April Advice

Selene Steelman

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://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://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://7sage.com/admissions/lesson/good-loci/), a Why X essay (https://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://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.

David Busis

Bump. Thanks, Selene!