Ideas for a gap year? Forum

[deathviaboredom]

..

[bighead715]

intern at your state attorney generals office - it was easy to do in michigan

and

CODMW2/NHL10/women...ftw

[Snwboarder78]

I would think you need something that makes it look like it was not just a fill in to kill time until next cycle. Perhaps you could do work with the underprivileged students, teach, or something along those lines. From what I have gathered in reading forums (take it how you will) doing law related work doesn't provide much advantage. You want something that sounds good on the resume and helps provide as unique of an experience as possible.

[deathviaboredom]

..

[deathviaboredom]

..

[Massimiliano]

I too am taking a year off (and maybe 2) to go teach English in South Korea. I recognize you may want to do something law related but I think you'll have a tough time scoring any paid positions. We all know the legal market is decimated and there are tons of very qualified people looking for work. Makes it tough for recent grads to get hired as paralegals.

My philosophy is to do some stuff I've always wanted to do that I probably won't have a chance to do once I enroll in law school. You can save a ton of money teaching in Korea (at least a thousand per month) and have an interesting, new experience. Then when you're done your contract you can travel around wherever you want. That's my 2 cents.

[deathviaboredom]

...

[groundkontrol]

Look into public interest paralegal work through Americorp.

[Snwboarder78]

I too am taking a year off (and maybe 2) to go teach English in South Korea. I recognize you may want to do something law related but I think you'll have a tough time scoring any paid positions. We all know the legal market is decimated and there are tons of very qualified people looking for work. Makes it tough for recent grads to get hired as paralegals.

My philosophy is to do some stuff I've always wanted to do that I probably won't have a chance to do once I enroll in law school. You can save a ton of money teaching in Korea (at least a thousand per month) and have an interesting, new experience. Then when you're done your contract you can travel around wherever you want. That's my 2 cents.

lmao. but then im stuck in south korea for a year.
I don't speak korean.

My wife taught at an american school overseas for a while. They provide excellent pay and you often get cheap or free housing a great vacation time. Plus you only have a year commitment in many cases. Though it doesn't solve your desire to get a taste of the law field.

[ps494]

bookmark

[elcamino]

Is Americorps considered as a "fill in to kill time until next cycle" type of work?

[Snwboarder78]

Is Americorps considered as a "fill in to kill time until next cycle" type of work?

Plus, don't you have to be willing to give a 2 year commitment to Americorps?

[elcamino]

I thought it was 1 year. Maybe it depends on the job.

[Dany]

Maybe look for an interesting job at your undergrad? At my university, there's a neat center for ethics and social responsibility, and they hire quite a few people every year to run their nonprofit programs (which include volunteer tax preparation for low-income families, vision screening of pre-schoolers to find eye problems before they're irreversible, coaching high schoolers in debate, etc. etc.) You should see if your UG has any programs like this - the work is rewarding, and usually the jobs are short-term.

[Massimiliano]

I too am taking a year off (and maybe 2) to go teach English in South Korea. I recognize you may want to do something law related but I think you'll have a tough time scoring any paid positions. We all know the legal market is decimated and there are tons of very qualified people looking for work. Makes it tough for recent grads to get hired as paralegals.

My philosophy is to do some stuff I've always wanted to do that I probably won't have a chance to do once I enroll in law school. You can save a ton of money teaching in Korea (at least a thousand per month) and have an interesting, new experience. Then when you're done your contract you can travel around wherever you want. That's my 2 cents.

lmao. but then im stuck in south korea for a year.
I don't speak korean.

alright, then go live with your parents, douche.

[MURPH]

Go to Haiti.

[vanwinkle]

Go to Haiti.

Man, the world is shitting on them enough, do we have to start shipping them our human waste too?

[Grizz]

CODMW2/NHL10/women...ftw ----> What is this? What does this mean?

Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2 / NHL 2k10 / women... for the win

[spekz]

yo! i'm going to columbia next year, had a year to burn and wasn't sure what to do. i'm actually writing this from skorea, where i teach currently at an afterschool academy. in short, it's been an absolutely fabulous experience. you don't need to know a word of korean- when i got here, all i could say is "milk" and "no". some of my ferner co-workers still can't read (or do basic counting). pm me if you want more details!

[steppenwolf]

Americorps and teaching English abroad are both good options. You definitely don't need to have any knowledge of Korean to teach there.

CODMW2/NHL10/women... ----> What is this? What does this mean?

I know what the first two are, but I have no idea what that third thing is.

[mhernton]

I too am taking a year off (and maybe 2) to go teach English in South Korea. I recognize you may want to do something law related but I think you'll have a tough time scoring any paid positions. We all know the legal market is decimated and there are tons of very qualified people looking for work. Makes it tough for recent grads to get hired as paralegals.

My philosophy is to do some stuff I've always wanted to do that I probably won't have a chance to do once I enroll in law school. You can save a ton of money teaching in Korea (at least a thousand per month) and have an interesting, new experience. Then when you're done your contract you can travel around wherever you want. That's my 2 cents.

lmao. but then im stuck in south korea for a year.
I don't speak korean.

My wife taught at an american school overseas for a while. They provide excellent pay and you often get cheap or free housing a great vacation time. Plus you only have a year commitment in many cases. Though it doesn't solve your desire to get a taste of the law field.

Great advice, you kill two birds with one stone, gain international experience, possibly language skills and fill the hole in your resume....http://www.jobmonkey.com/esljobs/ check out the site, its a step in the right direction

[MURPH]

Go to Haiti.

Man, the world is shitting on them enough, do we have to start shipping them our human waste too?

Seriously, they'll need volunteers to rebuild. Since the OP is a college grad he might have some skills or intelligence or a strong back. He can build houses or give vaccines to babies or whatever. It will look great on a application and PS. It will be better for him than living with parents and waiting tables.

[yeff]

Haiti does not suffer from a lack of unskilled workers!

Send cash, not yourself, unless you're a doctor or other trained professional.

But I agree that there are international opportunities, like the Korea example mentioned, that can be done without much money up front.

Also, until June, study for the LSAT.

[jeeptiger09]

where do you live? in my gap year I got an internship in washington, added a good LOR, helped boost the resume and made connections for later.

[j.wellington]

AmeriCorps is a one-year commitment with the option to extend for a second year. If you can get by on the living allowance, I would recommend it. Completion of the contract is based on overall hours served and you're usually not tied to a strict schedule, so you can make time to study for the LSAT or do whatever else you need to do. You'll also get $4,700+ (I think they just raised it) to pay off student loans now or in the future. Not a huge dent when it comes to law school, but anything helps.