I have just been accepted to a decent law school, should I go?

No, you shouldn’t based on what you just said. All accredited law schools are intense educational experiences (especially the first year,) and you’ve got to be really dedicated to succeed. And you’ve got to really be successful at Southwestern to get a good job right out of law school. Only 80% of Southwestern grads have a job at graduation, with a median salary of $65k in the private sector (public sector jobs pay less.)

However . . . I went to law school as a last resort and grew to love it. But, I was accepted to a top school with a scholarship that has close to 100% employment at graduation and well over 100k median salary. So even if I went and were miserable, I figured that at least I’d have a job that would pay back the loans.

Year 1 of law school is not easy and will likely leave little time for anything else. However, Yr 2 & 3 are not quite as painful.

But, you shouldn’t enter into it lightly or on a whim. You could most likely let the school know that you are interested in attending next year – they may hold a place for you. You could take a year off and figure out what you really want to do.

But, there are many employers who will find the skills you gained in law school a benefit – even if you never choose to practice law – so you don’t need to go into law school thinking that your only option is becoming a lawyer.

Do a bit of research before you say yes or no to law school. Also, law school is not the same as being a lawyer – you may LOVE school, and decide that you don’t want to be a lawyer, but you will have learned some great skills and really challenged yourself

At least give it a try! You never know…you may LOVE it!

Not taking this chance you’ve been given would have you asking yourself for the rest of your life…”what if I’d gone on to law school”…

It’s not like you can’t quit if you see it’s not for you…but to not take this chance would be a crying shame…

I wish someone had said this to me when I was 18…(I did not go to college..decided to take “a year off” to find my personal bliss…my Dad made the comment back then “If you don’t go now, you never will”…he was right…I now have gone back to some classes..I’m now 48 years old…and gotten my real estate license and interior design degree…however, I’ve had to work twice as hard as someone who went to college when they were younger..and I have regretted not going for 30 years…)…the experience alone would be worth the shot…

My Dad always said…how do you know something until you TRY?

No. Law school isn’t for everybody. Yes, you might get “inspired” while in law school, but I highly doubt it. From what I saw at several law schools, the people who weren’t committed either dropped out or failed out. Either way, they were out tens of thousands of dollars.

Based on what you said, I wouldn’t go. Especially not to Southwestern, which is private and very expensive.

If it were me, I would definitely go to law school. If you don’t at least give it a try you will always wonder “what if.” Since you don’t have any other goals, why not do it? I say do it!