Taking a Semester Off for the LSAT??? Forum

[rose.1070]

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[shump92]

Don't take the semester off, it would probably look weird to schools. Just take a year and a half off before starting law school. You will be happy to have had that break later on. And you would have plenty of time to shoot for either the February or June LSAT. Then have all summer to write your essays, work a bit, and enjoy life some.

[rose.1070]

Don't take the semester off, it would probably look weird to schools. Just take a year and a half off before starting law school. You will be happy to have had that break later on. And you would have plenty of time to shoot for either the February or June LSAT. Then have all summer to write your essays, work a bit, and enjoy life some.

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[legit]

Have you considered being a part-time student?

[rose.1070]

Have you considered being a part-time student?

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[legit]

One more thing, try looking into taking classes back home and transferring the credits.

[malleus discentium]

Ignore the LSAT until you graduate and focus on your GPA. That's permanent once it's given, but you can always retake. Don't take a semester off to do the LSAT, that looks really weird. Instead, work for a year after you graduate and study for the LSAT then.

[shump92]

Don't take the semester off, it would probably look weird to schools. Just take a year and a half off before starting law school. You will be happy to have had that break later on. And you would have plenty of time to shoot for either the February or June LSAT. Then have all summer to write your essays, work a bit, and enjoy life some.

Great advice, but I don't know if I'm looking to take a full year and a half off between undergrad and law school. Just wondering since it may look weird to schools, will it actually hurt my chances of getting in? Wouldn't a 170+ and a random semester off look better than a 164 with no semester off?

What is your reason for being averse to a gap year? Most attorneys would probably recommend that you take 1-3 years off being UG and law school. It's really not too bad in the grand scheme of your career. For one, it reaffirms that you really do want to be a lawyer. Much better to have that be clear before you potentially take on 6 figure debt and 40ish years of high stress. You also get to have more fun than you will likely be able to in the future since most attorneys have terrible hours.

I guess you could try to have your essays done during the school year and apply to schools that would take the February LSAT (but that would likely mean much less scholarship money). I do not want to say that you HAVE TO take a gap year, but that seems like an obvious answer to your situation.

[rose.1070]

Ignore the LSAT until you graduate and focus on your GPA. That's permanent once it's given, but you can always retake. Don't take a semester off to do the LSAT, that looks really weird. Instead, work for a year after you graduate and study for the LSAT then.

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[joejoe]

I agree that GPA matters more, but instead of taking a semester off, just take a schedule of blowoff easy A electives that term.
Unless you are premed or something, and then, go take your MCAT instead slacker.

[rose.1070]

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[joejoe]

Working full time will take just as much (or more) energy from your LSAT studies.
But if you are serious die hard about this, fast food is always hiring and by the rent motel rooms and EBT food cards from Uncle Sam work for millions as life long options...........I wouldn't recommend it.

[rose.1070]

I agree that GPA matters more, but instead of taking a semester off, just take a schedule of blowoff easy A electives that term.
Unless you are premed or something, and then, go take your MCAT instead slacker.

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[joejoe]

I agree that GPA matters more, but instead of taking a semester off, just take a schedule of blowoff easy A electives that term.
Unless you are premed or something, and then, go take your MCAT instead slacker.

Am pre-med but way more interested in law. I'd take any medieval-style torture over the MCAT any day.

First, respect.

Second, I'd take the MCAT and LSAT both. See how you do on both. There are joint degrees. If you are crazy enough, you can go for it.

[shump92]

I'm not totally against a gap year and am definitely considering it, but I am currently in a good situation where I'm very motivated to finish up studying for the LSAT and very eager to start law school. I don't know just how motivated I'll be during my gap year to study for the test, not to mention the task of actually finding a good enough job to support myself for that year. Based on a prior internship, and several shadowing experiences, I am comfortable in knowing I want to be a lawyer, so the only real benefit of the gap year would be to use it as a break or to retake the LSAT. I'll be in Europe for most of next summer so I'll get my fun in before law school which is nice!

Okay. Good to hear you are having some fun. I think having the flexibility to retake would be wise though. Test day is definitely not easy and most people leave some points on the table their first try, regardless of how well they prepared. I would keep that in mind.

I think the semester off is a bad idea (weird) because law schools are going to have concerns with maturity for any KJD applicants. That does not mean that being KJD is automatically a detriment, but you definitely have to show in some manner that you are ready to succeed right away (both at law school and with your legal career). I think a random semester off would undermine your ability to overcome these maturity concerns. No sense harming your chances before you even apply. I also don't think that you should change your scheduling plans at all. Just take your planned schedule and do your best to bump your GPA if possible.

I see two reasonable options for you.
Option 1: Finish up UG this semester and have all of your LORs and essays ready to submit by the end of December. After graduation, finish up whatever parts of your planned studying you had not yet gotten to and sign up for the February test. Email the admissions committees at the schools you are targeting to be sure you are handling everything properly, but with March deadlines you should be fine. See how your cycle goes and assess your options.
Option 2: Still finish up UG this semester and identify who will write your LORs. Find a short-term job that you can have for the next year and a half, excluding your vacation. Anything would be fine. Then figure out how much you want to study for the June LSAT. You should be able to get your PT average higher with the extended timeframe and will likely only need to have that one take. Also work some on your essays since you are not likely going to want to do much for them while in Europe. Assuming you hit your LSAT target, your apps should be ready to go by late September/early October. And you could easily retake in October if necessary. Wait for your results while working and hopefully enjoy a good cycle.

If you really are concerned with your job prospects for a gap year, go ahead and follow option 1. If your options aren't good enough you can always start following Option 2 then. I think the most important thing to keep in mind for your admissions cycle is that your decision will have major ramifications for the rest of your life. It's always going to be better to delay starting law school if your options are not good enough for your career goals. To be specific, you should be into at least one school that fits your interests well and has good employment outcomes. You also need to have some type of help that means you will not have overwhelming debt. If any of those three things don't apply, then you should consider retaking to improve your LSAT and reapplying (with the higher score) to get your ideal scenario. Good luck!