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Hi everyone,

So I took an academic leave in the Spring of 2018 (2L year) due to family matters. I have completed full semesters fall 2018 and spring 2019. Currently my cumulative GPA is a 3.42 and I have stayed in the top 30% of my class.

I now have 18 credits left until graduation.

Here's my question: would you take a 3 credit summer class (for $6,200) and then take 15 credits in the fall (covered by scholarship) and graduate in December, or switch to part time by taking 8 credits in the fall and 8 credits in the spring (all covered under scholarship).

Essentially its graduate in December for $6,200 or switch to part time, graduate in the spring for free.

Just wondering what you all think about these two options in terms of how it will look to employers if I switch to part time after taking academic leave instead of finishing up as soon as possible.

Honestly don't think most employers care, at all, whether you graduate in December or May or October or March.

They generally, chiefly care about when you get admitted to the bar, what your grades are like, your personality. If you graduating in December rather than May will not have any impact on your admission to the bar, then it isn't particularly helpful for employment purposes unless you use the extra time to study for and guarantee that you'll pass the bar in July, or unless you intend to work a job that doesn't require bar passage.

Employers aren’t going to care if you finish on a part time schedule, particularly if it means you save money.

ghj92 wrote:Here's my question: would you take a 3 credit summer class (for $6,200) and then take 15 credits in the fall (covered by scholarship) and graduate in December, or switch to part time by taking 8 credits in the fall and 8 credits in the spring (all covered under scholarship).

What would you do in the summer if you didn't take that summer class? Do you have an internship lined up somewhere?

Do you have a post-graduation job lined up?

My thinking is, in terms of pure timing of graduation, if you graduate in December you'd be able to take the February bar, and start making money a full half-year earlier than if you were to graduate in May and take the July bar. You'd make well more than $6200 from that extra 5/6 months of employment.

But that presupposes that you'd be able to find a job. If you'd alternately be able to spend the summer at an internship that might reasonably lead to post-graduation employment, it might be worth doing that internship.