Gap in resume Forum

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Barack Obama 2.0

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Gap in resume

Post by Barack Obama 2.0 » Mon May 30, 2016 5:31 pm

Hi guys, I graduated from university in May 2015 and spent the past year travelling and consequently, there is a gap in my resume, will this adversely affect my chances for law school admissions? I plan on applying for law school in the fall and have a job for this upcoming year starting in September. I recently got back from overseas and am currently studying for the LSAT. On the advice of a friend, I took the June 2007 LSAT before I started prepping to gauge any areas of potential weakness/strength and scored a 163, however, I'm aiming for a 180. I intend on writing in September. I plan on applying to all the T-14 schools but really want HYS.

Stats:
URM (AA male)
LSDAS GPA: 4.0+
Softs: some work and several ECs during UG, several scholarships, and other academic related awards
LSAT: TBD
Interesting and eclectic resume.

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Barack O'Drama

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Re: Gap in resume

Post by Barack O'Drama » Mon May 30, 2016 5:48 pm

I think you'll be alright man, just be prepared to have an explanation if asked. It could even be something mentioned in your personal statement. I don't think it will be much of a problem as far as applications. I am not sure how this would effect OCI, but as long as you have some internships and WE you should be just fine.

Congrats on the GPA. I had a 4.0 and LSAC screwed me to a 3.92, but hey, could be worse. But still jealous of your 4.0 :D

Also, thats a very nice diagnostic! With a little under 4 months of studying you should be able to get that to a 170.

Have you purchased any prep materials yet? If not, I just started and have had a really good experience with the LSAT Trainer so far. I also got the PS Bible Set, too.

tl;dr You'll be alright, just be ready to explain if need be. I'd also love to hear what others think because I have about a 3-4 month gap myself due to working on some stuff (writing a book) and traveling.
Last edited by Barack O'Drama on Fri Jan 26, 2018 11:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Barack Obama 2.0

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Re: Gap in resume

Post by Barack Obama 2.0 » Mon May 30, 2016 6:12 pm

Barack O'Drama wrote:I think you'll be alright man, just be prepared to have an explanation if asked. It could even be something mentioned in your personal statement. I don't think it will be much of a problem as far as applications. I am not sure how this would effect OCI, but as long as you have some internships and WE you should be just fine.

Congrats on the GPA. I had a 4.0 and LSAC screwed me to a 3.92, but hey, could be worse. But still jealous of your 4.0 :D

Also, thats a very nice diagnostic! With a little under 4 months of studying you should be able to get that to a 170.

Have you purchased any prep materials yet? If not, I just started and have had a really good experience with the LSAT Trainer so far. I also got the PS Bible Set, too.

tl;dr You'll be alright, just be ready to explain if need be. I'd also love to hear what others think because I have about a 3-4 month gap myself due to working on some stuff (writing a book) and traveling.
Thanks for the words of encouragement, really needed that, also just realized our usernames are nearly identical lmao. So far I have gotten Manhattan LR and RC books, and the LSAT trainer. I also have the Powerscore Logic Games bible which I'll be using in conjunction with 7sage video explanations of the games. Just going to self-study, not going to bother with a prep course.

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Barack O'Drama

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Re: Gap in resume

Post by Barack O'Drama » Mon May 30, 2016 6:15 pm

Barack Obama 2.0 wrote:
Barack O'Drama wrote:I think you'll be alright man, just be prepared to have an explanation if asked. It could even be something mentioned in your personal statement. I don't think it will be much of a problem as far as applications. I am not sure how this would effect OCI, but as long as you have some internships and WE you should be just fine.

Congrats on the GPA. I had a 4.0 and LSAC screwed me to a 3.92, but hey, could be worse. But still jealous of your 4.0 :D

Also, thats a very nice diagnostic! With a little under 4 months of studying you should be able to get that to a 170.

Have you purchased any prep materials yet? If not, I just started and have had a really good experience with the LSAT Trainer so far. I also got the PS Bible Set, too.

tl;dr You'll be alright, just be ready to explain if need be. I'd also love to hear what others think because I have about a 3-4 month gap myself due to working on some stuff (writing a book) and traveling.
Thanks for the words of encouragement, really needed that, also just realized our usernames are nearly identical lmao. So far I have gotten Manhattan LR and RC books, and the LSAT trainer. I also have the Powerscore Logic Games bible which I'll be using in conjunction with 7sage video explanations of the games. Just going to self-study, not going to bother with a prep course.
Of course! And haha (great minds...), I did not see that until now. And excellent choice of study. I just ordered the MLSAT LR book. I think I will be getting the RC because I hear the PS RC is kind of lacking. Good luck, I think if you can nail a 170+ you are looking at HYS :)
Last edited by Barack O'Drama on Fri Jan 26, 2018 11:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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mornincounselor

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Re: Gap in resume

Post by mornincounselor » Mon May 30, 2016 6:48 pm

Barack Obama 2.0 wrote: So far I have gotten Manhattan LR and RC books, and the LSAT trainer. I also have the Powerscore Logic Games bible which I'll be using in conjunction with 7sage video explanations of the games. Just going to self-study, not going to bother with a prep course.
Sounds like a great plan.

Consider enrolling in a few free massive open online courses (http://www.coursera.com or www.edx.org, for example) during the gap. They give pretty decent overviews of courses and they are something one can put on their resume to shore up a gap. I took a lot of time off to study for the LSAT, and I don't think any schools held it against me. A few school inquired, I spoke about the open online courses and some volunteer work.

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MarshallMarshal

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Re: Gap in resume

Post by MarshallMarshal » Tue May 31, 2016 1:20 pm

Figure out an interesting and flattering way to sum up that time in a resume line. Many schools ask that you explain particular gaps in employment so if they don't give you a one page limit you should probably add some information.
Last edited by MarshallMarshal on Tue May 31, 2016 1:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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grand inquisitor

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Re: Gap in resume

Post by grand inquisitor » Tue May 31, 2016 1:34 pm

whenever i see a gap in resume with no explanation i assume prison or rehab. autoding.

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