Jobless Boston College 3L Asks for a Refund
A Boston College 3L who is saddled with large student debt and bleak job prospects has a proposal for the interim dean: Keep the JD degree and refund my tuition.
In an open letter to interim dean George Brown posted at the blog Eagleionline, the anonymous student writes that his wife is pregnant with their first child, and he finds himself in a “desperate place.”
“With fatherhood impending, I go to bed every night terrified of the thought of trying to provide for my child AND paying off my JD, 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 writes.
The student says he’s not the only one unable to find a job. “The overwhelming majority of us are desperately looking, and unable to find anything,” he says. “We are discouraged, scared, and in many cases, feeling rather hopeless about our chances of ever getting to practice law.”
Above the Law and the Boston Herald have stories on the letter. The Boston Herald spoke with University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds, who said the student wouldn’t win the legal claim for a refund if he filed a lawsuit. But he said the letter “underscores the plight” of a lot of law students who have big loans that can’t be discharged in bankruptcy and poor job prospects.
In a statement issued to the Herald, the law school said it is “deeply concerned” about the job outlook for its students but no institution of higher education can guarantee jobs to its graduates. “What we can do is provide the best education possible, and work together to provide as many career opportunities as possible,” the statement said.
