In the past few years, one significant change in the law school application process is a general preference for work experience. Some law schools have openly stated that they appreciate work experience, and the stats of several schools show that they are accepting many students who have work experience.
Given that so many applicants now have work experience, you might be wondering whether entering law school right after college is a good decision. In this post, we at Stratus share some guidance to help you choose the right path.
How Being a “KJD” Works
In admissions forums and general discussions, students who start law school right after college are referred to as “KJDs,” as they have been in school from kindergarten through law school.
When to Apply
If you are planning to be a KJD, you will start law school the fall after you graduate from college—which means you will apply to law school in your final year of college. Given that slots typically fill up more rapidly after December, it is best for you to apply by then. Since you will not have your spring semester grades by then, and you might not have your fall semester grades either, you can send the law school an update of your grades through LSAC.
Most applicants receive a response from law schools by April, so your spring semester grades are unlikely to be a huge factor. But if you are waitlisted, they could make a difference—and if you do abnormally poorly, the school could rescind your acceptance.
How to Prepare
To have your application ready by the first semester of your senior year, you must do a lot of work beforehand. It is best to start thinking about the application process at the beginning of your junior year—and no later than the summer of your senior year.
- Compile a list of target schools and prep for the LSAT. First, you should come up with a general list of schools you are targeting and see what kind of LSAT score you need. Then you should take an LSAT diagnostic test to see if you are in the target range. The farther you are from your ideal score, the more time you will likely need to study. You can take a course or study on your own to help improve your LSAT score.
- Contact recommenders. Within six months of your senior year, and no later than three months, you should reach out to your prospective recommenders. Given that you will not have formal work experience, all your recommenders should be professors.
- Write essays. Then you will need to write your essays. The summer before your senior year is a good time to work on these.
It is better to give yourself more time because you must balance all of this with keeping up your grades, which are a crucial aspect of your law school application.
Why Be a KJD?
By and large, when to apply to law school is a personal choice, but there are several reasons why being a KJD might be right for you:
- More energy and flexibility at a younger age: First, you might prefer doing the grunt work in law while you are younger. Law school involves a lot of time and effort. In those three years, you typically are not making any money, and this might make it difficult to start a family. Consequently, you might prefer to get all the schooling out of the way while you are as young as possible.
Similarly, certain career tracks allow less free time and stability when starting out. Some public interest careers, particularly international ones, require you to move around and do not pay much. Again, this is harder to manage while trying to start a family or when you are older and have less energy. Additionally, starting off in Big Law can eat up all your free time and make it more difficult to plan a social life, so you might prefer to start your legal career at a younger age.
- Financial concerns: As crazy as it sounds, if you have loans and do not have prospects to make a lot of money right out of college but you do out of law school, it might make more sense for you to start a legal career as quickly as possible.
- Personal/family concerns: Furthermore, there are an array of personal reasons why you might prefer to be a KJD. It might make more sense for you and your significant other. You might also find that it’s a better option for your family.
- Student mindset: Finally, you might find that being a KJD is a better fit attitude wise. Some aspiring JDs might prefer to start law school right after college while they are still in the mindset of a student, and they feel they will be better at focusing on law school with this mindset.
Disadvantages to Being a KJD
Given that some law schools prefer work experience, how much does it actually impact an applicant’s candidacy? The truth is, no one truly knows.
Having work experience will generally do more to boost your application than an internship, being president of a club, or getting an award will. However, work experience will not guarantee you acceptance anywhere, nor will it get you in schools where you would otherwise have no chance. It is typically effective at moving the needle for schools where you are right on the line of getting in with stats or schools that are slight reaches.
In any case, there are a few disadvantages to consider regarding being a KJD:
- Juggling college courses and law school applications: One disadvantage of being a KJD is that it can be hard to balance all the preparation for law school applications while in college. It is important to have as high of a GPA as possible, and it’s difficult to do that while dedicating time to preparing for the LSAT and writing essays—especially considering the amount of coursework required in college. If you were working full time, your days would be busy, but you’d likely have some nights and weekends to focus on your law school applications.
- Missed opportunity for career discovery: Additionally, work experience can help you decide if law school is right for you and what kind of law you want to pursue. For example, if you think you want to eventually work as a lawyer at a law firm, you could get a job as a legal assistant at a firm after college to better understand the lifestyle and the work involved. If there is another career area you want to try, you could pursue that for a few years and then decide if you’d prefer it to law school. Just about any job that you take after college will be perceived positively by law schools.
- College burnout and limited social life: Prospective JDs are often divided on whether they want to go to law school immediately after college. Although it is helpful to already be in the student mindset when starting law school, some students are burnt out from college and need a break. Additionally, some might prefer to be able to socialize more and travel while they are young, even if it means starting their legal career later.
For many aspiring JDs, working before attending law school makes sense, but it’s not the ideal path for everyone. Reflecting on the points we’ve discussed in this post can help you make the best decision for YOU.
If you need help weighing these factors, consider reaching out to the Stratus team for a free consultation!