Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In Apply for Membership

Categories

Admissions Question

mjmonte17mjmonte17 Alum Member
in General 757 karma

Hi everyone,

I recently completed my 4 year tour of active duty in the military. I am considering joining the reserves to maintain some of my health care and retirement benefits, while earning a paycheck. If I were to join the reserves it would require a 1 weekend per month and 2 weeks a year work obligation. I am hesitant to do this before I apply to law school. Will admissions counselors look down on my application if they see that I am in the reserves? Joining the reserves means I could be called at any time to service regardless of my school/work obligations. Are law schools willing to work with students in the reserves? I know my prior years of active duty will look great on the resume and personal statement part of my application. Does anyone have any experience or know of someone doing this?

Show Related Discussions

Comments

  • Leah M BLeah M B Alum Member ⭐
    8392 karma

    Hmm, that is such a good question! I don't think I've seen it answered anywhere. If you happen to know what schools you are interested in, it might not hurt to call their admissions departments and see if they have a policy. The only veteran I know for sure around here is @LSATcantwin but he is busy with 1L :) But maybe if he has time and knows, he might pop in.

    If you haven't already, you can also check out the forums at lawschool.life. There are a lot more people there and there's likely a veteran thread you can peruse and ask your question to.

  • LSAT_WreckerLSAT_Wrecker Member ⭐
    4850 karma

    First, thanks for your service. Second, while I cannot address your question specifically, I know that on two different school visits, after finding out that I'm a retired jarhead, that was how I was introduced to everyone, students, staff, professors. Its good because its different and it creates something natural to talk about if the person you are meeting has any connection (I met other vets, children of vets, spouses of vets, etc). The only slight negative is I don't really like being defined as "the retired Marine," but if it helps me get in the door, then I'll take it.

    Bottom line: I have received nothing but positive feedback for my service. As long as you don't do drills during finals, I think you should be good. In my "not-an-admissions-expert" opinion, I can't see a negative to your situation.

  • mjmonte17mjmonte17 Alum Member
    757 karma

    @"Leah M B" Thanks! I will definitely try the lawschool.life forums. I'm far out from the admissions cycle seeing as I plan on doing the September 2019 cycle, but will definitely ask the admissions officers at my choice schools.

  • mjmonte17mjmonte17 Alum Member
    757 karma

    @LSAT_Wrecker Thank you for your service! I understand how it can be annoying to be known as "the retired Marine," but I'm glad to hear you've had positive experiences thus far. I don't think the drills will be an issue since they are on weekends, but time will tell. Good luck in the cycle! Your time in the Marines will definitely cause your application to stand out!

Sign In or Register to comment.