Quitting Job in Favor of Extracurricular Building Forum

[capnobvious123]

I've been working at my current job, a glorified legal secretary position at a small firm, since last June. My intention was to take a month off in the summer to travel for building legitimacy in regard to a specific extracurricular I've been doing since my freshman year of college. I've also already travelled there 3 times, this summer would be my fourth trip.

When I asked about taking time off back in January or so, I was told it wouldn't be an issue. Now that I'm firming up dates and preparing to buy tickets, I asked again and was told that because some of my coworkers are leaving and the summer is the busiest season, they're unsure if they'll need me yet since they haven't hired a replacement and can't approve or deny my request until May.

May is super late to buy tickets, and I really don't want to wait that long. I also really want to go on this trip, and originally felt like it'd be a boost to my app next cycle.

I'm considering telling them that if they won't take me back post trip that's fine, and I'll be gone as of mid July when I'm planning to leave.

However, I'm aiming for T14, and I'm also worried that I'd be better served by having longer term employment (it'll be about a year if I quit in July) rather than going.

Additionally, I imagine it'll be very difficult to find new employment after coming back/after the October LSAT between then and law school the following fall.

I also imagine I'm not going to get terribly fond recs from them for my next job if I leave them high and dry for the summer.

Thoughts? Quit if they don't want me to go, or stay?

[BigZuck]

It's not going to matter for law school admissions, they basically just care about LSAT/GPA. Whether you work for that year or travel the world, law schools won't care.

[capnobvious123]

It's not going to matter for law school admissions, they basically just care about LSAT/GPA. Whether you work for that year or travel the world, law schools won't care.

Yeah, I'm aware that's the conventional wisdom, but I'm under the impression from my research that schools like Northwestern and Penn with older more experienced students tend to prefer applicants who've had longer term employment.

Don't think that's an issue?

[BigZuck]

It's not going to matter for law school admissions, they basically just care about LSAT/GPA. Whether you work for that year or travel the world, law schools won't care.

Yeah, I'm aware that's the conventional wisdom, but I'm under the impression from my research that schools like Northwestern and Penn with older more experienced students tend to prefer applicants who've had longer term employment.

Don't think that's an issue?

I think Northwestern has been relaxing that more and more and I've never heard that about Penn (but maybe I'm out of touch, I haven't applied to law school for a few years)

I don't think there will be difference between 1 year and 2 years in their eyes though. If it was the difference between 1 year and 7 years...then yeah, that might matter.

[Auxilio]

It's not going to matter for law school admissions, they basically just care about LSAT/GPA. Whether you work for that year or travel the world, law schools won't care.

Yeah, I'm aware that's the conventional wisdom, but I'm under the impression from my research that schools like Northwestern and Penn with older more experienced students tend to prefer applicants who've had longer term employment.

Don't think that's an issue?

I think Northwestern has been relaxing that more and more and I've never heard that about Penn (but maybe I'm out of touch, I haven't applied to law school for a few years)

I don't think there will be difference between 1 year and 2 years in their eyes though. If it was the difference between 1 year and 7 years...then yeah, that might matter.

Yeah attending Penn and have never heard of us having that reputation.

[Abraham Lincoln Uni.]

Admission committees review a prospective student’s application as a whole. This includes GPA, letters of recommendation, LSAT scores, personal statement, and supplemental application.

You may continue to work for the firm if you believe it is the best use of your time and resources, especially if you are going to prepare for the next LSAT cycle. You want to make sure your scores are solid.

Ultimately, it is your decision whether to stay with the firm, but their letter of recommendation should be based on your work ethic as an employee and describe you in that regard as well as a person. If you need to leave for personal or professional reasons, a firm typically understand as long as it is done in a professional and respectful manner.

[pterodactyls]

I think part of it does depend on the school. For example, HLS is known for giving weight to work experience, while Berkeley has stated that they give weight to students with graduate degrees. Some schools will care about extra-curriculars more than others. But as other posters have said, GPA and LSAT still trump everything else.

Ultimately, you only have one life to live. I wouldn't base every decision you make on how you think an adcomm will see it. If your GPA and LSAT are high, you'll get in to some good schools regardless of whatever is on your resume.

Just my $0.02. (I'm a 0L.)