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Related Discussions
Teach for America
Harrison_Pav
Alum Member
I was curious if any one here knew anything about what Teach for America could do for a law school applicant? I want to practice law that involves children's rights, specifically be an attorney ad litem, so I think working with the children that Teach for America reaches would be great for my career as a lawyer. However, I was more curious what it could do for an application.
Comments
It would be a pretty decent soft. TFA isn't super uncommon so it won't give you a crazy boost, but many alum from the program go on to do great things. If you're interested in working with children, I think it's a great opportunity period.
At the very least, it'll get you fee waivers at almost all the T-14 schools - so that could easily save you thousands of dollars come application time. There are also TFA/Americorps/Peacecorps/Military service specific scholarships that you'd be eligible for at many of the T-14.
@dantlee14 I saw that for a lot of top law schools they have some benefits, so that was cool and reassuring to see. I'm limited to only Texas schools because of what my financial aid will pay for, but maybe the benefits they have also extend into the admissions process.
@"Alex Divine" I guess my next hesitation is how this would affect my undergrad letters of rec? Do you think after doing TFA I should still use mostly my undergrad profs for letters of recs, or use more employer's letter of rec?
@Harrison_Pav
You're supposed to use LOR from people familiar with your academic performance. Assuming you're not the student in this TFA setup, I'd go with the undergrad LOR.
Fair enough
Have you thought about what it would actually be like to be a teacher? Teach for America is definitely not something to do off the cuff, if you haven't seriously considered what you would be signing up for. If you haven't worked with kids, or this population, or aren't sure if you would enjoy teaching, I would recommend starting by doing something smaller, but involving the population you reference. You could volunteer at a Boys and Girls club or something similar to get a feel for if it is for you. My main point is that I don't think it's a good idea to do TFA just for an application booster, because it is a huge challenge and something to definitely be sure of. Just my two cents!
Yeah, this is actually super important. A lot of my friends had awful TFA experiences after college, and they were really committed to teaching and helping underserved communities going in.
RT!!^
So true--It's not a matter of commitment.
@sophie74 I've given thought to being a teacher. But I do concede that point! going in with the sole intentions to boost my law school admissions would not only be selfish but also a disservices to these kids. I was involved in an organization in college (Younglife) where a college student was placed at a high school and would form relationships with kids and basically be a mentor. I did it at an incredibly low income school and dealt with a lot of kids who had experienced lots of adversity. I also work at a church as a youth pastor, so I have had some experiences with mentoring and teaching kids, but I would imagine TFA being a whole different task all together.
No, you'll still want to secure LORs from your undergrad profs. Those will be much more preferred.
@Harrison_Pav It sounds like you have some great experience working with kids, so why not build on that/do more of that/continue to do those things that interest you? I don't think you need TFA to boost your application, especially given the myriad other ways that you can reach that population. Also, the fact that you do/have done those things show your interest and commitment to the area. TFA, like you said, is a much different task than the things you do now, which sound great!!