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Hey Everyone,

So after taking the LSAT twice and not being happy with my scores either time I have decided to work for a year before going to law school. I plan on taking this summer to study and take it one last time before applying for the next cycle. I'm also feeling burnt out from college and I feel like I would not do as well if I went straight.

I have a good ugpa and I could go to top schools if I can just get the test down. I just need to break into the 160's. I feel like I can do that by studying rigorously during the summer.

I am of Afro-Caribbean descent and I have been experiencing SIGNIFICANT pressure from my family to go straight to law school. They are literally saying things like "you won't score higher on the test, so don't waste time", "if you take time off you will get a girl pregnant and you will NEVER go", "Settle for a 2nd or 3rd tier law school if you have to" or "if you find a good well-paying job you won't want to go to law school anymore." As you can imagine, this is very stressful for me to hear all of this from my family members. They are basically saying that they don't trust that I have the discipline to do things I want to do without it going very wrong and I am making the mistake of my life by not going straight.

So seeing as this is the URM forum, I thought I might be able to get some insight from other URM ls and graduates. Am I wrong for wanting to take a year off to work before going to law school? Personally, as much as a financial undertaking as law school is, I don't want to go in it without giving myself the best shot I can to get into the best schools I can, and that requires time off. But maybe they are right and I'm wrong?

I appreciate your advice in advance!

I would strongly urge you to take the year off if you're feeling burnt out and make sure you do as well as you possibly can on the LSAT. Working for a year will also make you a stronger applicant.

W/r/t your family: I obviously don't know you or your situation as well as they do, but you are absolutely right to want to ensure the best outcome for yourself; do not settle for a second or third tier school if you know you can break into the 160s. If you have a good uGPA and can manage a 165+ I can promise you that your family will come around. I know it must be hard to deal with the pressure coming from them, but you need to do your due diligence and trust yourself to do what's best for yourself before you potentially saddle yourself with immense amounts of debt and hurt your future prospects. If your family is adamant on you going this year no matter what, I'd suggest you ask them if they'd rather you wait a year and potentially save them $100,000+.

Totally cosign mixtape's comment. I know it can be tough to hear those comments from your parents -- I've heard them, too. My parents are immigrants who, frankly, don't understand how this stuff works, but the truth is YOU are making a huge investment in your future, not them. If they don't trust you to make decisions, then you simply have to trust in yourself and your ability to make this work. If your parents are anything like mine, their negativity might just stem from their desire to see you have a "stable" life as soon as possible, but really..there is no reason to settle for a second or third tier law school without giving your LSAT/apps the best shot you can take. You'll be fine.

You should 100% take a year off. If anything, it will only aid you in several ways. You have the chance to get a higher score on the LSAT. Law schools tend to on average like work experience and older applicants (soft). Finally, you'll have a better life perspective. You'll be able to be in the real world for at least a year. You'll be a lot more mature (think about the difference between you at the end of your senior year of hs and you at the end of your frosh yr of college) and just have a way better understanding of yourself and what you'll want to do with your life. I waited 2 years before applying (well 1.5 years) and I am so glad I did. I think i have a way better idea of what I want to do now. Also, if you can, try to get a really good job that will give you good insight into another type of career. I feel like that really helped me to put any non-law related doubts for me to rest.

As for your family, I come form a similar immigrant background, single-mother household and my mom would always say things like that because her only frame of reference were the other kids from our low-income area. honestly, they just need to get over it and you need to stand up for yourself. I made a fundamental change in our relationship my frosh year of undergrad. I received full financial aid for school and was financially independent so I just started to do what I wanted to do and told me mom that. Our relationship has been really good since then and she no longer tries to control my life or tell me what to do anymore. At the end of the day its your life. If you believe that you are right (and you are here) you shouldn't let what your family says influence you to make the wrong decision. Especially when they don't understand the situation. Highlighting how different you are than the people that your family is comparing you to may help.