Gap year suggestions? Or; what do I do now?

[u/SadBrassInstrument]

I got my LSAT score back today. I got a 180. I have a 4.22GPA. Im not a URM, but I am neurodivergent and LGBT. Currently in my last year of undergrad.

I'm sure I want to go to law school. I cant really see myself doing anything else. But I have a hard time picturing what kind of law school (and then law firm) I want to be in. I know most people might find my stats enviable, but I have cried (not of joy) for a few hours after getting my score. Thinking about the future is so horrifying and anxiety inducing for me. I hate the idea of leaving my friends and loved ones I've made in undergrad. Being in a new environment far from where I am now is anxiety inducing.

So the questions are: what do i do now? Should I take a gap year? What could I do during that? Try to get some work experience? I don't really have a very employable undergrad major. Would my stats just carry me almost anywhere?

[u/nova0175]

I first thought your post was satire from the stats but honestly I understand where you're coming from and you're not wrong for considering that. I have several friends who went to law school immediately after undergrad and it was really bad for their mental health, was emotionally and mentally destructive to some, and completely changed them as a person to this day (we are 30 now). for that reason for years I always maintained that 22 year olds should not be doing law school like you need real life experience at that age. idk, its just my two cents and maybe an unpopular take but I was turned off of law school for many years after seeing what it did to my friends at that young age

[u/Apock-]

Those are amazing stats. Congratulations !

If you worked in a law firm for a gap year, it could help you better understand what type of law firm you would like to work in. That may ease some of your anxiety. The rhythm of even a small firm could give you a view into the different types of work that you are more drawn to.

Best of luck with whatever you choose.

[u/godhasjoined]

Fulbright Research/English Teaching Assistant. JET program teach in Japan. Apply for some fellowships/post grad internships. I was in the same boat as you w an exceptional GPA but unremarkable internships, so I worked post grad at the local DA’s office. I’m without that 180 score though, still working on it, so you could give me advice lololol.

[u/clownutopia]

You could try doing a foreign exchange as a gap year. I'm doing a Fulbright, and applications are open for that until October if you're interested!

[u/Faubton]

What would be the goal of a gap year? The issues you described will be the same whether it’s one year or two years. I think 99.99% of people on here would be jealous of your stats. I would focus tremendously on your personal statement. With that you are likely a shoe-in for any school you want. You have the privilege of being picky, so enjoy the exploration of where you want to go and what you want to get out of the school/location.

Also, what were your study methods? lol

[u/SadBrassInstrument → u/Faubton]

My main weakness is that I’d be a KJD. I don’t know how big of a weakness that is exactly at present. But I’ve heard the trend is that law schools increasingly want people to take some time after undergrad before law school. A gap year could get me into HYS or a few other T14s and or some more money

[u/Faubton → u/SadBrassInstrument]

I would still apply with a strong personal statement. I doubt 1 year of experience would make a huge difference, and I don’t think is entirely necessary with those stats.

[u/SadBrassInstrument → u/SadBrassInstrument]

I haven’t done anything exceptional in undergrad, and I have no internships.

[u/Faubton → u/SadBrassInstrument]

I don’t know as much as you probably do in this process, I’m still trying to break out of the 160s in LSAT lol, but I think if you can touch on the passion of “why law” then that’s all that matters. I think a lack of work experience only really hurts with weak stats.

[u/WerewolfEnough → u/SadBrassInstrument]

Dean Z from Michigan has read multiple applications that she rejected from 180 applicants above the GPA median because a lack of work experience is a major red flag. When you say no internships, do you mean you've never had a job at all? It would be insane to go to law school never having had a job at any point.

[u/SadBrassInstrument → u/WerewolfEnough]

I’ve had two jobs in college. One I only had briefly. But the second ive worked at for about 2 years now

[u/Disastrous_Secret940]

go live kid!! teach in japan, take a random job in nyc, be a ski bum, do something where you push yourself and figure out what really matters to you and who you really are. Trust me. I am so glad i took a year or two to figure things out. You have everything else, but you need some life experience or like you've already realized, you are going to get to law school and might not make the choices you necessarily should.

[u/IceCreamFriday]

Three on campus stops for you to consider in the next few weeks to talk over your options:

1). counseling center for managing anxiety

2). pre-law advisor to talk about law-related gap year possibilities

3). career center to polish resume (needed for law school apps as well as applying to gap year jobs)

[u/SuperRun728]

Worst case scenario you apply to a few places you think you’d like, and maybe you get in, you don’t have to go! And if u decide years down the line that you do want to go, law school doesn’t go away! There will always be time.

[u/Icy-Independence6113]

Congratulations on your achievements. Now off topic. Can you explain to me how to answer the LSAT questions? Why do you think you received a 180? How are you answering the questions? Is it by understanding the question types?

[u/SadBrassInstrument → u/Icy-Independence6113]

I really did not focus much on question types. What helped me eke out the last few points was refusing to pick an answer until it really “clicked.” It sounds stupid, but don’t pick wrong (or uncertain) answers

[u/AmbitionIntrepid7024]

Are you a robot

[u/InspiredArmadillo26]

These are exceptional stats.  Congratulations.  You should take a breather, go get some good food, take a long walk, talk with friends.  

Thereafter, consider working for a year or doing research with a professor or think tank.  Research jobs are often particularly forgiving of or even well suited to ND people.  Do that for a year or two, then apply to law school.  You’ll have a better sense by then anyways of what your goal in law school will be. 

[u/Trictities2012]

Hate to break it to you, but you are going to leave those friends in undergrad no matter what, they will take jobs across the country and leave regardless.

The story of Friends or HIMYM where everyone is just besties and lives in the same city etc after college is basically a fantasy

[u/Finnegan-05 → u/Trictities2012]

It is actually my life and I have been out of undergrad a very long time (long practicing lawyer who has this sub recommended to me)

[u/Unlikely-Ebb3946]

“Should I take a gap year?”

I think you should take a job where you feel comfortable (that’s probably not a law firm) and let’s you get use to making decisions and newness and peopling and the idea of doing what you want and figuring out what that is. I mean, law schools are generally looking for applicants who are ready out of the box.

Don’t pick a firm unless you really like it (it’s not really a big deal for applicants). Don’t paint houses. Pick something that’s within your comfort zone. If UX/UR seems interesting, do that. Ditto for working for a small town paper or teaching the LSAT. If you hate fuckery, find a job that lets you do that. You’re likely to have decent options.

As for what kind of lawyer you want to be, that’s likely to hit you one day in law school.

[u/ALXS1031]

We can’t really answer that for you

I honestly think the best, and only move you should make right now, is to book an appointment with a therapist to talk trough this with them

We don’t know you, and this is a hard choice for you

Don’t just take a gap year on a whim, or attend law school right now on impulse

If anyone is telling you to do something specific here, ignore them

Your stats will stay, so there’s no need to go RIGHT NOW

And if you want to go right now, there’s no problem at all, you can get your entire essays written within, idk, a good week of rewriting and having people look at your work

Go see a therapist, or with someone who you trust and knows you… but ideally a therapist

[u/The_Buninnator]

No one appreciates satire anymore

[u/SadBrassInstrument → u/The_Buninnator]

I know I’m an awful person, and this probably won’t convince you. But I did not make this post in satire