I took a gap to boost my LSAT score and apply to schools, but I’m having trouble finding work. Will this make my applications ultimately useless? Any advice?
2
I took a gap to boost my LSAT score and apply to schools, but I’m having trouble finding work. Will this make my applications ultimately useless? Any advice?
3 comments
First things first - don't beat yourself up and I hope you can keep your chin up. Better days will be out there!
Second things second - while it would be better to see you in fulltime employment, this really isn't the end of the world. Admissions officers are used to seeing applicants do all sorts of things in a year or two before law school. Some work, some are doing fulltime service, some are taking care of health or family matters, some are doing personal matters (like travel), etc. It's ok.
What may help you both in terms of your resume and in terms of your own mental health is to get involved in some volunteer service somewhere. Just getting out of the house, helping out in your community, that'll help you get your mind off of things and will help get your energized for your apps and your job search. And regarding the job search, it's ok if you end up just having a regular job just to earn some money and save up a bit before law school.
Fingers crossed for you!
I'm in a really similar situation, it's been really hard to find work without a connection. I've applied to hundreds in the past few years and had no luck. That being said, law schools typically look positively on retail/service industry jobs. If you feel compelled to do something related to law, ask around your neighborhood like at boutique law firms, non-profit orgs, county courts, etc. It helps to have even a volunteer position to round out your resume, and it may give you the experience you need to apply to jobs.
I’m on the same boat! Applied to dozens of jobs and didn’t get a response until I started cold emailing different firms to see if they could offer any internship, legal assistant positions, etc. and finally got a response. It’s something worth a try, just expressed my interest and attached a resume. Best of luck to you!