2L Spring Semester Job not for credit Forum

[Anonymous User]

I am considering a 2L Spring Semester job at a firm that was offered to me but it does not qualify as an externship for credit at my school. That means that if I accept, I'll be working 10-15 hours per week in addition to taking 15 credits and participating on my law journal. I don't really see how this would be possible for me, but I wanted to see if anyone else has done it and how it turned out before I say no. Thanks.

[QContinuum]

This comes down to a few factors:

• How much work does your law journal require? If 40 hours (Law Review), forget it - no way you'd be able to add a job on top of that.
• How many classes will you be taking? I know you said 15 credits, but not all credits are created equal - some classes are more "credit-efficient" than others. For example, I've had 15/16-credit semesters that were less work than a 12-credit semester. If 15 credits = 5 black-letter courses, no way you can add a job. If 15 credits = 2 black-letter courses + 2 seminars that aren't reputed to be very work-intensive, totally different ballgame.

[nixy]

I mean, it's certainly possible. I did the equivalent at least a couple of semesters and it was fine (though I'll note that my LR certainly didn't require 40 hrs/wk, which seems ridiculous if you're not a board member). You just have to look closely at what everything will realistically require, at what points in the semester, and think about your own work habits and how you want to spend your time.

One comment about black letter courses - a classic black letter big lecture class, with lots of outlines and resources available, can take up less time than some seminar classes, especially depending on the timing of writing a 30pp paper or the like. But then, seminars are also easier to schedule around, since they're usually once a week rather than 2-3.

[cantdecide]

I did a 10-15 hr/week non-credited internship with a federal district judge 3L while taking 12 hours and doing journal work. It was a lot on my plate, but actually ended up as my best semester GPA-wise.

The internship also helped me get a clerkship, which was my ultimate goal in doing it in the first place. What’s your goal in doing this job? Is a summer or post-grad offer from this firm possible? Do you already have a summer gig lined up that will lead to post-grad employment?

[misterjames]

I did a 2L spring internship for 20+ hours per week while on a journal (editing submissions and writing my own note), heading one of my school's largest student orgs, and of course a full class schedule. As the saying goes, in 2L they work you to death. If you don't have an OCI job lined up, this is the time to hustle.

Fwiw, my 2L spring internship turned into an internship for the remainder of my law school career and ultimately my first job. For pretty much all of 3L I was in that office more than I was at school.

[Anonymous User]

I am presently in 15 hours, working 20 hours at firm and on Moot Court. I feel very overwhelmed. But I still have my weekends free mostly.