Parents beam with pride and excitement when they discover their children plan to take law school. However, these feelings might be replaced with worry and doubts once they realize their children are still in their 20s and dependent on their parents for financial, moral, and emotional support.
Questions like "Can my kid have what it takes and make it?" or doubts like "Can I support them financially all throughout law school?" can fill parents' minds.
They can have concerns over possible educational debts. According to the Education Data Initiative, 71 percent of students from law school graduate with debt. Parents or students would need an average amount of $118,100 to be able to attend law school or $158,610 if they would want their kids to attend one of the top ten law schools in the United States.
Further, parents might have concerns over their children having difficulty finding a job or a good legal firm after school or having unrealistic expectations of the time and effort a law student requires and the admission process.
How to be supportive?
So what does a parent need to do or prepare if their child wants to take a legal career?
Blind support from parents definitely would not work, US News declared. They should know how to show their support without being misunderstood or misinformed. Here are four tips on how to do just that.
1. Set the right expectation: The law school admissions process differs from the college admissions process.
Law school admissions officers look for particular traits in students. Two of these are their capabilities to communicate well and create a "sound logical argument." In law school admissions, grades and standardized test scores weigh more, and waitlists have a bigger role.
2. Parents need to understand how law school admissions have evolved.
Parents should forget their past impressions about law school admissions and research the updated process. Fortunately, compared to before, there are already a lot of readily available sources for expert advice, which parents can run to for help, such as the hundreds of available Law Admissions Lowdown articles.
Doing their research can help in clearing up past impressions and common misconceptions.
3. Parents need to help their children identify their strengths.
A student's personal statement and optional essay are critical documents in law school application, especially since these papers can tell the admissions officers who the student is beyond their transcript and resume.
"But while college students often have a strong impression of who they are and what they believe in, they may lack the perspective to see what sets them apart," Gabriel Kuris, founder of Top Law Coach, expressed.
Thus, parents need to help their children "brainstorm" essay topics by discussing their kids' achievements and struggles and making their strengths a central part of the essay.
4. Go to experts for help.
It would be easier if parents encouraged their children to reach out to prelaw advisors at their college, even if these advisors are recent graduates. Sit down with the children to discuss LSAT prep options and assist in helping establish a realistic study plan.
If parents see that their children are experiencing stress and uncertainty towards navigating the admissions process, a law school admissions coach can be a good investment. A coach reviewing an optional essay draft or a brief counseling session might save the child from heading in the wrong direction or making a misstep that can be irreversible.
Related article: Raising Children in the US: How Parents Feel About It
