I want to get my masters not because I think it would increase my chances for admission to a top law school but because I really need to take some time out to mature and develop before entering law school. I don’t want to rush into law school too quickly.
Better chance if maturing if you get a full time job.
Second on the job. Unless the masters is in a science and you want to do patent work.
A masters in what? You could do a dual JD/MBA at many schools, and do the MBA year first
I never saw anyone “mature” in a master’s program. Get a job at a law firm to make sure you like it.
Or get a job on some other specialty.
- Science research
- Arts / museum work (there are arts attorneys)
- Health
- Tech field
That’s more important than a masters.
@twoinanddone I was thinking a continuation on the major I’m studying in to get my Bachelor’s Degree. Political Science/ Public Policy
^^boring and of no value to LS or working as a lawyer.
Work retail and pay bills instead.
@bluebayou you’re not helping. i’m not gonna work retail at some k-mart or walmart.
@Popcorn11201: I’m a lawyer. I interview prospective new associates. I can tell you that a masters in political science would mean nothing to me. Half of lawyers are polisci majors and basically none of them use it. I would much rather see some work experience on a resume, even if its retail.
your attitude is which is exactly why you should do retail. You will learn that people, cheat, lie and steal. You will learn that bosses can be jerks and don’t give a crap about you. Your colleagues will take your sales commission if you are being nice.
All of which is true in law.
You want maturity…go work with “regular” people for a year. It doesn’t have to be Walmart. A dept store or clothing store or Best Buy (you like electronics?) will work just as well.
But my point is not that retail is your best choice. Volunteering at a Legal Aid society and helping others if you can afford it would be great. But Retail is better than a MA in PoliSci.
edited to add: All of the Deans of the T14 said that they prefer to see apps from folks with work experience. And, if I recall, the Dean of Michigan law even singled out retail as a great learning experience.
I would work in the general industry that I want to cover as a lawyer after law school. If you like politics and public policy and plan to do some type of political/public policy work after law school, work for a political party or for a think tank, in a non-legal capacity, now.
Don’t get a master’s–you’re paying for a degree that isn’t really useful.
Retail is better than a master’s degree, but retail would be hard to explain on law school applications or to law firm employers, unless you have a deep love of retail and plan to do some type of law that relates to it after law school.
Also, don’t work in a law firm. You’ll have 40 years to be a lawyer, and you can be a lawyer at any time after you have a JD, even if you’ve done something other than practice law. It’s much better to explore some other career options and get a good mix of experiences now.
There could be good reasons to get that masters. Perhaps you love the subject and want to study it further. Why not? Or perhaps you are pulled in that direction because part of you might prefer academia or political policy work to law. Again, why not take the time to discover if that is so? In either of the above cases, it would not be that you feel immature, but that you love what you’re studying and want to take time to explore what you want to do for your career. That decision demonstrates maturity already!
Based on other posts, the OP is lower income, and few Master’s programs are funded. Quite the contrary, MA programs tend to be cash cows for the Uni.
Taking on Grad School debt prior to LS debt is beyond foolish. That’s why. 
Perhaps from those born with a silver spoon. But for a low income student, who is just working to pay bills??? As long as the 1L GPA is high, the Vxx will come calling.
It’s true that many MA programs are cash cows for unis and don’t really lead to anything of value for the student, excpt for love of learning. While that’s not nothing, you do need to weigh that against additional debt. If you are low income, think about doing something else that makes money rather than costs money. Work is a great idea, but if you hate retail, then do something else. There’s government work, for example. Look at the government employment listings.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with working retail. But if you have your BA, I have to think there are other jobs you could get that would pay a bit more and be more enjoyable.
I agree with all the other people saying don’t get an MA, especially if it’s in political science.
@bluebayou, I didn’t know anyone who worked retail after college and/or before law school. I’d be concerned that law schools and law firms would think, “that’s all the jobs s/he could get?”
Several of my D’s good friends from their Ivy undergrad worked retail before grad school and launching careers
- Worked at AF for a year before getting a masters at LSE. Worked in consulting a few years until she met her bf ( now husband). Went to Indiana with him to work on the family farm and write. Went back to consulting where she works from home and commutes to D.C. once a month
- Worked at JCrew outlet store for a year. Took a job teaching at a Ca boarding school. Came to NYC after 2 years got a job teaching history at a top Day school. School paid for her masters in private school leadership at Columbia and now works in a leadership position at that school
3 worked in consulting for 2 years after college to find out she really hated it. Was interested in working in cosmetics and beauty. Took a job on the sales floor for MAC cosmetics for a year. Went to HBS, interned at cosmetics startup which has now become successful and is a division VP
Sayting this because there is more than one route to take you from point a to point b
My own kid took a year working for americorps at an organization for children before attending LS and is now a GC
I’m not so excited about the retail idea either, but some sort of job that gets you further down the career path is a good idea.
- Federal government official employment site -- https://www.usajobs.gov/
- Prisoner's legal service, provides legal service for prisoners (they help with legal issues that arise in prisoner's lives, like custody, transferring prisons, etc.) -- http://plsny.org/
- Also look at arts organizations, everything from the music and film industry to museums and talent agents.
I know someone who worked as admin in a prominent law school who was accepted into Harvard Law School. Maybe check out job listings for admin positions at prominent universities. There might be a position in the Political science departments too, i
People have worked for advocacy orgs for other issues, homelessness, domestic abuse, international relations positions, immigration.
You could maybe go teach for the JET program in Japan. https://jetprogramusa.org/
I like @Dustyfeathers’ suggestions. I know one person who did JET then a top-10 law school and is now a very successful partner at a large NYC firm.