I Wanted To Go To Law School. I'm A Single Mom Thats Decided To Do Something Positive With My Life.

[Ardolph]

[Farrel]

If it had been only that simple You don?t just "start law college in the fall". You have to apply to and be accepted by a law school and with most classes beginning in significantly less than a month, there won?t be spaces accessible.   . Also component of the admission method is taking the LSAT which tests comprehension, reading and writing expertise. The LSAT won?t be given once again until October which further precludes you from getting into law college subsequent month.   . Law college admission committees like to see your undergrad GPA and courses so unless you have an extraordinary explanation for not completing a BS or BA, your application will end up in the round file although they accept men and women who have confirmed a commitment to their education.   . Of course you don?t have to go to law school to grow to be a lawyer. In some states all you have to do is pass the Bar exam. But then what do you have? What law firm, corporation or government agency is going to hire a self-taught lawyer?  Or do you consider you can just hang up your shingle and wait for clients to uncover you.  . Before you commit any time or sources to pursuing your goals, you need to do more study and preparing. . 1) What do you imply by carrying out one thing good with your life and why does that imply the law?  A lot of lawyers commit their lives dealing with the unfavorable-defending folks who are guilty, representing corporations who are screwing the small guy, involved in the sad and ugly side of broken households and finding methods for the govt to stay away from following the Constitution. . 2) Why not pursue the enterprise degree?  With a BS in company there are a lot of jobs where you can make a optimistic contribution.  If big organization and large government seem too nasty, there are non-profit organizations that need to have very good company sense to assist them achieve their missions. . 3)  Where are you going to get the income?  You can get monetary help for your undergrad education.  I managed to get a BS in enterprise in three years but that meant taking all the grants, paid internships and govt loans I could.  That was 3 years of poverty-every semester my daughter and I had one luxury when the economic aid check came, lunch in the mall food court and a reduced price movie matinee.  Are you and your youngsters willing to forgo quickly meals, cable, vacations and a lot more than 1 pair of footwear at a time for the next 3-five years?  And for your post grad education there is extremely little totally free income.  Are you willing to come out of law college $50,000-$75,000 in debt to private lenders at 10% interest?  You could be in debt until it is time for your kids to go to college! . You must probably go to the most economical college that has accepted you, see a profession counselor and take some non-organization electives so you can figure out what kind of profession will be exciting-then figure out how to best use your education to make a positive impact. Sources: Been there galileogirl 65 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Knoton]

Finishing your bachelor's degree will give you a broader base of knowledge to build on. If you just need the degree to land a job, short cut to the law school. I worked for a man who had a short cut MBA, which I didn't know you could get without a ba. He said more than once that he wished he had gotten his ba first because of all the things he wasn't aware of. I know a girl who got her masters in English Lit then quit teaching school to get a chemical engineering degree then went to law school. She said that she would be a lawyer with a technical background who will be able to communicate. So, it all depends on what you want to achieve. And money. Do it while you're young and have the energy. Best of luck.

[Stuart]

You have to take the LSAT and apply to the law schools that you want to go to. The LSAT(Law School Aptitude Test) is similar to the SAT. I would recommend that instead of taking more college courses next semester, enroll in an LSAT prep course AND get the Princeton study guide to study at home.  Do both, since you have good study habits now. Also, make sure that the law schools you are going to apply to do not require a BA or BS degree...some do. Start getting information and application packages from those schools now, so you will be prepared for when you are ready to apply.  You'll need to know what the deadlines are, LSAT score requirements, essays, etc. 

[vimal10]

It's too late to start law school in the fall. You have to take the LSAT and apply to the law schools that you want to go to. The LSAT(Law School Aptitude Test) is similar to the SAT. I would recommend that instead of taking more college courses next semester, enroll in an LSAT prep course AND get the Princeton study guide to study at home.  Do both, since you have good study habits now. Also, make sure that the law schools you are going to apply to do not require a BA or BS degree...some do. Start getting information and application packages from those schools now, so you will be prepared for when you are ready to apply.  You'll need to know what the deadlines are, LSAT score requirements, essays, etc.  SexyTrojan 65 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Charlton]

Get your four year degree first, because most accredited law schools require four year degrees as a prerequisite. There are law schools and then there are law schools. Ideally, if you go to a law school, it should equip you with the skills needed to pass the bar, become a good lawyer and land your first job as a lawyer.   You have to be careful about where you go to law school, because not all law schools are created equal--far from it! There would be no worse fate that going to law school and then either not being able to pass the bar or not being able to get a job because you went to a second rate law school.   In the United States, most law schools require a bachelor's degree, a satisfactory undergraduate grade point average, and a satisfactory score on the Law School Admission Test(LSAT) in order to be considered for admission.[1] Some states that have non-ABA-approved schools or state-accredited schools have equivalency requirements that usually equal 90 credits toward a bachelor's degree. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_school_in_the_United_States   Most states require that candidates for the bar be graduates of one of the 195 ABA accredited law schools.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_law_schools_in_the_United_States   Each state has its own rules which are the ultimate authority concerning admission to its bar. Generally, admission to a bar requires that the candidate do the following: Earn a Juris Doctorate from a law school approved by that state(often, but not always, this means accredited by the American Bar Association); or, where permitted, participate in an approved Law Clerk program("reading the law").... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admission_to_the_bar_in_the_United_States You have to be careful, because you live in California, which has long been known for having a number of unaccredited law schools. Now, if the school is approved by the California Committee of Bar Examiners, you will be eligible to sit for the bar exam, assuming that you graduate from the law school. But, you will have problems.   Most states are very reluctant to let graduates of unapproved law schools sit for their bar exams or to be licensed by reciprocity. So, you may be restricting your geographic mobility, if you go to an unaccredited law school.  "Alabama, California, Connecticut,Massachusetts, and Tennessee, allow individuals to take the bar exam upon graduation from law schools approved by state bodies but not accredited by the American Bar Association." http://www.rumorsdaily.com/2008/01/25/california-july-2007-bar-exam-statistics/   But don't worry about that as much as passing the bar exam.  Click on this link   http://www.rumorsdaily.com/2008/01/25/california-july-2007-bar-exam-statistics/ and then click on the bar exam stats hyperlink which send you an Adobe file on the subject. As you can see, going to an unaccredited law school won't put you on the fast track to passing the bar exam. Since California has a notoriously difficult bar examination, that should be a concern to you.   Okay, assuming that you don't ever want to leave California and you are sure that you'll pass the bar exam, will you get a job after you graduate?  Generally speaking, employers will look closely at your law school GPA and class ranking in interviewing. Do you think that you might be putting yourself at a bit of a competitive disadvantage by not completing your four year degree?  I do, because your classmates will be better educated than you are. Since law schools are so fiercely competitive, you don't want to give the opposition any quarter by not being up to snuff with them.   My best advice to you is to finish your undergraduate degree before starting law school. If you do that, you will be in a better position to go to a better law school and will be better equipped to get good grades and to take and pass the bar exam.   If you want, please feel free to send me a PM.   Whatever you do, Good Luck!   Sources: Personal opinion and cited above   Snow_Leopard's Recommendations The Official LSAT SuperPrep Amazon List Price: $28.00 Used from: $16.00 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5(based on 18 reviews) Getting To Maybe: How to Excel on Law School Exams Amazon List Price: $25.00 Used from: $23.00 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5(based on 51 reviews) Law School Confidential(Revised Edition): A Complete Guide to the Law School Experience: By Students, for Students Amazon List Price: $18.95 Used from: $9.95 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5(based on 166 reviews) One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School Amazon List Price: $13.95 Used from: $2.61 Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5(based on 133 reviews) The Official LSAT PrepTest 51 Amazon List Price: $8.00 Used from: $7.07 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5(based on 2 reviews) Succeeding in Law School Amazon List Price: $22.00 Used from: $19.19 Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5(based on 1 reviews) Snow_Leopard 65 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. 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[Seamus]

There are law schools and then there are law schools. Ideally, if you go to a law school, it should equip you with the skills needed to pass the bar, become a good lawyer and land your first job as a lawyer.   You have to be careful about where you go to law school, because not all law schools are created equal--far from it! There would be no worse fate that going to law school and then either not being able to pass the bar or not being able to get a job because you went to a second rate law school.   In the United States, most law schools require a bachelor's degree, a satisfactory undergraduate grade point average, and a satisfactory score on the Law School Admission Test(LSAT) in order to be considered for admission.[1] Some states that have non-ABA-approved schools or state-accredited schools have equivalency requirements that usually equal 90 credits toward a bachelor's degree. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_school_in_the_United_States   Most states require that candidates for the bar be graduates of one of the 195 ABA accredited law schools.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_law_schools_in_the_United_States   Each state has its own rules which are the ultimate authority concerning admission to its bar. Generally, admission to a bar requires that the candidate do the following: Earn a Juris Doctorate from a law school approved by that state(often, but not always, this means accredited by the American Bar Association); or, where permitted, participate in an approved Law Clerk program("reading the law").... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admission_to_the_bar_in_the_United_States You have to be careful, because you live in California, which has long been known for having a number of unaccredited law schools. Now, if the school is approved by the California Committee of Bar Examiners, you will be eligible to sit for the bar exam, assuming that you graduate from the law school. But, you will have problems.   Most states are very reluctant to let graduates of unapproved law schools sit for their bar exams or to be licensed by reciprocity. So, you may be restricting your geographic mobility, if you go to an unaccredited law school.  "Alabama, California, Connecticut,Massachusetts, and Tennessee, allow individuals to take the bar exam upon graduation from law schools approved by state bodies but not accredited by the American Bar Association." http://www.rumorsdaily.com/2008/01/25/california-july-2007-bar-exam-statistics/   But don't worry about that as much as passing the bar exam.  Click on this link   http://www.rumorsdaily.com/2008/01/25/california-july-2007-bar-exam-statistics/ and then click on the bar exam stats hyperlink which send you an Adobe file on the subject. As you can see, going to an unaccredited law school won't put you on the fast track to passing the bar exam. Since California has a notoriously difficult bar examination, that should be a concern to you.   Okay, assuming that you don't ever want to leave California and you are sure that you'll pass the bar exam, will you get a job after you graduate?  Generally speaking, employers will look closely at your law school GPA and class ranking in interviewing. Do you think that you might be putting yourself at a bit of a competitive disadvantage by not completing your four year degree?  I do, because your classmates will be better educated than you are. Since law schools are so fiercely competitive, you don't want to give the opposition any quarter by not being up to snuff with them.   My best advice to you is to finish your undergraduate degree before starting law school. If you do that, you will be in a better position to go to a better law school and will be better equipped to get good grades and to take and pass the bar exam.   If you want, please feel free to send me a PM.   Whatever you do, Good Luck!  

[Croslea]

Hmmmmm. that depends. Do you have the money for law school, do you have the time for law school and do you think you'll pass the courses?     If you can answer the last one as a yes truthfully, then skip the BA and go for the JD right away.  If there is any doubt as to whether you'll make it in law school, get your Bachelor's first, because it would suck to spend that much money trying to get something you can't get, and get to the end and have nothing.   However, I would be curious about the "offers" you're getting.  Are they from acredited law schools, and have you taken and passed the LSAT already?   Schelli's Recommendations The Official LSAT SuperPrep Amazon List Price: $28.00 Used from: $16.00 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5(based on 18 reviews) Getting To Maybe: How to Excel on Law School Exams Amazon List Price: $25.00 Used from: $23.00 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5(based on 51 reviews) Schelli 65 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Ail]

Maybe Finishing your bachelor's degree will give you a broader base of knowledge to build on. If you just need the degree to land a job, short cut to the law school. I worked for a man who had a short cut MBA, which I didn't know you could get without a ba. He said more than once that he wished he had gotten his ba first because of all the things he wasn't aware of. I know a girl who got her masters in English Lit then quit teaching school to get a chemical engineering degree then went to law school. She said that she would be a lawyer with a technical background who will be able to communicate. So, it all depends on what you want to achieve. And money. Do it while you're young and have the energy. Best of luck. boatman 65 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Safford]

You don?t just "start law school in the fall". You have to apply to and be accepted by a law school and with most classes starting in less than a month, there won?t be spaces available.   . Also part of the admission process is taking the LSAT which tests comprehension, reading and writing skills. The LSAT won?t be given again until October which further precludes you from entering law school next month.   . Law school admission committees like to see your undergrad GPA and courses so unless you have an extraordinary reason for not completing a BS or BA, your application will end up in the round file while they accept people who have proven a commitment to their education.   . Of course you don?t have to go to law school to become a lawyer. In some states all you have to do is pass the Bar exam. But then what do you have? What law firm, corporation or government agency is going to hire a self-taught lawyer?  Or do you think you can just hang up your shingle and wait for clients to find you.  . Before you commit any time or resources to pursuing your goals, you need to do more research and planning. . 1) What do you mean by doing something positive with your life and why does that mean the law?  A lot of lawyers spend their lives dealing with the negative-defending people who are guilty, representing corporations who are screwing the little guy, involved in the sad and ugly side of broken families and finding ways for the govt to avoid following the Constitution. . 2) Why not pursue the business degree?  With a BS in business there are a lot of jobs where you can make a positive contribution.  If big business and big government seem too nasty, there are non-profit organizations that need good business sense to help them achieve their missions. . 3)  Where are you going to get the money?  You can get financial aid for your undergrad education.  I managed to get a BS in business in 3 years but that meant taking all the grants, paid internships and govt loans I could.  That was 3 years of poverty-every semester my daughter and I had one luxury when the financial aid check came, lunch in the mall food court and a reduced price movie matinee.  Are you and your kids willing to forgo fast food, cable, vacations and more than 1 pair of shoes at a time for the next 3-5 years?  And for your post grad education there is very little free money.  Are you willing to come out of law school $50,000-$75,000 in debt to private lenders at 10% interest?  You could be in debt until it is time for your kids to go to college! . You should probably go to the most economical college that has accepted you, see a career counselor and take some non-business electives so you can figure out what kind of career will be interesting-then figure out how to best use your education to make a positive impact.