Retake Year Forum

[whereskyle]

Hey all,

I'm planning to wait another year to retake the LSAT, and I'm interested in your opinions of my plan:

I've been out of UG for two years, working as a paralegal. I'm anxious to move out of my college town, and I've just been offered a position as an americorps vista with habitat for humanity in a town in which I'd love to live. If I frame this coming year as a Public Interest year that I've long been interested in pursuing, do you think adcomms will find this americorps year a plus to my application, especially if I'm planning to apply with a public interest bent?

Thanks, all.

[francesfarmer]

Hey all,

I'm planning to wait another year to retake the LSAT, and I'm interested in your opinions of my plan:

I've been out of UG for two years, working as a paralegal. I'm anxious to move out of my college town, and I've just been offered a position as an americorps vista with habitat for humanity in a town in which I'd love to live. If I frame this coming year as a Public Interest year that I've long been interested in pursuing, do you think adcomms will find this americorps year a plus to my application, especially if I'm planning to apply with a public interest bent?

Thanks, all.

I think adcomms view Americorps favorably, though softs won't make or break your application. Are there tuition benefits associated with the position?

[whereskyle]

there's a respectable education award, but I think it only applies to select (not necessarily prestigious) schools. So long as I am contributing positively to my record, I will feel good about doing it. I am dubious as to whether or not being a construction crew leader will be considered a step away from law, but I am planning to frame it as "I wanted to do something good for people, before I went back to school". Sounds legit?

[buddyt]

I am dubious as to whether or not being a construction crew leader will be considered a step away from law, but I am planning to frame it as "I wanted to do something good for people, before I went back to school". Sounds legit?

Literally does not matter. Just crush the LSAT.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Do you actually *want* to do Americorps and help people and so on? Or do you just want something for your resume? The whole "accumulate various public service lines on my resume so I can make my law school application look better" thing is NAGL.

[whereskyle]

Do you actually *want* to do Americorps and help people and so on? Or do you just want something for your resume? The whole "accumulate various public service lines on my resume so I can make my law school application look better" thing is NAGL.

I understand that almost nothing makes the application look better, except for a higher LSAT score. I just want TLS's opinion of whether or not two years of paralegal work and then one year of americorps looks like a positive or a negative. I'm gathering the sense that it is a "no effect."

[A. Nony Mouse]

Do you actually *want* to do Americorps and help people and so on? Or do you just want something for your resume? The whole "accumulate various public service lines on my resume so I can make my law school application look better" thing is NAGL.

I understand that almost nothing makes the application look better, except for a higher LSAT score. I just want TLS's opinion of whether or not two years of paralegal work and then one year of americorps looks like a positive or a negative. I'm gathering the sense that it is a "no effect."

Right, my point is that going into a public service activity, to which other people are presumably dedicated for the sake of the activity, for the sake of collecting bonus law school application points, is not a good reason to do that activity.

(And you may well have a completely separate desire to do Americorps arising out of personal dedication, it's just being talked about here only as a possible bonus for law school. Do Americorps if you want to help people. Don't decide to do Americorps based on whether law schools like it.)

[062914123]

.

[whereskyle]

Do you actually *want* to do Americorps and help people and so on? Or do you just want something for your resume? The whole "accumulate various public service lines on my resume so I can make my law school application look better" thing is NAGL.

I understand that almost nothing makes the application look better, except for a higher LSAT score. I just want TLS's opinion of whether or not two years of paralegal work and then one year of americorps looks like a positive or a negative. I'm gathering the sense that it is a "no effect."

Right, my point is that going into a public service activity, to which other people are presumably dedicated for the sake of the activity, for the sake of collecting bonus law school application points, is not a good reason to do that activity.

(And you may well have a completely separate desire to do Americorps arising out of personal dedication, it's just being talked about here only as a possible bonus for law school. Do Americorps if you want to help people. Don't decide to do Americorps based on whether law schools like it.)

This. Whether or not law schools like Americorps should be a non factor in your decision to do it. I don't know specifically which Americorps program you're talking about, but I assure you that most people who do Americorps for reasons other than, well, wanting to do Americorps, have a miserable time of it. The law school bump is extremely small (or nonexistent), especially compared to the lifestyle that Americorps entails. If you don't have a strong desire to work with whichever program you have in mind , I'd suggest staying in your job, saving up some money, and completely destroying the LSAT. If you get a great LSAT score, law schools won't care what you've been doing.

Thanks for the advice. I applied to a lot of americorps positions in a place i'd like to work, but not all of them relate to a type of work that is very close to my heart. I'm interviewing for the position closest to my heart on Tuesday, so wish me luck.

[062914123]

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