So I'm a psych major about to graduate and I can't decide between law school or grad school. Anyone with experience in either one have some pros or cons to give me?
grad school or law school, that is the question
- Thread starter megwen23
- Start date
i'm guessing you'd do psych in grad school...
it's really hard to give advice on this sort of thing... you just have to look at your options after either one and see what you like better. can't really give pros and cons without knowing more, for example, what schools you're looking at for either one
it's really hard to give advice on this sort of thing... you just have to look at your options after either one and see what you like better. can't really give pros and cons without knowing more, for example, what schools you're looking at for either one
if u are really considering law school, please spend 2 days at a school of you choice and sit in the classes and talk to the students
you could say that about grad school as well... but plenty of people go without solid reasons and end up fine... depends on the person
That and actually go to a law office and find out what they do. About half of the attorneys out there don't like their jobs. Law school vs. practicing law is very different.
Don Vito Corleone
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- Feb 10, 2000
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Law is a really tough profession. There's a reason depression and alcoholism are so common among lawyers. If you're considering law school I'd urge you to consult with an occupational counselor and take some tests first, because the law is tough and law school is even worse. I have been out of law school for 8 years and don't know many lawyers who like it.
As others have said, neither law school nor graduate school is something to be taken lightly. Both involve serious investments of time and money, and require a decent amount of dedication to complete successfully (for the most part).
I'd recommend either interning in a law office or working as a research assistant in a Psychology lab to determine if either one seems like a good fit with your interests.
I'd recommend either interning in a law office or working as a research assistant in a Psychology lab to determine if either one seems like a good fit with your interests.
If you are going to grad school, would you be getting an MS or a PhD? You can take the MS lightly with the exam option; the thesis option is heavier. The PhD must be taken very, very seriously.
DainBramaged
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Babbles
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- Jan 4, 2001
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At one point I too thought about either law school or graduate school. I took the LSAT, did okay (above average but not uber-cool totally awesome) but after talking with my step-brother who graduated from a first tier law school I realized that as much as I liked that sort of logic in practice I didn't think I would like to do it for a career.
Personally I decided on applying to graduate school because I felt that is much closer to what I really want to do, so I took the general GRE about 9 months ago and I am scheduled to take the biology subject one this Saturday (yuck). So I'll see how that goes.
So, if you are anything at all like me I think you really need to talk to people who are in those professions (as in real life, not on the forums) and figure out what you really want. For me that was the hard part: finding out what I really wanted as opposed to what I thought I wanted.
Personally I decided on applying to graduate school because I felt that is much closer to what I really want to do, so I took the general GRE about 9 months ago and I am scheduled to take the biology subject one this Saturday (yuck). So I'll see how that goes.
So, if you are anything at all like me I think you really need to talk to people who are in those professions (as in real life, not on the forums) and figure out what you really want. For me that was the hard part: finding out what I really wanted as opposed to what I thought I wanted.
I'm sure it is a very rigorous workload, quite stressful and difficult, but is it REALLY as hard as ppl claim it to be (I work full time as a store manager plus go to school full time in the honors program and keep a good GPA plus live w/ my fiance so have a lot of home responsibilities also-just to give you some background of what I can handle since I know difficulty is relative).
I'm currently enrolled in a clinical psychology doctoral program. Yes, it really is that hard. Feel free to PM/ask via the thread if you have any questions.
For a doctoral program, no, assuming you're on an assistantship or fellowship, you aren't allowed to work at all. However, you do receive aid that usually comes in the form of a tuition waiver and monthly stipend. This varies from program to program, though.
The clinical programs tend to run five years in length, with many people taking six so as to finish their dissertation.
Edit: I should preface the first statement by saying that it applies only to Ph.D. programs. Psy.D. programs are different, as they generally don't offer financial aid.
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