Guest three3 Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 http://abcnews.go.com/Business/unemploy ... d=11937494 Boston College law student unhappy with his job prospects has made the prestigious university an offer: return his money and he'll forfeit his degree. The proposition was made in an open letter written by the student anonymously, identified only as a third-year law school student, and posted last week on the law school's independent student-run website, Eagleionline. The letter, addressed to the school's Interim Dean George Brown, explains how the student is unable to support his wife and the baby they're expecting and is in "an enormous amount of debt" from his time at Boston College. "With fatherhood impending, I go to bed every night terrified of the thought of trying to provide for my child AND paying off my J.D, and resentful at the thought that I was convinced to go to law school by empty promises of a fulfilling and remunerative career," the student, who says he's set to graduate in 2011, writes. In the letter the student criticizes the university's career services department saying that he and his peers have received "little help" to cope with their "financial disasters." One year at Boston College Law School, including tuition and housing, costs about $60,000, according to the school's website. "I'd like to propose a solution to this problem: I am willing to leave law school, without a degree, at the end of this semester," writes the student. "In return, I would like a full refund of the tuition I've paid over the last two and a half years." Repeated requests by ABC News to interview the student were declined. Brown was also not made available for an interview, but a spokesman for the law school issued a written statement. "As a Jesuit law school, we are deeply concerned about the job prospects and general well-being of our students and our recent graduates," said Nate Kenyon, the director of communications at Boston College. "The job market in the legal profession and beyond has been severely affected by the current economic downturn, which has resulted in one of the most difficult employment climates in the past 70 years, not only for BC Law, but for all schools across the nation." The most recent Labor Department statistics show the unemployment rate in the United States at 9.6 percent. The jobless rate has now topped 9.5 percent for 14 straight months, the longest stretch since the 1930s. The unemployment problem, though, is not something a college education can promise to overcome, wrote Kenyon. "But no institution of higher education can make a guarantee of a job after graduation," said Kenyon. "What we can do is provide the best education possible, and work together to provide as many career opportunities as possible." Kenyon also disputes the student's claim that the school's career services are inadequate, writing in the statement that the office is committed to working with each student "for as long as necessary to help them find employment." The letter has garnered a mix of responses online, where comments have ranged from supportive to mean. Some argue that the student should not have lived outside his means while other say he is right, and the job market for lawyers is "saturated beyond belief." Others are less kind, writing, "WOW. I feel sorry for your wife, as come April she will have two crying babies in her house." The student also uses the letter to explain to the university's adminstration why refunding his tuition would actually benefit the law school as well, writing, "On the one hand, I will be free to return to the teaching career I left to come here. I'll be able to provide for my family without the crushing weight of my law school loans." "On the other hand, this will help BC Law go up in the rankings, since you will not have to report my unemployment at graduation to US News," he wrote. U.S. News and World Report releases rankings of universities and also data on the debt students have acquired by the time they graduate. According to the report, the average indebtedness of 2009 graduates from Boston College was $96,806, with 83 percent of the graduating class in debt. The student suggests in his letter that if his tuition is returned the institution will get "better US News rankings" that will help the school "far more than having yet another disgruntled and unemployed alumnus." It is not yet known whether the university is willing to compromise with the student on any of his requests, but in a section on the school's website addressing tuition refunds, the policy reads, "No tuition will be refunded after the fifth week of classes." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOBILLS78 Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Umm... don't go to a private school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Umm... don't go to a private school? And here I thought people went to school not to get a job, bu to learn... BC taught him, he learned stuff, why doesn't he think he should pay for that? I'm in grad school myself (at a private school), but I'm not going for a job - I'm going to learn stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 And here I thought people went to school not to get a job, bu to learn... BC taught him, he learned stuff, why doesn't he think he should pay for that? I'm in grad school myself (at a private school), but I'm not going for a job - I'm going to learn stuff. Bingo! He didn't go to a vocational school. He went to a University. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew in CA Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 (edited) Bingo! He didn't go to a vocational school. He went to a University. Well, he's at law school, so the point of going is to be employed as a lawyer at the end (for the most part). People don't go just to go, or as a stepping stone to further academic development. That being said, I feel zero sympathy for this guy. I'm sure there's far more to this story than the school failing to find him a job. Edited October 23, 2010 by Andrew in LA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Bingo! He didn't go to a vocational school. He went to a University. So what you're saying is he spent money going to the world of how things should work instead of going to the school of how things actually work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Well, he's at law school, so the point of going is to be employed as a lawyer at the end (for the most part). People don't go just to go, or as a stepping stone to further academic development. That being said, I feel zero sympathy for this guy. I'm sure there's far more to this story than the school failing to find him a job. I see your point, but still you go to law school to learn the law. I know several people who graduated from law school and do not practice law. Two of them never intended to do so. I almost went that route myself. The point being, you go to school to learn, not train for a specific job. I think this guys mentality is the biggest reason he is still unemployed. He seems like a mook. Who wants to hire a mook? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Well, he's at law school, so the point of going is to be employed as a lawyer at the end (for the most part). People don't go just to go, or as a stepping stone to further academic development. That being said, I feel zero sympathy for this guy. I'm sure there's far more to this story than the school failing to find him a job. Actually, a lot of people go to law school with no intentions of practicing law. One of my coworkers works in BC/DR (business continuity/disaster recovery) and reads a TON of contracts. He's thinking about getting his JD to help him understand the contracts that are presented. My wife's cousin went to law school and didn't want to practice law when she was done either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew in CA Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 I see your point, but still you go to law school to learn the law. I know several people who graduated from law school and do not practice law. Two of them never intended to do so. I almost went that route myself. The point being, you go to school to learn, not train for a specific job. I think this guys mentality is the biggest reason he is still unemployed. He seems like a mook. Who wants to hire a mook? I agree, the guy seems like a mook and someone who wanted a specific job and now is crying because it wasn't just handed to him at the end. It's not Step 1: Law school; Step 2: ???; Step 3: Profit!; like a lot of people in law school think. Actually, a lot of people go to law school with no intentions of practicing law. One of my coworkers works in BC/DR (business continuity/disaster recovery) and reads a TON of contracts. He's thinking about getting his JD to help him understand the contracts that are presented. My wife's cousin went to law school and didn't want to practice law when she was done either. Not that many people in law school don't want to practice law. Those people exist, but they are few and far between. People go to law school to get a job, or to further their career prospects, like in your co-worker's case, because getting a JD will advance a career they already have. Again, all that being said, this guy is a giant crybaby who really should have thought dropping nearly $200K on 3 years of school with a family to support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Go to law school just so you can say you did? I didn't realize so many Kennedy's posted here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Go to law school just so you can say you did? I didn't realize so many Kennedy's posted here. Not "just to say you did." Like I said, my coworker is thinking about it because he reads contracts all day and it'd be a helpful skill to have. I have no idea why my wife's cousin didn't.... Wasn't ready to enter the "real world" yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 I am sorry for wasting a post in this thread, but I just wanted to let everyone know... When I grow up, I'm going to Bovine University! Many schools are now using their ability to find grads a job as a means of drawing more students. The student has a point, but that is only it, a point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 (edited) When I grow up, I'm going to Bovine University! I bet you think it's unpossible for you to fail english. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iSD9lPVY6Q Edited October 23, 2010 by Just Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 (edited) I bet you think it's unpossible for you to fail english. torcher? Edited October 23, 2010 by jboyst62 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 torcher? See, the thing is, when you wrote that the other day, I did find a definition for torcher online...... http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Torcher Torcher Torch"er\, n. One who gives light with a torch, or as if with a torch. [Obs.] --Shak. So I wasn't sure what you were trying to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Go to law school just so you can say you did? I didn't realize so many Kennedy's posted here. Or clones of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Or clones of me. This comes immediately to mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak8suW-JBzE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 See, the thing is, when you wrote that the other day, I did find a definition for torcher online...... http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Torcher Torcher Torch"er\, n. One who gives light with a torch, or as if with a torch. [Obs.] --Shak. So I wasn't sure what you were trying to say. If I say I was speaking of this, well, I could probably guess most of my generation is not aware of tochers? I do not know anyone who still uses a torch in this country, I guess maybe the elders are right, my generation just doesn't know squat. I still feel like an idiot for putting that...twice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 If I say I was speaking of this, well, I could probably guess most of my generation is not aware of tochers? I do not know anyone who still uses a torch in this country, I guess maybe the elders are right, my generation just doesn't know squat. I still feel like an idiot for putting that...twice. They have a important role in law enforcement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Or clones of me. That topic has already been discussed, Mr DC conner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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