If you think the experience would benefit you, then our answer is clearly yes! Not all aspiring lawyers go directly from their bachelor`s degree to law school, and a gap year is common and can be a very positive addition to your application. Take a break to develop, achieve your personal goals, and decide if you`re up for the law school challenge. Do you feel exhausted from undergraduate studies, but are you afraid of taking too long a break before law school? You`re certainly in good company – 80% of new Harvard law students said they took a break a year before L1, and the case for a break is stronger than ever in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. But depending on your situation, how you spend your year abroad can increase or destroy your chances of getting into your best school. Let`s compare two accounting majors who received full scholarships to law school and withdraw $24,000.00 per year each year for living expenses. One (let`s call him Ron) goes to law school after elementary school and the other (Harry) waits three years like me. If I had studied law right out of college, I would never have traveled with my friends, started my first business, or experienced the myriad of other carefree things in my early 20s that I had to do because I was working and supporting this lifestyle. I`m thankful that I traveled and did more spontaneous and experimental things when I was young and without the responsibility of the mid to late 20s. Adding a second or third language to your repertoire has many advantages, especially in terms of a gap year for law school. If you take a few years to work full-time, you can accumulate savings, pay off debt, or simply improve your financial habits. If you use this time to accumulate savings, you can live off those savings while studying law. The cost of living while studying law is crazy and often forgotten that many aspiring lawyers have to consider. Seriously, how are you going to eat and pay the rent while studying law? You won`t get a room and board subsidy if most law schools don`t offer on-campus accommodations! I think it`s a bad decision because there are alternatives to this gap year.

First of all, it is unlikely that 6 months will not only speak a language fluently, but will also be able to design and write a legal language. Second, companies hire professional translators for this sort of thing because you will be doing other important tasks. They won`t pay you $100 for translation and you probably won`t be as fast as a pro in the field. Law schools understand that time between college and law school may be the last opportunity you have before retirement to do something just for you. They won`t blame you if you decide to do something unusual before law school. A UW graduate recently moved to Colorado to be a ski instructor for a year before attending law school. Other people chose to travel the world for a long time before studying law. I travel with partners when they go to places, but I think it`s rare and not because of my language skills, but rather because I write well and write memos quickly. Another disadvantage of waiting is losing touch with your university professors.

While it`s true that you`re working with industry professionals who can serve as incredible references, few things beat a solid academic benchmark from your bachelor`s days. Indeed, these professors are able to give admissions committees an accurate assessment of your work ethic and character, and therefore a good assessment of your ability to succeed in a postgraduate program. While strictly professional credentials can provide equally valuable insight into your appetite for the legal industry, they can`t say anything about your academic skills, which is worth knowing when deciding whether or not you should be accepted into a school. For starters, a gap year will do wonders for alleviating academic burnout. Since a high bachelor`s degree is an essential part of your number one law school, it makes sense that you put a lot of mental energy into keeping your college grades high. After 17 years of school, you deserve to make a difference and get a feel for the world of work (or travel!) Some work experience could also help compensate for a relatively low GPA, making a gap year an ideal path for ambitious students who haven`t done as well academically during those four years. There are many good things to say when you take a break before taking on the law school challenge. In fact, the pros of a break may outweigh the cons, which should give some peace of mind to our most undecided candidates. With Projects Abroad, you can become an intern or volunteer abroad for as little as two weeks at any time of the year. However, to get the most out of our project, we recommend that you stay as long as possible (at least a month). Speaking a few languages is great, I love it and I desperately want to learn my 5th.

However, I can`t imagine any partner being impressed. Instead, I see that they are wondering why you did not do it earlier and whether you are serious about the law. Will you burn out after a year in the company? Are you lazy? With all these degrees, you wanted to be a student forever and now you are going to work and then go do your PhD? The longer you wait to apply and attend law school, the longer you`ll have to wait to start your career. While it`s perfectly acceptable to start your career elsewhere, those hoping to enter the legal industry should move on sooner or later. These student loans will not be profitable, and an average lawyer salary of $90,000 will go a long way toward helping with all of that. Even law firms (with the possible exception of BigLaw`s first-year programs) will consider pre-university or non-lawyer experience if they are directly related to their legal services. For example, my first post-undergrade job was a paralegal/legal assistant at an older law firm. I have also worked specifically on Medicaid applications, working with nursing homes, hospitals, and health care providers on a weekly basis. My exposure to federal health programs and health systems through my internship experiences led me to the first call for other entry-level candidates. This logic also applies to lawyers` jobs. Law schools do not categorically favour time-consuming applicants over those who go straight to law school.

However, law schools prefer that each applicant carefully consider whether it would be in their best interest to wait before applying to law school. In many cases, taking time between college and law school can give you time to strengthen your demands, which is both in your best interest and that of law school. Law schools also prefer that applicants take enough time to confirm that law school is the right career choice for them. Ultimately, it depends on which law schools you`re considering, but many prefer students to take time off between undergraduate and law school. After all, going back to school is a big mental adjustment. In fact, I`m afraid to go back to that “student” mindset. When you start working, earning your own money and fully betting on “growing up,” returning to a student, and being dependent on others again – whether it`s your spouse, parents, government, or school – is a huge mental shift.