I plan on applying to the Baltimore school of law next year. This upcoming semester I�m taking paralegal classes to get me ready. Does anybody know anything about law school?


BTW I�m 28 and have a daughter who is 8.

Well, a guy I go to church with graduated from Harvard Law and he has a little girl too. I don't know what it is that you want to know in particular but I am sure if no one else here knows I could find out just about anything for you.

I am a single mom of a five year old son and I spent a semester in law school last Fall. I discovered that the field was not for me (my undergrad is in education). There were a number of factors that went into my decision...my son is very young and I found myself being away from him not only during the day but often having to leave him with my mom in the evenings and weekends to spend hours and hours in the law library. This, coupled with the incredibly long hours expected of you the first several years of practice, made me realize that in my case, the trade-off wasn't worth it. I would end up giving him a higher standard of living but at what cost?? Me missing out on his childhood?

So, at semester I transfered into a M.Ed program which I will be finishing this May. Much less money, but much happier and but I feel like I made the right decision for us and if I hadn't at least tried it I always would have wondered.

That being said, have you taken the LSAT? I personally didn't spend money on LSAT prep courses. Instead I bought several prep books studied and took timed practice LSATs over and over. When you time yourself, give yourself about 10 min less than you would on the actual test. You should plan on applying to several school (the average is 9 but I only did 5) including a couple "sure things" and one or two "long shots" unless you're absolutely sure that you'd only consider going to that one school. That way if you get wait listed at some you still have other options.

Be sure to look at what "tier" the school is in. Top tier schools are the most respected in the profession and hardest to get into. Second tier are also fairly well respected but below that (third and fourth tier) you may find it more difficult to secure a position upon graduation unless you're at the top of your class.

You can apply for an LSAT fee waiver based on low income. The form is available online at www.lsac.org. Look under downloadable forms documents. The waiver covers the cost of the test (about $100), and sending your test scores to I believe three schools. They also send a study book and three practice tests. Once you have the fee waiver, you can send a copy of the waiver along with a letter requesting an application fee waiver for each of the schools to which you apply. It will save you literally hundreds of dollars and get the attention of the admissions office (they like to diversify their incoming class).

ALso I'd recommend somehow (perhaps in the application essay?)letting them know that you're a single parent and the you've been a teacher (once again, it will cater to the class diversity thing since most incoming students are 22-25 and majored in history, political science, etc). Anything you do to stand out as unique and emphasis how your skills would transfer well into the field of law will help you get in. The competition is stiff (in my case there were over 1200 applicants for 80 positions).

Some schools have non-traditional programs that would better accommodate the needs of a single parent (e.g.letting you take a slightly reduced courseload the first year and going during the summer).

GOOD LUCK and please PM me if you have any questions!!!...Meghan

OK, never mind that part about being a teacher...I saw Schoolmommy's name on this topic and apparently it's been a long day...

I think it is great that you want to attend law school! I have dreamt about going for years now, but haven't made it, yet! I have been looking into going back to school to get my AA and then going on to law. I am thinking of getting my minor in English, I think, and go from there. The key is to look into all aspects of what you are looking into doing to better yourself. Law does require tons of hours and time away from your child. My son is almost 7, and by the time I am ready to get into the law portion of my degree he will be where he doesn't want to spend alot of time with me, so that is going to work out well for me. Good luck to you and I hope it all works out!