Why take a break before law school? Forum

[Thanksinadvance]

I apologize for asking what is probably an over discussed topic but I was hoping to hear some first hand experiences from current or past law school students about their time off before law school.

For those of you who have taken time off before law school, I was wondering why you decided to go that route and what you gained from it. I know that GPA tends to diminish in importance the longer you're out of school, but is there really anything "drastic" you can do in the summer after your graduation or the year until the next application cycle that will boost your chances?

Furthermore, in the current job-market, what kind of jobs can you expect to be recruited for with a social science degree like International Relations or Poly-Sci that can still offer some perspective into whether a legal career is right for you or not?

Thanks in advance for all your advice.

[mfeller2]

Many people (like me) do it to pay off undergrad debt, travel, take a break from being in classes. More maturity helps, and you probably will benefit from just experiencing the world outside of campus. Just don't do it for the wrong reasons, e.g. partying.

But with a poli-sci degree you won't get a good ass job (see link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdbvUou5cQ8. Most jobs you can get are things that high school grads are qualified for. Try getting a legal assistant job or paralegal to see how a firm works and to see if you really want to be a lawyer.

[Oban]

travel, not being in school, making some money to buy shit

[jennylynn]

I noticed that people that took time off tended to have more motivation than I had just coming straight through. I was still tired from wrapping up Senior year, while they had been out in the "real world" and had seen how much it sucks and were ready to kick some butt. But there were also some very highly motivated kids that didn't take a break and did very well.

[tasteofred]

I'm taking a year and a half off (graduating a semester early) so I can apply with the extra credits on my GPA and get a job, pay off medical bills, hopefully UG debt, and get a decent job with my degree to make sure I REALLY want to be a lawyer. Gonna join Toastmasters and work on my social skills, too.

[rundoxierun]

I noticed that people that took time off tended to have more motivation than I had just coming straight through. I was still tired from wrapping up Senior year, while they had been out in the "real world" and had seen how much it sucks and were ready to kick some butt. But there were also some very highly motivated kids that didn't take a break and did very well.

The reason they same more motivated is because the "real world" sucks and they were happy to be back in school. Not everyone likes to travel and the places most people end up traveling are very "eurocentric" so the "expanding your horizons" thing is vastly overstated. Best reason to take a year off is definitely for monetary reasons. If you dont have much undergrad debt then it isnt that big a deal if you go straight through IMO.

[Apple Tree]

Save money. Take a break from going to classes/studying.

[rundoxierun]

Also, am I the only person who simply loves colleges?? College campuses are the best places on earth.. I pray to god I dont end up at NYU/Columbia for LS and be stuck w/o a campus.

[spondee]

While not reasons that one takes a year off, maturity and a stronger sense of direction and purpose are definite benefits.

[Fred_McGriff]

Getting out of school, moving to a city, getting a job, getting your life in order in the real world is one of the most valuable things I've ever done. I understand in the long run that there is most likely going to be some sort of opportunity cost (fewer years working as a lawyer, a couple more years working a presumably lower paying job) but I wouldn't have traded my 2 years after college for anything.

I benefited immensely, here are 10 reasons right off the bat:

1. Got to move somewhere brand new and meet a ton of people
2. Got to start earning / saving money to pay off debts and cover some of Law School
3. Got to travel with what I didn't save, went to a bunch of South American countries on vacation time
4. Got to wrap my head around a 10 - 12 hour day every day without the consolation of "its only an internship and I'll be back in school having a blast soon enough"
5. Learned a ton of stuff in a field I'll probably never again be directly involved with and now know for a fact I have no desire to work in finance again
6. Got to expand my resume which isn't as good as a major bump on the LSAT score, but is definitely going to help somehow in applying to law school
7. Got a much deeper understanding of the nuances of money and managing my own personal finances
8. Got to live without formal academic structure for the first time since Pre-School. Work is definitely harder, but there is a certain freedom of not having the semester, midterm, exam, pacing for a couple of years.
9. Made a surprising number of professional connections in a variety of fields.
10. Had a great time

I could go on, and obviously everyone has different personalities, opportunities, experiences, etc. but if you're anything like me, I'd recommend taking at least a year to get out and work.

[094320]

..

[blerg]

I really needed the distance from academia to figure out what I wanted from a career and if I wanted to go back to school.

I moved across country after college and essentially started a new life for myself. That space from my family and any safety net I've ever had (including a financial safety net) has really motivated me to achieve what I want in life.

I think if I'd gone straight through I would have burned out so fast.

Also, I have almost no undergrad debt and worked a non-profit job, so $$$$ wasn't really the motivating factor for me.

[McNulty]

You will learn a lot about yourself when you experience the reality of a fulltime job for more than a year. My work ethic vastly improved due to the fact that all of a sudden I had a lot less time and freedom to F around.

[gwuorbust]

Also, am I the only person who simply loves colleges?? College campuses are the best places on earth.. I pray to god I dont end up at NYU/Columbia for LS and be stuck w/o a campus.

oh yea, how terrible it would be to end up at NYU/Columbia

[WrappedUpInBooks]

Also, am I the only person who simply loves colleges?? College campuses are the best places on earth.. I pray to god I dont end up at NYU/Columbia for LS and be stuck w/o a campus.

Columbia definitely has a campus.

[Pearalegal]

For those of you who have taken time off before law school, I was wondering why you decided to go that route and what you gained from it. I know that GPA tends to diminish in importance the longer you're out of school, but is there really anything "drastic" you can do in the summer after your graduation or the year until the next application cycle that will boost your chances?

Taking two years off helped me learn there are more important reasons to take time off than to help admission chances in a grad program.

Furthermore, in the current job-market, what kind of jobs can you expect to be recruited for with a social science degree like International Relations or Poly-Sci that can still offer some perspective into whether a legal career is right for you or not?

You should never expect to be recruited for a job, you need to go after them. A paralegal gig at a bigfirm seems like a good fit for you. Most large firms have 1 or 2 year programs for new ugrads.

[TommyK]

Also, am I the only person who simply loves colleges?? College campuses are the best places on earth.. I pray to god I dont end up at NYU/Columbia for LS and be stuck w/o a campus.

Columbia definitely has a campus.

Sure, but there's something distinctly different about a college in a college town. The "oxbridge" model of campuses is incredibly appealing to me - the sprawling campus greens, the towns that are dominated by the campus feel (as opposed to the other way around), the hippies throwing a frisbee. Urban colleges just rub me the wrong way.

Now for law school, I couldn't care less about that. But for UG education, I agree with tkgrrett - they're incredible, but that might be because I'm just associating positive memories with mine.

[rundoxierun]

Also, am I the only person who simply loves colleges?? College campuses are the best places on earth.. I pray to god I dont end up at NYU/Columbia for LS and be stuck w/o a campus.

oh yea, how terrible it would be to end up at NYU/Columbia

Lol.. nothing against the schools just not my preferred destination.. Im the type who would rather get a cabin in the ozarks than go to the beach.. or rather go tubing down the Colorado river than jet skiing in the gulf. When I think of my ideal schools I think uva, michigan, stanford, etc.

[Oban]

I noticed that people that took time off tended to have more motivation than I had just coming straight through. I was still tired from wrapping up Senior year, while they had been out in the "real world" and had seen how much it sucks and were ready to kick some butt. But there were also some very highly motivated kids that didn't take a break and did very well.

The reason they same more motivated is because the "real world" sucks and they were happy to be back in school. Not everyone likes to travel and the places most people end up traveling are very "eurocentric" so the "expanding your horizons" thing is vastly overstated. Best reason to take a year off is definitely for monetary reasons. If you dont have much undergrad debt then it isnt that big a deal if you go straight through IMO.

So because a place is "euro centric" It doesn't expand your horizons? Have you been to Europe? It's incredibly different from the united states in terms of culture, politics, and economics. Although Europe is closer in life style to the states, then say Mongolia, to posit that you can't expand your horizons there is incredibly close minded.

[Pearalegal]

^ agreed.

One can expand their horizons anywhere in the world with the right motivation. You don't even have to travel anywhere.

[rundoxierun]

I noticed that people that took time off tended to have more motivation than I had just coming straight through. I was still tired from wrapping up Senior year, while they had been out in the "real world" and had seen how much it sucks and were ready to kick some butt. But there were also some very highly motivated kids that didn't take a break and did very well.

The reason they same more motivated is because the "real world" sucks and they were happy to be back in school. Not everyone likes to travel and the places most people end up traveling are very "eurocentric" so the "expanding your horizons" thing is vastly overstated. Best reason to take a year off is definitely for monetary reasons. If you dont have much undergrad debt then it isnt that big a deal if you go straight through IMO.

So because a place is "euro centric" It doesn't expand your horizons? Have you been to Europe? It's incredibly different from the united states in terms of culture, politics, and economics. Although Europe is closer in life style to the states, then say Mongolia, to posit that you can't expand your horizons there is incredibly close minded.

ehh read again.. never said you cant expand your horizons.. just that the extent to which it does is overstated by many.

[clintonius]

You didn't say "by many." And I can tell you that moving from my UG location to Newark, NJ and then NYC has had a profound effect on my "horizons," or whatever.

Also, am I the only person who simply loves colleges?? College campuses are the best places on earth.. I pray to god I dont end up at NYU/Columbia for LS and be stuck w/o a campus.

oh yea, how terrible it would be to end up at NYU/Columbia

Lol.. nothing against the schools just not my preferred destination.. Im the type who would rather get a cabin in the ozarks than go to the beach.. or rather go tubing down the Colorado river than jet skiing in the gulf. When I think of my ideal schools I think uva, michigan, stanford, etc.

And good call. I hear lots of Stanford grads wind up in the Ozarks.

(To clarify, that was my being a smartass, not actually trying to poke holes in your preference)

[rundoxierun]

You didn't say "by many." And I can tell you that moving from my UG location to Newark, NJ and then NYC has had a profound effect on my "horizons," or whatever.

Also, am I the only person who simply loves colleges?? College campuses are the best places on earth.. I pray to god I dont end up at NYU/Columbia for LS and be stuck w/o a campus.

oh yea, how terrible it would be to end up at NYU/Columbia

Lol.. nothing against the schools just not my preferred destination.. Im the type who would rather get a cabin in the ozarks than go to the beach.. or rather go tubing down the Colorado river than jet skiing in the gulf. When I think of my ideal schools I think uva, michigan, stanford, etc.

And good call. I hear lots of Stanford grads wind up in the Ozarks.

(To clarify, that was my being a smartass, not actually trying to poke holes in your preference)

Ok, not really sure how the changes anything in the sentence but whatever... ehh read again.. never said you cant expand your horizons.. just that the extent to which it does is overstated.. does that make you feel better??

Haha, to clarify on the ozark comment, I meant that is what Id rather do on vacation instead of hitting up south beach or whatever.. Not that I plan on practicing in the ozarks. pretty sure half the towns in the ozarks dont even have laws..

[Oban]

Travel is more fun than school.

[Thanksinadvance]

Thanks for all your responses, its greatly helped. To be more specific, I'm fortunate enough not to have to worry about UG debt, so money wouldn't be the primary reason for taking a year off. I've definitely thought about the paralegal track, and was wondering if anyone had any experience with that.

Sorry if I'm beating this to the ground but what exactly made you guys more motivated? Did you realize that the opportunity cost of going to law school is worth the time and money by exploring your other (or lack thereof) options? Also, just to clarify, when you guys say 1 year off, do you mean applying in the fall after you graduate or the fall after that?

Thanks in Advance