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anyone every re-applied the next year to same school?

love2learnlove2learn Free Trial Member
edited February 2021 in Law School Admissions 252 karma

hi - so I took the january lsat and my score was OK, but at the low end of my 10point spectrum. so I applied to my first choice regional school and just received their decision yesterday. I'm in, and have a 50% merit scholarship. I'm above their 75%s on lsat and gpa. BUT, I am trying to get as close to 100% merit, as I'm paying out of pocket (no govt loans). I've been planning to take the june test just to finish with a bigger score (even if I had gotten a 100% - - I really love this test). When I took the test in january I started to have covid symptoms the day before my test - - a headache that I couldn't get rid of for the actual test - - i ended up with worse mild symptoms a few days later. So, I think I can do better! I've been preptesting better at the least. Another thing is that I found out last weekend that I have to have surgery on my eyes, my vision has been blurry since mid-2020 and now I know why. That may have impacted my january performance, but the surgery might also interfere with june - although I think the recovery time is pretty quick. I'm even wondering if I might qualify for some sort of vision-based accommodation (long shot). Needing a surgery just adds a layer that interferes with the june test (and also why I can't do the april test, besides signups being closed)

Has anyone ever re-applied to a school that accepted them the next cycle? do you think the school will penalize me if I do this? I certainly don't want to seem ungrateful for the merit award they offered and I don't want them to hold that against me. I'm also not sure whether I should just pay the seat deposit, take the june test and then try to renegotiate a higher scholarship - although that would be early july and they may have given away all their money? Anyone ever done this? I hate to throw away 'good money' that I could use for textbooks/study aids later on. Thoughts?

I also don't plan to re-apply if my score isn't at least 4 points higher as it would be like resubmitting the same application and hoping for a different outcome. I only applied to this one school and if I do much better, I'm thinking of applying to a couple more, since I think I want to move somewhere new.

thanks everyone! I really appreciate any feedback

has anyone ever reapplied the next cycle?
  1. has anyone ever reapplied the next cycle?8 votes
    1. yes, and it worked
      25.00%
    2. yes, and it didn't work
      12.50%
    3. no
      62.50%
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Comments

  • VerdantZephyrVerdantZephyr Member ⭐
    2054 karma

    First of all, I want to take a minute to say congratulations. Getting in to your first choice school should always be celebrated, even if the scholarship is not what you want yet.

    Secondly, what I have heard online is that no dean penalizes you for reapplying the next year. Given that you already have a 50% merit scholarship though, I am not sure how that would play in.

    I think your better bet is to negotiate your scholarship if possible. June seems like it could be a bit late, but others chime in if I am wrong about that. Would April not be possible? Do you have any other strong scholarship offers from which to negotiate? When are seat deposits due there? Could you approach them a day or so after seat deposits with a list of competing schools that have offered you more money? Would you be able to get April LSAT results back just after seat deposits and use those? I don't think you are yet at the place where you need to defer for a year.

    Regarding your accommodations, talk to your physician that recommended the eye surgery. Maybe you could get extended time or breaks if it would benefit your eyes to rest. Just be mindful of the accommodation request deadlines.

    You are in a great spot, congrats again @love2learn !

  • love2learnlove2learn Free Trial Member
    252 karma

    Thank you so much @VerdantZephyr I'm going to investigate my options per your suggestions, esp the negotiating. i'm going to meet with the eye surgeon soon, and it gives me time to look into options before talking with her.

  • VerdantZephyrVerdantZephyr Member ⭐
    2054 karma

    Good luck! I'll be wishing the best for you. Anyone getting their first choice this cycle is awesome.

  • Nice_homeNice_home Member
    edited March 2021 83 karma

    I applied recently and am still awaiting responses. So please take my suggestion with a grain of salt.

    Reading your post, my thought is if I were you, I would tell them your story and try to negotiate. What I would do is use what you said above, like take almost take this exact forum post (minus the LSAT part) and tell them and see what they say.

    Like say, basically, "You are my first choice regional school, and I am really grateful for your scholarship offer, and yet I am considering to apply again next year instead of accepting this scholarship because I think I can hit your mark to get even a 100% scholarship, which I actually need because of XYZ reasons. Alternatively, if there is any room that you could offer at least (xyz number like 90%) scholarship, that would help me a lot and that would move the needle for me and I would go ahead and accept your offer.

    That's what I would probably try. Worst they say no, I seriously doubt they would pull the 50% offer. At best they give you 100%. I would think it's possible they give you something in the middle. Or they stand firmly on their initial offer, in which case you have that clear info as the basis of your decision.

  • Selene SteelmanSelene Steelman Free Trial Member Admissions Consultant
    2037 karma

    First of all, congratulations on receiving an offer and merit from your top choice program! Speaking as a former admissions officer, if you want a higher scholarship award, you should ask the school about their scholarship reevaluation policy before deciding to withdraw and reapply.

    When is the school's deposit deadline? They may be most open to reevaluating current awards if they feel that the admitted candidate will not deposit or walk away. About 3-4 weeks before the deposit deadline, you could reach out to admissions and ask them what their reevaluation process is. Explain that they are your top choice but you are in a difficult financial position and is anything they can do to help you attend their program. If you have other offers in hand for this conversation, that could put you in a stronger position.

    If you really cannot afford the tuition with the current scholarship, you can claim financial hardship and request a deferral of your enrollment until next year. Make sure you know if your current scholarship goes with the deferral. This way, a spot will be saved for you in the future class, and you won't have to submit a whole new application.

    Retaking the LSAT and get a higher score could help you in this cycle, but you run the risk of the school exhausting their scholarship budget by the time the June results come out. If you end up deferring, and they are open to reconsidering your award in the next cycle, a higher score could put you in a better position. Good luck!

  • love2learnlove2learn Free Trial Member
    252 karma

    Thank you SO much @Nice_home and @"selene.steelman" , your advice is so valuable and I'm so glad that I asked before rushing in and potentially jeopardizing my relationship with the school. The seat deposit is due by April 1st, so this is also timely for discussion in advance of that.

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