Photo by Maria Teneva on Unsplash
I’ve been getting a lot of emails from students recently, asking if they should go to law school right from college, or take a year or more off before applying.
Some are worried about the competitiveness of last year’s hugely popular law school admissions cycle, and worry that it may spill over to this year. Some are still concerned about the pandemic. Others are not happy with their GPA or LSAT scores. Many others, though, are anxious to start law school, and are completely ready to apply this year.
It’s true that many applicants choose to wait before applying. You might be surprised by how many take time off. At Yale Law School, for example, the statistical profile of the Class of 2023 indicates that 41% are 1-2 years out of college and 14% are directly from college. Twenty-nine percent were 3-4 years out from college, according to their website. Similarly, at Harvard, the J.D. Class of 2023 statistics on their website indicate that 80% are at least one year out of college and 62% are two or more years out of college.
There are many external reasons to take time off, and at the same time many factors that might influence you to apply right away. While law school admissions have been competitive, for example, the current job market for lawyers seems strong.
Personally, I think you should ultimately make the decision based on your own readiness for law school, and how well positioned you are to succeed.
Think about the following:
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Are You Sure You Want to Go to Law School?
If yes, then great, go ahead and apply. If you are torn between law and another career, or not really sure what lawyers do, then think about working as a paralegal or in another legal setting for a year or two. This will help clarify your decision and give you some legal experience before you go to law school. You don’t need to know what you will specialize in yet, but it’s good to be at least familiar with different types of legal specialties.
- Advertisement - - Are You Going to Be Ready to Apply During the Early Part of the Rolling Admissions Cycle?
If you have already taken the LSAT or are studying for it, have started your essays and resume and reached out for letters of recommendation, you are in good shape for fall applications. Because law schools have rolling admissions, it is advisable to try and submit your applications as soon as possible, hopefully by Thanksgiving. If you need more time to reach your target LSAT score, improve your GPA, search for scholarships, or to work on applications, consider taking a year off before applying so you are best positioned for a successful admissions cycle.
- Is There Anything You Really Wanted to Do or Accomplish Before Starting Law School?
Once you start law school you will be very busy. If there is something you haven’t had a chance to do, whether it is to travel, work, earn money for law school, pursue an outside hobby, business, or anything else, take this opportunity before you start law school. You can potentially look into Teach for America, work for a law firm, work on a political campaign, or travel. Law schools often value time off and growth experiences. It could be a fun, life-changing opportunity. One former student I advised lived all over the world, working in exchange for free housing, and sent me his law school application questions from internet cafes all over the world—and was accepted to several top law schools.
So, bottom line, we have all learned that life can be very unpredictable this past year—so do what will make you happy and apply in whatever application cycle is best for you.
Hillary Mantis works with pre-law students and law school applicants. She can be reached at altcareer@aol.com. She is the Assistant Dean for the pre-law advising program at Fordham University and author of career books, including Alternative Careers for Lawyers.
