Background: I appeared for CLAT 2021 and unarguably messed up. Got a rank that was going to land me either a tier-3 NLU or USLLS/Nirma/NMIMS etc.

Due to financial constraints, I went for USLLS. Also, clearly cannot re-appear for CLAT because of how old I will be by the time I graduate.

I have been reading LI threads for a while now and have felt that there are a few common themes:
1. First Generation Lawyers have it the worst.
2. Tier-3 Law Grads rarely make it.
3. The pay is abysmal outside of Corp Law.
4. Work-life balance is basically thrown out of the window the moment one steps into this profession.

I amateurishly made a critical life decision by blindly believing coaching centres that professed that the only sensible career choice besides STEM is law. Now, I'll be 24 by the time I graduate from a tier-3 (some might even put it under tier-4/5) law school.

I do not like the idea of being just another rat in this country who lives from paycheck to paycheck. At the same time, I do not want to come off as entitled - I just don't want to merely get by while working for 9-10 hours a day. Given the portability of the degree, it is unlikely that I'll ever be able to move to a better country.

I need honest advice. Brutal, if it has to be.

Don't beat yourself down so much. USLLS is a really good school in Delhi - not on par with TOP NLUs, Nonetheless, it is good. Plenty of USLLS graduates are working abroad. Plenty of AORs and a decent number of Partners and Associates at law firms. Grads are even in Academia at foreign law schools. You could be whatever you want. However, it won't be easy.

NMIMS is overrated. Nirma and USLLS are at par, imo. However, Nirma too is declining.

Aur, bhai, flexibility ke liye you can go for MBA later on. If you don't want to do law!

Take a drop or else give CLAT again. I am going to graduate at 26 and I know lot of people in my batch who have taken 2 or 3 years drop. Now I personally don't suggest that but I am going to be frank a good college really makes a difference. I am from T1 NLU and I don't need to worry about placements as my law school takes care of it. Moreover, I see my friends from NLS and I feel envious. They don't worry about the competition, they don't post every miniscule thing in LinkedIn to get connections. They know their law school is more than enough to get them placed, build connections and get them through the worrisome stuff. We like it or not a T1 law school changes the whole perception and though law school is extremely gruelling the assurity that your law school will get you placed or atleast get you an interview makes you worry less.

Best of luck

NLS again has internal competition with rigorous trisemesters and academic curriculum. Same maybe goes for NALSAR. Now you'll see 100s or 1000s of people who don't land a tier 1 job out of college but end up at Tier 1s by the time they're 25-27 after gaining adequate work experience. I am from Nliu and know few people in my batch who will be 24-25 by the time they graduate. I also no my school seniors who graduated from UPES/Nirma and worked at 4-5lpa jobs for 2 years and are now earning on par with T1s. And based on what I've seen I believe law school in India if you're already in a tier 3ish college too, it isn't worth taking multiple drops and graduating a 25 or 26. This is more relevant when you adopt a larger view of how legal professionals work well into their 60s. Therefore I'd suggest OP to not loose hope (maybe write clat if your gut says so) and try to start connecting with your college's alumni (which I know for a fact is well spread at good places). Work your way through and remember 5 years is a massive gigpot of time.

Dekh Bro, if you are hardworking and dedicated then college hardly makes a difference. I come from a jhumri tallaiya law school but I worked hard and got some internships and ended up landing up a job in a T1 law firm all because of my own efforts. It's all about you at the end of the day as to how bad you want to succeed.

If drafting and grammar alone were the prerequisites then English language teachers would be Senior Advocates. It's not drafting but comprehension of the language which is relevant. Additionally, law is a memory game.

The above said, being a good draftsman to start with eases the pain a bit.

If you chose college based on fees, pick up law, work your ass off- get an internship- work your ass off and get a PPO- work your ass off and make money so that you are in a position that your kid can chose the college he/she wants irrespective of the fees. While at it, get your parents a comfortable rest of their life too.

And ditch the avacado on your toast . Amul all the way.

On the contrary, by choosing to study at a Delhi based college, you just opened up yourself to some of the best litigation offices in the country.

You get to visit almost every forum of dispute, from the courts of magistrate to the supreme court at your leisurely time, unlike a law school grad who gets to do so only during his internships.

Intern well, you will end up landing at the same place a law school grad would do.

Most importantly, remember, the law school grads have a fantastic head start and that is all. What happens post five years of graduation is completely in your hands.

Do not get bogged down. Things are good now and will be good also.

Hardwork and hardwork alone can you lead to success !

Good luck, my brother.

Hello OP,
I can understand the disarray you are in because I am at a similar crossroad.
I too gave CLAT 2021, messed up big time and ended up with a rank in proximity to yours only, with similar options. Either NIRMA/IPU/NMIMS or tier 3 NLUs.
Had a short stint with a tier 3 NLU but ended up withdrawing because of exorbitant fee structure and remote location. Instead chose USLLS due to the "delhi factor" and the affordable fee.
Anyways, I can't give you any advice per se, not qualified enough but I believe we can talk about this a bit more, given that our circumstances are so similar and we are essentially batchmates.
You can drop me a mail at iatom018@gmail.com.

Please allow this comment R, thankyou.

Dude, most people are/will be 24 by the time of their law school graduation, in most NLUs.
As someone from the top 3 NLUs, I know of a good number of good performing students/well-established alumni who took a drop year for CLAT.
I also know people who would be 26 by the time they graduate, and that's also perfectly okay so long as you're doing what you want and getting an opportunity to make it big the way you would like to.

That said, your current law school isn't a lost case scenario either, and you very well can make it big from there too, even if it'd be significantly harder than going at it from a top NLU.

Personally, I feel that the most relevant factor to decide on taking the drop should be a well-informed reflection of how well you believe you are likely to perform in the next CLAT if you were to take a drop. In any case, that enquiry should not be a closed door for you, yet, even as you must remember that it's not a lost case in any of the circumstances for you.

Let me tell you something straight from the leaflet of USLLS handbook of success. Just join the Internship & Placement cell and siphon off a few good internships for yourself early into your law school. You'll easily land yourself a PPO or an assessment internship by the time you're in 5th year.
On a serious note, the cell has increased its transperency now and all the internship and Placement updates (considering there are any) are posted straight on the website along with a proper communication for acceptance or rejection, which wasn't the case earlier and we seldom knew what was happening behind the closed doors of the cell.
The problem with USLLS is that despite its fair share of successful alumni's with an ever growing presence in the corporate field too, the pass outs want nothing to do with the college. And the main reason for that it almost all of them have had run ins with the administration, professors or cell at one point of their law school and many even feel cheated by the college.
I wouldn't advice you to drop out tho. A lot of people don't start off with teir 3 law firms even and make it to good law firms by the time they are 25-26 years old. USLLS has a strong mooting culture too, make use of it. Get yourself published in a good journal. Find yourself good internships with an ever so increasing reach and transperancy of i&p cell. Get personally in touch with your alumni's , feel free to take their guidance.
All the best

I don't understand why do people consider 24 old for completing graduation, firstly almost all professional degrees like MBBS require 5 years and 3 years more for MD so a person joining college in 18 years would be 27 by the time they graduate, even a BA honours student would do MA which is two years and later B Ed another 2 years, thats a total of 7 years, so 24 is a good age to graduate my dude, the only people whom you can legitimately be jealous of regarding earlier age are the people who crack upsc at the age of 21 years, (thats it) there is no other profession.