Will not working my gap year hurt me? Forum
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lsataddict242

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Will not working my gap year hurt me?
I just graduated and have been studying for the LSAT most of the summer. I plan to continue studying until December and not work or work 16 hours (preferably not at all). I get too tired to study when I get home in the evenings. I know this from previous work experience. If I plan to apply in December, will this negatively impact my application? Will law schools think of me as lazy?
Thanks!
- rpupkin

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Re: Will not working my gap year hurt me?
It probably won't hurt you for law school, but it could hurt you when you look for legal jobs.lsataddict242 wrote:I just graduated and have been studying for the LSAT most of the summer. I plan to continue studying until December and not work or work 16 hours (preferably not at all). I get too tired to study when I get home in the evenings. I know this from previous work experience. If I plan to apply in December, will this negatively impact my application? Will law schools think of me as lazy?Thanks!
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lsataddict242

- Posts: 23
- Joined: Fri Jun 30, 2017 2:30 pm
Re: Will not working my gap year hurt me?
Because of lack of WE/less WE or because of the gap in work history/part-time classification? Please specifyrpupkin wrote:It probably won't hurt you for law school, but it could hurt you when you look for legal jobs.lsataddict242 wrote:I just graduated and have been studying for the LSAT most of the summer. I plan to continue studying until December and not work or work 16 hours (preferably not at all). I get too tired to study when I get home in the evenings. I know this from previous work experience. If I plan to apply in December, will this negatively impact my application? Will law schools think of me as lazy?Thanks!
Last edited by lsataddict242 on Fri Aug 18, 2017 4:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- rpupkin

- Posts: 5653
- Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:32 pm
Re: Will not working my gap year hurt me?
Both.lsataddict242 wrote:Because of lack of WE/less WE or because of the gap in work history/part-time classification? Please specifyrpupkin wrote:It probably won't hurt you for law school, but it could hurt you when you look for legal jobs.lsataddict242 wrote:I just graduated and have been studying for the LSAT most of the summer. I plan to continue studying until December and not work or work 16 hours (preferably not at all). I get too tired to study when I get home in the evenings. I know this from previous work experience. If I plan to apply in December, will this negatively impact my application? Will law schools think of me as lazy?Thanks!
ETA: If someone asks you what you did during your gap year (which is a common interview question), an answer of "I studied for the LSAT" or "I was afraid of working while preparing for the LSAT because I couldn't handle both" is a very, very bad answer.
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lsataddict242

- Posts: 23
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Re: Will not working my gap year hurt me?
For BigLaw as well after finishing a T-14? I feel like it can't be that big of a deal for employment considering the fact that many students went straight to law school after college and have no WE.rpupkin wrote:Both.lsataddict242 wrote:Because of lack of WE/less WE or because of the gap in work history/part-time classification? Please specifyrpupkin wrote:It probably won't hurt you for law school, but it could hurt you when you look for legal jobs.lsataddict242 wrote:I just graduated and have been studying for the LSAT most of the summer. I plan to continue studying until December and not work or work 16 hours (preferably not at all). I get too tired to study when I get home in the evenings. I know this from previous work experience. If I plan to apply in December, will this negatively impact my application? Will law schools think of me as lazy?Thanks!
- rpupkin

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- Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:32 pm
Re: Will not working my gap year hurt me?
Yes, definitely. See my edited answer in my previous post.lsataddict242 wrote:For BigLaw as well after finishing a T-14?rpupkin wrote:Both.lsataddict242 wrote:Because of lack of WE/less WE or because of the gap in work history/part-time classification? Please specifyrpupkin wrote:It probably won't hurt you for law school, but it could hurt you when you look for legal jobs.lsataddict242 wrote:I just graduated and have been studying for the LSAT most of the summer. I plan to continue studying until December and not work or work 16 hours (preferably not at all). I get too tired to study when I get home in the evenings. I know this from previous work experience. If I plan to apply in December, will this negatively impact my application? Will law schools think of me as lazy?Thanks!
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lsataddict242

- Posts: 23
- Joined: Fri Jun 30, 2017 2:30 pm
Re: Will not working my gap year hurt me?
Thanks. Hm, well I plan to work starting January. Maybe that will offset the 3 months between now and December. What do you think?rpupkin wrote:Yes, definitely. See my edited answer in my previous post.lsataddict242 wrote:For BigLaw as well after finishing a T-14?rpupkin wrote:Both.lsataddict242 wrote:Because of lack of WE/less WE or because of the gap in work history/part-time classification? Please specifyrpupkin wrote:It probably won't hurt you for law school, but it could hurt you when you look for legal jobs.lsataddict242 wrote:I just graduated and have been studying for the LSAT most of the summer. I plan to continue studying until December and not work or work 16 hours (preferably not at all). I get too tired to study when I get home in the evenings. I know this from previous work experience. If I plan to apply in December, will this negatively impact my application? Will law schools think of me as lazy?Thanks!
- rpupkin

- Posts: 5653
- Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:32 pm
Re: Will not working my gap year hurt me?
I think that will help a lot. Not working from June through December is probably fine. (Folks will likely just assume you were traveling or fucking around for a few months, which isn't a big deal.) I'd make sure you have a job lined up for January, though.lsataddict242 wrote:Thanks. Hm, well I plan to work starting January. Maybe that will offset the 3 months between now and December. What do you think?