This is inspiring! Thank you for sharing your story!

@ Thank you. I must have been replying while you posted! First of all, congratulations on getting into a top law school, and consistently persisting through failure to get there. I really admire you for doing that, and appreciate you taking the time to respond.

I totally get where you're coming from - I have several friends who just graduated or will graduate law school this year, and my parents are definitely pressuring me to apply this year, regardless of the chances being so small so close to the deadline. It's really hard to feel like I am letting them down. Law has been in the back of my mind for close to a decade now...and this year felt like now or never.

But maybe it's just now or next year.

I am really going to think hard about what you said - and it's a good reality check - if I can't handle the setbacks now, how would I possibly handle them in law school? And applying confidently on the earliest date next year does sound appealing...

Maybe it's too soon to try to retake in January. I may need to rethink my study strategies and ease the pressure, not sure. I guess I'll have to take a few days.

Thank you to all who took the time to reply to this thread. I really appreciate it so much.

I almost took the LSAT in college, but was too afraid of failure, chickened out, and went into teaching instead. @ I think it was the dream of entering my top choice that really motivated me to fight through the self-doubt and apply this year, and when that evaporated this morning....well, I felt defeated. @ and I would prefer not to go back to teaching, so yeah - I have no answer as to what I would do instead of law. Law is what I want.

@ @ Thank you. It is such a comfort to know there are other applicants who don't fit the (at least what I imagine to be typical) early 20s mold. I really appreciate you sharing your experience @. You must be right - there is no best time to start a family -

and not much appreciable difference between 29 and 33! And I can easily see the picture becoming overly complicated with my kids' needs prioritized if I put this off until later.

I will take a few days to get my head back in the game and get back on the horse, with the goal of retaking in January. I'm not yet sure if I'll apply this cycle or next, but I figure I owe it to myself to at least leave open the option, and prove that I can (yes, persevere to the end! @ ;) ). Let's do this @! (because rbg is my hero too!!) and trust that things will fall into place @.garza

:) @ wishing you the best in your studying and that you get into the school of your dreams.