To Take a Year Off or To Go On To Law School?

I'm confused - are you already admitted to a law school? You talk about wanting more time to study for the LSATs, so it sounds like you haven't applied yet, in which case... aren't you already having a year between when you finish in May and when you'd start law school in the fall of 2016? The first year of law school is notorious difficult - I think one would be best off going in refreshed and ready, or at least really gung-ho. You don't sound like any of those.

Nthing the advice that you absolutely should not go to law school unless you get into one of the top ten law schools (that's top ten, not top ten percent), and probably not even then. Seriously. Yes, I am aware that you won't take this advice, because you think you're different -- everyone entering law school does. You're not. (I don't mean that in a disparaging way at all, but I've seen the same thing literally dozens of times; people think, "But I'm different, I have a passion for this work, I really want to be here, I'm going to do important work, etc. etc. etc.) But I want to get it on record, and my philosophy is that if I can talk a single person out of going to law school, I'll have accomplished something worthwhile. (Yes, I am a lawyer.)

No program that is letting you take the June LSAT is worth going to. Ever ever ever. Do a lot more research!

Do not go to law school unless the following three things are true: 1) You've been accepted to a Top 10 law school. Maybe Top 20 if you have a very good reason for specifically wanting to attend that school (e.g., you are attending UT Austin because you specifically want to practice law in Texas). Anything else has very, very high risks of you ending up permanently under-employed or unemployed. I suspect that you are not considering a Top 20 law school, because I can't imagine a scenario in which a Top 20 law school would accept a June LSAT for this fall or would promise an applicant that she'll get in. 2) You know what it means to be a lawyer, and you know what kind of lawyer you want to be and why you want to be it. That means that you have to have experience both working with lawyers and working in other kinds of non-lawyer jobs, so that you know what you want to do for a living in the long term. And I don't mean internships; I mean real jobs. 3) You have a specific plan for paying for law school and avoiding spending the rest of your life in crushing debt. Do not go to law school unless all three of those things are true for you. It sounds like, for you, only #3 is true right now. Take a few years off, work full-time in one or more different fields, get a sense of what you're good at and what you like to do, then decide whether you want to study hard enough for the LSAT to get into a Top 10 or Top 20 law school. I am a lawyer. Many of my former classmates are either pretty poor, or desperately unhappy in their jobs as lawyers. Some are both poor and unhappy. Law school is objectively, for many people, a terrible idea, and it can ruin your life if you don't make the decision to go very, very carefully.

Also, I cannot disagree strongly enough with Oyéah. Law school is not tough to toughen you up. Law school is tough as a culling mechanism, to separate those who will become gainfully employed from those who will not be. There are not enough legal jobs for all the people who are graduating from law school, and most experts agree that there never will be. Law school is tough because it is a battle among the students to find employment in the profession we train for.

Assuming you are in the US, I would definitely advise against going part time- there is (unfortunately) a stigma about part time programs for law that could severely limit your options later on down the line.

have you seen this http://www.businessinsider.com/samuel-browning-and-michael-leichter-flow-chart-2013-10?IR=T? do not go to law school unless you know what lawyers actually do (because you have spent significant time working in the legal field) and can imagine yourself doing nothing else.

He told me what I can do is simply apply as a part-time student in law school and take minimal amount of classes so I don't stress myself out. That's truly horrible advice! Do not, I repeat, do not ever go to a US law school part-time. Full-time ABA-accredited law programs are the only ones worth the money. This is not like an "executive MBA" or something where you can dabble and take your time. to cultivate better study habits which I severely lack. You not having solid study habits after 3 years of undergrad is a big red flag here. It does not bode well. The first year of law school is going to be very stressful, and it is going to require your full and undivided attention. What http://ask.metafilter.com/278819/To-Take-a-Year-Off-or-To-Go-On-To-Law-School#4043222-- this doesn't read like you have any acceptances yet. Take the year off to get your mental health in order first. If you do not get into a top-ranked school (IMHO top 15), you are going to need to have mostly A's and/or be on the law review to even get a decent 6-figure-paying job - which is what most law grads seem to want and expect.

I know I shouldn't threadsit but I just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to everyone because I think you all just saved me from making the biggest mistake of my life. I will make sure to show this to my dad. Thanks!