If the target school has specific instructions on how to submit LOCIs, follow the school’s instructions.

If the target school provides no such guidance, it may be better to send a LOCI shortly before a school’s DD. Prior to the DD, the school would have been receiving deposits all spring. The outlines of the class are likely coming into focus. At the same time, they may be previewing their WL to see who are the best candidates to admit if necessary. Depending on the size of the WL, which may differ from school to school and from year to year, someone in the admissions office is probably keeping track of the WL and taking note of strong files, very interested files, and notable files based on admissions officers’ interactions throughout the cycle. This is where points of contact and LOCIs are distinguishing.

If it looks like the school is going to receive a total number of deposits that is short of their expectations, given the expected melt through the summer, they will go to the WL. Some schools may have already been reaching out to current admits by phone or by email to get a sense of how many deposits to expect in the lead up to and on the DD. When the DD has come and gone, if the deposits are down, some schools may chase down earlier admitted students to see if they forgot or could be persuaded to deposit with enhanced admissions offers. Some schools will not follow up and go directly to the WL if necessary. If a school has received more deposits than expected and they are concerned about bringing in too large a class, they may do neither.

Continuous curating of the WL throughout the spring by the admissions office makes sense because schools will want to act quickly with new offers at the ready. They would not likely wait until the day after the DD to start looking at 500-1000 files on the WL. If an interested candidate sent a LOCI shortly before the DD, admissions would more likely consider this recent activity to yield a deposit than a LOCI sent back in January and then silence afterwards.

If the candidate sends the LOCI a week after the DD, it too will bring attention to their file as the school is preparing their WL admit letters. However, if the school only needs to make a handful of admit offers off the WL, perhaps they school already has a list of new admits prepared and will have decided or acted by the time the post-DD LOCI arrives.

Trying to predict an admissions office’s actions or motivations is an impossible task since strategies change all the time. Trying to time receipt of the LOCI becomes less of an issue if the candidate has maintained a good line of communication with the admissions office before the DD. Polite, professional contact every four weeks or so as a WL'd candidate is a reasonable approach. Good luck!

Hi 7Sage Community!

We’ve renovated the pricing page for our admissions services. The prices themselves have not changed, but we now show you a new package—Admissions Consulting Plus—which used to be hidden away on its own page.

Admissions Consulting Plus entails help on ten law school applications plus all-inclusive after-the-application support. You can still purchase the old Admissions Consulting package by opting out of after-the-application support.

https://share.descript.com/view/mePWK2Z1pqZ

What do I get with Admissions Consulting Plus After-the-Application Support?

7Sage Admissions Consulting has always been about providing personalized advice to help you highlight your strengths as a candidate and tell a coherent and persuasive story throughout your application materials. We offer unlimited assistance for up to 10 law school applications. Admissions Consulting includes unlimited editing and professional proofreading of every application document and advice about application strategy from former admissions officers. We will get you started on the right path and help you stay on track.

Admissions Consulting Plus also includes continuous assistance after you submit your applications until you make a final decision at the end of the admissions cycle.

Why would I need help after I’ve applied?

We will do everything we can to help you get the decision you want as early in the cycle as possible, but some candidates find themselves facing interviews, navigating waitlists, or juggling scholarship offers. A consultant who has reviewed hundreds if not thousands of law school applications will be on hand to help you get the best outcomes. She will. . .

Can I just get help constructing my applications without the After-the-Application Service?

Sure! 7Sage Admissions Consulting without the After-the-Application Service is still available at its original price.

If I change my mind, can I buy the After-the-Application Service later?

Yes! We still offer the After-the-Application Service as a separate service with the choice of hourly or comprehensive options. However, if you purchase this service separately, the total cost to you will be more than that of Admissions Consulting Plus.

From conversations with LSAC representatives at the recent NAPLA conference--

About the Digital LSAT test:

• Test takers will have a little time to practice using the provided LSAC tablet and stylus/pen on test day before the start of the actual test on test day.

• Test takers have the option to bring pencils. They will be given scratch paper to work through problems.

• The digital LSAT has a spellcheck function but it will not provide suggestions for correct spelling like a typical spellchecker.

About the typed LSAT essay:

• The retake limit for the LSAT essay section is same as the LSAT multiple choice section but law schools will only receive the last three (3) essay exams. Candidates cannot choose which essays go to the law schools.

• The LSAT essay section is not scored. Law schools receive it assess the candidate’s analytical and persuasive writing skills in a timed controlled environment. Typed essay submissions will likely receive more scrutiny from admissions committees as compared to handwritten essays in the past.

• LSAC will consider an LSAT exam "complete" when it has results from both the multiple choice and essay sections, and the results will be sent to the law schools. If, at that point, the candidate intends to retake either section of the test and wants the law school to delay their review of his file, the candidate has to inform the school directly.

• If a candidate has taken the multiple choice section of the test but not the essay section, LSAC will not send any results information to the law school.

LSAC has posted its fall 2019 recruitment forums at https://www.lsac.org/lawschoolforums. Put on your best business casual and attend one or two.

• Forums are an opportunity for candidates to meet with admissions officers and school representatives (sometimes current students, alumni, or faculty) from a variety of law schools in one place.

• It is a chance to ask questions that might not be answerable on a law school’s website.

• Candidates can ask specific questions about their particular situation (“how would School X react to 6 LSAT scores??”)

• It is a chance to collect business cards, establish a connection with an admissions officer, and show enthusiasm for a school.

• It is a chance to get on the school’s radar and mailing list as an interested prospective student. You can look forward to receiving fee waivers and invitations to other prospective student events in the fall.

Referencing specific conversations and connections from forums in personal statements or future LOCIs may strengthen an application. Be prepared to ask a few smart questions and make a strong impression. This is prime recruitment season for admissions officers and they are on the lookout for good future students.

Suggestions:

https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/lesson/what-questions-should-you-ask-a-law-school-admissions-officer/ and https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/lesson/what-should-you-ask-current-law-students-or-alumni-about-their-law-school/.

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I'm available for more application reviews. I've done a few so far, and they went really well.

-Selene

What is Application Review?

Our goal is to tell you what an admissions officer might think after reading your file. I will review your application (a PDF preview) along with other materials that an admissions committee will see (LSAT history, academic summary, etc.). I will give you feedback in a conversation via the phone or Skype and send you notes after the call.

Who am I?

I worked in law school admissions for fourteen years before coming to 7Sage. You can read more about me (and all of us) here: https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/about-us/

What’s the difference between Admissions Consulting and Application Review?

Admissions Consulting comes with unlimited help on all aspects of your application, including strategy, editorial guidance on every essay, and after-app follow-up (for interviews, letters of continuing interest, etc.). Application Review is a review of a single application.

What do you Get in an Application Review?

I will review each element of your application (essays, resume, addenda, transcripts, letters of recommendation) and give you feedback about how an admissions officer might interpret the information. I will offer recommendations on how to revise your current materials to strengthen your overall application. If you have a proposed school list, we can talk about that as well. I will take notes pinpointing strengths and weaknesses and my recommendations. We will walk through each application piece together in our phone/Skype conversation, and I will email you my review notes afterwards.

How much does it cost?

$499.

What do you need to do before you use this service?

You need to write all of your essays, have PDFs of all your academic credentials, fill out an application via LSAC, and upload all of your attachments. You should be ready to hit “submit” before you buy this.

If you’ve already applied, I can give you a post-mortem.

Who should NOT use this service?

Don’t purchase this if you plan to submit your application tomorrow. I may advise you to revise or rewrite large portions of your application.

How do you purchase?

Email editors@7sage.com with the subject line “Application Review” for a reservation. We’ll give you a start date. If that date works for you, you can hold the spot by purchasing the service through a link that we’ll pass along.

On an LSAC candidate webinar this afternoon, LSAC said the LSAT-Flex will be offered on May 18 and 19. Results will be available on Friday, June 5.

Candidates have until 11:59pm on Friday, April 17 to decide whether or not they want to take the May test.

Scratch paper will be allowed for the Flex test.

The questions will not be harder and the questions will be created in the same way as they have been in the past.

LSAC is available to answer your questions so feel free to contact LSAC directly at 215.968.1001

From LSAC's website (https://www.lsac.org/lsat/taking-lsat/lsat-faqs):

LSAC is updating their test-taking limit policy later this summer, and it will go into effect with the September 2019 LSAT administration.

Starting with the September 2019 test administration, test takers will be permitted to take the LSAT:

Three times in a single testing year (the testing year goes from June 1 to May 31).

Five times within the current and five past testing years (the period in which LSAC reports scores to law schools).

A total of seven times over a lifetime.

This policy is forward-looking, not retroactive. Tests taken prior to September 2019 will not count against these numerical limits.

In addition, test takers will not be permitted to retake the LSAT if they have already scored a 180 (perfect score) within the current and five past testing years, the period in which LSAC reports scores to law schools. This aspect of the policy will be applied retroactively.

There will be an appeals process for test takers who have special circumstances and want to request an exception to this policy.

For those of you preparing to apply during the upcoming application cycle, you might be wondering about LSAC and the services they provide. This post will explain the difference between the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and the LSAC Candidate Referral Service (CRS).

Information about the CAS can be found at https://www.lsac.org/applying-law-school/jd-application-process/credential-assembly-service-cas. The CAS Report is an electronic file with the candidate’s academic summary (GPAs, LSAT scores), LSAT essays, LORs, and any other application documents. Once you as the candidate provide one set of application documents to LSAC, they will assemble the information in the CAS Report and distribute them to your selected law schools. The CAS Report is sent electronically to the law schools you select and appears in their admissions database as a single PDF file. Candidates must purchase this service. You pay for each report that is sent to a law school.

The CRS is the way for law schools to find the prospective students they want: https://www.lsac.org/choosing-law-school/candidate-referral-service. The most common use of the CRS is for the school to get a list of registered candidates with attractive LSAT scores and send them fee waivers. Fee waivers waive the school’s application fee (the school’s administrative cost of processing an electronic application, often $50-100). This doesn’t however waive the cost of sending a CAS report to the law school. Schools may also do geographic searches to invite prospective candidates in the local area to prospective student open houses and programming events at the school. If a school wants to promote specific programming in, say, corporate law, they could do a search for candidates who indicate in the CRS that they are interested in corporate law. Candidates have a choice in opting in or out of this service. Opt in and you might get hit by waves of emails. This might be annoying. However, each point of outreach by a law school is a great opportunity for you the candidate to respond by connecting to someone in their admissions office (by email or phone or in person) and showing yourself to be a strong candidate: https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/lesson/what-questions-should-you-ask-a-law-school-admissions-officer/.

Each school decides what to ask and how to phrase the questions in their Character and Fitness section of the application. Questions and wording may change from cycle to cycle based on state bar requirements or desires of faculty or administrators.

If you answer yes to any questions, be clear and thorough in your explanations. If you have any criminal convictions, a committee of administrators, faculty, and counsel would meet to discuss the application.

If you list offenses, the Admissions Committee could ask itself

The most important thing the Committee is looking for is to see if you take ownership of your actions. In your short, factual explanation, help the Committee get to the point where they invite you to attend the school without having to ask you more questions. Your explanation should answer any potential question the Committee might raise. You want the Committee to reach a conclusion based on your words, not any assumptions they make on their own.

Now that the first deposit date has passed, you may find yourself sitting on a waitlist. How long do you have to wait? How long does a school maintain its waitlist? This will depend on the school. Some schools will notify and release candidates from their waitlist after a certain point. This would provide some closure for you as an applicant. Other schools may maintain their waitlist up through orientation in case of any “melt” throughout the summer. If deposited candidates withdraw because they get admitted off waitlists elsewhere, the school will turn to their waitlist to maintain their class size or their medians. A school may turn to the waitlist all the way up through orientation in some cases.

So how long should you stay on a waitlist? This depends on how badly you want to attend the target school. Preparing to attend law school, perhaps in a new city or state, can be a complicated process. Students have ended up sleeping on a couch or living out of a hotel room for a few weeks having accepted a last minute offer of admission from a school. They might start the beginning of law school orientation at one school and finish orientation at another school. If it’s August 1st, you probably will have deposited elsewhere, and you may decide it is better just to prepare for school with the concrete offer you have. At that point, if you haven't been released from the waitlist yet, you may decide to withdraw from the waitlist. Or, you may decide that you are only as committed as your options. If so, you should be aware of and be ready to meet these potential challenges of relocating in a hurry.

If no obstacle is too great between you and your target school, then what should you do right now as you sit on the waitlist? Well, you shouldn’t just “wait” quietly. There is no way to know what a target school is going to do with their waitlist, how big or small it is, or if they will pull 5 or 50 people from it. Nevertheless, if a school turns to the waitlist, and your application meet their requirements, you want your file to be one of the notable ones with current activity. Keep your file up to date by letting the school know that you are ready, willing, and able to commit to the school immediately should you be selected. Connect with the admissions office periodically by phone or by email (once every 3 weeks or as directed by the admissions officer) and say, “I know I am on the waitlist but I wanted to let you know that School X is still my top choice and if admitted, I would definitely enroll.” Be aware of the tone of your conversations, be professional, and take direction from the admissions officer with whom you are communicating.

April can be a busy month in the admissions cycle. Here are some thoughts to consider as you navigate your options.

If you haven’t made a final decision on a program because you are waiting for more decisions from other schools, or you are in the process of ongoing scholarship reevaluations, or you are waiting to see what happens with waitlists, you have the option of putting down more than one seat deposit (https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/lesson/what-are-seat-deposits-are-they-binding/). This keeps your options open until the second seat deposit date. It is likely that seat deposits are nonrefundable, but in the grand scheme of things, losing a deposit is a small price to pay when making the best choice in law schools.

Different schools have different policies about deposit extensions. If you have a legitimate reason for requesting a deposit extension (for a specific and short period of time), there is no harm in calling the admissions office and asking. Someone might have something pending in their job that may prevent them from attending law school. Someone’s spouse may be waiting to hear about a professional opportunity in a different geographic location. Someone may have a family situation that prevents them from committing by a deposit deadline. The worst thing the Admissions Office can say is No. If the school is a top choice, you should definitely let them know. If you are sincere, they may be more inclined to work with you.

If you have been waitlisted (https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/lesson/what-to-do-after-you-get-waitlisted/) and it has been a while since you have contacted a target school with a LOCI (https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/lesson/good-loci/), a Why X essay (https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/lesson/how-to-write-a-why-law-school-x-essay/), or any updates, this would be a good time to touch base and send an email reminder about (1) how much you love the school, (2) what you have to offer the school, and (3) if admitted off the WL, you would definitely attend. Once the deposit date passes, the school will turn to the WL pool and see which candidates are most enthusiastic/most likely to come.

If you want to ask for a scholarship reevaluation (https://classic.7sage.com/admissions/lesson/when-should-i-start-negotiating-law-school-scholarship-offers/), it would be best to ask before the first deposit deadline. This way, your request is in your file before the deposit deadline and the school is aware of your continued interest. The school may follow up before or after the deadline to see if a revised award would be enough to secure your deposit. If the ONLY thing stopping you from depositing is the size of the award, you should tell the school.

Above all, strive to be polite, persistent, enthusiastic and likable in all interactions (email, phone calls, interviews). Admissions officers will notice.

Join us during 7Sage Office Hours this Wednesday evening at 9:00 pm (EST) when we discuss seat deposits and answer your questions. Here's the link to our office hours discussion: https://zoom.us/j/594695176.

Waitlisted at your top choice school and you've scheduled a visit? In addition to sitting in on a class and taking a tour, make sure to schedule a meeting with an admissions officer.

Treat the visit like it is an unofficial interview (which it is). Dress nicely and be polite and professional. So much of what you might learn from speaking with an admissions officer depends on the tone of your conversation. If they are impressed with you as a person, they may be inclined to vouch for you and support your application when the school is ready to turn to the waitlist. If you are sincere about getting off the waitlist, show your sincerity and say you would definitely deposit if admitted. Do you have other offers of admission? Mention you have other offers but this school is your top choice. In a face to face conversation, it is highly likely that you will be asked what other offers you have, especially if you are an attractive likable candidate and don't offer the information in a threatening way. The school wants to make a fully informed decision so if they want you, they will likely want to know what your options are.

Definitely ask the admissions office what you need to do to get off the waitlist at this particular school. Be ready to ask 3-4 substantive questions about the school and its programming. Do some deep diving research so you aren't asking questions that can be answered from their marketing material. Be ready to talk about yourself and 3-4 ways you would make a great contribution to the law school community at this particular school. Leave them with a great impression.

Definitely do not ask them what your chances are of getting in off the waitlist.

Follow up with a thank you email to the admissions officer referencing enough of your visit and conversation that they remember who you are.

Good luck!