Which path best increases my chances of Ph.D. admission?

[eggsdog11]

I am aiming to do a Ph.D. in my master's field (I do not have published research from my master's; just a capstone paper). However, I have been in law school after my master's, and despite doing very well, I took a semester off to figure out what I was doing with my life. I'd been moving very fast (bachelor's degree before I could legally drink) and realized that I did not want to be a lawyer, and needed to get some space for clarity on my future direction.

I have three options, and I'd like to know which you think will give me the best chances of getting into a program.

Return to law school, apply for 2018 start

I could return to law school, complete the degree in Summer 2018, and hopefully start grad school in Fall 2018. The appeal in this is that I worry having an unfinished degree, even though it is not "relevant," will make me a worse candidate for something academic. By fast-tracking the rest, I can still get to my ultimate goal in the same time frame it would if I didn't return at all (the third option). My fear, however, is whether it is worth the cost/effort—would an unfinished J.D. really be a mark against me?

Return to law school, apply for a 2019 start

I could space my credits out over two years at law school. This gives me an administrative advantage, in that I don't need approval to take maximum credits to finish or need to worry about the course offerings not allowing me to take what I need in a shorter time. It also allows me to take on more things at law school that could help, such as doing Law Review and being published. I also have some RA and TA opportunities professors have discussed with me. While none of this would be research in my field, it would be something that at least shows my potential to do and want to do research. Beyond the obvious downsides of delaying things an extra year and costing money, I worry that returning from withdrawing only to take light credit loads will make my transcript imply academic rigor was my issue, when in reality, I have found law school to be easier than even my bachelor's degree.

Don't return, apply for 2018 start

I could just not go back and focus on the Ph.D. This would save me time and money; I could even continue earning some income during the year. My fear, however, is that I'm not published, was only briefly an RA for two professors and haven't been a TA in a few years, and, as I mentioned, I worry that not finishing a degree—even an unrelated one—just doesn't look good. Moreover, my law school is the most respected and recognized institution I've attended, so while I did very well in my bachelor's and master's degrees, they aren't necessarily prestigious. I fear my commitment being questioned, as I've had a really odd path to this point.

While I recognize that no one can decide for me, I'd love any insight on this situation. In essence, I am trying to figure out:

(1) Is finishing the J.D. valuable for my bid for admission?

(2) If it is, is it better to just get it done, or would there be value in being a law school RA/TA with potential publication in a law journal?

I'd also like to note that I am happy to discuss more specifics over private messaging.

[Angua]

I totally understand where you are coming from (I am a law school grad, and am now doing a PhD). There are a lot of moving parts, but here are some questions and thoughts to consider:

1. Are your PhD interests such that you could incorporate your expertise in law into them? 

Without knowing your field, it's hard to know how easy this with be, but a JD could be a useful asset to you if you can make it one. You can market yourself to PhD programs as an expert in law, and that knowledge and experience will be valuable to some PIs. It would also help if you can tell a coherent story about your academic history to this point. Frankly, it's okay to retcon this a bit! If you can describe your research interests and/or the path that led you to those interests in a way that incorporates your legal training, then a JD could be useful.

If your PhD field is something you can't really incorporate law into, then I'd seriously consider not going back to law school. Based on your academic history as described in your post, you've sped rather quickly through a bachelors, then a masters, then part of a JD, and now you want a PhD. PIs are going to look at that history and wonder if you really know what you want at all. It sounds like you do, which is good! You can use your time and other parts of your application to make that point. But you'll still be fighting against the perception that you want to be a student forever.  If law school really can't fit into your academic story, I would honestly suggest that you take a bit more time away from law school -- preferably working and/or volunteering in your PhD field. That way, you can explain that law school just wasn't the right fit for you, and that you took the time off to really solidify your research interests in (your PhD field).

2. Odds are (very) good that your PhD field does not care about the prestige of your degrees as much as law does.

Law is insanely credential-focused, as you have no doubt realized. But other academic programs tend not to be. I can't speak definitively without knowing your PhD field, but I'd still wager money that it is not as worried about the prestige of your undergraduate institution. Having said that, academics is a remarkably small world in any field, so if you can take advantage of your current institution's prestige to network with important people in your PhD field -- do it!

3. How (dis)similar would your RA experience in law be to research in your PhD field?

The more similar, the better, but it doesn't have to be super related. If the research process is similar, or if you can make it more similar (i.e., by working on projects in law that use the methods of your field), then it will strengthen your PhD application to have it on there.

4. If you do finish your JD, definitely make the most of your time there.

This means working to position yourself as a scholar in your PhD field. You can reach out to faculty in your PhD field and/or get research experience that is helpful (see above). If possible, choose courses and projects that will help you build a profile as a scholar in your PhD field. Law Review publications are not as good for PhD admissions as peer-reviewed, but they don't hurt, either -- again, especially if you can use a law review note to demonstrate that you are a coherent scholar by incorporating ideas or methods from your PhD field.

If you go back, and if you can make law feel like part of your research interests, taking two years is probably the way to go. I don't think you need to worry about the perception that rigor is why you took time off; you will be able to explain that you took extra time to get additional research experience and solidify your research interests. The trouble with just one year is that by the time you apply this fall, you will not have actually accomplished anything in the 2018-19 school year. If you spread it out over 2 years, you will have a year to really build your resume and reputation -- so that in a year, you will be able to talk about your research experiences in your application (and so will your recommenders, which is important).

Would you consider your JD institution for your PhD? If so, could you overlap them -- an ersatz joint JD/PhD program? That would also help with the whole "coherent scholar" thing. It could potentially also help defer some of the costs, if you are funded as a PhD student.

 

I'd be happy to talk in more specifics over PM. Good luck to you!