I made a somewhat last minute decision in Spring 2019 to take a gap year after graduating from college in May 2019 rather than start law school that Fall 2019.
At first, I was worried that a gap year wasn’t the right move for me.
Having had a relatively “busy” childhood and adolescence, the idea of extra free time and taking a step back felt scary.
Looking back on it, it was 100%…without a doubt…the right move for me.
With that being said, here are the highlights from my gap year:
May 2019: Graduated from college
June 2019: Went to Ballast Point with my parents
July 2019: Went to a parade in Crestline, CA for an organization my dad is a part of
August 2019: Went on a Ferris wheel with my family
September 2019: Went to a wedding with my boyfriend
October 2019: My boyfriend got a new job, we celebrated at a Mexican food restaurant
November 2019: Celebrated Friendsgiving with my coworkers; visited my boyfriend in Denver since he was working on a project in Colorado
December 2019: Had a staycation in San Diego, CA; went to a concert in Los Angeles, CA at the Hollywood Paladium; rang in the new year in Old Town Temecula
January 2020: Visited the law school I ended up deciding to go to in person
February 2020: Had a staycation in Santa Monica, CA; celebrated my boyfriend’s mom’s wedding in Las Vegas, NV
March 2020: Played in a soccer game; Officially received all of my law school acceptances/offers
April 2020: Committed to law school; turned 22 and my family threw me a birthday fiesta
May 2020: Went on a sea doo in the San Diego Bay
June 2020: Celebrated 3 years with my boyfriend; visited my boyfriend in Indianapolis since he was working on a project in Indiana (we went canoeing in a lake which was awesome)
July 2020: Went to Parker, AZ and Lake Havasu, AZ on a socially distanced river trip with my boyfriend; went on a socially distanced road trip to Big Sur, CA/Monterey,CA/King’s Canyon/Sequoia National Park with 2 out of 3 of my siblings
August 2020: Went on a staycation in Funner, CA; had law school orientation
All in all, I am extremely grateful for my gap year.
I was able to:
- Spend time with my family, boyfriend, and friends
- Retake the LSAT, reapply to law schools, and commit to my dream law school
- Travel in and out of state
- Get personal/financial things in order
- Rearrange/redecorate my room
If you are approaching the end of college and weren’t already considering it, I would highly suggest taking a gap year. It reminded me that it is okay to take a step back and enjoy life. It has allowed me to relax but has also energized me to start law school (tomorrow! agh!). I will keep the memories I made during my gap year close to my heart forever.
Thank you Gap Year 2019-20.
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