A year off before Law School Forum

[kelssimone]

Did anyone here take a year off before law school to take the LSAT and save up money? If so what did you do in your gap year and was it easier to study for the LSAT this way? Thanks!

[HorseThief]

Did anyone here take a year off before law school to take the LSAT and save up money? If so what did you do in your gap year and was it easier to study for the LSAT this way? Thanks!

I took two years off, and I'd say it was worth it. Didn't do so well on the savings front, but I'm glad I got out of academia for a bit. I also found it much easier to study for the LSAT. I was working part time, so I was able to alter my schedule to give me lots of time right before the test to focus on only the test. I'm sure I wouldn't have done as well if I had tried to study while in ug.

[TLSModBot]

Did anyone here take a year off before law school to take the LSAT and save up money? If so what did you do in your gap year and was it easier to study for the LSAT this way? Thanks!

I took one year off... that quickly became 6. It was absolutely worth it. I went from a college kid who just 'always wanted to go to law school' to a functioning professional who understood the risks and benefits of what I was getting into (not saying all K-JDs are as uninformed as I was btw). I worked in Discovery consulting, so I got contact with actual firms and learned about the drudge work of BigLaw.

I heartily endorse taking time off. It will make the choice to go to law school more difficult, which is a good thing - you have to want it bad enough to give up a paying job, lol. Also I think I wouldn't have gotten the LSAT score I did had I taken it at the end of college.

[tealeaves12]

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[ILoveYou]

I took a year off, then another year, then another year. I definitely think it is easier to study for the LSAT on a longer timeframe and while working rather than going to school. I failed utterly to save during that time, but did pay down a bunch of debt.

I'll also say this: schools that flat-rejected me as a K-JD accepted me and offered significant money a few years later. And it wasn't like I did anything spectacular in that time; I just worked a not-very-well-paying job. And mine was in no way a unique experience--even if nothing else on your app really changes, you're likely to have better results a year or two after you graduate than you will applying as a college senior.

[Other25BeforeYou]

I took a year off and often wish I'd taken a few more. Most of my friends in law school had worked for at least five years before starting, and they seemed to be the most relaxed/sane. They also seemed to do better at OCI than the folks who'd gone straight through or only taken a year or two.

[cheesy145]

I'm currently taking two years off, maybe more. My advice would be if you're sure you only want to take a year off do something fun with it before law school begins. I took the first job I was offered and even though its not bad and good pay I wish I did something memorable since after law school you wont have time for adventures

[banjo]

I took a few years off, dividing my time between graduate school (dropped out) and full-time paralegal work. Graduate school was a disaster and I regret going. But working was awesome and taught me important soft skills.

[jbagelboy]

at first people thought of me not going to law school after college as "gap" years or "time off" -- now I think of that time as pivotal professional and personal experience and development. And I had relatively little of it compared to a lot of the people here and that you'll meet in school. I thought my experiences (in full time work) were kind of cool, but I've met people in law school who did truly amazing things before they started, and in no way were they gaps or time fillers to study for the LSAT. So I'd stop thinking about this as a 'gap' between eventualities and start grappling with the idea that you should make the best use of your time after graduating college to figure out what you want out of your career, and if law school is the right path, how to make it what you want out of it.

[Redamon1]

I had 5+ years. I highly recommend working before law school, and not just for one year. Gives you perspective, so you have a better sense of what you like / don't like. Allows you to save. Gives you time to exhaust the LSAT. Makes you a more competitive law school applicant. Makes you more competitive with employers, who like grads/applicants with a sense of professionalism. Depending on your work experience, it can also make your law school classes more "real" because you can connect the law to stuff you did before school.

[Nomo]

I took three years off and have no regrets. I have never met anyone who regretted working for a few years before going to law school. It is 100% the right thing to do.

You really shouldn't think of it as time off. Its a time to work in a job (or two or three) and figure out more about what you you want out of your professional career (how much you want to work, how much money you really need, whether you like working with clients, if you enjoy certain subject matter, etc.).

[NoBladesNoBows]

[ChemEng1642]

I have worked for two years. I'm only a 0L, but even just thinking about going to law school I can't even imagine doing it straight out of undergrad. WE is highly recommended.

[AreJay711]

It should be mandatory. I'm a year out after going K-JD, and I'm just now really figuring out the working world. I know that sounds stupid -- I worked summers and student-type jobs in college -- but it really is different.

[sflyr2016]

I've noticed that many, if not most, of the people at the top of my class and in law review and that sort of thing, are those who had a few years off before law school. I'm not saying that by taking time off you will do better in law school, but it seems to help some people mature and handle law school better than their younger/less experienced peers.

[TasmanianToucan]

I took several years, and if you're like most people, you probably should too. If you followed the normal college track, you've never been anything but a student (internships aside.) Go work a forty hour week to see what it's like and to see if you really want to do three more years of school just to work an eighty hour week.

It's easy for people who've never really worked before to say that would be no problem. After working a normal job for a year, you'll be in a better position to imagine your life with your hours doubled.

Edit: image to imagine, because I can't type properly in the morning.

[OhBoyOhBortles]

at first people thought of me not going to law school after college as "gap" years or "time off" -- now I think of that time as pivotal professional and personal experience and development. And I had relatively little of it compared to a lot of the people here and that you'll meet in school. I thought my experiences (in full time work) were kind of cool, but I've met people in law school who did truly amazing things before they started, and in no way were they gaps or time fillers to study for the LSAT. So I'd stop thinking about this as a 'gap' between eventualities and start grappling with the idea that you should make the best use of your time after graduating college to figure out what you want out of your career, and if law school is the right path, how to make it what you want out of it.

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