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Where do they go?
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 1:45 pm
by tokenchris
Why is everyone getting WE outside of their undergraduate degree. You used to me able to leave undergrad with 90 credit hours and without a degree to enter LS. Where does everyone go?
Example:
72% at least 1 year out of college
52% 2+ years out of college
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 2:10 pm
by Blackjack45
I'm not sure I understand the question. Are you asking how people work during undergrad? Are you asking how people get jobs after undergrad but before going to law school?
That seems like a question better suited for your University advising staff.
Or are you asking "why" (rather than how) people are getting work experience before going to law school? Perhaps they weren't happy with their current cycle scores so they decided to wait a little. Not everyone has the finances to take a year off in between cycles without working, and why let a perfectly good bachelor's degree go to waste?
Reframe your question, please.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 2:42 pm
by tokenchris
The latter part of your response is what I was referring to. Why are there so many people entering tls's after taking time off. I'm not suggesting that people take a year off without working, I think any reasonable person would do that, but rather why they are taking any time off in the first place in such drastic numbers. I thought it was generally standard to go straight to, but I guess things change.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 2:45 pm
by UnicornHunter
tokenchris wrote:Why is everyone getting WE outside of their undergraduate degree. You used to me able to leave undergrad with 90 credit hours and without a degree to enter LS. Where does everyone go?
Example:
72% at least 1 year out of college
52% 2+ years out of college
Because it's rewarding, gives you time to prep for the LSAT, exposes you to the professional world, allows you to save up some money, helps with OCI, and shows that you're applying to law school as an adult and not as someone who is just looking to stay in the same predictable bubble of academia they've lived in their whole life?
Also, if you join the military, the GI Bill+YRP is pretty sweet (that's what I did).
ETA: Like A. Nony Mouse, I did not decide to go to law school during college. In fact, I'm still not 100% sure that I'm going to end up going.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 2:46 pm
by A. Nony Mouse
And then there are those of us who only decide to go to law school after graduating from college and working for a while. Not everyone decides on law school while in college.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 3:04 pm
by RhymesLikeDimes
I was pre-med all through college, and didn't even think about law school until a year after I graduated.
Most other law school bound people I know are taking some time to work and/or just to take a break from full-time school.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 7:16 pm
by tokenchris
Do these people with year(s) of experience outside of undergrad have a 'boost' over other applicants (all other factors being equal)? If so, it seems like there could be/ is a specific # of seats for those solely coming from undergrad. Of course, there are other factors to consider in this equation. I certainly don't want to do this as I have a very specific intended career path, but if I get some kind of boost and I'm a little shaky with my #'s, maybe it would be best for me? Cause then they can be like, 'Oh, good we know he can do something for a year outside of school, so now we know he is qualified'.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 7:21 pm
by Nova
tokenchris wrote:Where does everyone go?
Random entry level jobs
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 7:52 pm
by chneyo
...
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 11:24 pm
by 20141023
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Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2013 11:32 pm
by Louis1127
The people I know who did the 1-2 yrs of WE b4 LS did things that were what you might not expect. One worked on a political campaign full time for like a year, one did the Sean Penn in Haiti thing, another worked at some consulting firm overseas. Interestingly, all of their parents had a ton of money and were very generous with their children. Obviously if you're like me and your parents are not millionaires and not willing to give you a shit ton of money, you probably can't do the first two of these things.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 12:41 am
by phillywc
shit like this makes us K-JDs look bad, stop
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 1:23 am
by Clearly
The fact that you have to ask why and where, is perfect evidence why WE is a great idea...
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 1:24 am
by jingosaur
chneyo wrote:Nova wrote:tokenchris wrote:Where does everyone go?
Random entry level jobs
I ran away and joined the circus. Ten years later, I took a pretty bad fall off of the flying trapeze, which left me bedridden for a few months. During that time, a friend gave me an LSAT prep book. The rest, as they say, is history.
This is a 180 answer.
But seriously, I didn't consider law school until about a year after I graduated. I noticed that almost all problems that my clients faced (I work at a big consulting firm) were either tech related or law related and I felt I could really do more with my career and achieve more of my goals with a legal education. If I went to law school before my work experience, I would have gone with absolutely no direction and most of it would have been spent with no focus and no idea about what having a professional office job is actually like.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 2:16 am
by HorseThief
When you work, you earn money, which is worth the WE alone. In addition, though, the experience working in an office with people outside of your uni really does give a valuable perspective. I also hadn't considered law while in UG, but if I had, I would have wanted to work for a few years before applying.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 10:56 am
by TheSpanishMain
Clearly wrote:The fact that you have to ask why and where, is perfect evidence why WE is a great idea...
Agreed. The maturity and perspective gained from leaving the cocoon of a campus and working in the real world is very valuable. I've also heard, anecdotally, that people who have decent post-college work experience on their resume, even if it's not law related in the slightest, tend to do better when looking for a legal job.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2013 10:47 pm
by bp shinners
TheSpanishMain wrote:Clearly wrote:The fact that you have to ask why and where, is perfect evidence why WE is a great idea...
Agreed. The maturity and perspective gained from leaving the cocoon of a campus and working in the real world is very valuable. I've also heard, anecdotally, that people who have decent post-college work experience on their resume, even if it's not law related in the slightest, tend to do better when looking for a legal job.
More anecdotes - yes, they do.
To OP, as others have said:
1) Gain maturity
2) Boost resume with real-world experience
3) To figure out what they want to do before going to prof/grad school
4) To make sure law is right for them (work as a paralegal)
5) To pay off loans/save some money
And probably other reasons.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 1:56 pm
by whereskyle
I'm unable to say where exactly, but I read an adcomm interview here, in which the adcomm said specifically that they look to see if students have branched out away from the undergrad bubble. AmeriCorps can help you do that.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 2:02 pm
by ManoftheHour
tokenchris wrote:why they are taking any time off in the first place in such drastic numbers.
Lifestyle, dude. There's no other time in your life in which you have little responsibility, a wad of cash to spend, and opportunity to fuck around and travel.
An obvious bonus to this is that you can sit through more cycles, study, and retake the LSAT until you're satisfied. That's assuming you found a decent job after college though.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 9:42 pm
by Crowing
My WE was pretty crappy and I still thought it was a super valuable experience. I think getting some post-undergrad WE before LS is a good idea for just about everyone.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 10:49 pm
by 03152016
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Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 6:36 am
by ManoftheHour
Max324 wrote:Because life isn't linear. It's circuitous and unpredictable. There are dreams and roadblocks to those dreams, times of complete clarity of purpose and times in the proverbial wilderness.
It took me four years to find my way to law school. After graduation I spent some time as the archetypal struggling musician. I was always broke but couldn't care less -- I was writing the best music of my life and meeting the most amazing musicians. I filled my nights playing gigs around the city, holding booze-fueled jam sessions in my closet-sized apartment, busking in the subways (and meeting the reliably colorful cast of characters who hold court in the tunnels of Manhattan).
And I did exactly the things my soul and psyche demanded -- be it writing bad poetry all day, wandering aimlessly around Brooklyn, joining Occupy and concocting wild-eyed political manifestos, or staying up until 5 AM in a West Village jazz club, then watching the sun rise over the East River from in-between the cars of the J train, chain-smoking like a madman.
Eventually the glow wore off and I decided to move forward. I'll be starting school this Fall right across the street from where I used to hand out my CDs to passersby (to their general apathy and/or bemusement). The last few years haven't been glamorous, but I'm entering law school with my soul thoroughly sated, having given my dreams a shot, and having lived the bohemian lifestyle I wanted to live. They were lean times, but I wouldn't trade them for anything.
180 poast. I met a few musicians myself while I was working as a cafe server during my first year off. Used to jam after work and even played a few shows for beer. Worth all the time in the world.
Re: Where do they go?
Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 6:43 am
by WanderingPondering
Max324 wrote:Because life isn't linear. It's circuitous and unpredictable. There are dreams and roadblocks to those dreams, times of complete clarity of purpose and times in the proverbial wilderness.
It took me four years to find my way to law school. After graduation I spent some time as the archetypal struggling musician. I was always broke but couldn't care less -- I was writing the best music of my life and meeting the most amazing musicians. I filled my nights playing gigs around the city, holding booze-fueled jam sessions in my closet-sized apartment, busking in the subways (and meeting the reliably colorful cast of characters who hold court in the tunnels of Manhattan).
And I did exactly the things my soul and psyche demanded -- be it writing bad poetry all day, wandering aimlessly around Brooklyn, joining Occupy and concocting wild-eyed political manifestos, or staying up until 5 AM in a West Village jazz club, then watching the sun rise over the East River from in-between the cars of the J train, chain-smoking like a madman.
Eventually the glow wore off and I decided to move forward. I'll be starting school this Fall right across the street from where I used to hand out my CDs to passersby (to their general apathy and/or bemusement). The last few years haven't been glamorous, but I'm entering law school with my soul thoroughly sated, having given my dreams a shot, and having lived the bohemian lifestyle I wanted to live. They were lean times, but I wouldn't trade them for anything.
This is good stuff. Wish you the best if luck in your future endeavours, not that I think you'll need it.