r/LawSchoolOver30

33 year old M

3.5+ GPA (magna cum laude) at a prestigious liberal arts school

165 LSAT

10+ years service as a military pilot (multiple deployments)

Great LORs

Do I have a shot at a Top 14 law school? Or should I delay application a year to take the LSAT again and improve my score (I would prefer not to).

Thank you for your advice.

I have been out of academia for about 12 years now. Taught Political Science for 5 years. I have wanted to go to law school since I was 20. What's the scoop on Georgia State University? Moving to another state is not an option.

34F, married, 3 kids. I did 2 years of Americorps as a teacher and then worked in education for a bit. My old plan was to eventually try to go to law school for PI (I am interested mostyle in consumer protection and also tech justice.) Got married and had a kid, pivoted to software engineering to try to make more money so we could eventually buy a house. Really never loved it and am back at... wanting to do law!

My UGPA was low (3.2) and I'm studying for the LSAT now to try to make up for that. My cold diagnostic was 153. I'm planning to take the test in October.

I live in the NYC area and I feel like CUNY is really my best bet. I want to avoid serious debt at all costs and likely won't make much as a lawyer, so unless I can get a great LSAT score and get scholarship elsewhere, I'm not sure if I have many other options. Any suggestions?

Also, I know CUNY can be very selective, so any application advice would be greatly appreciated.

Good luck everyone! If anyone wants to DM me (especially fellow moms) please do!

I’m trying to figure out if the law school path is even remotely attainable for me. I did poorly in undergrad (GPA of 2.4, BA in Psychology). I worked full time and went to school full time because I moved out young. I won’t share all the details, but by the time I figured out that path wasn’t for me it was far too late. I kept burning out from work and school with no support system, and this ultimately resulted in me accepting (very regretfully) that I couldn’t go full time. I improved once I went part time, but the damage was done. I graduated in 2022.

Now, as an adult with a better support system and making real adult money instead of scraping by, I am able to asses what my goals are and make progress. After doing research on requirements, I think I may have to give this up too.

Is it true that only your first bachelor’s degree GPA is taken into consideration? I would 100% go back to school for another degree if it would help, but from my understanding the LSAC only considers your first degree to compare you fairly to other applicants.

I know I’d need to score high on the LSAT anyway, but to feel so defeated about my chance of getting in at any school at all so early on because of my academic screw-ups earlier in life is really giving me significant pause.

If you had a GPA like mine and went anyway + got in somewhere, how did it go? Do you regret your decision?

I’m open to any feedback, you can be harsh if you feel it is justified.

For the GRE (10 years ago), I studied using the annual Kaplan book and took in-person prep classes during the summer covered through my university. I did pretty well on the GRE exam studying that way.

I want to start a structured study regiment for the LSAT soon. I need a high LSAT score to offset my < 3.0 LSAC-calculated uGPA (STEM major).

I unfortunately lost my job and have not found another yet. I am not in a position to afford very much for study materials or LSAT prep courses right now.

Is there an annual study book for the LSAT like there is/was for the GRE?

Are there any resources available through public libraries for studying for the LSAT?

(I know this is a stretch, but I thought I should ask, just in case.) Does anyone know of any LSAT summer prep courses, perhaps offered through a pre-law program or educational access/outreach program, that might possibly allow a non-matriculated student to audit and offer a fee waiver? I’m looking in Baltimore or Montgomery County, MD.

I (34 F) have been accepted to my ideal part-time program. It seems like there will be classes most weekday evenings from 630-930.

I’ve been a public school teacher for over a decade, and in many ways I wish I could continue (i love where I work, decent hours, summers off + benefits make it appealing) - the rigid in-person schedule and extreme over-stimulation for 6 hours/day mon-Fri make me weary that balancing both would be possible.

For those of you that are balancing working with part-time law school - what jobs have been most compatible/least compatible?

(((FYI - no kids (but want them, and will def have at some point during law school) and have a husband makes enough to sustain us both if we make serious lifestyle changes but I don’t want to put us in a financially precarious position)))

Hi all,

Incoming non-traditional 1L here! Starting to do research for my 1L setup (plus answering questions from folks on gifts that would be useful). Given that it’s been a bit of time since I’ve been in school and the tools have changed a lot, would love to hear what’s actually worked for people.

Note-taking apps — What are you using and loving? Tried and hated? I’m a Mac user so not really looking at OneNote, but curious about things like Evernote, GoodNotes, etc. Open to anything that works well in the Apple ecosystem.

iPad/tablet vs. laptop — Do people genuinely use iPads in law school? Would you recommend both? If handwritten is more your thing, have you used something like the remarkable? Would anyone recommend one of those pens /notebooks that voice records and connects it to your notes, or is that overkill?

Digital vs. physical casebooks — I know digital is cheaper but I’ve heard mixed things about reading cases on a screen for hours. Would love to hear thoughts on this.

Other tools/resources — Anything else you swear by that I haven’t thought to ask about? Open to all recs!

I’m in my mid 30s and seriously considering law school. I keep circling back to it every few years and the thought never fully leaves.

My issue is that I genuinely can’t tell if this is a meaningful pivot or a terrible idea driven by restlessness and wanting direction. I already feel behind in life in a general sense. Starting a long expensive path at this age feels psychologically strange when I see people my age already established in careers, married, owning homes, etc.

I’m trying to be realistic about the profession too. I hear a lot about burnout, debt, oversaturation, miserable associates, and people leaving law entirely. At the same time, I know some people genuinely thrive in it and seem intellectually alive because of the work.

My current role makes $90K and has a decent work life balance but I worry about continuing to coast. At the same time I fear the grind and the hard work and the fact that I might lose out on doing anything else and lose out on my freedom. However at this current moment, I’m not doing much with this freedom anyway so might as well do something great.

For people who went later in life or knew older students: how did it turn out for them? Did age become an advantage in terms of maturity and discipline? Did the debt and opportunity cost feel worth it?

I’d especially like to hear from anyone who entered law school after feeling directionless or stuck beforehand.

I've been a paramedic since 2014 with extensive FTO and leadership experience. I'm currently completing my UG. I have a 4.0 right now, and plan to keep that, but my first college experience wasn't so great. I'm likely to finish with a final GPA of 3.19.

I took my first cold diagnostic with absolutely no exposure to LR and scored a 154. I've been studying for about 3 weeks and am floating around 160 right now. My goal is to get to 168+ (ideally 170+). I won't graduate with my UG until Spring 2028, so plan right now is to take the LSAT in late summer of 2027 (or sooner if I start PTing super well consistently).

I'm looking for some advice on how to spend my study energy, good resources, etc. Currently I'm using LawHub and I purchased The Loophole book.

Also, the schools I'm interested in are:
University of Denver (PT program)
CU Boulder
ASU (online)
KU
UCLA

I have a strong interest in employment, civil rights, and prosecution.

How does my nontraditional splitter status look for these schools and scholarships? Any advice as I begin this journey? Any experience with these schools (especially the DU PT or ASU online)?

My boyfriend and I are both 28 and have been talking seriously about moving in together. We love each other, and in a lot of ways it feels like the natural next step.

I work remotely and currently living in Los Angeles. We have a dog together. The place we would get would likely cost 2000-2400. We currently live an hour apart from each other.

The issue is money.

He’s in law school, so he’s stretched thin financially and focused on getting through school. I understand that, and I’m proud of him, but it also makes me feel stuck because “waiting until later” feels vague and open-ended. Meanwhile, I’m at a point where I want to start building a real life with someone, not just keep dating in limbo. He’s going to a private university and paying full tuition.

I’m torn between being supportive of where he is in life and being honest that I also have needs and a timeline for what I want. I don’t want to pressure him, but I also don’t want to keep shrinking what I want because the timing isn’t good for him. Initially, we planned on moving in at the beginning of summer last year, then it got postponed to winter of last year, then it got postponed from beginning of summer this yr to July this year, so he has done this at least three times already.

Has anyone been in a relationship where one person was in a demanding professional program (law school / med school / etc.) and financially limited? Did you move in anyway and figure it out, wait until they were more stable, or realize you were on different timelines?

I love him, but I’m struggling with whether patience is the right move or if I’m ignoring a real incompatibility. He is going to work at law firm M-F 9-5 making $30 an hour. He also casually teaches swimming for rich clients at like $140 an hour. Summer is coming up, so he will have plenty of requests. His issue is that the money he makes now will be for spending when he’s not working during the school year.

I have also considered paying 80% of the rent, but I feel like that would really bite me in the butt if we don’t end up together in the future. Also, I could be spending the money on savings instead, or to travel instead of to pay my boyfriend’s rent.

Would appreciate honest advice.

Laid off from my last job when the company closed. Career is ranch management, degree in natural resource conservation. Have been considering going back for my MBA as I am struggling getting a job and not sure I want to stay in ranch management (not wanting to work 7 days a week 365 anymore). Was considering law school (again-tried to get in back in 2019 & was unsuccessful) but undergrad GPA isn’t competitive enough (3.1 cumulative) & only a 147 on LSAT 7 years ago (I would have to retake). This was at a local university since we have a family & are established here. Would move if I could get in but doubtful I would get in anywhere else.

Just need to start over but I have a family. Mid 30s. Feeling beyond lost. Have applied to MANY jobs that would be in the ag industry but not require the 7 day a week situation. I either get a “no” or nothing at all.

Anyone else have trouble with a mid 30s slump? Is going back to school going to help? The job market is wild. Lots of people say they are hiring but don’t seem to actually be hiring.

mostly here to vent, lol. And I don't know how those of you with kids do it! I work 9-5, often including Saturdays. I get home from work, walk my dogs, and have dinner, and boom, it's 8:00 pm.

I do a ton of drills in little increments when I have time, but I feel like I'm not building the resilience I need to sit down and take the entire test over the course of several hours.

Maybe I'll have some time on Sunday this week.... Laundry will just have to wait!

People don’t apply to a JD program with a masters degree?

Im doing an online JD program that will enable me to have the necessary flexibility to tend with full time work if necessary and give me the requirements to sit for the bar. The program is very cheap (less than 6k a year per year), so no student loans necessary.

My hopes are that for an employing trust and estate practice, my CPA and varying degrees of exposure to various trust returns will be enough for a T&E practice to take a chance on me as a paralegal despite not having direct law firm experience nor studying at an ABA-accredited law school.

And much to my surprise...many of these paralegal roles pay pretty comparably to my current pay, but I wouldn't mind taking a pay cut for the opportunity

Something that may be a credit to my candidacy is that most of our client principals are lawyer patriarchs/matriarchs often with adult children in the family business. So we end up doing the trust/estate accounting AND law firm accounting including stuff like IOLTA/trust/retainer accounting and case matters accounting.

The title.

Some Context; I'm restricted to San Diego and part time due to me being the primary income source for my family. It's here or USD. USD full sent the denial today.

Financing not a huge factor (thankfully). I'm mostly worried about the pedigree around Cal Western. NEED HELP DECIDING ASAP!

Hi!

I'm in my mid-30s and work as a cybersecurity manager. I've been in IT for the last 15 years and have been working in governance, risk management and compliance for the past 3-4 years in a regulated industry.

I have discovered that I actually really enjoy working on the legal side with our lawyers and compliance team. My experience includes M&A due diligence and working with vendor contracts, so I've spent a fair amount of time self-studying Corporate Law & Contracts already. I'm also familiar with privacy and data breach laws as well.

There are a couple of Master's programs that focus on legal studies which seem relevant to my career. However, I've gotten the feeling that they're potentially frowned upon by lawyers. I can't say with 100% confidence that I want to practice law, but some days it feels like a desirable exit strategy for me, as roles within the tech industry are increasingly volatile, especially for cyber executives who tend to change companies every 1-2 years. I have a computer science degree, so I'm also aware that patent agent/attorney is a possibility too - but I don't see myself as a litigator.

That said, I keep coming back to this. I'm a single parent, so I would have to tackle this one bite at a time, and I'm not in a position to move around. I'm curious to get other people's thoughts about the pros and cons of law school given my situation. Maybe there are other things I'm not even considering?