What should I do? Forum

[Bronson0711]

I need advice/answers guys. I'm 24 years old. I graduated college in 2010 with a 3.74 gpa. I studied for the LSAT and took it but the proctor made a mistake timing one of the sections (she said there was 5 minutes left then a few minutes later said there was actually 15), I wasn't feeling well and the guy next to me had a cough so I cancelled the scores. Then a heart condition that my father had all his life suddenly worsened and he endured numerous stays in the hospital and when he was out he wasn't allowed to drive. I took on responsibilities to drive him around to doctor appointments and things like that and at times stayed with him at the hospital. As a result I wasn't able to study the way one should for the LSAT and due to that situation and the economy I've only been able to find part time jobs. My Dad recently passed away and I have begun studying for the LSAT again. However, due to the fact I've only had part time jobs, my letters of recommendation are from when I originally planned to apply to school and I'm not nearly as sharp on the LSAT as I once was I'm not sure what should I do. Would law schools take into consideration my situation when looking at my job status and gap in schooling? Would they accept letters of recommendation from that long ago? Not to mention applying now at 24 (or even next term at 25) and entering school at 25 (or 26) I feel like I'd be a little late to the party so to speak. What should I do?

[gaud]

You can write addendums for the gap in schooling. Schools are going to care more about your #'s than the gaps, especially since your gaps seem to have a legit reason. I wouldn't say it's something to stress about.

I used letters that were old (I re-applied) and had no issues. If your new letters would be garbage, I'd advice using the older ones. Admissions committees see older letters all the time for a wide array of reasons (like re-applying lol) and I have yet to hear about old letters having a negative impact on someone's cycle.

The average age of the student body at most law schools is higher than you may expect. Age alone will not hold you back.

[alwayssunnyinfl]

A lot of schools have median student ages in the mid-20's, so you will definitely not be considered old. Law school is a numbers game, and you're starting out with a great GPA. Get a solid LSAT score, and they won't care where your LOR's came from.

And I can think of very few things that would explain away a gap in a resume better than your story. Focus on the LSAT, and focus hard. Write a killer personal statement, and you'll be just fine.

ETA: Scooped, but still leaving this up in case the OP needs extra encouragement.

[gaud]

And this:

Focus on the LSAT, and focus hard. Write a killer personal statement, and you'll be just fine.

The LSAT Prep page has some valuable threads (Pithypike's Guide, for example) and you can always post questions regarding prep in there whenever they come up.

[Ti Malice]

Scooped, but posting anyway:

I'm sorry for you and your family's loss.

First, your age is not a negative at all. You'll be barely over the age for the typical entering student. Law schools aren't simply looking for a bunch of people who graduated three months before 1L year starts.

As to your employment history, a brief addendum noting the responsibilities you took on in caring for your father and the limitations this imposed on the kinds of jobs you could pursue will take care of any concerns someone evaluating your résumé might have.

Best of luck.

[karich]

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