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Are there any of you out there who have (or plan to) decided not to go to straight to law school after undergrade and instead took a year off and to do something else? Besides probably studying for an LSAT retake, what did you guys do with that one year to make yourself a stronger applicant for the next law school application cycle? Thanks!

Get a job at a law firm you're interested in, or at least try. Also, consider volunteering....

The specifics don't matter too much, just make sure you do something valuable with the time you have.

I decided to take a few years off. I graduated in 2010 and I hope to start law school in fall 2013. I moved across the country to a place I thought was interesting and now I teach. I wouldn't do anything differently. I will never be able to do something like this for a very long time after law school. You don't want to go straight to law school from undergrad not only because of OCI and job prospects but also at a personal level. This will likely be the only time in your life where you get an opportunity to take a year "off."

I graduated in 2009. I took the LSAT for the third time and just turned my apps in last month. In between, I studied and took two LSATs, volunteered with/through church, and worked as a clerk at a law office through the better part of 2010. A year off isn't the worst thing.. unless you don't spend it constructively.

Just try to do something constructive. If not, honestly, no biggie. Enjoy your funemployment for the year, its never gonna be like this again.

I ended up changing my plans from taking 6 months off (December grad) to taking an additional year. I ended up applying and deferring at my top option, but in the extra year I took a job that was my "If I didn't do law school, this is what I'd want to do" job. In the extra year I developed great professional skills, gained a ton of experience, and got a whole new perspective on why I wanted to go to law school. Not only did having real work skills make my study habits better and lead me to better grades (went from being admitted with below median GPA and below 25% LSAT to Deans list and Law Review), but the extra experience gave me a ton to talk about during interviews.

Take the year, you'll be happy you did and be a better person for it.

I'm currently in my 2nd year off right now, teaching at a Montessori school in the mountains of Honduras (actually on my lunch break posting from the school!) During my first year, I was both waiting for my significant other to graduate so we could work overseas together, and working as a teacher's aide in a school for children with developmental disabilities.

I'm in my year off now, applying to law schools, working in a boring finance position FT.

I've taken a couple years off to work in a small law firm. It's been very helpful for me to see what goes on day-to-day in a law office, which I didn't know much about before I graduated. I wouldn't have felt comfortable deciding to go to law school without some legal experience.

No13baby wrote:I've taken a couple years off to work in a small law firm. It's been very helpful for me to see what goes on day-to-day in a law office, which I didn't know much about before I graduated. I wouldn't have felt comfortable deciding to go to law school without some legal experience.

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing as well. The experience has helped a ton, from learning the day-to-day operations of a law firm to building connections in a market. It also gave me time to study again for the LSAT, and the re-take has drastically changed the calibre of schools I'm looking. Nothing but good things have come from taking the year off. Highly, highly recommend it.