Reapp- Ok to apply to med AND law at the same time/same schools?

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House.0

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Do both! I think some schools have an MD/JD program if I am not mistaken.. if you are into that.
 
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So I will be a re applicant and after this second cycle I think it's it for me if I don't get in; won't/can't do a post bac and there is not much else I can add to my application. law is my plan B

I happen to have taken the LSAT this past December and I did extremely well on it; pre-law advising at my school seems to think I have a high chance to get into law school and even a top law schoo

but of course I would want to avoid having to spend yet anther year empty handed if I did not get into med school. so could I apply both on the same cycle without one affecting the other?
Apply to law school only if you are sure you do not want to apply to medical school for quite some time.
 
Apply to law school only if you are sure you do not want to apply to medical school for quite some time.
i'm sorry, i might be misunderstanding.. more directly, are you saying I shouldn't do it? will med schools know I applied to the law school
 
Medical schools won't know you applied to law school. Mostly, it's just important that you feel certain in your decision.
 
Medical schools won't know you applied to law school. Mostly, it's just important that you feel certain in your decision.
well, if I get into med school I'll go to med school, and if I don't at least I have a back up

I mean.. the other decision is to just apply to med school, and if I don't get in have to go another year empty handed (like I said I can't really improve my application any more for a third cycle, or at least not for free with a post bac
 
i'm sorry, i might be misunderstanding.. more directly, are you saying I shouldn't do it? will med schools know I applied to the law school
We will know you applied to law school if you matriculate (into a law school).
 
well, if I get into med school I'll go to med school, and if I don't at least I have a back up

I mean.. the other decision is to just apply to med school, and if I don't get in have to go another year empty handed (like I said I can't really improve my application any more for a third cycle, or at least not for free with a post bac

It sounds like you don't actually want to go to law school and you're just applying so you can start your career, regardless of what the career is, next August. I don't know anything about law school but I would think the program is a little too difficult to go into it without being 100% sure its what you want to do. Have people look at your application (PS, school essays, stats, EC, school list). Get their opinion of what can be done to improve. If you think grades are your issue, why can't you do a post bacc?
 
So I will be a re applicant and after this second cycle I think it's it for me if I don't get in; won't/can't do a post bac and there is not much else I can add to my application. law is my plan B

I happen to have taken the LSAT this past December and I did extremely well on it; pre-law advising at my school seems to think I have a high chance to get into law school and even a top law schoo

but of course I would want to avoid having to spend yet anther year empty handed if I did not get into med school. so could I apply both on the same cycle without one affecting the other?

Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.

Law and medicine are very different career paths. This makes me question your true passion for either career.

Do both! I think some schools have an MD/JD program if I am not mistaken.. if you are into that.

Terrible advice. MD/JD programs are few and far in between, and many are at higher-end schools like Harvard and Miami. If OP is having troubles getting in an MD program, what makes you think applying to MD/JD is a good idea?
 
You need to figure out what you want to do in life. What drives you? Because the people who ultimately excel at their given vocation are the ones who have clear cut goals and how they're going to reach them. Success doesn't come just happenstance. At least not to the majority of us. Cheers.
 
What makes you interested in both? Those are very different careers with different day-to-days
 
What makes you interested in both? Those are very different careers with different day-to-days
I mean, can I not be interested in both? Since I was in 5th grade I've been interested in both and I really chose medicine because of the science aspect but I'd equally go into law; have always loved subjects like political science and history as well as natural science
 
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I mean, can I not be interested in both? Since I was in 5th grade I've been interested in both and I really chose medicine because of the science aspect but I'd equally go into law; have always loved subjects like political science and history as well as natural science
I gotcha, those are solid reasons.
 
So I will be a re applicant and after this second cycle I think it's it for me if I don't get in; won't/can't do a post bac and there is not much else I can add to my application. law is my plan B

I happen to have taken the LSAT this past December and I did extremely well on it; pre-law advising at my school seems to think I have a high chance to get into law school and even a top law schoo

but of course I would want to avoid having to spend yet anther year empty handed if I did not get into med school. so could I apply both on the same cycle without one affecting the other?

I thought the word of wisdom around here is that "If you can imagine doing anything other than medicine, you should do that thing."

According to this, pursuing law is probably better.
 
Didn't you know, only people who are obsessed with just doing medicine, and only medicine, are capable of being good doctors?

Having a plan B shows your weakness and incapability!

/s

Seriously, I have no idea. I don't know if different adcoms for different programs in the same university "talk" to each other about their applicants, although I'm curious to know the answer, too.
 
I think that you probably could apply to law school while also applying to medical school. It's possible one or two ADCOMS might be professional friends with law school deans (and thus potentially find out) but otherwise I doubt that they'll find out and I doubt it would affect med school admissions otherwise. I mean seriously, there are so many applicants to any med school they don't have time to do that kind of background research on each applicant.

Since you're a reapplicant, you know the MD process and can plan sufficiently well to have your MD application ready to go on Day 1 and can slot the law school process in around the med school process. It might help you for MD if it keeps you sane during the reapplicant and interview process. /good luck!

So I will be a re applicant and after this second cycle I think it's it for me if I don't get in; won't/can't do a post bac and there is not much else I can add to my application. law is my plan B

I happen to have taken the LSAT this past December and I did extremely well on it; pre-law advising at my school seems to think I have a high chance to get into law school and even a top law schoo

but of course I would want to avoid having to spend yet anther year empty handed if I did not get into med school. so could I apply both on the same cycle without one affecting the other?
 
Didn't you know, only people who are obsessed with just doing medicine, and only medicine, are capable of being good doctors?

Having a plan B shows your weakness and incapability!

/s

Seriously, I have no idea. I don't know if different adcoms for different programs in the same university "talk" to each other about their applicants, although I'm curious to know the answer, too.

Not what I was trying to imply at all. Being a doctor is a grueling profession that sucks the life out of a lot of people. That's why many physicians I know recommend people going into medicine to make sure it's the ONLY thing they can find themselves doing.
 
Jesus christ, people on here can't seem to accept that people's interest vary. Not everyone is "medicine or bust". OP, ignore this rhetoric. While I am not in your situation applying to law school and medical school simultaneously, I am applying to a specific program that's very different from medicine to have options. To answer your question, you can absolutely apply to both simultaneously.
 
Law is a pretty poor profession choice. Most people who go into don't get jobs real jobs afterwards and many schools have trouble filling their classes because people are starting to realize how oversaturated the market is. I doubt you are actually interested in law. For some reason, premeds seem to think this is a good option because they have high egos and since law has historically been a prestigious profession, think that going to law school can make up for the fact that they didn't get into medical school. You are likely setting yourself up for misery with this plan.
 
So I will be a re applicant and after this second cycle I think it's it for me if I don't get in; won't/can't do a post bac and there is not much else I can add to my application. law is my plan B

I happen to have taken the LSAT this past December and I did extremely well on it; pre-law advising at my school seems to think I have a high chance to get into law school and even a top law schoo

but of course I would want to avoid having to spend yet anther year empty handed if I did not get into med school. so could I apply both on the same cycle without one affecting the other?

You asked for a specific opinion, not the moral gamut I've seen posted. Repeating what people said but apply to both, have YOUR love setup. If you're still interested in healthcare you can definitely go into that from a law perspective. Whether it's through politics or policy. Law degrees are very versatile and useful regardless of profession. Or maybe do something totally different in law. Not getting in might be a blessing in disguise. Happy you were able to find agency in the process.
 
Law is a pretty poor profession choice. Most people who go into don't get jobs real jobs afterwards and many schools have trouble filling their classes because people are starting to realize how oversaturated the market is. I doubt you are actually interested in law. For some reason, premeds seem to think this is a good option because they have high egos and since law has historically been a prestigious profession, think that going to law school can make up for the fact that they didn't get into medical school. You are likely setting yourself up for misery with this plan.
I was wondering the same thing, but if you actually read the thread, you'll find that this isn't the case for OP.

Top 8 is still viable for employment purposes, as long as you're alright with working big law for a few years.
 
To answer your original question, yes you could apply to both at the same time if you can afford to do so; med schools will not know if you've applied to a professional school unless you tell them (or enroll in one possibly). You should probably apply to med schools early as a re-applicant to be the most competitive. If you get accepted at a med school it will look unfavorably if you decline that acceptance, but since you said you'll attend if you do get accepted, that wouldn't apply to you.
The main thing to consider is if you'll have any regrets not going into one field if you decide to peruse the other. The logistics of applying to both should be ok, if you can handle the extra work/finances. I don't know how applying to the same school for med/law would work out though, in terms of if they'll find out.
 
Law is a pretty poor profession choice. Most people who go into don't get jobs real jobs afterwards and many schools have trouble filling their classes because people are starting to realize how oversaturated the market is. I doubt you are actually interested in law. For some reason, premeds seem to think this is a good option because they have high egos and since law has historically been a prestigious profession, think that going to law school can make up for the fact that they didn't get into medical school. You are likely setting yourself up for misery with this plan.

So much of this. I’ve been a lawyer for the past ten years, against my better judgment. For family reasons, I went into law after undergrad, despite the fact that I wanted to go to medical school. I’m finally now starting medical school this fall.

I don’t necessarily regret having a law degree, because I might use it for something again someday, but I have to agree that being an attorney was NOT all it was cracked up to be. Even after graduating from a T14 school, I had trouble finding a job, and it was a constant scramble to find enough work to justify my salary. Most days I felt more like a used car salesman than a lawyer. And that’s completely apart from the fact that I absolutely loathed almost all of the actual work of being an attorney.
 
So much of this. I’ve been a lawyer for the past ten years, against my better judgment. For family reasons, I went into law after undergrad, despite the fact that I wanted to go to medical school. I’m finally now starting medical school this fall.

I don’t necessarily regret having a law degree, because I might use it for something again someday, but I have to agree that being an attorney was NOT all it was cracked up to be. Even after graduating from a T14 school, I had trouble finding a job, and it was a constant scramble to find enough work to justify my salary. Most days I felt more like a used car salesman than a lawyer. And that’s completely apart from the fact that I absolutely loathed almost all of the actual work of being an attorney.

Good to hear your input. I am not saying that there are not some people out there who do have a legitimate interest in law. All I am saying is that it doesn't make much sense to say after 4 years of being premed that you want to go to law school. This should certainly raise red flags. The two fields are complete opposites and no one would realistically do this for any other reason other than chasing some preconceived notion of prestige and status. Congrats on getting into med school btw.
 
We will know you applied to law school if you matriculate (into a law school).

It’s a terrible way to go into a future career, no doubt. But if OP matriculated to the law school (after being rejected to the medical school), why would you know? I don’t think the admissions committee members are interested enough to check into the plans of their rejected candidates.

OP is not required to report he/she is applying for admission to any other professional school. They would only have to report that if specifically asked.

But OP, do not do that. If you really want medicine, I don’t think you’d be considering law as a backup plan so quickly.

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Idk if this has been said because there are a lot of posts, but I think your timeline for applying is all off. If you were to apply to MD programs and JD programs around the same time, you would have two different start years. JD applications are submitted around Jan-March, if I remember correctly, for you to start that fall. MD applications get submitted in June for you to start the following fall. So if you applied to both JD and MD programs in 2018 you would be applying to fall 2018 JD schools and fall 2019 MD schools.

Source: My girlfriend and I each applied to one of these programs the same year (JD - her, MD - me) and she is currently a 1L and I start M1 in fall.
 
The legal market is atrocious and likely to remain that way, especially for mid and low tiered law schools. A lot of lawyers have spilled over into my field, where they typically make high five/low six figures or have to do a lot of client marketing.

Top law schools are another matter - I'd gander top 5 law and low-ranking MD/DO have about the same overall value. If you social skills are really good and you like marketing, expand that to top 15 or so.
 
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Law is a pretty poor profession choice. Most people who go into don't get jobs real jobs afterwards and many schools have trouble filling their classes because people are starting to realize how oversaturated the market is. I doubt you are actually interested in law. For some reason, premeds seem to think this is a good option because they have high egos and since law has historically been a prestigious profession, think that going to law school can make up for the fact that they didn't get into medical school. You are likely setting yourself up for misery with this plan.

Its been 20 years since going to law school meant most would get a good legal job. On a positive note for those people, enrollment has been down every year since 2010.

There'd be massive expansion of legal services if the price point dropped, but wages in law seem extremely sticky for whatever reason.

Attorneys working contingency are often taking unbelievably bad cases.
 
Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.

While I love Ron Swanson, people can whole-ass many things at once if they work hard enough. OP, life is short. Start on a career path this year if that's what you want. A bird in the hand is worth more than a bigger bird in the sky that you might never get.
 
But if OP matriculated to the law school (after being rejected to the medical school), why would you know? I don’t think the admissions committee members are interested enough to check into the plans of their rejected candidates.
AMCAS requires a report from all schools he has attended. It will appear on the primary application.
 
AMCAS requires a report from all schools he has attended. It will appear on the primary application.

Ah, of course. I was under the impression OP would stick to law if he didn’t not get into medical school.


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I'll chime in as well, as a graduate of a low tier-1 law school, don't go to law school if your interest is in medicine. After royally ruining any chance I had of becoming a successful traditional MD matriculant, I went to law school and became an attorney. While my first job was somewhat rewarding albeit low-paying (and I mean low) private legal practice is not for you if you have a science-based mind. You will want to tear your hair out. Day-to-day legal practice has nothing to do with poli-sci, history, or any of that stuff most legal undergrads do. If you are still thinking about law school, do what I did not and go intern at a private legal practice and try to get a flavor of the day-to-day of private practice attorneys (that should be enough to dissuade you from the career).

After completing pre-med in a technical science field, you would be better served in device sales, or as an RN (I've seen many RN's turn nursing into device/pharm sales, or advisory positions in biotech companies). You would likely also be better served in the biotech engineering space rather than going into law. In fact, you would be better served by doing any number of careers over law.
 
Applying to both medical and law schools at the same time, given your circumstances, seems reasonable to me.

If I wasn't a forensic psychiatrist dealing with the criminally insane, I probably would have been a patent attorney.
 
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