Waitressing/Travel vs. Internship/Law Office Forum

[belle11]

Hi, I'm in my senior year and I am working as a waitress full time. I had the opportunity to do an internship at the public defender's office, but the pay wasn't nearly as good and I couldn't sacrifice that. I'm taking a gap year, and I would LIKE to keep waiting tables to save up money, either to teach abroad or au pair in Europe for part of the year. My parents, however, think I should try to get a job at some law office or political organization to get "real work experience", that will "matter for law school." Tbh, I don't have impressive softs, most of my jobs have been completely non-legal related (retail, waitressing, etc). Does waiting tables count as work experience for law school? Will my gap year just look like a vacation? Does it really even matter in the end what you do with a gap year if you have decent numbers and apply early?

[nixy]

Does it really even matter in the end what you do with a gap year if you have decent numbers and apply early?

Mostly not really, especially if it's just one year. Doing anything counts as work, and you should do what you enjoy. Working in a law firm as a non-lawyer for one year isn't likely to get you enough experience/connections to outweigh making money and doing something you want to do. Some employers even like to see jobs like waitressing and retail because it shows you can work hard and deal with lots of different kinds of people. In any case, the law school you attend and the grades you get will generally matter much more.

Pre-law school work experience can make a difference to some employers when you're looking for a job in law school, but usually it would be working a few+ years in banking or consulting or some other kind of high-level-ish pertinent work. Again, one year in a firm as a non-lawyer isn't going to give you a leg up in hiring or admissions.

That all said, the biggest benefit of working for a law-related job is probably finding out what it's like to work in law, and confirm whether you really want to do that or not. So it's not a terrible idea.