Americorps Forum

[js123]

I frequently see people mention Americorps as a soft during their gap year(s). Can anyone explain what benefit this may provide in terms of law school?

Any personal experiences and/or more information would be great.

[objctnyrhnr]

It probably doesn't help much with LS, but it comes up in many of my gov/PI interviews. I used my americorps year to crush LSAT practice tests, primarily.

[Robbin Blue]

Hasn't really made an impact in my cycle. However, it's been nice because it gave me much more time to study for the LSAT, as well as to spend a bit of time out of school. I chose to do AmeriCorps because I was firm on that I only wanted to work for a year post-graduation, and most private jobs were not cool with that. If you've already decided you only want one gap year and are okay with being poor, AmeriCorps might be good for you. Otherwise, there aren't any particular benefits unique to the program.

[kapachino]

I've spent some time asking the schools I'm interested in how they view AmeriCorps service for admissions purposes. The general consensus is that it doesn't help that much, especially if you cannot articulate how/why your service is relevant to pursuing a law degree. Teach For America and the Peace Corps probably have more weight, though it should be said that they pale in comparison to your GPA and LSAT score.

Also, AmeriCorps can be rough. I'm a VISTA alum, and I'm seriously contemplating going for another term of service while I wait to ship out for the Peace Corps, and I still think living off the stipend is ridiculously hard. You won't enjoy a single second of it and will likely quit a few months into it if you're just there for the (perceived) perks.

[whereskyle]

AmeriCorps Member and T14 admit here.

You definitely shouldn't take just any AmeriCorps job, because like any other job the work environment will have strong implications for your day to day life and your overall well-being. AmeriCorps itself does not guarantee a gigantic admissions boost to compensate for the time which you will have to commit to the program. You should decide in advance both the work that you want to do (potentially as it relates to your LS plan, but not necessarily) and the benefits which you would like to receive from an AmeriCorps position. You should accept only those positions which will allow you to do the kind of work that you think that you will appreciate and which will offer you the benefits of gaining new skills and experience relevant to your interests. For me, my desire to work in a position of leadership was paramount. My desire to do something completely new and alien to me came second. While AmeriCorps doesn't in itself provide a huge admissions boost and will likely not enable applicants to outperform their numbers, I think that for those interested in Public Interest Law especially, Americorps can be a plus in both LS admissions and in post-grad employment. (I'm a 0L here, so I'll explain my position with three points and a HUGE CAVEAT.)

1. My application was completely devoted to explaining my intention to pursue Public Interest Law: Personal statement, diversity statement, Why X statement, Resume, and interview. I saw AmeriCorps as a significant element of my application in this regard. (In the end, I got what I wanted: ED to NU.)

2. Working for a high profile non-profit like Habitat for Humanity made my NU interviewer say, "You're doing some really honorable, important work," and he circled the "AmeriCorps" line on my resume.

3. Every thread pertaining to securing public interest law employment post-grad on TLS specifies that applicants will need to have demonstrated interest in the kind of work they are seeking to secure. AmeriCorps programs in Education, Housing, Community Outreach, Health services, Social Work, and in other disciplines can provide experience relevant to Public interest legal work in a variety of ways.

HUGE CAVEAT: An AmeriCorps year cannot be expected to do much for any applicant just by virtue of being a line on a resume. It is the responsibility of the applicant to convince adcomms of the value of an AmeriCorps year. It is my wholehearted belief that when utilized in the right way by the applicant, an AmeriCorps year (or 2, or 3) can be a real plus in the application process.

[Cal Trask]

Second-term member here. It really depends on your project. I think my experience has helped out a bit, but in the end it's still just another soft on your resume. For me it's been beneficial in determining whether I wanted to go to law school and what type of law I'd like to practice afterwards. Try and get some sort of direct service position if you can (meaning probably not a VISTA position), unless you feel like being stuck behind a desk all day.