Are you considering taking a year or two off before applying to law school? Whether you plan to travel (I’m jealous already), or work, or both, I encourage you to do it, or at least be sure to look into it.

As you may be aware, as part of the application process, law schools ask that you submit a personal statement. I guarantee that the person you are two years from now who sits down to write this statement will not be the same person who would compose it in six months. You will have more life experience, depth, insight and maturity…all characteristics that law schools are looking for. Additionally, maybe today you are thinking about concentrating in corporate law, but after traveling around the world for a year, you may instead wish to study international law.

I am by no means suggesting that you must delay applying to school, but if you are thinking about it, please don’t rule it out.

Having said all that, I would recommend preparing for and taking the LSAT when you feel you have ample time to dedicate yourself to it. Scores are good for up to 5 years at many schools. One option is to prepare now while you’re already in "study mode." Then, whenever you do decide to apply, you can jump right into the rest of the application process: school selection, essay writing, identifying strong recommenders, etc. A second option is to wait until you’re ready to start the process because you may be more directed at that time, which could result in your earning a higher test score. If you find you need guidance with the more subjective aspects of your application, you may consider working with an admissions consultant. Kaplan’s admissions consultants include former admissions officers (like yours truly), advisors and experts who can help you successfully navigate the law school admissions process.