Top Law Schools

Hey TLS,

I'm going to be a senior, but right now I'm interning for the second summer at a great, growing company. It's a good fit -- I like it here and they are willing to fight to keep me long-term.

I always thought I'd apply to law school early, Fall senior year. I also want to then defer for a year, work at my company, take next summer to backpack through Europe or do a humanitarian project, then attend law school.

But lately I’m thinking – if I’m going to defer anyway, should I just wait to apply next Fall? I would obviously get my LORs while I’m still in school; plus, then my senior year grades would factor and I would have an added year of work experience.

BTW - 160 LSAT ~3.25 GPA, and I kind of want to stay in Philly (think TU or Nova).

Can I get your thoughts? First time poster - thanks in advance bros.

..

Additionally, taking time off will only help you in the admissions game.

acrossthelake wrote:Stay at your job. Even if you can swing a decent scholarship out of those schools, you're safer staying at your great, growing, well fit-company. Why would you trade that in for a huge gamble in a bad economy? It would make sense if you claimed to be miserable at a horrible, shrinking, poor-fit company, but that's not the case so...

This. The only reason to go to law school right now (especially the schools you're talking about) is if law is if you majored in a useless liberal arts major and have no other real career opportunities. That's obviously not the case with you. Don't go (yet).

Also, if for some unholy reason you do decide to go next year, get your LSAT up and shoot for better schools. You'll have a much better chance of getting a job in Philly from a more respected school. Just don't take the rankings too literally. Don't go to Florida just because it's ranked higher.

A 3.25 isn't great, but it won't keep you out of many places if you do well enough on the LSAT.

RTFM wrote:Additionally, taking time off will only help you in the admissions game.

^This is what I was looking for. Thanks.

I think Temple has a PT night program that might be worth investigating. Keep your enjoyable job/income and get a JD.

Plus PT programs generally have lower admissions standards, so your GPA/LSAT probably wouldn't be a hinderance.

Take your time, work for a while and see how you enjoy your job before applying. You will gain good experience, some $$, and a valuable perspective. If you feel unsatisfied with your career or think law school is a logical step, then you can still apply later on. Also, with your numbers, you won't have a great shot so you should use the time off to re-take the LSAT if possible

Re-take the LSAT and sit out this cycle. If you can do well, I'd look into going to Penn before either of those schools.