Is taking a gap year and doing nothing bad before Law School? Forum

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pleaseberkeley

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Is taking a gap year and doing nothing bad before Law School?

Post by pleaseberkeley » Tue May 15, 2018 3:42 am

Or will they not care if I use my time to go bonkers on the LSAT since I will have literally nothing else to dedicate energy to? I'm an insomniac and the last 2 years of college was just really hard on my sleeping schedule, I swear to god Iv aged 5 years in the last two. I think it would be very healthy for my to use a few mo the to rest and maybe study for my LSAT. Will this look bad?

If it really looks bad, can taking some community college courses (certificates that can be completed in 9 units) to get like a certificate of proficiency in small business administration or something make it less bad? Or maybe playing basketball in Jc? That's a dream of mine and doing it will be healthy, as I have been too depressed to workout the last 2 years and have gained 25 pounds. Thanks for the advice guys.

jacketyellow

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Re: Is taking a gap year and doing nothing bad before Law School?

Post by jacketyellow » Tue May 15, 2018 10:19 am

pleaseberkeley wrote:Or will they not care if I use my time to go bonkers on the LSAT since I will have literally nothing else to dedicate energy to? I'm an insomniac and the last 2 years of college was just really hard on my sleeping schedule, I swear to god Iv aged 5 years in the last two. I think it would be very healthy for my to use a few mo the to rest and maybe study for my LSAT. Will this look bad?

If it really looks bad, can taking some community college courses (certificates that can be completed in 9 units) to get like a certificate of proficiency in small business administration or something make it less bad? Or maybe playing basketball in Jc? That's a dream of mine and doing it will be healthy, as I have been too depressed to workout the last 2 years and have gained 25 pounds. Thanks for the advice guys.
Law school really doesn't care, just as long as you have the GPA and LSAT score that hits their median. I would kindly suggest, though, that you get involved with sleep therapy and psychotherapy (talk therapy) to prepare for the year ahead. In addition, I'd also kindly suggest that you at least get a part time job, maybe only working a couple hours a day. It doesn't have to be much, just enough to show schools like Northwestern that you have had some real-world experience. You don't even have to put down how many hours you did on the application; just have something there, even if you only do an hour or two a day. Maybe even volunteer somewhere for a couple hours.

I would not suggest going to community college. You need all the brain bandwidth for studying for the LSAT.

Oh, if you are depressed (trust me; I'm with you on that), I would suggest going to a psychiatrist and maybe getting on medication. That's nothing to be ashamed of.

pleaseberkeley

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Re: Is taking a gap year and doing nothing bad before Law School?

Post by pleaseberkeley » Wed May 16, 2018 1:12 am

Does the job have to be fancy that I get during the gap year? For example, can I volunteer at a daycare? Or, can I work as a server at a restaurant? Or, does the T14 want me to work as an intern at google? What are we talking about here? And also, if you have worked during your entire college experience, does the necessity of working during your gap year decrease?

jacketyellow

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Re: Is taking a gap year and doing nothing bad before Law School?

Post by jacketyellow » Wed May 16, 2018 3:03 pm

pleaseberkeley wrote:Does the job have to be fancy that I get during the gap year? For example, can I volunteer at a daycare? Or, can I work as a server at a restaurant? Or, does the T14 want me to work as an intern at google? What are we talking about here? And also, if you have worked during your entire college experience, does the necessity of working during your gap year decrease?
I worked all four years of my college years, so that definitely carries weight.

No, your job does not need to be fancy. Just do "something," even if it's for 5 hours a week.

CanadianWolf

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Re: Is taking a gap year and doing nothing bad before Law School?

Post by CanadianWolf » Wed May 16, 2018 3:40 pm

The LSAT & your health are the most important concerns at this stage of your life. If affordable, take a gap year to exercise, lose weight & prepare for the LSAT. A high LSAT score can yield results measured in dollars (scholarship offers) & in opportunities (top law schools are recruited by the top legal employers).

In answer to your question, preparing for the LSAT & getting healthy is not "doing nothing". And, in your case, it appears to be doing the right thing.

TrustMeImALawStudent

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Re: Is taking a gap year and doing nothing bad before Law School?

Post by TrustMeImALawStudent » Thu May 17, 2018 2:31 pm

As everyone else has said, your LSAT and GPA is what they care most about. I don't think any admissions office has enough time when reviewing thousands of applications to figure out how productive you were in your gap year.

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