Best use of time between Undergrad and LS? Forum

[Purplebootyfox]

Essentially my background is that I just graduated from a big state school (regional, not prestigous) with a double major in Political Science and Economics. I did alright, not amazing (3.74 GPA), but my one big advantage was that I graduated in three years (hoping that wins me points somewhere down the line). Since I finished early I don't have any UG debt and I have a little bit of time. I haven't taken the LSAT yet, but because I finished school early and debt free, I am not necessarily in a major rush to take it. I'm interning this summer, and I plan to start studying in the fall, and I plan on taking the LSAT whenever I feel like I'm prepared enough, and confident in my ability to get a great score. (Sorry for the little bio, but making my point).

I don't have any notable WE, or a "special" background of any sorts, so what would be the best use of my time between now and my application to law school (assuming about 2 years)? Should I try and find a volunteer project or just try and get the best possible job I can? As of now I have aspirations of going to Boalt, and if not there a similarily ranked school, I have read into Boalt prefering diversity and valuing "softs" much more than other schools, essentially what could I do with 2 years to better my chances of going to a school with these preferences? Thanks (sorry again for the long bio)

[MrSparkle]

Our world is globalizing blah blah - I'd find opportunities abroad, NGO or other (ex. teaching English pays well in Asia even with no credentials or experience). It might help your app and give you a story to share.

If you just find a job, that's fine too, but find the best one you can that gives you some leadership experience. There is nothing inherently wrong with working at Starbucks for a year, but if I was an adcomm shown two candidates with same numbers, I'd pick the person who went to Korea or built an orphanage in Kenya to diversify my class. And you'll get to see the real world. Too many undergrads know nothing about how the other 90% of the world works outside of CNN.

And own the LSAT hard, go all-out and leave nothing to chance. Do not work while studying for it to maximize your score. The LSAT matters more than your 3-4 year undergrad degree, and is the easiest variable to control now, so do your damnest.

[TTTehehe]

Work in a legal related job to make sure that you want to practice law.

[Tom Joad]

Get a decent paying job somewhere close to your parents so you can enjoy their company. They won't be around forever.

[powder]

You're only young once. Do something interesting for a year or two and see where it takes you. It helps a lot when it comes time to write a PS. I spent the last couple of years operating snow cats (easy to learn, hard to master), working on/building ski lifts, and generally bumming around ski towns. I wish I had been more adventurous and gone overseas, but I'm generally happy with the experience I had. Ex: Dropping a diamond run on a snowmobile and thinking 1) I can't believe I know how to do this without killing myself, 2) I can't believe I get paid to do this, and 3) the shift is just starting, I have another eight-twelve hours of burning gas I didn't pay for on a brand-new sled I don't own.

Also, TTTehehe is right, you should try to see if law is actually something you want to do. It doesn't necessarily have to be a job; volunteer groups usually have legal aid component which you can probably help out with.

[cutecarmel]

Work in a legal related job to make sure that you want to practice law.

+1

It won't help you when it comes time to apply to law school, but most people think lawyers do really interesting stuff when in reality they are on the computer or phone most of day.

Whatever you do, try to commit to the same job and try to do something that you are interested in. It could make a good PS.

[PaulKriske]

fucking smoke and play video games.

[bp shinners]

Work in a legal related job to make sure that you want to practice law.

+1

It won't help you when it comes time to apply to law school, but most people think lawyers do really interesting stuff when in reality they are on the computer or phone most of day.

Whatever you do, try to commit to the same job and try to do something that you are interested in. It could make a good PS.

I disagree with the bold part. While working a law job won't help you with law school admissions, working somewhere will. Having an actual, full-time job that you worked at for 1+ years is a sign of maturity that law schools and employers appreciate. It's not going to get you into a school that would have otherwise rejected you, but many schools are looking for work experience in their JD candidates.

[Purplebootyfox]

Thanks for the input, a similar question I have is whether there is any specific thing that could make me more appealing to a "reach" school. For example, (besides just studying more and crushing the LSAT) is there anything I could do to make myself more appealing to Boalt admissions?

[PaulKriske]

Thanks for the input, a similar question I have is whether there is any specific thing that could make me more appealing to a "reach" school. For example, (besides just studying more and crushing the LSAT) is there anything I could do to make myself more appealing to Boalt admissions?

write a best-selling book or something.

[prezidentv8]

Decide not to go to law school.

[kwais]

I'm confused. How does graduating in 3 years help you "down the line" besides the money you saved. No one cares. And, how did this buy you time? Is there some clock ticking that says you have to graduate law school at 25? When you are a 50 year old lawyer, do you think you are going to give a shit whether you've been practicing for 25 or 23 years? The entire OP is proof that you need to slow down, take probably more than year off and do something that YOU like, not something law school admission officers or biglaw employers like. If you like snowboarding, go live in Colorado and wait tables and snowboard. If you want to see the world, save up some money and do that. But don't do anything for the purpose of impressing someone who will read your resume for 6 seconds in a couple of years. That's a sad way to go through life. Ironically, if you take this advice and do what you want for a while, you'll probably end up a more interesting candidate anyway.

[rad lulz]

Decide not to go to law school.

[top30man]

Work in a legal related job to make sure that you want to practice law.

This is what I did. It helps you reality check that you're going to school to sit in a box for 14 hours a day.

[alwayssunnyinfl]

Get a decent paying job somewhere close to your parents so you can enjoy their company. They won't be around forever.

[TopGunner180]

Learn to think like a lawyer before you get into school. Improve your logical reasoning skills.

Lots of good resources out there, but http://www.lawschoolfundamentals.com worked for me

[800lb]

Do something that you're really interested in. Work experience doesn't help you that much when you're applying for school (it's mostly a numbers game) but it really helps to have something to talk about when you're interviewing for summer associateships. I didn't get spectacular 1L grades, but I have a solid resume and I outperformed some of my classmates on externship offers. Whatever you're doing, do it well. You might get a great LOR out of it.

PS: I did 2 years of AmeriCorps and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also ended up with $10,000 in scholarship money. Something to think about.