<p>I've been asked for advice regarding this issue and I'm certainly not an expert....so, perhaps there are some of you out there who can assist. Is it preferable for a student to apply to law school while a senior in undergrad, or are there advantages (for admission purposes) to work for a year or two and then apply? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these scenarios? Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I think the conventional wisdom is that it's a good idea to take a year or two off. However, it's an individual decision. Personally, I think some of the answer depends on what you can find to do during that year or two off. It's not always easy to find something worth while to do. </p>
<p>Cons: during the last few years, it's become increasingly difficult to get into law school. (That may not continue.) People who wait two years sometimes find that they can't get into schools that would have accepted them two years earlier. It's also a bit easier to track profs down for recs and get a dean's cert, if required, while you are enrolled in school. Moreover, it can be had to get back into "study" mode after a year or two away from the books and some people tend to get a bit used to the creature comforts a pay check can bring, and find it hard to go back to a student life style. </p>
<p>Pros: some real world work experience helps you mature in a way that school just doesn't and it's useful to go into your first legal job with that level of maturity. Lots of people are sort of burned out academically by the end of college. Some time off, doing other things, can help.</p>