NO work experience....bad? Forum

[xqhp82]

So I am planning to apply to law school this fall but sadly I don't have any previous work experience....not because i'm an extremely spoiled kid, i did get a job several times but i just seem to be very unlucky in this regard

Some attempts i had for the past few years:
1. i got a summer internship as a receptionist in a marketing company, but had to reject it due to family travel plans
2. got another 2-week internship during Easter, but it's unpaid work experience and I struggled to afford accommodation so had to reject it
3. was a violin tutor for 2 lessons and then the kid decided to learn violin in school
4. was employed last year as a part-time high school mentor but they required an overseas criminal record check in order to work with kids under 18 (i hold a work visa) and that didn't go through until just recently so I wasn't able to work the whole year.
5. got a place to be a research assistant of a psychology professor but she failed to assign me any research task. she's only able to give me something to do over this summer but i will be away from my uni so won't be able to take it.

So, the only thing I could think of as work experience would be a 2-week period i spent at WWF, but that is more of a voluntary work than proper job. And I am also promised that I will be able to work as the high school mentor for the next academic year, but that would be after I send my law school applications. Considering I will be studying LSAT this entire summer I won't be able to work at this time either.

My question is how much would this lack of work experience affect my chance? I really don't want the work section of my resume to be blank coz that just looks pathetic. Is there anything I could do to polish my resume a bit to make it look better?

[iShotFirst]

most of this stuff wouldnt count as "work experience" as schools talk about it anyways. work experience means continuous full time work after your bachelors degree. having said that, it wont make much of a difference. just get a good GPA and LSAT and you will be good. As far as beefing up your resume, I would just do volunteer and community positions in order to make it a bit more impressive. getting a job as a tutor or retail or whatever wont make any difference at all.

[wadeny]

Aim for a high GPA and LSAT

/thread

[brocklanders12]

Volunteer during the summer as you study for the LSAT.

[eandy]

Trust me when I say that if you actually study "the entire summer" your score will suffer.

Stop whining, get up off your ass, get a job. Study at night/on days off. Problem solved.

[Ginger1492]

Why do you say that studying for the entire summer will make your score suffer? I understand that burnout could be an issue but I don't see how studying gradually over a longer period of time, such as the summer, would be detrimental.

[eandy]

Why do you say that studying for the entire summer will make your score suffer? I understand that burnout could be an issue but I don't see how studying gradually over a longer period of time, such as the summer, would be detrimental.

I quoted "entire summer" for a reason. OP said he or she could not have a job over the summer, because then they couldn't study the entire summer. Having a job wouldn't interfere with the gradual studying you're thinking about. Therefore, OP must be planning on crazy all day studying.

My bet is that OP just wants an excuse.

[OGR3]

Why not get a real job and work for a year before applying to law school?

[Grizz]

Considering I will be studying LSAT this entire summer I won't be able to work at this time either.

Work during the day and study at night, you wuss.

[r2b2ct]

I doubt it will negatively affect your applications at all. All those jobs you almost got probably wouldn't have helped you anyway. A random part time job or internship isn't going to matter.

[xqhp82]

I know this may sound like I'm finding an excuse for not working this summer. Some people here work full time and have a family and still manage to study for the LSAT no problem, but I'm pretty sure I will need to put in extra effort than others because I'm a slow learner. Plus I will be moving between several places over the summer, which is always a factor to consider. But I will definitely try to fit in some voluntary work if possible.

[xqhp82]

ok so....i've found an internship with University of Hong Kong working on a psychology research project...how much do law schools value this kind of experience? is it worth my time doing it as opposed to spending all my time on LSAT??

[OliverWendellHomie]

ok so....i've found an internship with University of Hong Kong working on a psychology research project...how much do law schools value this kind of experience? is it worth my time doing it as opposed to spending all my time on LSAT??

Study for the LSAT. No law school will care much about your psych research because, quite simply, it has nothing to do with law. You don't need to spend all your time studying for the LSAT though. Try finding a firm in your town that would be willing to let you volunteer for the summer. At least then you will have some actual experience with law and something meaningful to put on your resume. Anything law-related > psych research.

[Rikkugrrl]

Agreed that work experience doesn't matter when compared to your LSAT and GPA, and also agreed that law related work>other work, but if you're deadset on finding a job, it sounds like most of your past jobs were academic in nature. Not that there's anything wrong with that (I've been a tutor for 3 years and I love it), but have you applied for a dishwashing job? Customer service/sales? Cashiering? That'll at least make sure your work experience section isn't blank, but more importantly, I think it should be mandatory for everyone to go through some sort of soul sucking service job at least once. Not that they're easy to find either right now, but the good news is they don't require a lot of mental effort or time (most of these places will make sure you're under 40 hours a week so they don't have to give you full time benefits. When I worked at a grocery store, my pay stub would often read 39 hours). An eight hour day four days a week with absolutely zero out of work preparation won't affect your LSAT studying (if it does, your schedule was too intense anyway).

If you want a job, start looking for help wanted signs (yes the economy is bad, but they're out there) and start filling out applications. Rinse and repeat until someone gives you a call.