With the suffering job market a byproduct of the economic recession, law schools across the country are seeing more and more applications flooding their admissions offices. For many college graduates, impending unemployment or the dire prospect of living at home is enough to at least thinking get them thinking about spending a few more years in post-graduate education. Law school, though not easy to get in to by any means, is more open to applicants of any educational background as opposed to say medical school, generally only admitting students with science heavy course history. Prospective law school students are judged primarily by their LSAT scores, many believing the test constitutes approximately 75 of an acceptance decision. Certainly at Ivy Leagues and other top flight law schools this is less the case, as they can afford to be more selective, but the general perception is that if you do well on your LSAT you can go to law school. It might not be Harvard, but it’s still a Juris Doctor degree, which will give you employment options.This perception, whether correct or not, is sending an unprecedented number of incoming first year law students to campuses across the country at a time when the legal service sector of the economy is in less demand. In three years, when these law students hit the job market again, there is a very good chance there will be a surplus of would-be lawyers, leaving many graduates jobless and in several thousand dollars worth of debt. Furthermore, the job dearth that currently exists for grads entering the workforce is sending many kids to law school for the wrong reasons. Law school is a tough racket. For those who enter with a lack of dedication or even a sense of apathy towards their chosen course of study, chances of success are low, potentially wasting a semester or two (and the according tuition) before deciding to call it quits. Surely though, students who work hard and have both natural aptitude and a genuine interest in the law will always have a place in the law profession.
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