Intern vs Studying Forum

[ivyprelawstudent123]

Hi all,

I have always wanted to go to law school but decided to work in finance during my first few years in college. By the end of junior year, I'll have done four finance related internships and really would just like to take the summer to prep for the LSAT, and then use those experiences to discuss my interest in corporate law in a personal statement. I took a diagnostic cold and got a 158 and would need to get my score to 170+, especially because I'm looking to secure scholarship money. I am, however, contemplating of whether I should do another internship this summer versus studying and doing a part-time job. I have asked law school students at my current university this question, and they suggested I intern. Please let me know and I thank you all in advance!

[LSATWiz.com]

Hi all,

I have always wanted to go to law school but decided to work in finance during my first few years in college. By the end of junior year, I'll have done four finance related internships and really would just like to take the summer to prep for the LSAT, and then use those experiences to discuss my interest in corporate law in a personal statement. I took a diagnostic cold and got a 158 and would need to get my score to 170+, especially because I'm looking to secure scholarship money. I am, however, contemplating of whether I should do another internship this summer versus studying and doing a part-time job. I have asked law school students at my current university this question, and they suggested I intern. Please let me know and I thank you all in advance!

You really only need to prep for the LSAT for 2-3 hours a day. The thing is that you need to prep consistently. They prob said to do the internship because nobody studies for 8 hours a day.

[ivyprelawstudent123]

Thank you for your response. I am just confused as to what to do this summer. I would like to intern at a law firm if I have the opportunity but there are very few of those available to undergraduate students. I have considered working for a non-profit or try to do policy work, but my previous interests have not reflected interest in doing so, so it may be difficult to get into that. However, if I get an opportunity I will, but was just wondering if I need to weave this into a narrative in my law school application since I know my previous experiences working in finance can be tied into my interest in corporate law, but not sure how volunteering may fit into that. I apologize for the excessive "ifs" and stress reflected in this post haha.

[LSATWiz.com]

Thank you for your response. I am just confused as to what to do this summer. I would like to intern at a law firm if I have the opportunity but there are very few of those available to undergraduate students. I have considered working for a non-profit or try to do policy work, but my previous interests have not reflected interest in doing so, so it may be difficult to get into that. However, if I get an opportunity I will, but was just wondering if I need to weave this into a narrative in my law school application since I know my previous experiences working in finance can be tied into my interest in corporate law, but not sure how volunteering may fit into that. I apologize for the excessive "ifs" and stress reflected in this post haha.

It's debatable how much attention they even pay to your resume, particularly if you're just a college student. If you don't need money, you can get away with just studying and relaxing. If you need money, you can also get a job that makes money. If you want to be a lawyer, unless you make a huge connection, a summer internship is unlikely to carry any weight for your future career.

[ivyprelawstudent123]

Thank you for your response. I am just confused as to what to do this summer. I would like to intern at a law firm if I have the opportunity but there are very few of those available to undergraduate students. I have considered working for a non-profit or try to do policy work, but my previous interests have not reflected interest in doing so, so it may be difficult to get into that. However, if I get an opportunity I will, but was just wondering if I need to weave this into a narrative in my law school application since I know my previous experiences working in finance can be tied into my interest in corporate law, but not sure how volunteering may fit into that. I apologize for the excessive "ifs" and stress reflected in this post haha.

It's debatable how much attention they even pay to your resume, particularly if you're just a college student. If you don't need money, you can get away with just studying and relaxing. If you need money, you can also get a job that makes money. If you want to be a lawyer, unless you make a huge connection, a summer internship is unlikely to carry any weight for your future career.

Thank you for your responses! i spoke to my pre-law advisor yesterday and she told me that any work experience is more than okay and to do it for my sanity. I have had a part-time job since high school that pays really well so I thought of doing a few shifts of that alongside studying + relaxing. It definitely would be better for helping with financing my applications + test scores. I think my perception just gets muddled now and then by what my peers think I should be doing rather than what law schools actually look out for. Thank you again.

[Wubbles]

Stop listening to the prelaw advisor. They're awful.

But anyways, yeah I would take the internship and study for the LSAT during it. Get your GPA and LSAT as high as possible and the work experience will be just a kicker.

[Npret]

Thank you for your response. I am just confused as to what to do this summer. I would like to intern at a law firm if I have the opportunity but there are very few of those available to undergraduate students. I have considered working for a non-profit or try to do policy work, but my previous interests have not reflected interest in doing so, so it may be difficult to get into that. However, if I get an opportunity I will, but was just wondering if I need to weave this into a narrative in my law school application since I know my previous experiences working in finance can be tied into my interest in corporate law, but not sure how volunteering may fit into that. I apologize for the excessive "ifs" and stress reflected in this post haha.

It's debatable how much attention they even pay to your resume, particularly if you're just a college student. If you don't need money, you can get away with just studying and relaxing. If you need money, you can also get a job that makes money. If you want to be a lawyer, unless you make a huge connection, a summer internship is unlikely to carry any weight for your future career.

Thank you for your responses! i spoke to my pre-law advisor yesterday and she told me that any work experience is more than okay and to do it for my sanity. I have had a part-time job since high school that pays really well so I thought of doing a few shifts of that alongside studying + relaxing. It definitely would be better for helping with financing my applications + test scores. I think my perception just gets muddled now and then by what my peers think I should be doing rather than what law schools actually look out for. Thank you again.

Do your well paid job and study. Just make sure you study in a focused and productive manner, timed tests, blind review, etc. If you study correctly the first time you can save yourself having the experts tell you to retake. Good luck.
Edit to add - your college internships may not even be on your resume by 2L OCI, don’t sweat those. Your LSAT is far more important. Focus on that.

[LSATWiz.com]

Stop listening to the prelaw advisor. They're awful.

But anyways, yeah I would take the internship and study for the LSAT during it. Get your GPA and LSAT as high as possible and the work experience will be just a kicker.

Yeah, I'd just add that my unpaid internships were all a colossal waste of time. You want to avoid prioritizing that over prepping for the LSAT. Unless it's a great company, it's unlikely to hold any value for your future in law whatsoever, and most such companies pay their intern. The ideal job to have while studying for the LSAT is something low stress that has a lot of down-time - something like babysitting or being a doorman or woman would give you some cash, allow you to study at work as needed and demonstrate humility and work ethic to prospective interviewers.

[ivyprelawstudent123]

Thank you all for your responses. I will try to find a job that is more chill this summer like volunteering for local government and make money on the side by tutoring. I really would like to max my LSAT score, 175+ being ideal, so it seems like the right decision. Thank you all again!