One of the first things someone who sees grad school in their future has to decide is “when”. When is the right time to apply for me? You can apply while in college in the hopes of attending grad school immediately after graduation. Or you can take 1-3 years off after graduation to get work experience. In some cases, people decide to stay in the work force even longer before making the decision to apply. All of this depends on the specific graduate program you’re considering. It can be hard to figure out when the right time is for you which is why I’ve included important considerations if you’re thinking about taking steps towards grad school apps!
Do You Have The Energy?
If you’re nearing the end of your college education, congratulations! Graduating college is a great achievement. It also means you’ve spent about 17 years of your life in school. That is a long time to say the least. Are you mentally prepared to dive into more years of midterms, finals, late night cramming and maybe even some all nighters? I know I definitely needed time off from school to just breathe. If you’ve got the energy to go through straight to grad school great for you! There’s nothing wrong with that because you’ll be off to starting your career at a younger age. Either way works but just think about what’s in your best interest!
Are you ready to dive into more years of midterms, finals, late night cramming and maybe even all nighters?
Do You Know Your “Why”?
This one was huge for me. Before you apply to grad school, you need to have a firm grip on why you want to even go in the first place. I’m not talking about the “that’s what my family wants me to do” or the “I want to help people” reason. There are many ways to help people that don’t involve spending time, energy, and money on pursuing another degree.
I certainly wouldn’t have learned this about myself if it weren’t for me taking some time off to work.
Coming out of college I knew I needed to be inspired again. I know that sounds corny but it’s the truth. Going straight through to law school would have felt like checking off yet another item on my to do list, instead of the way for me to begin a career in areas that I am most passionate about. I’ve loved working with kids. I deeply value education. I certainly wouldn’t have known this to the degree I know it now if it weren’t for me taking some time off to work.
Do You Have Some Money?
Grad school is expensive. Even the application process is expensive. From the admissions tests to the application fees, the costs start to add up FAST. Taking time off from school to get work experience can also be an opportunity to save up as much money as reasonably possible. Of course whether or not you actually save money during your time off from school depends on your salary, cost of living, and ability to stick to a budget.
Do You Have Strong GPA/Test Scores?
“Admissions is a numbers game.” I have heard that so many times over the course of my application process. While many graduate programs schools, law schools in particular, acknowledge a more holistic approach to admissions on a case-by-case basis, in the grand scheme of things, this statement holds to be true. Your GPA and your scores matter, arguably more than your high school numbers did when you were applying to college. I’ve received law school acceptances without having the strongest numbers (thank God for that–more to come soon when I make a final decision) but GPA and test scores should hold a fair amount of weight as you determine when to apply.
Applying to attend immediately after graduation means you will be submitting your application in the middle of senior year, if not earlier. At that point, schools will only see your first three years of grades instead of your senior year. This means your first three years on your transcript should be as strong as possible. If you think there will be an upward trend in your senior year GPA, it’s worth taking that into account.
A higher LSAT score, as well as a higher GPA, can open up a number of scholarship opportunities. This makes all the difference.
On the other hand with test scores, there is a chance you may have to take an admissions test more than once. That’s totally fine and even normal. What that does mean however is you may not be applying as soon as you thought. Keep that in mind. I’ve heard of some people waiting an entire year to get their test scores up and reapply. Especially for law school applications, a higher LSAT score, as well as a higher GPA, can open up a number of scholarship opportunities. It makes all the difference.
Final Thoughts
There is certainly a lot more to consider than just the questions I included on this list. Still, all of these are important questions to consider. As I start to wrap up my law school application process and get closer to making a decision, I’m hoping to drop some more content on the process. Hopefully you guys find all of this helpful!
“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9
