A gap year simply means a break in your academic endeavors. On a deeper level, however, time spent during a gap year can be a soulful journey into who you are meant to be and what you are designed to do with your life. Take this simple quiz to find out if taking a gap year before law school is right for you:
1) I know that I want to be a lawyer.
2) I do not have any bucket list items that I wish I could do before becoming a professional.
3) I am financially able to handle the expenses of law school.
4) Establishing residency in the state in which I’d like to attend law school is not a priority.
5) I am mentally and emotionally prepared for the academic rigors of law school.
6) I am happy with my LSAT score (or believe that with additional time and effort it would not improve) (in other words, I do not intend to re-take the LSAT).
7) I am prepared to answer the law school admissions essay prompt entitled, “Why Law?”
8) On a personal level, I have the support of friends and/or family to lean on as I pursue my degree.
9) I am passionate about studying law.
10) Law school is my idea for my future (as opposed to my parents’ idea for me).
11) There is no other career that I would like to pursue at this time.
If you answered “NO” to one or more of the above questions, then ask yourself the following:
1) If I take a gap year, do I know what I would like to accomplish during that time and for how long?
2) If I take a gap year, am I really just delaying the inevitable or am I pursuing endeavors that will enlighten and enhance my professional and personal goals?
3) If I take a gap year, am I prepared to stay in touch with my college professors for academic letters of recommendation?
4) If I take a gap year, do I have a strategy for either re-taking the LSAT or am content with my score.
On the positive side, a gap year can offer a variety of experiential learning. Time well spent post undergraduate degree can motivate, inspire, prepare you for the real world, allow you to earn and save money for tuition. Travel, volunteering or exploring another career path can offer a broader view of the world and your place within it. A gap year allows you to re-charge thereby alleviating academic burnout and allowing you to reconsider if law school is right for you. A gap year can increase your maturity, define your goals, reposition your passion and rebrand who you are for an enhanced application process. The time off may even illuminate a non-legal career path.
On the flip side, a gap year that is not well-intentioned can result in aimless delay and will be apparent in your application. If you are simply putting off the logical next step in your education, then a gap year is not for you. There is the additional risk of losing touch with your college professors. Finally, it is important to note that for some highly sought after law schools, LSAT scores are steadily increasing and ‘chasing’ the higher score of your dream school may forever elude you as scores inch upwards year by year.
If you’d like to chat live about your responses to these questions or perhaps have additional thoughts or inquiries, contact me today for a free initial consult.
Comments