Time off after college?

PezLo0873

Hello!

I have a question for this wonderful community. Does it work against prospective law students to take time off after college?

If I take the LSAT in June 2018 and start in the fall of 2019, I'll have taken 2 years "off." I'm concerned because I worked for an attorney who told me it wasn't good for my application to take time off. He said people who do take time off usually hold prestigious positions, e.g., in politics, before they attend law school and that has helped them get into top schools. I've got a a decent resume and a very high undergrad GPA. But I'm taking time off because I want to do very well on the LSAT. What do you all think?

Alex

Taking time off to get work experience for law school is almost always going to be a plus. Not only for admissions but also for yourself. Often when people take time off they gain different perspectives, find out if law is even for them, and if so, what type(s) of law might be for them. In my 2 years off I've found an interest in the business side of things. I don't think I'd ever have had that discovery if it wasn't for taking some time off.

TexAgAaron

Howdy!

I am in your same spot and have heard from many people from here and other places that this is not the case. The one thing that matters is what you are doing with your time off and how far away from graduation you will be. If you are sitting on your hands and not working or doing something productive, then yes it will hurt you.

I graduated in December 2016. I'm planning to do the same thing as you LSAT and start wise. I work part-time as a waiter while I study. I hope to obtain some law-ish job before law school, but this isn't necessary and is mainly for exposure purposes. While it looks good on a resume, its not the end all be all. If you are looking at HYS, then it may play a bit more like the attorney said but for the rest of the schools you should be ok.

In addition, the farther away from graduation you are, the less weight your GPA will hold and the more your work resume will carry. However, 2 years is not that much and not everyone gets these amazing jobs out of school and admissions knows this. If you were talking 5+ years, then this may come into play. There is no cookie-cutter mold that law schools have.

Just remember that GPA (which you have) and LSAT matter the most, so hustle on that LSAT and you'll be fine. Work resume at the end of the day are still considered softs and don't out weigh GPA and LSAT.

Contextually, when you start law school will it be 2 years? Or is the 2 year mark when you apply?

TheMikey

Taking time off will not hurt you as that attorney claims. 'prestigious positions'? no, you don't have to do anything like that during your time off. Frankly, you can work at McDonalds and schools really won't care.

Work in something you think you would benefit from, whether it be for the experience itself or just short-term money, etc.

tringo335

I really don't see taking time off to study as a bad thing at all. Or to work for that matter.

PezLo0873

Thanks for the responses; interesting insights. @akeegs92 , the two year mark is when I apply. The third year is waiting for school to start.

xtinextine

I agree with the other comments! Last year I told one of my professors (who also taught at a law school) that I was taking time before applying to law school and he was very supportive. Like another comment said, as long as you're doing something productive (working part time or full time, interning, volunteering, etc) law schools don't question it.

Alex

I find that many pre-law advisors and professors are sorely out of touch or ignorant when it comes to law school. I have received some of the worst advice from my undergrad professors, so my advice would be to always check any and all advice you're given with other sources.

Like my pre-law advisor told me sophomore year that I effectively had no chance at Yale or Harvard law schools because they only take students from other ivy league schools.

kjsmith914

It's not a bad idea at all. When it comes time to recruit, law firms aren't going to want kids with no work or life experience; they are going to want people who have grown up a bit, and who know what it is like to be in a professional environment. As @"Alex Divine" said, taking a couple of years off is never a bad thing. I graduated in May 2016 and I haven't thought twice about my time off. I've gotten the opportunity to experience a really interesting field (industrial relations) that has informed what type of area I want to practice in after law school.