Deciding whether to go straight to law school after undergraduate studies or wait and work first is an important financial and personal decision. This article breaks down the key considerations, including saving for law school, scholarship opportunities, earning potential, and lifestyle changes.
Introduction
Law school is a major investment of both money and time. The average law student graduates with over $110,000 in debt. Before taking on that financial burden, it helps to understand the implications of going straight from college to law school—known as being a “K-JD” or Kindergarten through J.D.—versus working for a few years first.
Both paths offer advantages. Working first allows you to save money, gain work experience, and potentially strengthen your law school applications. Going the K-JD route means plunging into law school sooner and emerging quicker to start your career. This article outlines the tradeoffs to help you make the best choice based on your financial situation and career goals.
Understanding the K-JD Profile
The K-JD route is popular, with about 20% of law students going straight from undergrad to law school with no break in between. K-JDs are typically 22- to 24 years old when starting law school. In contrast, the average age of first-year law students nationally is around 26 to 27. Going the K-JD path can provide continuity in your studies. However, law schools sometimes see lacking professional work experience as a disadvantage. Scholarship opportunities and summer legal jobs often favor candidates with more life and career experience.
The Financial Implications of K-JD vs. Waiting
From a financial perspective, there are tradeoffs regarding out-of-pocket costs, earning potential, and opportunity costs.
Immediate Financial Benefits of Working Before Law School
Working for a few years before applying to law school allows you to save up money to help pay tuition and expenses. Based on average starting salaries for college graduates, working full-time for 2-3 years saves most people $15,000-$30,000. This goes a long way toward covering law school costs. Working first also generally means having better access to employer tuition assistance programs down the road, which can save substantially on law school tuition payments.
Long-Term Financial Considerations: Opportunity Costs and Earning Potential
Going straight to law school means getting your law degree and starting your career earlier. This may lead to higher lifetime earning potential compared to waiting. However, by working first, you give up less income by attending law school. The “opportunity cost” of lost earnings is lower if you work for a few years out of college before transitioning to law school. The financial decision depends significantly on your career path and goals. The following section covers ways to prepare by saving and positioning yourself for scholarships.
Preparing for Law School: Savings and Scholarships
Taking time to prepare for law school financially can pay off through lower debt and more scholarship funding.
The Advantage of Saving Income Before Law School
Saving money from working after college is hugely beneficial to afford law school costs. Here is a table showing sample savings totals based on working for 2-3 years:
| Years Working | Average Starting Salary | Avg Annual Savings | Total Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 years | $55,000 | $15,000 | $30,000 |
| 3 years | $60,000 | $18,000 | $54,000 |
As the table shows, two years of working and saving 15% of an average starting salary enables over $30,000 in savings. Three years allows over $50,000 saved. This significantly reduces out-of-pocket tuition costs. Of course, these figures are just examples. But they demonstrate the financial leg up from working first before law school.
The Impact of LSAT Scores on Scholarship Opportunities
Beyond savings, strong LSAT scores are key for scholarship eligibility. Scoring well before applying for law school means access to more merit aid. Some law schools offer lucrative scholarships, covering 50% or more of tuition for high LSAT scorers. This enables graduating with significantly lower law school debt.
The Law School Experience: K-JD vs. Older Students
Beyond finances, the law school experience differs between typical K-JDs and older students. Understanding these dynamics helps set expectations.
Fitting in With Peers and Common Age Group Dynamics
Attending law school straight from college means most classmates are around the same age. This student lifestyle is familiar, with many common life stages and experiences among the group.In contrast, older law students juggle schoolwork with spouses, children, mortgages, and career transitions. Their peer group is narrower in the class. But they bring more diversity of perspectives.
Adjusting to the Student Lifestyle and Academic Environment
For K-JDs, the transition into law school classes and workload is more straightforward. Studying habits are fresher, with less distance from undergrad academics. However, older students often have valuable skill sets to handle law school’s demands, like time management. Their professional experience makes networking and interviewing easier for sought-after summer legal jobs.
The Value of Professional Experience Before Law School
While K-JDs save less and gather no professional experience before starting law school, they enter firms at the same level as older colleagues. Within a few years, there is little practical difference in opportunities. However, seasoned candidates often have an edge in competing for summer associate roles and post-graduate legal jobs. Workplace-tested skills and industry knowledge stand out. K-JDs need to work harder on networking and interview prep.
Conclusion: Weighing the Pros and Cons of K-JD vs. Waiting
Whether to plunge into law school right after undergrad or work first ultimately depends on weighing personal factors and career goals. It’s a very individual decision.
Key Pros for Going the K-JD Route
- Get law degree completed faster and start career sooner
- Avoid losing momentum in studies coming straight from college
- Jump right into law school peer group and campus lifestyle
Key Pros for Working First
- Save substantial money to fund law school and graduate with less debt
- Gain work experience and skills valued in law school and legal job recruiting
- Establish professional network and have employer tuition help for law school
Carefully considering these pros and cons allows making an informed choice. There is no universally “best” path. Each law school hopeful must reflect on their financial constraints, risk tolerance for debt, and career aspirations. Building savings, strong LSAT scores, professional connections, and life experience all help before taking the law school plunge.
