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Honestly, I think the best thing (not just for your application, but for you) would be to take some time off to work. From what I've heard from others on here, KJD status will be an obstacle for your not only in admissions, but also for on-campus interviews and getting a job after graduating.

Also, I took a time off after graduating and am applying to law school now, and I can't tell you how happy I am with that decision. I like to think I was a pretty mature person with internship experience under my belt when I graduated, but working in a professional environment for just over a year so far as done so much for my maturity - and even my basic knowledge of what long-term employment is like. Plus, it's just fun to be a twenty-something without any pressing obligations our time commitments other than a 9-5 job.

I know that's not exactly the sort of advice you were asking for, but hope you take it into consideration! Is there a reason you want to go to law school right away?

I dont think its worth drawing attention to it. You really aren't much younger than the standard kjd that applies when they're like 21.

Real work experience would be an ideal solution to this issue. But assuming you aren't going to do that, then I would just let it be and don't worry/attempt to compensate for it. Seems insecure.

Edit: I would also like to endorse the post above.

anecdotally, i've watched a few people your age do well but it's a bit more of an uphill battle to convince--less callbacks and offers, etc. i think employers do view it with some wariness but can be willing to overlook it (dependent on resume and credentials).

what types of internships and ecs have you done?

I know that's not exactly the sort of advice you were asking for, but hope you take it into consideration! Is there a reason you want to go to law school right away?

I'm certainly taking it into consideration. I really appreciate the advice and the perspective from someone who's a little ahead of me. That said, I know with certainty that I want to be a lawyer, and there's not another job I feel so inspired to do. I have a hard time with the idea of putting aside something I'm so passionate about to do something that seems, by comparison, rather meaningless. That said, I understand that there would be a lot of advantages, both in admissions and in life, in gaining some work experience, so I'm now looking at job options if I were to delay for another cycle. That said, I'm a little concerned because I took the Dec 2013 LSAT (before my mission I was dead set on KJD and I wanted to be ready to go when I got home). Isn't this the last year a lot of schools will take my score?

what types of internships and ecs have you done?

I've done 3 communications related internships for 3 different think tanks/advocacy organizations. I was a tutor for disadvantaged elementary students for a couple of years, and intend to return to that this fall. Founded a religious student organization and served as Treasurer and Vice President. Member of a community service sorority. Done some campaign work and a bit involved with campus political organizations.

Ignore it. Meantime gun hard for a fulfilling job. Law school should be your backup. Graduating early means you can get real work experience and apply at the same age as folks looking after an empty gap year.

mollywood wrote:

I know that's not exactly the sort of advice you were asking for, but hope you take it into consideration! Is there a reason you want to go to law school right away?

I'm certainly taking it into consideration. I really appreciate the advice and the perspective from someone who's a little ahead of me. That said, I know with certainty that I want to be a lawyer, and there's not another job I feel so inspired to do. I have a hard time with the idea of putting aside something I'm so passionate about to do something that seems, by comparison, rather meaningless. That said, I understand that there would be a lot of advantages, both in admissions and in life, in gaining some work experience, so I'm now looking at job options if I were to delay for another cycle. That said, I'm a little concerned because I took the Dec 2013 LSAT (before my mission I was dead set on KJD and I wanted to be ready to go when I got home). Isn't this the last year a lot of schools will take my score?

If I remember correctly, your score will be valid for 5 years - so you'd be able to wait another few cycles if you so choose.

Anyway, it's awesome that you're so passionate about law, but taking some time off to work doesn't mean you'd have to put it aside! You could definitely look for entry-level work at a law firm, DA, PD office, or legal aid organization. That way, you could be learning more about the field while making valuable connections and hopefully saving up a little bit of pocket money for once you start school. That's what I did, and I know that having inside experience has not only made me even more excited to be a lawyer, but also helped me develop more informed expectations of what a career in law will be like. That also translates to a better, more credible personal statement and strong letters of rec.

But of course, only you know what's right for you, and I'm sure you can be successful if you decide to go straight to law school. Good luck!

Others have kind of danced around the issue, but it bears being said plainly: with the legal hiring market, you only get one bite at the apple. (This all assumes, btw, that you're looking at a law firm job down the road)

Once you start law school, you begin an inexorable path that ends either with you being employed or you being not employed. Absent extremely rare exceptions, you don't get another shot after the strict timeline of legal hiring. If you fail, you will forever be considered untouchable by the well paying BigLaw career paths.

To that effect, it makes sense to maximize your ability to succeed in getting hired (while balancing against the cost of attendance). Broadly speaking, this means getting into the best possible school with the best possible scholarship, getting good grades, and making yourself stand out as a desirable candidate among the horde of fellow law students competing for the same jobs.

Before you start law school, you can do whatever you want for almost as long as you want, and a lot of it is helpful for later hiring purposes - go get some life experience. Work somewhere and become a polished professional adult. Develop an interesting hobby Travel somewhere. The more you come off as an interesting, well-rounded, professional adult, the better you may seem come OCI.

Being KJD and being young doesn't per se hurt you, but it damn sight doesn't help you, and you need every boost you can get in this market.

As far as admissions go, I think the "disadvantage" of KJD is way overblown, or at the least has more or less impact depending on your numbers. Of course, I say this as a KJD, so grain of salt and all that.

If you're above the 75th percentile in both LSAT and GPA, it really doesn't seem to mean much.


That said, not being able to get into bars (drinking itself isn't a big deal and you obviously can at house parties and such, but not getting to hang out with everyone while we all unwind at bar review would suck) would be, IMO, something to avoid missing out on. Well - at least at my school and the ones I have friends at. I can't speak to all the other schools, but among those I do have knowledge of, I think it's a missed opportunity to make it much easier on yourself to build connections with your classmates.

Op you absolutely need to take 3 or more years to work before applying. It is a huge disadvantage to be K-JD and as others have pointed out law hiring and employment makes it very hard to end up with a good position if you are unemployed at graduation.

Instinctive wrote:not being able to get into bars (drinking itself isn't a big deal and you obviously can at house parties and such, but not getting to hang out with everyone while we all unwind at bar review would suck) would be, IMO, something to avoid missing out on. Well - at least at my school and the ones I have friends at. I can't speak to all the other schools, but among those I do have knowledge of, I think it's a missed opportunity to make it much easier on yourself to build connections with your classmates.

i don't know if i met any classmates outside of alcohol themed outings at law school tbh

mephistopheles wrote:

Instinctive wrote:not being able to get into bars (drinking itself isn't a big deal and you obviously can at house parties and such, but not getting to hang out with everyone while we all unwind at bar review would suck) would be, IMO, something to avoid missing out on. Well - at least at my school and the ones I have friends at. I can't speak to all the other schools, but among those I do have knowledge of, I think it's a missed opportunity to make it much easier on yourself to build connections with your classmates.

i don't know if i met any classmates outside of alcohol themed outings at law school tbh

Doesn't make much difference for me since I'm Mormon.

Thank you all for your input on the value of work experience. I've begun looking into jobs and I'm weighing that option very carefully. Let's set that aside for a moment and say I decide that it'd be best to apply this year anyway. Is the common consensus to ignore the issue in my application altogether and hope it's not a big deal? (although, after posting so many details about myself if there are any adcomms lurking here I've done a really good job of drawing attention to it...whoops.)

Capitol_Idea wrote:Others have kind of danced around the issue, but it bears being said plainly: with the legal hiring market, you only get one bite at the apple. (This all assumes, btw, that you're looking at a law firm job down the road)

Once you start law school, you begin an inexorable path that ends either with you being employed or you being not employed. Absent extremely rare exceptions, you don't get another shot after the strict timeline of legal hiring. If you fail, you will forever be considered untouchable by the well paying BigLaw career paths.

To that effect, it makes sense to maximize your ability to succeed in getting hired (while balancing against the cost of attendance). Broadly speaking, this means getting into the best possible school with the best possible scholarship, getting good grades, and making yourself stand out as a desirable candidate among the horde of fellow law students competing for the same jobs.

Before you start law school, you can do whatever you want for almost as long as you want, and a lot of it is helpful for later hiring purposes - go get some life experience. Work somewhere and become a polished professional adult. Develop an interesting hobby Travel somewhere. The more you come off as an interesting, well-rounded, professional adult, the better you may seem come OCI.

Being KJD and being young doesn't per se hurt you, but it damn sight doesn't help you, and you need every boost you can get in this market.

So if I have no intention of ever doing BigLaw, does that change things? Because I have no intention of EVER doing BigLaw.

There's nothing to draw attention to. You're about to turn 21, meaning you'll be turning 22 during your 1L year. That's not really that young, and my guess is your Mormon mission puts you on the high end of the maturity spectrum among people your age. Doing something else for a year or two is fine, but there's nothing crazy about applying now and starting next year.

mollywood wrote:

Capitol_Idea wrote:Others have kind of danced around the issue, but it bears being said plainly: with the legal hiring market, you only get one bite at the apple. (This all assumes, btw, that you're looking at a law firm job down the road)

Once you start law school, you begin an inexorable path that ends either with you being employed or you being not employed. Absent extremely rare exceptions, you don't get another shot after the strict timeline of legal hiring. If you fail, you will forever be considered untouchable by the well paying BigLaw career paths.

To that effect, it makes sense to maximize your ability to succeed in getting hired (while balancing against the cost of attendance). Broadly speaking, this means getting into the best possible school with the best possible scholarship, getting good grades, and making yourself stand out as a desirable candidate among the horde of fellow law students competing for the same jobs.

Before you start law school, you can do whatever you want for almost as long as you want, and a lot of it is helpful for later hiring purposes - go get some life experience. Work somewhere and become a polished professional adult. Develop an interesting hobby Travel somewhere. The more you come off as an interesting, well-rounded, professional adult, the better you may seem come OCI.

Being KJD and being young doesn't per se hurt you, but it damn sight doesn't help you, and you need every boost you can get in this market.

So if I have no intention of ever doing BigLaw, does that change things? Because I have no intention of EVER doing BigLaw.

Yeah it changes a lot provided you have a plan to pay for school or have a great scholarship.

I'd say go for it if you're not competing for the "top" jobs (note this extends to more than BigLaw - Clerkships and BigFed fall under here, maybe some PI but I have no clue on that honestly).

mollywood wrote:

mephistopheles wrote:

Instinctive wrote:not being able to get into bars (drinking itself isn't a big deal and you obviously can at house parties and such, but not getting to hang out with everyone while we all unwind at bar review would suck) would be, IMO, something to avoid missing out on. Well - at least at my school and the ones I have friends at. I can't speak to all the other schools, but among those I do have knowledge of, I think it's a missed opportunity to make it much easier on yourself to build connections with your classmates.

i don't know if i met any classmates outside of alcohol themed outings at law school tbh

Doesn't make much difference for me since I'm Mormon.

Thank you all for your input on the value of work experience. I've begun looking into jobs and I'm weighing that option very carefully. Let's set that aside for a moment and say I decide that it'd be best to apply this year anyway. Is the common consensus to ignore the issue in my application altogether and hope it's not a big deal? (although, after posting so many details about myself if there are any adcomms lurking here I've done a really good job of drawing attention to it...whoops.)

Right. As I stated, it's not being able to drink - plenty of people don't drink. The issue is when you can't go somewhere that most of your class will go, and it creates less time with your classmates. Unless you're at BYU law, that could be an issue. You should be aware of it.


Yes, ignore it. Wouldn't bring it up. I was only 1 year older than you upon applying, never made any mention of it, and no school every brought it up.

I think the OP will be 21 before starting law school, so even that won't be a problem.