Postponed LSAT till Jan...when should I apply?

Shrilaraune

Hi 7 sage fam!
So I've actually been tying myself in knots, trying to find answers to this question. But I realized (silly me) that I have an amazing resource right here! Thanks in advance for your time and attention!

So my situation is pretty straightforward. I was going to take the LSAT this Nov and then postponed till Jan because I knew I wasn't ready. Made that decision the week of the exam. On the one hand, this is great, because my blind review is already in the 99th percentile and all I need is time to get my timed score to match (thanks 7 sage!). On the other hand, it does mess up my application plans. I had planned--and common wisdom I collected told me--that I should have my application in before Thanksgiving if possible to have the best chance. And if not, then before Christmas. Now, my common wisdom maybe old, as the last time I attempted a law school bid was about 5 years ago, but that's what I was told at the time. Given the fact that I won't have my scores until Feb, when should I submit my application? I do have an old score (161) on my record so technically my application, when complete, can be considered.

For those of you who'll want more context, I'm applying to mostly T-15 schools. During my last attempt at law school, I was waitlisted at Columbia, NYU, Georgetown (special waitlisted there) with 158, 15x and 161 lsat scores on my record. The high 150 scores have since expired.

Thank you!

MissChanandler

That common wisdom is still true. A lot of schools won't review your application if you have a pending LSAT. The absolute best thing for you to do to maximize your chances would be to apply next cycle of course, but if you're dead set on this cycle I would go ahead and submit your applications as soon as they're ready and let the schools know that you are registered for a future LSAT

Shrilaraune

Thank you. @MissChanandler This is the first straightforward answer I've gotten.

Louislepauvre

@MissChanandler said:
That common wisdom is still true. A lot of schools won't review your application if you have a pending LSAT. The absolute best thing for you to do to maximize your chances would be to apply next cycle of course, but if you're dead set on this cycle I would go ahead and submit your applications as soon as they're ready and let the schools know that you are registered for a future LSAT

Would they review your app/make a decision as is, or put it off until the January result? (I’m guessing the answer would be that it would depend on the school). I’m applying with November score, and am open to the possibility of taking in January to improve scholarship chances.

MissChanandler

Yeah, it depends on the school

Leah M B

Each school has their own policy, but I think the majority default to holding your application as incomplete if you have a pending score (registered for an upcoming test). However, you can submit an app and request that they mark it as complete and review it with the score you already have. I did that last year. All of my schools said that was ok and they would mark complete except one (USC). They told me that they will not review any app if you have a pending score, period. So, if you want to go that route, you should contact each school and ask them about their policies.

However, if you have your sights set on T13, I don’t think this is the best move. A 161 isn’t likely to do it. There’s a significant chance that they could waitlist or reject you before your new score comes in. In this case, I think you’d be better off not sending the application until maybe a week or 2 before the test. This would avoid getting rejected before they get your new score. However, that is pretty late in the cycle and I don’t think it’s going to be great applying then either. I think you’d be best off to wait and just apply really early next cycle. But f you are really set on applying this year, you should try to make sure you aren’t potentially rejected before your new score is available.

Shrilaraune

Yeah, this is what I was concerned about as well @"Leah M B" Thanks for the advice! I'll keep thinking about this.

SuperMario929

So I had a similar situation back in 2014/15. I took the Dec 14 LSAT, thought I did well, and then noticed I misbubbled one of the sections (has 27 answers for 26 questions). I cancelled to play it safe and took the Feb LSAT. I submitted my apps in early January with my LSAT score pending and got into five T14 schools around March. Would my chances have been better earlier? Yeah. In an ideal world, don’t do this. But if you’re dead set on law school this coming fall, you can get in.
(Also: If memory serves, Stanford was the only school which wouldn’t take my late LSAT score. Everyone else was totally fine with it).

Shrilaraune

@kparish Thank you so much for this! To know that this is possible is really encouraging. And if I don't get in, I can try again with my new score. But knowing it's not impossible to try for this fall is amazing.

For those of your who have responded to this question (@"Leah M B" @MissChanandler @Louislepauvre @kparish )--even those who haven't--do you think it might be smarter to submit applications to schools I was waitlisted to in the past (at the time I had three scores, the first two of which were high 150's so my average was terrible) before Christmas and then send the applications to schools I was rejected out right from two weeks or so before my next LSAT? Or would an @kparish style plan be less risky?

MissChanandler

So my understanding of what you're asking is: should you go ahead and apply to schools that are closer to "safeties" currently and hold off on "target" schools until you have a higher score? If this is the case, then I think that this sounds like a good idea.

Leah M B

Yes, I think it would be smart to apply earlier to any schools that you think would be less likely to waitlist or reject you based on the 161. I would also caution you though to keep in mind that over the last few years, law school admissions have gotten a bit more competitive. Law schools took a big hit after the recession and have been slowly climbing back up, but in the last 2-3 years (and last year in particular) both LSAT and GPA medians have been climbing. So, keep that in mind that the climate is a little different now than it was 5 years ago on your first round.

I'd play around with the search tool on MyLSN.com using your 161 to gauge if you still have a reasonable to strong chance of being admitted to your safety schools with the 161. For any school that you want to apply to but the odds are bad with the 161, I'd wait to apply until a week or two before your next LSAT.

Hope that helps!

Shrilaraune

@MissChanandler and @"Leah M B" Thank you!