Sporadic Work Experience? Forum

[svanderwoodsen]

Hi all - I'm applying to law schools in the upcoming cycle (2017-18) and I have a major question about my WE.

I have been out of school for about a couple of years now, and I have been working from the minute I completed my undergraduate degree to now. However, my WE is all over the place. I worked in advertising for some time, then politics, education, as a paralegal at a top law firm and now, I'm working in advertising again. My personal statement is going to be focused on my experience working in advertising and how that sparked my interest in corporate law.

I'm aware that LSAT scores and GPAs matter more in the admissions process but, looking at WE alone, will my resume raise any eyebrows? I know that law schools don't have any set expectations on what they would like to see from those who have WE, but I definitely do not want them to think that I can't hold down a permanent job position and thus, am signing up for law school because of that.

Any insight on this, and any advice on how to address this in my applications (if necessary) would be so helpful. Thanks!

[tinyvessels]

I don't think you need to worry about this. If you have strong numbers, good personal/diversity statements, and nice letters of rec, I really don't think you switching from jobs here and there will make them hesitate/be a deal breaker - especially in this job market. If it's causing you stress/anxiety to think about, you can always write maybe a paragraph length addendum just to play it absolutely safe, but they're getting so many applications and supporting documents for said applications, that I doubt they'd give it more than a cursory glance.

[svanderwoodsen]

I don't think you need to worry about this. If you have strong numbers, good personal/diversity statements, and nice letters of rec, I really don't think you switching from jobs here and there will make them hesitate/be a deal breaker - especially in this job market. If it's causing you stress/anxiety to think about, you can always write maybe a paragraph length addendum just to play it absolutely safe, but they're getting so many applications and supporting documents for said applications, that I doubt they'd give it more than a cursory glance.

I'm more nervous about my application to some of the reach schools that I am aiming for, where my numbers aren't as strong as they could be. Do you think that my WE would affect those applications?

[ZVBXRPL]

I don't think you need to worry about this. If you have strong numbers, good personal/diversity statements, and nice letters of rec, I really don't think you switching from jobs here and there will make them hesitate/be a deal breaker - especially in this job market. If it's causing you stress/anxiety to think about, you can always write maybe a paragraph length addendum just to play it absolutely safe, but they're getting so many applications and supporting documents for said applications, that I doubt they'd give it more than a cursory glance.

I'm more nervous about my application to some of the reach schools that I am aiming for, where my numbers aren't as strong as they could be. Do you think that my WE would affect those applications?

Similar WE. PM'd you solution.

[Platopus]

I don't think that having a number of job in a number of different fields will raise any eyebrows about your ability to hold a job, as I think it's pretty obvious that you switched to switch career prospects. If you've had 4 jobs in the same field, that would be different. I think Adcomms would be more concerned with your reason for now attending law school, and committing 3 years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to your legal education. If you have a solid reason for attending (which it sounds like you do) and can justify it in a way that makes sense, I don't think have a diverse career path with adversely affect you.