Wondering what to do the rest of the year Forum

[JustSomebody]

I graduated UG last May and spent the summer and last few months studying for the Oct LSAT and interning at a law firm part time. Now that I have my score back and my internship is over with, I really need to be doing something.

I'd like to get a job obviously, but I don't think any place that offers a "real job" will want to hire me when I'll have to quit by next August. To be quite honest, I'd rather get a retail job somewhere and take it easy and enjoy the rest of my time before law school than jump into a full-time job that I'll have to quit soon anyway. (I'm living at home right now, so I don't need to worry about paying rent).

But down the line, prospective employers are going to want to know what I did with my year off, and if I explain that I just worked in retail, is that going to not look good enough? Will a year off without any substantial full-time work experience to accompany it look bad?

[Kring345]

I think EVERYONE should take a year to themselves after college. I really do. Or if not after college, then at some point in their young lives. Or if not a year, at least 1-11 months. Too many people, myself included, jump from one thing to the next without stopping to smell the roses.

If I were you:

I'd retake the LSAT in Dec or Feb if you wanted to. Then I'd graduate college and travel for about 3 months. If you are simply backpacking through the Asian rain forest and sleeping in trees/brothelshostels, you wont need a whole hell of a lot of money. Plus, it'd be worth it. Then I'd get a sweet ass job for 9 months while applying to law school. Not necessarily anything fancy dancy like paralegal or finance, because, honestly, if you want to be a lawyer, no one gives a fuck about some job that you worked at for a few months to a year. Being a paralegal or banker wont help you get into schools. So, when I say sweet ass job, Im referring to something enjoyable. Youre about to enter a profession defined by long and grueling hours of reading, writing, and orating in front of 12 angry men. So be a "conquistador, stripper, or shark fisherman." It's the last time in your entire life you'll be able to do whatever the fuck you want to do. Savor it. Travel the world, work your awesome job, go to the beach, go sky diving, play sports, write a good personal statement about your time as a highly-educated stripper, visit old friends, make new friends, and learn to play the cello.

Relevant:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=168704
Also relevant:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=168960

This is coming from someone who hasnt had time to smell the roses in a long time. I havent lived in the same place for more than 9 months since high school, consistently work 60-70 hour weeks, have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan for 24 months in 4.5 years, took no time off after UG and before Marines, and will not be out of the Marines until 2 or 3 days before my first day of classes at law school. Take some time off. You wont regret it when youre 50, but you may very well regret not waking up in a ditch on the side of the road in Thailand wearing a sombrero.

Dead serious.

Tl;dr version: yes. Graduate, then travel, then fight bulls, then apply.

Source: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=170097