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Lawyers???

I'm interested in becoming a lawyer after high school. I'm currently a sophomore, make all A's, and am ranked in the top 10% of my class at one of the top 100 public schools in the U.S. For my undergrad, I'd like to go to Rice University and study either psychology or political science. I haven't decided what law school I want to go to, but my dream school would definitely be Columbia. What does it take to be a lawyer? What is the job like? Would you recommend the profession? What is the job market like? What are the hours / qualifications / benefits? Is it worth it in the long run? The other career I'm interested in is psychology, but you need a PhD to get anywhere with it, and it's such a competitive market. Please help!! <3

Public Comments

1. This is not a question someone else can answer for you. You're a sophomore in high school, so focus on college first. Find something that sparks your interest in college and follow that. There are some people who know that they want to be a doctor or lawyer since being 6 years old, but those people are usually rare. These same people also end up dropping out quickly when the pressure begins. Don't plan out everything in high school for so often that plan can change. As for the being a lawyer, it varies and depends. You already know the qualifications, undergrad and then law school. Law school is tough both getting in and getting through. If you're aiming for Columbia, you have to have extremely high grades in undergraduate and a very high LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) ranking you in the top 95-99%-ile. Law school is highly competitive and students at schools in the top tier (Columbia included) are filled with extremely bright students who are willing to put in the hours to be in the top. You are graded on a single test taken at the end of the semester, and that grade is on a curve. Law students often put in 80 hours a week every week from the beginning of the semester to the end. Once you pass law school you have to pass the bar in the state where you want to practice. Getting a job out of law school is also highly competitive, as firms take one student out of every thirty that they interview. The profession works well for people who are detail orientated, logical, and willing to put in hours. Whether its worth it in the long run is up to you and what you make out of it. While it is a very arduous profession, it can be rewarding, but it can also be very difficult. Simply put, you have to be driven. Message me if you have more questions.
2. You need to crystallize in your mind why you want to be a lawyer, and then maybe many of your other queries will be answered. One of the most important areas of study, as far as I am concerned, is cultural anthropology, because lawyers need to learn that the things we too deem universal truths and against which we accordingly apply rigid rules are really quite relative, and hence rigidity of rule-bound reaction might often be unjust. Where you go to law school is nowhere nearly as important as what you do with what you learn. You should, of course, attend an ABA approved school so you are not bound to any particular state. Although there are scads of lawyers across the Fruited Plain, there is a deficit of honest and scholarly and thoughtful ones, and if you show yourself to be one, you can get a job anywhere. You are welcome to e-mail me privately about other thoughts, but I will say it is a richly rewarding calling, and if you treat it as a mission and not merely a job, you will have a great deal of fun [notwithstanding the comparatively enormous workload].