am i a crackwhore?

[Guest DCeBOY]

no, not literally.

i'm just curious as to whether you guys think i'm on a path to screw up my life.

i'm thinking seriously about which law schools i like & to which i am going to apply. i could probably easily get into any law school i want (not bragging, just giving background info:

- 3.98 GPA (one B -- in ECON -- fucked up my 4.0!)

- taking the LSAT this summer, so far on practice tests i haven't scored lower than 178 (180 is max)

- plenty of extracurriculars

so i could likely get into yale if i wanted to do so.)

BUT, i'm not thinking i want to even go to a top-tier school. my top choices right now are Univ of Miami and Tulane.

what do you guys think? am i screwing myself just because i love NO & Miami? am i doing myself a disservice by not shooting as high as i can?

my thought process is like this:

i've got the grades & test scores to get in anywhere. there is no challenge in trying to shoot high & see if i make it. i know that on the basis of my test scores & grades i'll get in. additionally, i like miami & new orleans. i have friends in both cities (and family in new orleans). why shouldn't i go somewhere where i'll enjoy living for at least 4 years (joint JD-MPA program)?

 

thoughts? i'm just curious to see what a variety of people think.

[BewareofNick]

>no, not literally.

>i'm just curious as to whether you guys think i'm on a path

>to screw up my life.

>i'm thinking seriously about which law schools i like & to

>which i am going to apply. i could probably easily get into

>any law school i want (not bragging, just giving background

>info:

>- 3.98 GPA (one B -- in ECON -- fucked up my 4.0!)

>- taking the LSAT this summer, so far on practice tests i

>haven't scored lower than 178 (180 is max)

>- plenty of extracurriculars

>so i could likely get into yale if i wanted to do so.)

>BUT, i'm not thinking i want to even go to a top-tier

>school. my top choices right now are Univ of Miami and

>Tulane.

>what do you guys think? am i screwing myself just because i

>love NO & Miami? am i doing myself a disservice by not

>shooting as high as i can?

>my thought process is like this:

>i've got the grades & test scores to get in anywhere. there

>is no challenge in trying to shoot high & see if i make it.

>i know that on the basis of my test scores & grades i'll get

>in. additionally, i like miami & new orleans. i have friends

>in both cities (and family in new orleans). why shouldn't i

>go somewhere where i'll enjoy living for at least 4 years

>(joint JD-MPA program)?

>

>thoughts? i'm just curious to see what a variety of people

>think.

 

Will you get a good education? Will you get the job you want? More importantly, what makes you happy? At the end of the day, very few of us are impressed with the degrees someone got. It's the person you are and the company you keep that, IMHO, are the true measure of a man.

[phage]

I know little about the legal profession, but coming from the business world (at least the three major corporations I have worked for), I will tell you that when it comes to graduate degrees…the school is EVERYTHING. I wouldn’t even spend the time getting the degree if the school does not have a good reputation in that area.

 

We routinely hire people with a BA/BS from any accredited school. It shows they have discipline, the ability to set goals, and hopefully a sound basic education and the ability to learn. We expect to train them and provide specialty knowledge. However, on the rare occasion we are seeking someone with a graduate degree, it has got to be from one of the schools we believe will give us some bang for our buck. We expect these people to hit the ground running much faster than someone with a four-year degree.

 

Again, the legal profession may be different, however, I have a friend whose wife got her law degree from a less-than-tier-one school. After passing the Bar, it took her more than a year to find a job (in a booming Atlanta economy) and then it was with some local county agency at a paltry salary.

 

If your grades are as good as you say (which I have no reason to doubt) and finances are not an issue, you should put the fun aside and go for the best school you can get into. You’ve worked too hard to slack off now and this will follow you for the rest of your working career. You’ll be forever thinking, and even worse, telling people, “I could have gone to Yale.”

 

Of course it has no bearing on what kind of person you are and will have little effect on your personal relationships. Friends may not care what type of degrees you have, but trust me, employers do. Especially when you are young and have no established track record. The right degree opens doors that would take years of experience to get through.

[marc anthony]

It depends on what you want to do with the law degree. If you just want to hang up a shingle, then by all means, go where you will be happy. If you have aspirations for the largest high profile firms, or top political aspirations, then you would be wise to sacrifice 4 years of living where you want to have a degree from the most prestigious school you can get into to.

[OneFinger]

I completely agree with the other posters that a "name brand" law school is best IF you plan to work in a prestigious law firm or a Fortune 500 company. Otherwise, I think the schools you mentioned could provide an adequate education.

 

But, I would really recommend going somewhere that you feel comfortable. I spent 10 years living in a state that I really didn't like. (I took the job because of the money and opportunity.) I was miserable and it reflected in the quality of my work!! I quit that job and moved back where I really wanted to be. I'm much happier and content.

 

In short, I think you'll learn more and have more fun in a location where you want to be -- not where you think you should be. Plus, with your grades you could be "top dog" at a non-Ivy League school. At other places, you'll be just another body they're trying to weed out.

 

I'd rather be "top dog" at a lesser-known school than one of the masses at an Ivy League school.

[Guest DCeBOY]

yale is the top-ranked law school in the country.

people are saying to me that if i can get in, when so many people haven't a shot at it, i should go.

i guess it is the same thing that had me choose USC over Yale & Stanford for undergrad. (mind you, i transferred several times.)

[Guest DCeBOY]

not to shock you all, but...

 

traveller, any thoughts?

[Guest DCeBOY]

diplomacy.

stop laughing you queens! i'm not abrasive ALL the time!

 

but, there are many options other than just C Street (dept of state).

[Guest bottomboykk]

It's a difficult question, Ethan. If I were in your situation, I know I'd struggle with the decision. There's a part of me that always wants to go where my heart leads, where I'd be happiest; but as a member of a family of lawyers, I recognize that if you want to get in the most prestigious law firms or other top jobs in the legal profession, the school you attended is crucial to getting the job. I think it's a wrong-headed approach, but many law firms won't even look at you if you didn't go to one of a select few schools. That said, if you had a desire to move to Louisiana, for example, attending Tulane might not hurt you; but if you want to return to DC, I'm guessing most of the big firms probably wouldn't consider you, unfortunately.

[marc anthony]

If diplomacy is what you want, then you should go Ivy, Georgetown, or George Washington, IMHO.

[Guest Chazzz69]

> i'm not abrasive ALL the time!

>

 

As one who had similar career aspirations I know what you are going through. Our grades are similar and I did very well on the LSAT. Ultimately I chose not go to law school.

 

This was based on some very good advice from a senior partner in a firm I did paralegal work. I moved to DC, worked in a boutique firm and decided I really was not cut out for the profession. Its dull, boring, mundane work for the most part. The parental units were not happy at the time (dad's a lawyer) but they now have no issues since they know I am very pleased with my career now. Almost 13 years later I am still in DC.

 

Yes the money is good, but don't think you are going to be some hotshot trial lawyer right off the bat, even from a top tier school. Dues, you gotta pay 'em and you better be ready to make big sacrifices in your personal life. The legal profession has one of the highest rates of dissatisfaction of all the major professions. That includes medicine, accounting, engineering, and finance.

 

Also, consider if you want to work in a major firm in DC, NYC, LA or what? DC is intoxicating in its respect for the legal profession. Afterall, the U.S. government generates more billable hours for more lawyers than you can imagine.

 

I wound up going the nonprofit route. I chose a career that was very positive and satisfying for me - the environment. I don't make anywhere near the amount of $$$$ of my lawyer friends but I am home on weekends, don't have to worry about making partner (up or out as they say) and don't care about billable hours.

 

But if you really want to be a lawyer, go for it. If you can get into Yale, TAKE IT. However, Tulane is a very good school and you will get expsoure to the Louisiana Civil Code. (My home state.) Just don't expect to be partying on Bourbon Street every weekend. Move a cot into the law library, you will spend a lot of time there.

 

Good Luck

[Guest regulation]

I agree with Chazzz. If you aren't willing to spend years doing grunt work for people who will treat you with little respect, take all the credit for whatever you do right, and excoriate you for whatever you do wrong, and if you aren't capable of being pleasant and agreeable to them while they're treating you this way, you should forget about working in the highest echelon of the legal profession. Those are the minimum requirements.

 

For some reason, I don't know exactly why, I have trouble believing that you are capable of putting up with that existence for seven or eight years. Or for seven or eight months. If you're not aiming for the highest echelon of the profession, there is no particular reason to go to Yale or one of the other top schools.

 

Another issue is your work as a prostitute. If you get a job with a top firm and they find out what you've being doing you will be out on the street so fast it will make your head spin, and you won't have an action against them for wrongful termination either. That's an issue you should also consider if you are thinking of a career with any government agency that requires a security clearance and background check (which may include a polygraph test). That sort of thing is becoming more and more common since 9/11.

[Guest XratXpoisonX]

....perhaps, perhaps not, since I personally don't have any first hand information. However, no matter which law school you do attend, I'm sure on "show and tell day" (or perhaps even in your admittance interview) you'll be quite the hit with your retelling of your life as a male4male prostitute.

 

xratxpoisonx

[OneFinger]

>...if you are thinking of a career with any government agency that requires a security clearance and background check (which may include a polygraph test).

 

This is a critical point. It's not just government agencies but also government contractors. You wouldn't believe the hoops you have to jump through to get a security clearance. There's no doubt in my mind that they found out my shoe size AND cock size while getting my clearance. There is no such thing as privacy.

 

Believe me, they'll find out you worked for pay.

[Guest DCeBOY]

i'm at GW now... don't want to stay for law school. g-town just funnels you right into the state dept, which isn't necessarily what i want to do. i might give more thought to the top schools, but the thought of living in boston or new haven (no offense--i hate the cold) is gross to me.

[Guest DCeBOY]

you're an ass.

[Guest DCeBOY]

>For some reason, I don't know exactly why, I have trouble

>believing that you are capable of putting up with that

>existence for seven or eight years.

 

whoa!

 

>Another issue is your work as a prostitute. If you get a

>job with a top firm and they find out what you've being

>doing you will be out on the street so fast it will make

>your head spin, and you won't have an action against them

>for wrongful termination either.

 

when have i ever accepted money for sex?

EVERYTHING (cell phone, website, bank account, etc) connected with ESCORTING (which is perfectly legal) is in the name of my ex. my face is nowhere to be found on the net. i've talked with several people (from the NSA to K street firms) and they say my level of exposure is safe.

 

 

>That's an issue you should

>also consider if you are thinking of a career with any

>government agency that requires a security clearance and

>background check (which may include a polygraph test). That

>sort of thing is becoming more and more common since 9/11.

 

i've already weighed that into the equation.

[Guest DCeBOY]

:-) a 178 isn't mediochre anywhere :-)

[Guest DCeBOY]

thanks for the post chaz.

 

>Yes the money is good, but don't think you are going to be

>some hotshot trial lawyer right off the bat, even from a top

>tier school.

 

i have no desire to ever litigate anything.

international law is my focus.

 

 

>Dues, you gotta pay 'em and you better be

>ready to make big sacrifices in your personal life.

 

yes, but the JD also pays some dues. the MPA pays others. i don't want to just go to the state dept & process visa apps in guinea. the JD opens doors other than at state, and the MPA ratchets me up a bracket. i've decided on law school. the real issue here is whether i should go where i want, or i should go to yale because it is the best.

 

>Good Luck

 

thank you :-)

[Guest DCeBOY]

>Believe me, they'll find out you worked for pay.

 

 

you're more than entitled to your opinion. i've talked to judges, folks who DO the vetting, a "friend" at the NSA, etc, etc... at my level, i'm safe enough.

 

thanks for your concern, BUT, the goal here wasn't for you all to try to shit on me & the choices i've made, but to get some feedback on a FUTURE (well, present) choice.

 

law school is a go. my career plans are a go.

lol... i'm just figuring out WHERE to go! :-)

[Guest RushNY]

Well my 0.2 cents worth is to go to Yale end of story ,if its the best school in the country for the degree you are looking for then i'm sure you can put up with the cold for 4 years(i think thats a pretty feeble excuse anyway)its like you're looking for excuses not to go plus it aint that far from DC already.

You are obviously a very intelligent person so why throw away this,possibly the most important decision you will make,have you decided what your chosen career will be if so and i think you have,then get the best qualification from the best college you possibly can so you will be at the top of the list when it comes to getting a good job or more importantly the job YOU want to do.

I can imagine in law that where you graduated from can be a pretty big deal so why give other people the satisfacion of looking down on you because you went to a college that is considered not good enough even though some of those people probably aint fit enough to shine your shoes.

Take Yale invest in some thermal clothing for the winters and if you wanna party New York isnt that far away ,anyway good luck making your choice.

[Guest DCeBOY]

>Now, when it comes to that security clearance, obviously you

>leave off the part time career as a "manwhore". But if they

>find out, and they can, don't lie about it. A buddy (he

>works for a security agency) of mine says its the lie that

>gets 'em every time. If they ask you better tell (pun

>intended) however, if they don't you certainly don't

>volunteer either.

 

that's very true. THIS happens to be below the radar of the things for which they check. if i'm asked, i'll be honest, as with everything else. the point is, they don't WANT to know about this. they won't ask.

 

>But if you go to DOS (Department of State for those outside

>the Beltway) there are so many closet cases there you should

>not have to worry. Foggy Bottom has always had that

>reputation and its rather funny to me. (If your dick is a

>big as the photo indicates you should have no problem moving

>up DOS. }>

 

state is notoriously liberal.

 

>Recently George W. Bush appointed an ambassdor to Romania

>who is gay. At least I think it was Romania, I can't

>remember for sure. Colin Powell has been very open in

>acknowledging gay partners of DOS employees.

 

i don't care for powell AT ALL, but i do have to give him credit: he has been very pro-active, as you indicated.

 

>One thing to watch out for at DOS, OAS, and a few of the

>other international organizations is snobbery. I am sure

>you may be aware of this. But a good deal of the first rate

>assignments go to people who have family connections.

 

you don't know my background. the fact is, i'm not worried about that. my family may have decided to cut me off, take away the TF, and not speak to me, but i do have the benefit of my last name. folks may know my parents, but a schism in the family isn't going to be a hindrance. your comment is valid & accurate though. it is something to consider, and i have.

 

>Just be prepared for that first assignment to be in some

>hell hole like Sierra Leone.

 

i'm not interested in equatorial africa.

 

>If you go the law firm route, be prepared to get married. To

>a female.

 

you're good! actually, i'm considering something now. i'll be doing it to help a friend (the cousin of a friend in fact), but it could have an added benefit or two for me.

 

 

>Just a few thoughts, hope they help.

 

it is pretty sweet that you're taking the time to think about these things. :-)

[Guest DCeBOY]

nice try, but...

 

i have only seen one client EVER with "scott" and i assure you i didn't tell the person that he had a hot ass.

outside of that one appointment, scott and i had sex with only ONE other person together. unless you're a belgian citizen & my friend, that person wasn't you.

here's what REALLY happened: you & i had a fight online, but you never met me.

 

oh, i've walked past the corner pocket. i've even been inside (with a friend of mine who is a bartender at a bourbon street bar) one night/early morning when it was DEAD. i've never participated in any sort of sexual activity there. i've never had any sexual contact in the vicinity.

 

nice try, but i find it pathetic that you're STILL so obsessed with me. wasn't what you did to scott (because you didn't like me) enough?

[Guest Chazzz69]

>you're an ass.

 

Ah, you will make a good lawyer no doubt.}>

 

If you want an internatial law career pick the best school in that field. If its Yale, go. If its Tulane, go. Your mind is made up that you want the JD, great - half the battle is over with.

 

But still even with all the degrees you will be doing grunt work for the first two years after school. Its part of the weeding out process. My firm dumped more crap on first and second year associates than they could handle. The best part of my job as a paralegal was looking at the stunned expressions on first years after two weeks on the job. And boy were they pissed when the partners asked for my thoughts during a case review.

 

At the end of the second year if they made the cut they had four years to prove what they could produce. Partner track. It made their first two years look like a cakewalk.

 

If you go the government route it will be less intense but somewhat the same. Its a great way to cut one's teeth before moving to private practice.

 

Now I disagree in part about the escorting being an issue. More than likely you will get the security clearance. There are boat loads of lawyers who paid for their schooling by escorting. My advice would be to retire at least by your third year in school. That way you put some distance between you and the past life when you start your job search.

 

Again, good luck.

 

Chazzz

[+ deej]

<<Another issue is your work as a prostitute. >>

 

This hasn't been an issue for Sonny Markham, and he was a heck of a lot more visible "in the business" than Ethan with all the porn videos he made.