Gap year affecting chances? Forum

[letmelearnlaws]

First, my stats: 3.73/172, above average softs
I know I’m clearly in a good range for most T14 schools, but a lot of them have >50% of students taking a year or more after undergrad before going to law school. I’m graudating in May and just sent in my apps in the last 2 weeks. Will the fact that I am not taking a gap year affect my chances for my top choices (which are Columbia, NYU, UVA, Georgetown)

[icechicken]

It shouldn't make a huge difference either way, especially since your numbers are on-target for all of those schools. Taking time off between college and law school is a good idea for a variety of reasons, but it's hard, in just one year, to amass the kind of experience that would make a substantial difference from an admissions perspective. Plenty of K-JD candidates have great outcomes.

[UVA2B]

Time for some reverse engineering.

Your chances will be based on your numbers more or less. You've pulled two separate data points and tried to connect them, but they're not easily connectable. If you were the only 3.7x/172 applying among a bunch of people with more real world experience than you, then you might miss out more than the other 3.7x/172s because generally people with work experience outperform K-JD's. It's a rough approximation, but it generally holds up. So you could, theoretically, be the worst 3.7x/172 in the bunch. But you're still a 3.7x/172 profile, and that has at least some value, depending on which school you're talking about.

Going a bit off track, if you're actually worried about this, and you think it genuinely matters, why are you not considering taking time between UG and law school to get some experience and move from the group you think is at a disadvantage to the one you think has an advantage? Plenty of people find themselves in your shoes, chasing law school like a loose hound, when the reality is that hound is insanely loyal and will come at your beckon call.

Outside of already applying, considering this worries you, why are you not exploring other options before attending law school?

[landshoes]

Well, what are you supposed to do about it now? You already sent the apps. This does not matter.

[mcmand]

Well, what are you supposed to do about it now? You already sent the apps. This does not matter.

It's a classic TLS/law school applicant thing to want to find control over things that are obviously out of one's control. I think that is what drives people here in the first place. It creates some of the toxicity people notice here.

Anyway, OP, I second UVA2B. If it's a thing you're concerned about, see how you do this cycle but defer/don't go and take a gap year(s). Nothing bad will happen to your law school chances, promise (unless you decide to get 5 DUIs). Many good things might happen. Won't know until you find out, and law school is always there.

[Rigo]

You’ll perform your numbers. Might be met with some skepticism at Harvard, but you’re not really getting in there anyways so don’t sweat it.