Withdraw or not?

DINOSAUR

Some accidents happened to my CAS Report and it probably will not be complete until mid-April. I am thinking about 1) just not do anything and see what may happen in the end, maybe some schools still want me (but probably not my dream schools) 2) withdraw my applications and apply early next cycle

The reason why I am considering option 2 is because I am worried I may need to rewrite my app materials all over again, most of which I just finished in January and the next cycle is just half a year away. Let's say if admissions offices read my app this May, my stories will become a "recent old news" for them in Sept. Is my worry justified? And if I withdraw, am I a reapplicant next cycle?

Thanks!

canihazJD

@"selene.steelman" @Brigitte-1

Selene Steelman

As a former admissions officer, I conferred with my colleagues presently in admissions about this situation. Even though a final decision wasn't made this cycle because you withdrew your application from consideration, your application was still received and processed for this cycle. Therefore, if you apply again in September 2021, you will likely appear as a reapplicant. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. You weren't denied or waitlisted, and reapplying shows continued interest in a program. These are all positive. The admissions reviewer will be able to access and will review BOTH applications. You should definitely provide a revised resume. You probably don't have to submit new LORs. If you really love your essays and feel that they reflect your candidacy well, you don't have to change them. A final decision wasn't made based on that set of materials. On the other hand, this is an opportunity to show MORE of your writing skills so you could totally take advantage of that chance by revising your essays as well. Good luck!

VerdantZephyr

@"selene.steelman" I just want to thank you for your comments here. Seeing how admissions officers view different specific situations is awesome insight for us.

DINOSAUR

@"selene.steelman" Thank you so much! If I stay in the cycle and see what happens in the end, does it mean that I need to rewrite everything for the next cycle? That sounds like a lot of work. And I feel I have told the best of my story in my current essays. I cannot imagine I might need to rewrite essays! I saw some school's website, like Michigan, actually recommends rewriting new essays. But I also heard it is not necessary to rewrite essays. Some say just make some small revision, or add a new paragraph. I am not sure which one is correct. Thanks!

Selene Steelman

Different admissions folks may have different opinions about how much needs to change in a reapplicant's application. Let's say a candidate stays in the cycle and doesn't get the results she wants (some denials, some waitlists) so she turns around and reapplies in September/October of the next cycle. As an admissions officer, I will be reviewing the candidate's material twice in a pretty short time frame. If I waitlisted or denied you on a certain set of materials in March, and you send me the same materials in October, I will be approaching your reapplication with this mindset: "I didn't give you an offer of admissions based on these materials last time---why would I admit you based on recycled materials NOW...and why didn't you make an effort to show me something new?" That something new might be a higher LSAT score. In some situations, a higher score just might do it. However, I wouldn't bank on just relying on a test score since there are many high scores in the applicant pool and committees can afford to be particular.

If you love the substance of your essay(s), I would say try to massage the language in the beginning and throughout so they don't look identical in a side by side comparison. In the end, the admissions reader wants to feel that you have made an effort and respect the process. Good luck!

DINOSAUR

Thank you so much @"selene.steelman" !