Page 1 of 1
Graduating early?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 1:35 am
by Anonymous User
I have been offered an (unpaid) fellowship abroad with a large international firm, which I will likely supplement with some gov work as well (minimum wage, basically). The fellowship is part of an abroad program, and I am wondering if anyone here seems any detriment to taking the program and graduating one semester early (I've been loading up on credits), in terms of my attractiveness of firms for 3L employment.
Any thoughts on how a Dec. graduation (and likely Feb. bar) would pan out in terms of career prospects?
Re: Graduating early?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 1:41 am
by Aeon
I don't think a December graduation date would be a handicap by itself, but don't law schools require six semesters of enrollment before graduation?
Re: Graduating early?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 1:49 am
by Anonymous User
OP here
ABA requires 2.5 years. CDO says maybe 1-2 students graduate early. CONS are potential time gap and debt hits earlier. PROS are that I would get to leave LS earlier and get out of this location (definitively an area I do not want to be), and might be able to take earlier bar. Question is whether firms would let me work off-cycle like that.
Re: Graduating early?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 1:56 am
by Aeon
There's no single answer. Some firms like to start all first-years at the same time, others don't care. It's pretty much on a case-by-case basis.
Could you remain nominally enrolled but take the semester off while doing the fellowship?
Re: Graduating early?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:07 pm
by Anonymous User
Aeon wrote:I don't think a December graduation date would be a handicap by itself, but don't law schools require six semesters of enrollment before graduation?
Some school with evening programs offer summer semester, lots of people in my school graduate a semester earlier and lots of evening students graduate in 3 years.
Re: Graduating early?
Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:20 pm
by AreJay711
Anonymous User wrote:OP here
ABA requires 2.5 years. CDO says maybe 1-2 students graduate early. CONS are potential time gap and debt hits earlier. PROS are that I would get to leave LS earlier and get out of this location (definitively an area I do not want to be), and might be able to take earlier bar. Question is whether firms would let me work off-cycle like that.
Debt hits earlier, but there's PAYE for that. I graduated in Dec. and my PAYE payments were $0 because I was only making $200 a week waiting for my job to start. I have some friends who started early. One started like the week after the Feb. bar, but that was cray.