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What to do during a gap year?

hopefulfuturelawyerhopefulfuturelawyer Alum Member
in General 29 karma

Hi everyone! So I’ve decided to delay going to law school for a year. I’m graduating early and I didn’t feel I had adequate time to study due to summer classes. I took the September test and didn’t get the score I wanted. I’m going to withdraw from the November test, since it’d be a waste since I’m not ready.
I will definitely be studying during my year off, but I know law schools say you should also do something productive during that time off. I currently work in real estate, which is something I will be using for my personal statement but I know a lot of people work as a paralegal during their time off. Should I continue working in real estate or should I try working as a paralegal? I also want to make sure I have time to study so I don’t want to get into something that takes too much of my time. I was also thinking of volunteering with affordable housing programs.

What should I do during my gap year?
  1. Better gap year job?21 votes
    1. Continue working in real estate
      80.95%
    2. Work as a paralegal
      19.05%
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Comments

  • drbrown2drbrown2 Alum Member
    2227 karma

    The LSAT score is way more important to the outcomes of your applications than anything else you can do during the off year. Starting a new job may impact your study schedule. Focus on the test. Working a job of any sort is productive because you are earning income and studying for the LSAT. I don't think schools are as worried about the specifics of your non-LSAT pursuits, and I believe schools are more interested in your reasons for pursuing law and the strength of your written application materials. I think your idea about volunteering could be a great way to use your experience in real estate to get experience in something adjacent to legal work. They don't expect you to have law firm experience before law school, so just make sure you have a good reason to go to law school and you're good.

  • hopefulfuturelawyerhopefulfuturelawyer Alum Member
    29 karma

    @drbrown2 said:
    The LSAT score is way more important to the outcomes of your applications than anything else you can do during the off year. Starting a new job may impact your study schedule. Focus on the test. Working a job of any sort is productive because you are earning income and studying for the LSAT. I don't think schools are as worried about the specifics of your non-LSAT pursuits, and I believe schools are more interested in your reasons for pursuing law and the strength of your written application materials. I think your idea about volunteering could be a great way to use your experience in real estate to get experience in something adjacent to legal work. They don't expect you to have law firm experience before law school, so just make sure you have a good reason to go to law school and you're good.

    Awesome, thank you so much for your thorough response!

  • cooljon525-1-1cooljon525-1-1 Alum Member
    917 karma

    I wouldn't work until you get a good LSAT score. Study hard and hopefully you'll be done by March/June. Then you can work a few months before you do applications

  • ilovethelsatilovethelsat Member
    edited October 2019 348 karma

    I think your priority should definitely be the LSAT. However, I don't think it's wise to spend more than a couple of months JUST studying for the LSAT. Imagine you're at a law school interview and they ask you, "What did you do during your gap year?" No matter what score you end up getting on the LSAT or how high it is, it sounds really bad to respond with, "Oh I was just studying for the LSAT." There are so many applicants who take the LSAT while they're in college or who do both work and study, so it makes you look significantly weaker than them to say that you spent all of this time just studying. In my opinion, you need to figure out a way to prioritize the LSAT, but still have something to say in your application/interview. Volunteering on a part-time basis would be a great idea! I'm assuming you'd choose to volunteer in something you're interested in, so it can be a great mental health booster because it'd be a break from your studies, and you could also talk about how you're passionate about the cause/the impact you've made in your application, on your resume, and in interviews. Continuing in real estate sounds good, but I do think you should try to decrease your hours if you're working 8+ hours every day. That probably can't give you enough time to adequately study for the LSAT. Working part-time would make more sense and the point is that no one is going to focus on the part-time aspect, as long as you have something substantive to convey about your job. From what I've heard, paralegal positions are typically full-time and are quite demanding/exhausting, so I'm not sure how that will fare with your studying. In addition, law schools constantly encounter applicants with paralegal experience, so it won't make you unique in any way. My recommendation is to do something that will make you stand out (and that makes sense with your background/what you've done in the past because that will help you craft your application narrative) but will also allow you to prioritize the LSAT. Hope this helps you

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