LSAT after acceptance

[fitzwallace]

I took the LSAT twice last year (166/165) and applied during the current cycle. I have been admitted to several tier 1 schools with generous $$ but rejected from my dream school. I was scoring 169/170 on my PTs leading up to both LSATs, thanks to the PS bibles - but I feel that I can achieve even higher if I invest in the advanced courses or tutoring. I am considering making a deposit to a school for this cycle, retaking in June, and if I perform significantly better on the June test, withdrawing and reapplying for next cycle. My questions are: Will this look bad to the schools that accepted me? And would I be taking a risk by postponing a year with increasing competition from more LSAT takers/LS applicants?

[Jonathan Evans]

Hi, Fitzwallace,

First of all, congratulations on your excellent score and admissions to top law schools! Before I reply to your questions, I would like to add the caveat that the following advice is general in nature. You will need to consult the admissions policies of the schools you applied to to make a final decision.

If you wish to give your dream school another shot but do not want to lose an admissions offer, there are several factors to consider.

To reply to your question, if a school offers you admission and you decline the offer, yes, they certainly could judge this decision unfavorably in another admissions cycle. From an admissions' committee perspective, they may ask, upon seeing your application a second time, "We already extended an offer to this person. Clearly he didn't want to come here badly enough to accept, so why should we offer him a spot someone else might want more?"

This is not a guarantee, just a possibility.

However, you could consider choosing the school you most want to attend among the options presented and asking for a deferral for one year. Law schools' policies about deferred admission vary. Some make you sign a statement that you will not apply elsewhere in the meantime. Such a condition would be a deal-breaker here. The schools may also expect a reason for deferred admission. You would likely need to cite some other valid reason for this request.

If you obtain a non-binding deferral and are later admitted to your top choice school in the next admissions cycle, you may have to forfeit your deposit.

There are always risks involved in these circumstances. What I have outlined above are some possibilities, but it is of course possible that you could decline an offer for admission, reapply, and get accepted again even if you don't make it into your first choice school.

Consider using a decision matrix to weigh the pros and cons of your different options, including additional pertinent factors.

I hope that you find this advice helpful and invite you to follow up with additional questions. Good luck!