Work experience for T6 admissions Forum

[cantwaittoberich]

Hey y’all,

Do the tippy top schools differentiate between part time and full time work experience? Just graduated and have been trying to cool off, I’m a bit hesitant to throw myself back into the grind so part time jobs are really appealing right now especially considering LSAT prep and how strenuous that is. Ive heard H specifically asks about “full time” work history though, will I be at a disadvantage? And stupid question, if I work two part time jobs would this equate to full time work experience? (Ex. tutoring but can only get so many hours so retail work on the side to supplement income). Thank you!!

[The Lsat Airbender]

Full-time, "real job" employment definitely looks better than part-time, ceteris paribus. But it's not going to make a huge difference either way, especially if this is just a gap year after college.

A counterintuitive effect of T13s' fancy applicant pools is that a Goldman analyst job or whatever isn't going to wow people and you might as well do whatever pays rent and makes you happy.

[decimalsanddollars]

Full-time, "real job" employment definitely looks better than part-time, ceteris paribus. But it's not going to make a huge difference either way, especially if this is just a gap year after college.

A counterintuitive effect of T13s' fancy applicant pools is that a Goldman analyst job or whatever isn't going to wow people and you might as well do whatever pays rent and makes you happy.

+1. Work experience is a "soft factor" that doesn't make much difference to admissions reviewers, particularly where the gap is short. If you're 4-8 years out, though, a lack of any career narrative might look odd to a school like, say, Northwestern that cares about "'real job' employment." If it's a year or two, don't stress about filling the gaps between LSAT-teacher shifts. If it's a decade of bottom-of-the-pyramid Kaplan work with no promotions, advancement, or progress to speak of, it might be tough to sell as "experience."