<p>I'm graduating from UC Berkeley this December, and plan to matriculate into law school by the summer of 2015. </p>
<p>After I graduate, I plan spend six months rigorously studying for the LSAT, so that I can take the June 2014 test. My goal is a 171+. If I don't reach my goal by then, I plan to retake it in October. </p>
<p>I don't want to do anything else, like an internship or part-time job, because I want to put my full effort into the LSAT. And I hope to chill with my free time and just have fun on the days I take a break from studying. </p>
<p>My question is whether taking 6 months off (but maybe a few more if i do a retake) to study for the LSAT will look bad in law school applications. </p>
<p>Would it also look bad to employers if I apply for a short-term job if I have a six month gap in which I studied for the LSAT? How would I go about explaining that gap in an interview? (I think it would be especially awk if I was asked that question and I didn't get a good LSAT score in the end...like it might give off the impression that I wasted my six months. If I do break a 170+, I don't think the employer would mind though)</p>
<p>You can work or volunteer part-time while studying for the LSAT. There are 168 hours in a week, and you’re realistically not going to spend more than 30 or 40 hours studying. It actually helps to have some structure to your day (and week, and months).</p>
<p>The only folks who care are in Ann Arbor. (The Dean’s blog mentions that she expects folks to volunteer if they are in-between jobs.) But then it only counts for ties. If you have the GPA and LSAT…</p>
<p>Many people do that. Find something really interesting to do as a volunteer during that time and it will be the best thing you could do. Legal employers love interesting things on the resume to discuss at interviews.</p>
<p>I agree - do it. I can tell you no one will care or notice down the road. I see resumes all the time reflecting that people took time off to do all kinds of things. Taking time off in the middle of a career can be difficult to explain but not before you start practicing.</p>
<p>I have a co-worker who just left a paralegal position to do this. In her case, she is among the worst writers I have ever encountered in my almost 30-year career. I think she is making a huge mistake.</p>
<p>Why would you spend six months of your life doing nothing but studying for the LSAT? Please find something to do while you are studying - volunteering maybe? As someone who reviews a lot of resumes and hires a lot of attorneys, I can’t imagine choosing to hire someone who did nothing but study for a test for 6 entire months over someone who did something productive while they studied for the LSAT. What ever will you do when it comes time to take the bar exam?</p>
<p>I can definitely do some volunteering and work with clubs while I study for the LSAT. However I do not plan to get employed until I’m done with the LSAT and law school apps.</p>
<p>Law firm hiring statistics don’t back this up. It matters way more where you go to school than what you did to get there. Studying for the LSAT may cost you a bit in the latter category (though probably not, 6 months is easy to sell or even write out of a resume) but it gains you an awful lot more in the former.</p>
<p>My question would be are you the type who can DO this? How did you prepare for SAT’s etc? My fear would be it would turn into 2 hours of studying a day scheduled around Kelly & Michael and the gym etc… Many people are <em>better</em> at organizing their time when it’s not so wide open. </p>
<p>Heck, most of us actual lawyers only took off from maybe June to mid-August to study for the bar.</p>
<p>I actually teach a course on pedagogy and I’ve experimented with study and learning methods myself. I am pretty structured on my own and disciplined, and I self studied for the SAT and got a 2310. For the LSAT, I dont see the point of a class because the only section that I don’t get is LG, which seems highly learnable if I use the PS bible.</p>
<p>I will probably follow the 5 month daily schedule on the LSAT blog. I already brought preptests from which I can drill and practice.</p>
<p>I don’t want to take any chances. I dont want to be mentally or physically tired from any other activity I do while I study for the LSAT. It is a huge determinant in which school I will attend, which will have a huge impact for my prospects for biglaw. By the time I take the bar, law school will have prepared me to deal with the rigor necessary with both studying for it and doing other stuff.</p>
<p>it is not that I can’t work time…I can if I have to. But I prefer to be in an overall relaxed environment when studying for the LSAT…meaning I dont want any other commitments bc while I could do them, it might get annoying </p>
<p>I worked hard in college, and want to enjoy taking the lsat. Meaning when Im not studying, I will watch television, exercise, hang out with friends and family, and play video games. And volunteer a little bit and be involved in club a little bit</p>
<p>and just in case anyone asks, I do have the discipline to change my leisure schedule once law school starts.</p>
<p>(Also when I mean relaxed environment, that doesnt refer to practicing under test conditions, just that I want to chill when im not studying so im overall more relaxed and comfortable)</p>
<p>Will it help you get a few points higher on your LSAT? Maybe. Six months off to study for it seems like overkill to me. Using the rest of the time to relax, rest, watch tv, hang out with friends and family, and play video games, etc. in order to have a nonstressful environment seems very self-indulgent to me. Why not just tell family and friends that you want a six month vacation and are using studying for the LSAT as an excuse? </p>
<p>Admittedly, I’m from a very different generation, and worked to put myself through college and law school. My kids also were expected to work to pay for their own luxuries and some school expenses, to volunteer and fulfill family responsibilities (helping with a parent with a degenerative terminal illness). They are very hard-working and driven to achieve even when they have time off. You asked if anyone had a negative perception of what you were doing. Yes, I do. </p>
<p>But if your family is ok with it, you’re ok with it, and you can afford to do it, it’s strictly your own business. Hope you do very well on the LSAT, and that your plan works out.</p>
<p>Given your test-ability (SAT score), you should quickly roll through the Bible and then move onto more advanced material. For LG, I recommend Manhattan LG (ver 3), and/or Velocity online.</p>
<p>The best part is that you have the capacity for a very high score, which will easily turn into serious money at the T14 in today’s environment. Well worth it, IMO.</p>
<p>I took the LSAT a thousand years ago, scored in the 97th percentile and taught LSAT prep for a while after. My number one piece of advice besides focusing on what you do poorly is to take MULTIPLE full length practices under similar conditions to the test (break times etc).</p>
<p>How will you eat? Where will you live? I guess if you have a trust fund or generous parents you could do it. Sounds like a miserable 6 months though.</p>
<p>also, if it takes you 6 full months to study for the LSAT, how good a law student or lawyer do you think you’re going to be? Are you going to take a year off after graduating to study for the bar exam?</p>