Night School/Full time job right out of college in DC Forum

[dolphlaw]

Have a hypothetical question here. I am currently interning on the hill (rising junior) and am hoping to attend law school/work in DC out of undergrad. I was curious to know if it was common/possible for students at GULC, GW, etc. to work full time right out of cllege on the hill as a congressional aide or another position while attending night school after work? I understand that obviously people attend night school while working full time jobs, however, I have just never heard of someone doing both directly after graduating from undergrad. Thanks for your help.

[Barry grandpapy]

For once my own experience is relevant.

When I interned at a Congressional office one of the legislative aids took night classes at GULC. This is entirely doable, especially if you're only a staff assistant.

[dolphlaw]

For once my own experience is relevant.

When I interned at a Congressional office one of the legislative aids took night classes at GULC. This is entirely doable, especially if you're only a staff assistant.

Great to hear. Thank you!

[capitolbuffalo]

There are a lot of people who work full time on the Hill while going to law school in the evening. I don't recall ever meeting anyone who was doing both straight out of college though.

I would strongly recommend against trying to do law school during your first year on the Hill. You're going to miss out on a lot of valuable (and fun) networking opportunities, and 1L is likely going to impact your work product at a time when you really need to focus on establishing a good reputation as a staffer. That said, you really just need to check the "JD box" to be a congressional counsel, so there's a lot less pressure to get the best grades or to go to the best school. Also, many offices have a loan repayment program that will offset the cost of any student loans (if you go into collection right away.)