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For those considering going back to school

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by WaylonJennings, Jun 4, 2009.

  1. RickStain

    RickStain Well-Known Member

    Well, the key is that you have to be willing to go to a less prestigious law school than you could otherwise go.

    The thing with the LSAT is this: Either you have a mind for it or you don't. It's well designed to weed out people who have the right type of mind to study law from those who are otherwise smart but just not quite wired the right way. If you can score a 150 without study, that'll get you into a crummy law school with no scholarship, and studying should be able to get you into the low 160s, where you can get slightly better than crummy law school to pay your way.

    Any law school will be thrilled to give a scholarship to a student who has a noticeably higher score than their average. Bringing up the average LSAT admission brings up the prestige of the school, which means they get more applicants and can charge more.
     
  2. Fredrick

    Fredrick Well-Known Member

    Well you know what you are talking about Rick Stain. Thanks for the advice; it'll probably help some people 'cause law is one of those professions that seems to attract reporter/editor types. Some veteran reporters may be too old to be considering this option though. For them maybe teaching?
     
  3. podunk press

    podunk press Active Member

    Master's Degrees aren't just for the privileged. We certainly aren't privileged.

    If you are truly motivated to get one, you can get one. And it's that desire that separates the haves from the have nots.

    My wife is six months away from obtaining hers. We have a mortgage. We're making it work.
     
  4. RickStain

    RickStain Well-Known Member

    The key is to make sure it's a worthwhile one.
     
  5. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    If you want to go back to school, don't let being "too old" stop you.

    I've changed careers several times in my life. I was 36 when I ditched the suit & tie and went to work for a living. It was a risk, but it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

    Here's my thread on it:

    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/70056/

    I learned a trade rather than going back to school. Either way, if your not happy doing what you're doing or if you're in a dead end profession (I've dealt with each) you've got to come up with a strategy to change your situation.
     
  6. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    The only way I could do grad school would be to go on a grad assistantship in sports information. Not sure how that would work time-wise, but plenty of people do it.

    I just can't get myself to take on tens of thousands of dollars of debt for something that may or may not pan out. My brother is six years out of law school and still has close to $100,000 in debt. That changes the whole income aspect of things, when you're committing that kind of resources into paying off debt.
     
  7. Absolutely, positively untrue in every single way.
     
  8. somewriter

    somewriter Member

    Going back to school just to say you're back in school is probably not a viable strategy.

    But as others suggest, if you truly are looking to change careers, you need some credentials beyond your current work experience. Some people have connections, other experience, etc., that smooths that transition. Otherwise, a masters degree is a smart solution.

    Getting a graduate degree to move from journalism to sports information or public relations seems (to me unnecessary. I'm talking about major career changes. You probably will find that your communication skills are far superior to many of your new classmates and that your work experience gives you an unmatched perspective. In other words, you'll have some major advantages. And who cares about age? Seeing college girls every day is nice, even if you are a leering old man.

    Keep in mind that many graduate programs also will allow you to continue working. And in journalism, many of us have such screwy schedules that they actually pair up well with taking classes. You might not have time to sleep, but that's a personal problem.
     
  9. NBAonNBC

    NBAonNBC Member

    Currently getting a Master's in Education. I have some serious concerns about the job market when I'm ready to teach (Fall 2010). But it is the career move I want to make, and the Master's for me was the best way to go about it in the least amount of time.
     
  10. RickStain

    RickStain Well-Known Member

    Respectfully disagree. If you have the right type of mind for it, you can improve your score drastically through study. If you don't, then nothing is going to get you from 125 to 150.
     
  11. Let me reframe/rephrase, Rick.

    I think that most people's score threshold is far, far higher than they imagine. I think one of the biggest miscarriages of undergraduate academic advisors' justice is the fact that so many advisors, it seems to me, tell students that, "You can't study for the LSAT. It's like an IQ test." You absolutely can study for it. The biggest obstacle isn't the logic, it's the reading. You can learn the logic. It tests very specific, very learnable types of logic. Question patterns repeat themselves in test after test after test after test.
     
  12. Jim_Carty

    Jim_Carty Member

    In some ways I think this is a semantical argument and you're both correct. Are there some people who won't ever improve their score, no matter how much they study? Absolutely. But the vast majority of folks, especially folks who can write and handle timed writing (i.e. deadlines) will have an aptitude for the LSAT and an ability to improve their initial evaluation score. And what studies there are show that people who prep typically improve markedly as a group.
     
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