defending one) -- it is the nature of the business -- so I wouldn't be too hostile.
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I agree. If you read my first statement about law I said that certain areas of law interest me (corporate/patent) while others (personal injury/defense/malpractice) gives me no desire to go into law.Law2Doc said:
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exlawgrrl said:
I am graduating law school this year, while working on my prereqs for med school... And I would agree with exlawgrrl, and law2doc. Do not go into law just because you do not know whether medicine is for you. If I were in your shoes I would really be asking myself right now whether medicine or law is really for me. There are other careers in the world!!
Do NOT DO WHAT I DID!! When I was an undergrad I had tunnel vision and decided to go to law school just for the hell of it!! Law school for me was a way of putting of what I really wanted to do!! I was scared to death of math and science. But now that I am almost finished with law school, let me tell you my study skills are a million times better. And I have finally come to the realization that its better to do something that is challenging and interesting to you, then doing something you hate with a passion.
That being said, if I were you I would really find out what you really want in life by getting some more practical experience in these fields. talk to as many people as you can!! Look at these fields with eyes wide open!!! There are plent of careers outside of the legal/Medical field
Goodluck!
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Joonie said:no. but the day before my drexel interview i had a fortune cookie that came with my coffee, and the fortune said "you would make a great lawyer."
Well then you'd better head off to law school -- you can't fight your fortune...
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law?? oh hell no
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My backup plan is Law Enforcement. If things dont go as planned, I wont mind having a career in Law Enforcement with the NYPD.
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yea, i thought about law school when i was an undergrad. Took the lsat and socred ok. The thought of more school, reading and all those late nite studying freightens me. Also, I worked as an assistant to an assistant for 2 weeks at some law firm and hated every second of it.
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