<p>My daughter, (a senior in college) has an interest in law school. Because of the financial commitment (she will have to carry significant debt), and the specialized nature of the profession, I had convinced her to find a job after graduation and work for a year or two before making the final decision and applying.</p>
<p>Now, I look at the economy and wonder, first, if it would be best to proceed immediately to law school to weather the recession and second, if next year's applicant numbers may be much higher than this year's.</p>
<p>She has numbers that are decent but not super (169 LSAT / 3.6 GPA) from a top 20 LAC.</p>
<p>What does anyone think about her chances of acceptances to schools being jeopardized because the competition might be that much greater next year, as compared to applying somewhat late this year (she took the October LSAT and didn't intend to apply)? She's interested in the Northeast and to go to the best school possible.</p>
<p>First off, she should know that where she got her undergrad degree from really is not going to matter. Law Schools MIGHT care if she is borderline and being compared with someone else, but they are far more likely to look at the difficulty of the degree than at the name of the institution. I would be a little worried about the GPA, but there is not really anything she can do about it at this point.</p>
<p>If your only concern is that she would be LESS competitive in a year or two, I have some good news for you. Among almost all of the top law schools (especially Northwestern) work experience is going to make her a much stronger candidate. Schools love to have students with real world experience. So long as she has a job to do, there is no reason for her not to take it.</p>
<p>I don't think a 3.6 with a 169 is something to worry about. Your d is at the median of most T 7-14 law schools and if she looks at top 25 schools, she will have plenty of great law schools to choice from. BUT- if she is seriously considering applying to law school for next Sept, she needs to get those applications in ASAP. I've seen postings on LSD and Top law schools that kids are getting acceptances already. Duke and Georgetown have begun sending out acceptances( from what I've read on those websites). So with very solid #'s her applications need to be sent in pronto if she is serious about law school for next year.</p>
<p>I believe that was the main reason my kid decided not to apply her senior year. She just wanted to savor her last year at college and not be bothered with the law school admission process. She is now working and has decided she'll apply to law school next year. </p>
<p>Personally, I also think a bit of work experience does make you a stronger candidate, so I don't think there is much of a down side to starting law school a year or two later. If your d goes this route, just make sure she lines up teacher recommendations this year while she is still at her UG school and have them sent to LSAC for future use.</p>
<p>I didn't mean a 3.6 was something to worry about. Just that it is more of a worry than taking a year off to work. A 3.6 is great. But as I said before, work experience is only going to help. Unless she takes the year off and just flips burgers down at the BK lounge, I see no reason not to do it.</p>
<p>Thanks for your comments. You know, sometimes it takes someone else to say what you yourself really believe before it becomes clear.</p>
<p>I do think the lateness of her application now might be an issue. I know her GPA isn't great. My understanding is that law school acceptances are almost completely about GPA and LSAT. If not, she'll be helped by her good internships and extra-curriculars, but she's not going to count on that. I think delaying her application is the best choice. She can actually enjoy her senior year and she can apply as early as possible next year or the year after. </p>
<p>BTW, she'd probably look at the lower T 14 (maybe Cornell) as well as other top 30 schools.</p>
<p>Your d's #'s should be absolutely fine for Cornell and Georgetown too . My kid will also concentrate on lower T-14's and other top 30 schools as her stats are similar to your kids (higher gpa but lower lsat).</p>
<p>Except at Northwestern, "regular" work experience of 1-2 years--I'm not talking Peace Corps, TFA, military, etc.--does help much at all in law school admissions. It really doesn't. To really give a boost to your app, work experience needs to be community-service oriented, of 5 years or more duration, unusual and/or some mix of more than one. Otherwise, it doesn't matter much at the top 14, again, with the exception of Northwestern. </p>
<p>That doesn't answer your original question, of course. It's a good idea to take a break from school for a while for lots of reasons. I just want to dissuade you from the idea that it will help your D's app--it won't. </p>
<p>What COULD help your D is if she can get a high gpa her last semester and boost the gpa a bit. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, though, recessions usually do result in a higher number of apps. So, your D's decision to take some time off COULD hurt her.</p>
<p>Moreover, recessions hurt kids trying to find jobs too. If she ends up in a dead end type job--and this year, that's an all too real possibility for liberal arts grads--work experience won't help. </p>
<p>My advice? She should give serious thought to doing something community-service oriented if she wants to take time off.</p>
<p>PS: While we all know that the # of LSAT test taken does not correlate perfectly with the number of apps to law school, you can see how much that number has changed from year to year here: Tests</a> Administered Data</p>
<p>This year is probably going to be tougher than last, based on those numbers. Nobody can predict the future.</p>