I think I made a really dumb decision.
I switched to NALSAR this year from being a second year student in Christ University, Bangalore.
I also took a drop right after class 12th to prepare for entrances. That makes 3 years I might not be able to explain to recruiters in future - Equivalent to taking three drops. Three years of my youth I'll never get back gone, just to be in my dream college.

How badly did I fuck up? I'll graduate at 27 now :[

NLS had people who took 2 drop years as well. They had zero issues, got good jobs, good professional progress as well. See, if you were already in a Tier 2 NLU and did this, then maybe you could consider whether it was worth it. But from Christ to NALSAR, no doubt you made a good choice.

You haven't fucked up, there's no "race" and being some 2-3 years older than your batch isn't a big deal. A lot of people at NALSAR have taken a 1 or 2 year drop, and people across colleges are losing years by deferring because of the pandemic. I graduated at 26 and work at a tier one corp firm, and know several other people from nalsar who graduated at 25 who've also managed perfectly well without any issues caused by this delay. Recruiters won't care as long as your grades/CV is good.

I read somewhere that this year, someone made it to NLS in their third attempt. Not saying it's common, but definitely not unheard of. Single droppers are much more common, so you could just think of it as 2 years more than the norm.
If it's any consolation at all, you just might have a headstart at law school, I'm also batch of 2026 NALSAR and I have absolutely 0 idea what to do/what's going on.

Bro, worry not. You made the right decision. You can let the recruiter the same thing that you are telling us. Nobody cares if you are competent and smart. It is more important that you don't let this mess with your head. Use the wisdom that you have because of your age as against your batchmates in your favour. 2/3/4 years don't matter much in the bigger scheme of things. Now that you are at the best of law schools in India, make the most of it. Best of luck.

Hello fellow human! I think I might be the MOST qualified to answer this. Why? Because I dropped three years as well and ended up at NALSAR. Some of my batch mates did a two year drop. Someone was late in nursery admissions and did a drop, making it essentially a 2 years drop. So you did not fuck up!! Just make sure you make the best of the placements that NALSAR allows. After all that is why you did it right?

If I would have just continued in my never heard of law school, I would NEVER have landed a decent job. And look at me now! I landed a big 6 job on the day zero of NALSAR! I feel bad when I say that none of my old law school batch-mates ever even saw the door of a big 6 law firm. But this is the reality. And yes it is harsh.

So what would you rather be 27 and unemployed? Or 27 and living your dream???? Mind you, you will be 27 either ways.

What about the guy who failed in 10th and dropped one year. He is still two years behind! What about the guy who did everything on time but went to a mediocre college. And took three more years to find a decent job? He is also three years behind! So you are neither ahead, nor behind. You are just in your time zone.

You will enjoy your youth in NALSAR while building a great future potential. Just study harder than what I did :P NALSAR will give you a quality education that will change you for life. The soft skills, the great mooting-debating culture, the awesome library and the general exposure to the best law students of India would make you future ready.

Nalsar is a great college, great infra, great life, great everything and a very BIG brand name. I can understand why you did what you did. If it was a master's degree I would have bluntly said yes, but a BA LLB from NALSAR is a dream many wish for and you are living it! Age does not matter. At 27 you WILL be still YOUNG (and earning well in a Big 6 or corporate with a lot of future potential). I am in a big 6 and NLSIU/NALSAR still have that old world charm. NALSAR made my life easier. Even though I was not in the top 30, STILL I got a big 6 law firm offer. In a lower NLU at 40 rank they would not have even probably interviewed me. In my old lawschool, no recruiter even came for placement.

So no matter what ANYONE else says. NO YOU DID NOT MESS UP AND YOU DID NOT TAKE A DUMB DECISION! I almost feel writing to my past self 8 years back. Thanks for this opportunity!

It is what it is. Its over now you can't change anything and you'll be in a better place. Someone in my family started law after doing an undergrad degree and then spending 5 years for upsc. Today he is a senior. These things don't matter. You are now much more mature than a 17/18 year old just out of school. Have fun at law school, recruiters won't care, just get top grades and extracurriculars.

Honestly, 27 years is on a higher side, but I know some grads who opted for 5 year Law School after 3 year grad, and they are doing well. You have an added advantage - 2 years of law school - so destroy your peers - use it to your advantage.

Also, comparatively peeps work for longer in law, so in long term you would do fine.

As for recruiters, ask someone who has been in the same boat - plenty of them!

27 is much older than most of your peers will be. You’re also more mature than they are right now. I’d use that to your advantage. Teenagers who get into nalsar or any other university spend a lot of time doing nonsense, trouble socialising among their peers, trouble knowing what they want/ who they are, relational aggression, toxic romantic relationships, unprofessional behaviour, developing an unhealthy dependency on alcohol, it’s actually exhausting being a young person having freedom for the first time.

You get to be the grown up who has his eye on the ball. Your brain is more developed. And you know from being at Christ that college is what you make of it.

Hate to put a dampener on things but that poster above who went on and on about how nalsar is great and dreams and all that seems inebriated to me. The experience for most idealistic young law students is one of disappointment in your first or second year. It’s not like paper chase. It’s not the Harvard of the east. Your library actually lacks resources you will sometimes want, you don’t get trained in research methods early enough, most of your teachers are only okay and some of them will be good. Placement on day zero is a matter of luck if you don’t have a top rank. But on the whole - things are easier for you than they would be if you’d graduated from Christ. Your personal dreams should be more than getting into this college or that or getting this law firm offer or that.

Use the maturity that comes with age to sidestep the law school nonsense, pick activities you like to do- excel at them, study hard- be at the top of your class (there’s no reason not to do it when it’s actually quite easy to do), when you intern set yourself apart as being more responsible. And you’ll be fine.

When you graduate/intern your bosses will be your age- but you should make progress quickly enough that that will go away with time.

I love what 3 said.
It rings true.

Law school is one of the places where you tend to compare yourself with your peers constantly. Put on the blinders and focus on yourself. The only one you are competing with is yourself.

Don't be a rat in a rat race. Try to be happy in your present. You are in a lucky and privileged position. Make the most of it.

I started my law career at the age of 28. Joined a very small law firm, became an SA there. Then shifted to Tier 1 and took a hit of 2 years (I joined as A2). I m doing pretty well now. It was only in the initial few years that I felt bad about. But once the career started picking up momentum, it really didn't matter.

Even if he was around 33-34 when he made SA at T1, he would still be a relatively young person in the larger scheme of things. Most people his age would be PAs and only a minority would be partners. After 35-36, career progrerssion tends to stagnate for a large chunk of people who became A0 at 24.

I'll be fair. I think, if you are aiming at a T1 firm, its much easier slaving away as an associate in your early 20s (and progressing to SA/PA in your late 20s) than in your late 20s, given how Indian society works. In one's late 20s, people usually have additional responsibilities (aging parents, marriage, etc.). Plus as we age, our will and ability to slave away also goes down.
That being said, in the longer run, if you do stick it out, there's no difference at all. I know a few partners at AZB who joined in their late 30s or even chose law as a career in their early 30s. Know similar people at KCo too. But most people in T1 usually work their 20s and then exit to a more comfortable work profile, having saved away big chunks.

Nothing justifies spending 3 years to get into a college. Infact as NEP all NLU's cannot remain a standalone law university and must shift to become an interdisciplinary university in the next 5 years. You might dislike me for saying this Jindal, Symbiosis and Christ and alike are the future. Only in India do we study law in a standalone University the rest of the world studies it as part of a full fledged university. Look at IIT's now they've started offering humanities and economic courses.

nah, this is not the reality. Spending 3 years to get into a college is not big deal, if you got into Tier 1, that is the person in question quite literally did, its the best possible choice for your career. Most resumes dont really care abt the age a person is graduating at. For me, as a tier 1 attendee never did.
Also NLU's have starting opening p varied different courses such as NALSAR opening MBA, IPM etc. and many other Tier 1 to follow in their footsteps.

Stop lashing at the person in question who cracked after all the hardwork and effort. This is something that is to be praised about.

And the person posting the question, you should not be worried about age at all, you are at one of the best possible universities in India, you should focus on making yourself better.

It is not a foolish decision, considering how NALSAR is still worth the charm and one of the top 3 universities for law in India. Graduating from there gives prospects the added advantage in the job market which would effectively equate the 3 year gap.

Also, symbiosis, jindal are the future really? Even if all the top 3 NLUs sunk (improbable, but why not) the next NLUs are still doing very well to displace them. So, when you would like to think that private is the future, nearly, for the next 30 years, this would not be happening. That effectively times out this person's future so.

As one of the youngest in my Nalsar class, I thought I was winning some kind of race but the emotional immaturity is a disadvantage and everyone loses those years at some point in their career - illness, career switches, time off for family, something comes up for each person. Just focus on your present and remember it'll all even out between everyone in the next 20 years and this won't matter at all.

Thanks for this great comment. I suspect it elegantly captures the cacophony inside OP's head, my head on certain days, and similar heads in similar situations.

Now that we're aware what is sounds like, we will just shut it down and relax. We'll lose the 100m to the Usain Bolts but we can still try and be the Eliud Kipchoges of this world.

I keep going back to this Kabir gem on the tough days
धीरे-धीरे रे मना, धीरे सब कुछ होय,
माली सींचे सौ घड़ा, ॠतु आए फल होय।

(Translation here: https://www.boloji.com/doha-details/5/dheere-dheere-re-mana)

Good luck with college, OP. Remember to breathe every once in a while. Five years fly away!