Abandoning law school for academia?

[coolranchtaco]

So! I'm having a bit of a crisis regarding my future. Just finished undergrad a couple of months ago with a BA in Philosophy. My plan, since my very first semester, was to attend law school. I've fallen in and out of love with the idea over the years, but its always been my most appealing option. Until now! I'm seriously considering either going back for a second BA or MA then PhD.

 

In what? Good question! Though I majored in Philosophy I wouldn't want to pursue a graduate degree in the field. This may sound strange, but I'm absolutely infatuated with Occult history (Cultural Geography of Vodou, for example), Philosophy (i.e. Comparative Ethics of Wicca and Christianity, though thats a pretty obvious and heavy-handed example), etc. Re-telling the immigrant experience through the eyes of those that practice some form of what one might consider Witchcraft sounds like great fun, too.

 

Anyway, for academia to even be a legitimate option I'd have to know exactly what kind of degree I should be considering. Does this sound like Cultural Geography? Anthropology? History? Religious Studies? Occult Studies doesn't sound like a degree in its own right, and if it was I'd worry for my job prospects (which is saying something considering the current market for Humanities PhDs!)

 

Or maybe I'm just freaking out because the LSAT is driving me insane? Please help!

[sacklunch]

I have never studied any of the above interests (I'm in religious studies), but from what I understand there wouldn't be a lot of opportunities in that field after getting a PhD. Getting the PhD, of course, is another story altogether. I also wonder where you would study such things (I believe there is a lady at UChicago that does something along those lines...?). 

 

On the other hand, law school may be just as (according to some people) foolish. I know people who are having a hard time finding work with their JD, and I have heard it's basically like that for everyone. In short, I don't think there is any safe option these days. Petroleum engineering or medical school! Those may be the only degrees that offer secure job placement after graduation these days. 

 

Rant aside, go speak with a trusted professor. Even if they are in philosophy, they can guide you in the right direction, since they know your academic interests. And, if you are at a school with good professors and resources and you get the chance to stick around for another major, do that. Depending on what field you decide to pursue (if any), you will likely need to brush up on certain areas that will likely keep you out of good MA or PhD programs (e.g. languages, methods, research, etc.).

[redandgoldlion]

I am currently enrolled in one school as a graduate student in French Studies and another school as a first year law student.  My dissertation is interdisplinary, with a focus on law, so my two degrees will (hopefully) work together.  What I did was to apply to tons of programs.  I went to grad school, because they offered a tuition waiver and a $20,000 stipend, and I love French.  That ultimately made me more competitive for law school.  I got into some very good law schools, but I ended up going to a school with a lower ranking because I'm only a few thousand dollars shy of a full ride there.  Also, I know I want to stay in this city, and this law school has very good local recognition, even though it isn't well respected nationally.  

 

I think law school, more grad school, or both could end up working out for you.  My advice would be to avoid going anywhere that would force you to accumulate tons of debt.  It's liberating to have modest debt.  Although conventional wisdom says there aren't jobs in academia or the legal world, I think the reality is that there are jobs, but the at the jobs aren't compensated well enough to make it worth the investment for most people.  If you keep your debt load low, then you stand a pretty good chance of getting a job with a decent salary (say $50,000).  That's a totally realistic expectation, and it's liveable in general; it's not liveable if you have $100K in debt, though.   

 

See if you can find a graduate program that would work well with a JD if you decide to ever go that route.  A lot of schools have joint degree programs, too.  

[coolranchtaco]

Thank you for the replies. Just to provide an update: I'm really warming up to the idea of pursuing Philosophy on a graduate level. What do you all recommend I do in order to make myself competitive for a funded MA? Ideally I'd go to a funded MA (probably abroad, if so hopefully Canada) and then maximize my chances of getting in to a great PhD program in the States. I graduated a year early and haven't kept in too much contact with my professors, save for pestering them for letters of recommendation for law school. Have also been working a decent but soul-crushing office job that pays a little more than what I would make as a funded PhD candidate.

 

I graduated Magna with a 3.70 Cum and 3.9 Philosophy major. My interests at this point are pretty broad, much more so than when I was an undergraduate all those (3) months ago. Definitely interested in Epistemology, History of Philosophy, and exploring Deconstruction (as well as other Continental approaches).

 

Should I just talk to my old professors about this? I feel like I may have missed my chance to become an academic.

[annie_lull]

my 2 cents as somebody who went straight to law school from college but is now prepping for grad school after a few years of working: id say try the graduate school route now...you can apply to law school any time whereas it'd be harder to build a grad school application later in life when you've been out of school for years.

 

For law school admission, you don't need to build a writing sample or anything substantial like that. letters of rec matter less to law schools. You just need a good GPA and a good LSAT score to get into a good school.

 

If you try grad school now and decide that that's not what you want, it wouldn't be too hard to turn around and make your way to law school. the other way around (law school first, grad school later) is much harder in my opinion.

[DHumeDominates]

Well, it would be absolutely insane to get a second B.A. Under no circumstances should anyone do that. As long as you did relatively well as an undergrad and hope to pursue something in grad school that is vaguely similar to philosophy, or for which philosophy classes might have provided solid preparation, you can get an M.A. or Ph.D. in another discipline.