Gap year(s) before law school?

ilovethelsat

Hi guys,

So this has been an ongoing conversation I've been having with family, mentors, professors, experts, etc. I just graduated from college and am starting work in a couple of months. After many discussions about whether to go straight to law school or take a gap year, I decided to take a gap year and work for a year before going to law school.
However, now I'm also thinking about whether 2 years is better than one. I've gone to many top law school visits at my college and spoken to the admissions deans and it seems that all of them encourage students to wait as long as they can before starting law school in order to gain work and life experience. I know this is a very subjective and personal decision, but I want to be as prepared for law school as possible and I'm not sure if taking one more year is worth it - will the benefits from the work and life experience I gain outweigh the costs of losing a whole year? I just don't know.

Would love to hear any thoughts on this! Happy to provide more specific information about my background or anything else, if needed. Thanks!

Possible_byfaith

Hey,

I'm actually in a very similar situation! I graduated last Spring (2018) and have been working for almost a year now. In the Fall I start a Masters program in England then hope to matriculate to law school shortly thereafter --- that would make it two years out of college before law school.

I would definitely encourage you to take at least one year off. I've found that in this one year, I've learned more about myself than in alll my years in college. This year off, away from the constant pull of seminars, studying, extracurricular activities, etc, has given me a lot of time for personal reflection and I imagine that my masters program will challenge me and enable other types of growth -- social, emotional, mental -- and of course academic.

If I hadn't taken time off, I know I would have entered law school without full understanding of who I am and that may not have served me well.

Just my $0.02.

cooljon525-1-1

I guess it depends on the person. A lot of my professors in school advised me to get my CPA, work for a few years then go to law school. I know however, that if I take a few gap years out of college, I don't think I would ever go to law school. I can't imagine working then having to go back to school. I'm sure colleges prefer you to have years of work experience so it would look better on your application.

Selene Steelman

There are some schools that value some work experience (like Northwestern) while others don't have a preference. If you look at the JD class profile of law schools, you can see what the average age is of the incoming class. If you take a few years to show a demonstrated interest in law by working with lawyers, around lawyers, or dealing with legal issues, it could have a very positive effect on your eventual law school application. You may be able to write about your interest in law with more knowledge and maturity if you have had some time to immerse yourself in a legal environment. Likewise, if you took the time to pursue another line of work, even if it is not legal, your world view will be different. This maturity may be conveyed in the written portions of the application and help distinguish your file from others in the pool. In terms of what you should do during your time off, I think what you learn about yourself and the skills you develop are more important than the actual job itself. Good luck!