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Has anyone been a RA at the undergrad campus during their first year of law school? Free housing and food sounds pretty good, but is it too much obligation?

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I'm a 0L but I was an RA in UG. With how important 1L is I couldn't imagine working, let alone being an RA during that first year. It's a lot of work and can be an erratic schedule.

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I would never consider it during my 1L year, but would it be a reasonable option thereafter?

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Thanks everyone.... I think majority rules on this topic: not going to do it.

Worker and Parasite wrote:I wouldn't recommend it 1L but *maybe* for 2L or 3L. The problem is you can't put it on your resume (or no one really cares that you were an RA).

What you *should* do in 2L / 3L is work as a Research Assistant or Part Time Law Clerk and use those funds for your rent. Then you can put something actually useful on your resume and build some experience.

Does being an RA really eat up such an enormous amount of time that one couldn't do one of those other things during 2L/3L? I was never an RA in UG, but the people who did it didn't seem too greatly burdened by it.

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Sister was an RA 2 and 3L; I am a TA for UG 2 and 3L. Saved us a crap ton of money. I would highly recommend getting the gig if you can. Some schools, like mine, will cover your entire tuition (and give you the scholly money you were getting in a check for living expenses) if you're a TA. RA is also a good gig, but usually just covers housing + stipend.

Also really disagree re: externship crap. If you're going to a T-14 and wanting biglaw no one gives a crap about that stuff and actually, the best use of your time is trying to decrease future loan obligations.

I passed up the opportunity to be an RA during both 1L ["too important of a year"] and 2L [mandatory RA training was during OCI]. To this day I regret the foregone savings. I will be an RA during 3L finally. If you are an RA during all three years (and usually they allow you to renew each year) you can save around $45000. That is the equivalent of getting a huge scholarship without sacrificing 10-20 spots in the rankings.

The constant refrain on TLS is to take the money and run, even if it means going to T-10 over T-4. Well, here you have the chance of taking the money and staying at your T-4, or wherever. Do it. And congratulations on getting the opportunity.

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You definitely can do it. A lot of people here are overly gunnerish about how much time law school really takes up. It's really not that bad outside of finals.

That said, you probably shouldn't do it. Being an RA would eat up a lot of your free time which would be better spent making connections with your classmates. Something that gets overlooked in the scramble is the long term benefit from not being a ghost in law school. Outside of biglaw, your friends will be able to really help you out even just a few years out (one of my bros got another of the crew a job less than a year out).

Worker and Parasite wrote:

jrthor10 wrote:Sister was an RA 2 and 3L; I am a TA for UG 2 and 3L. Saved us a crap ton of money. I would highly recommend getting the gig if you can. Some schools, like mine, will cover your entire tuition (and give you the scholly money you were getting in a check for living expenses) if you're a TA. RA is also a good gig, but usually just covers housing + stipend.

Also really disagree re: externship crap. If you're going to a T-14 and wanting biglaw no one gives a crap about that stuff and actually, the best use of your time is trying to decrease future loan obligations.

That's a big if and if you're going to the T-14, you might as well just be a Research Assistant.

You get free scholarship money for being a TA? Isn't that the same as saying you're getting paid as a TA?

No. Law school RAs, at least at my school, make $10-15 an hour.

Being a TA can frequently result in free tuition + stipend (your payment for teaching) + any scholarship money back in living expenses.

Even RAs often get free R&B + stipend.

Unclear why if you're going to a T-14 vs. another law school this debate is much different. Externships may help if you're going for PI, but even then, I think the potential $$ (perhaps up to 100k less in loans over two years) from a TA or RA job is worth more than any bump you might get for doing an externship.

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At my most recent university, graduate RA's were expected to work 20 hours per week. Some ended up putting in more. To do that during 1L would be insanity.

At ND, most of the Assistant Rectors are law students. Some of the most successful students have been ARs, and you get a ton of benefits (free housing and I think there's even a tuition break). Everyone I talked to who was an AR loved it and highly recommended it. But it's not the same thing as a traditional RA position.

ndirish2010 wrote: Assistant Rectors

Lmao