Final, FINAL school decision
Okay, so I changed my mind. I know, I know, I paid the seat deposit, bought the books, etc. But I’ve been feeling unsettled. I woke up Monday morning after a weekend of dead ends in my search for a backup babysitter and said, “God, please send me a sign that I’m making the right choice.” I got on the elevator at work and ran into an attorney who works on my floor. She said, “I hear you’re going to [T4 School]. Let me tell you why that’s a mistake…” She proceeded to share horror stories about grads from that school and things she has heard while serving on a local firm’s hiring committee. I reviewed the emails I’d received from attorneys and other people from whom I’d solicited advice, as well as the “expert” articles and books and I realized I was making a really foolish decision. In terms of future career opportunities, it would be really dumb to attend [T4 School] regardless of their “stronger” night program. Although I have a strong undergrad GPA, my undergrad school’s reputation is quite poor and would probably hurt my candidacy for future employment– combine that with [T4 School's] lower ranking and I’m settingmyself up for some challenges. Also, although we intend to stay in this town, one never knows and I probably shouldn’t shoot myself in the foot by choosing a school that has no reputation outside the state (or, one might even say, the city).
I contacted [T4 School] yesterday to rescind my acceptance and also contacted [T2 School] to make sure I can still accept their offer. Good news is that I have until April 1 to send in my acceptance/deposit to [T2 School] and my loan funds will be returned to Sallie Mae with no penalties. Bad news is that I lose the $300 deposit I sent to [T4 School], I have to start paying interest on my Mac in March, and I had already bought all of my books. Best news is that my stomach is no longer in knots and, although I foresee some challenges at [T2 School] in terms of my overall part-time law student experience, I feel much better about my debt load [T2 is cheaper] and the potential for employment once I finish.
January 19th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Thanks for stopping by my blog & for your comment on my On Balance piece!
Having been on my former D.C. law firm’s recruiting committee (& not knowing much about your situation), I have to generally agree with the lawyer in your firm. While I have worked with excellent attorneys from lower tier schools, getting a quality job out of law school is harder if you go that route. Snobbish it may be, but many lawyers will automatically dismiss you and your qualifications out of hand no matter how much you wow them in an interview.
Good luck!