Question for people who took time off after school to LSAT study Forum

[CoverForehead]

Question for people who took time off after school to LSAT study

This includes people who finished undergrad or grad school and then either
- Basically just studied for the LSAT for a few months after finishing school
- Did work/volunteer/some activity/travel that still allowed lots of time to study for the LSAT
- Were unemployed but still needed to explain what they did during this time period
- Literally took time off to have a break in life but also studied for the LSAT
- etc

1. If you wanted to have plenty of time after finishing undergrad/grad school to study for the LSAT, what would you do during that time?

2. How did you/would you explain that time period in your law school application?

3. If you studied engineering in undergrad/grad school and wanted to do the above, how would you do it?

[Barack O'Drama]

Question for people who took time off after school to LSAT study

This includes people who finished undergrad or grad school and then either
- Basically just studied for the LSAT for a few months after finishing school
- Did work/volunteer/some activity/travel that still allowed lots of time to study for the LSAT
- Were unemployed but still needed to explain what they did during this time period
- Literally took time off to have a break in life but also studied for the LSAT
- etc

1. If you wanted to have plenty of time after finishing undergrad/grad school to study for the LSAT, what would you do during that time?

2. How did you/would you explain that time period in your law school application?

3. If you studied engineering in undergrad/grad school and wanted to do the above, how would you do it?

I hired an admission's consulting company for my apps and had a similar concern. For what it's worth, they told me ad comms "look at your resume for 10-20 seconds." From what I was told they care more if you've been out of school a while and/or if you did something REALLY noteworthy. Otherwise, I was basically told applicants generally put too much stock in what are considered "soft" factors and work experience. Mostly a numbers game, so a point or two on your LSAT is almost definitely worth more than most jobs you'd have on your resume for the time you're studying, at least vis-a-vis admissions.

I'm working while I study for the LSAT. But I am planning on studying until next year and aiming for a180, so it is going to be a long road for me.

[Rupert Pupkin]

From my experiences talking to different people: Law school is not the same as b-school. You must take off a few years and gain credible work experience to get accepted to a top b-school. Law school, on the contrary, is made up of mostly people coming in straight from undergrad. At the same time, there are a lot of people who attend law school several years after completing undergrad and might have some very credible work experience from their undergrad degree that may be Engineering based (in the situation you questioned about).. or maybe even business/finance related. However, these additional post-graduate experiences aren't something that Law Schools specifically look for like the b-school application process does;However, they are just something that if its there, it could add some benefit to you as an applicant indicating you are "well-rounded" or who knows what.

My recommendation is this:

-The most important factor in law school apps is GPA and LSAT. You need to figure out how long and the proper plan for you to reach your desired score. This is different for a lot of people. if working full- time for a year and studying only a few hours a day over a longer period of time is what works for you then I suggest doing that. Otherwise, a full-time, no commitment 100% study focused lifestyle may be the way to go.

-Think about your long-term goal. If you are an engineer, maybe working a year or 2 will extremely valuable down the road in your Engineering-related law career because it adds value to your undergrad degree showing that you have actually had experience with it...And that coupled with a law degree, you will be a more effective attorney. Idk if thats the case...I am just trying to show you a perspective to think about.

I don't really think there is a wrong answer, but just know majority of Law School admissions is LSAT + GPA related. Find out what school you want to go to and thus the necessary score you need and figure out roughly what type of law you want to practice. Then you can take more appropriate actions that will guide you to fulfilling those goals and purpose.

Hope this helps- Cheers!

[RamTitan]

I think it's a good idea to get work experience so you can be certain that law school is what you want to do. Plus, I think slow and steady is more conducive for learning the LSAT (but to each their own).

[Blueprint Mithun]

Question for people who took time off after school to LSAT study

This includes people who finished undergrad or grad school and then either
- Basically just studied for the LSAT for a few months after finishing school
- Did work/volunteer/some activity/travel that still allowed lots of time to study for the LSAT
- Were unemployed but still needed to explain what they did during this time period
- Literally took time off to have a break in life but also studied for the LSAT
- etc

1. If you wanted to have plenty of time after finishing undergrad/grad school to study for the LSAT, what would you do during that time?

2. How did you/would you explain that time period in your law school application?

3. If you studied engineering in undergrad/grad school and wanted to do the above, how would you do it?

1. I worked part-time (4 hours every weekday) while studying for the LSAT. It was great, because I enjoyed the job (teaching), it still left me plenty of time for studying, and it gave my days more structure. What was more important, though, was the fact that I specifically allotted a certain amount of time each day for LSAT study. Sticking to that consistent schedule was a lot easier for me than just being like "okay, let's just study for a while every day."

2. Well, I mentioned it as part of my personal statement, since my teaching experience was part of the focus of that essay, but this wasn't necessary. You don't have to account for every single thing you've done leading up to your application. I just did so because I had something interesting to write about, but if you don't, there's no real reason to feel uncomfortable about a gap after school. Your resume is a soft factor in admissions.

3. Depends on what your goals are. Do you want to work in IP law? Are you still considering pursuing engineering, or are you set on law? You might want to get experience working at a firm (maybe a patent firm?), or as an engineer first to get a feel for that environment. But I'd do this primarily for your own personal development, not for the sake of padding up your resume. That's because, like I said before, your resume's importance is negligible.