Hi everyone! I graduated in June and have been struggling to land a full-time job (I've continued volunteering with some non-profits I worked with during undergrad, about 15 hours per week). I finally landed somewhat of a position: a part-time legal internship with a firm from January through June, with the potential to transition into an actual job (in case I don't apply to law school this year and wait until the fall, waiting to see what my November score will be before deciding).
Does a part-time internship + volunteering look bad for a gap year (aiming for T-20's)? There's also the downside of not starting until January and having a 6-month gap (although I don't think I'll land another role and start in the next two months), however, can I still add it to my resume if applying in December and put the title, firm, and expected start date? Any thoughts would be highly appreciated, thank you!
2 comments
Congrats on the internship offer! That's great to hear!
Regarding your question about if an internship+vol looks bad, I have a few thoughts for you:
Is it as good as a full time job? Unfortunately not. However, you're clearly keeping yourself busy and this is a pretty normal thing to see someone do after they graduate and during their application period.
Even if I told you "you're toast!" (which you are NOT, by the way!), what would you do about it? You can't go back in time to change your job search. You're not going to go work for three years to boost your resume. You're going to - hopefully! - apply to law school after you get your November score. So it's alright! You're doing the best with the hand you've been dealt! Keep your chin up!
And back to the first bullet point, it really sounds like you've been staying busy. That's honestly the key things for admissions officers to see. If you've been using your time productively with part time work, volunteer engagement, LSAT prep, etc., you're fine! It's not as good as a full time job but it's also not a negative.
With the resume, you're welcome to put your projected start date on there. That's totally fine! Alternatively, you could put a note on the addenda section of the app to explain the situation.
@JacobBaska Thank you so much for your help!