Is it better to start as a paralegal before law school?

Start working as a paralegal before attending law school?

• I am a recent graduate and am stuck between gaining my masters in criminal justice and joining the work force or doing a post-baccalaureate program such as a certificate program to ...show more

• Answer:

  You can't boost your GPA with any graduate or certificate programs. For admissions purposes, law schools only consider college-level courses before the completion of your first bachelor's degree. If you have already graduated, then your uGPA is set. Instead, admissions committees view graduate work more like a soft factor, such as work experience, military service, internship, etc. Soft factors don't provide much of an advantage in the admissions process, as law school is largely a numbers game. All you can do now to boost your chances is study very hard for the LSAT. Most law schools weight the LSAT heavier than GPA. My understanding is that you don't need to enroll in a paralegal program to work as one, This might be a waste of time and money. I suppose you need to figure out what you want to do first. If law school is your goal, the MA in CJ is unnecessary. Perhaps any job would be preferable to spending more in tuition and would give you time to consider what your career goals are.