Application On Hold

Sheri123

Has anyone been put on hold by a law school after they finish their initial review? If so can you please share what your experience has been like & if you did anything to improve the chances of changing the hold to an accept? Thank you in advance.

Pacifico

Do you mean hold or WL? The former is an administrative matter, the latter is an admissions matter. Nothing you can do about the former except get them whatever information they are missing and/or wait for a certain event to pass (e.g.- score release).

Getting off a WL is a whole different ball game. An improved LSAT score is one of the best things you can do. Short of that, visiting a school to show authentic interest and sending a LOCI after you have been on the WL for a bit are good ways to improve your standing. There is a pretty big trickle down effect that happens so sometimes it is just a matter of someone above you withdrawing because they decided to go somewhere else. Most WL movement really cranks up in the spring and continues on through until orientation for some schools.

Sheri123

The email says the initial review is complete but they are holding my application for further consideration as they continue to receive & review other applications. It goes on to say I'm an impressive candidate & they appreciate my patience. Maybe a visit would be a good idea.

Pacifico

It's possible they're waiting on your Feb LSAT score and the verbiage is just their stock reply in such cases.

Sheri123

Thanks @Pacifico. I thought maybe it was to see if they got a lot of applicants with higher numbers or something or to even determine if they might offer me any scholarships depending on other applicants that come in. I pray that my Feb LSAT will be better.

allergic

I was also placed on hold at one of the schools I applied to, but in my case there is no additional information or new score for them to wait for. I'm going to submit a letter of continued interest.

Sheri123

When you submit a letter of continued interest, do you just email them letting them know that you are still interested in their school? Do you include the reasons you are interested in their school or any other information? @allergic

allergic

In most cases you email it to them, other schools may have a special webpage where you can submit a letter. You can send the letter as an attachment if you email it. Some schools will have information on their websites about submitting a letter of continued interest, such as which email address you should send it to, otherwise, you can send it to the email address you got the hold or waitlist notification from. You want to let them know you're still interested and tell them why. Also, if something positive has happened since you submitted your application, for example, a promotion at work, you could mention that. If the school is one of your top choices, or is your top choice, that would probably be a good thing to mention too.

Sheri123

Thanks @allergic