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Feeling discouraged about holding off a year

jgillies99jgillies99 Member
in General 13 karma

Hi, everyone! I guess I'm just looking for some solidarity with this post. I graduated from undergrad in May 2020 and planned in March of this year to take the LSAT in August or October to apply for the Fall 2022 cycle. I know I can take it later and still apply, but with rolling admissions I'd rather get my application done by the start of the new year.

Well.. as I started studying, life got hectic - I moved, got a new full-time job, and my social life began to spring up again as COVID cases have decreased. I'm very aware that I'm running out of study time and studying for a few hours a week just won't cut it. My diagnostic score was decent, but not nearly close enough to the score I want.

I feel guilty for the time that I'm not studying which makes me want to hold off, but I also feel guilty wanting to postpone applying for a year. I think I'm coming to the decision to push it off a year, focus on settling down, and giving myself more time to soak in the material and really prepare for 2022 LSAT exams to apply for the Fall 2023 cycle.

Is my thinking flawed? Or does this seem like a reasonable decision? Can anyone else relate / has anyone else been successful after deciding to postpone applying?

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Comments

  • HoRangYiHoRangYi Member
    71 karma

    life is what we make of it

  • josephbraun99josephbraun99 Member
    66 karma

    This isn't a race mate, delay it and make the year worthwhile, I'm sure you won't look back at it regretfully if you are judicious with your time and improve your life/get some great experiences/make yourself a stronger applicant over that year. Do some volunteer work too--a lot of people I've talked to haven't gotten around to that yet.

  • Nelson33-1-1-1-1Nelson33-1-1-1-1 Member
    83 karma

    I would delay due to what you've already stated- you're aware that you are running out of study time and a few hours a week will not cut it to achieve the score you want. Definitely give yourself more time to study and soak in the material as you stated. The LSAT is not going anywhere, and if you're not ready to apply with the score you have then there is no rush to apply. Take the time to study and get the score you want. I delayed to get a higher score for a chance of getting scholarships.

  • Cynthia-2Cynthia-2 Member
    498 karma

    I say take the time off,keeping in mind that for a high score sacrificing social life is a must. This test is not something you can just take a look at here and there, it's a full time priority so take the time off but come up with a study schedule that you'll stick to.

  • TE CSC 2021TE CSC 2021 Core Member
    edited July 2021 148 karma

    You will definitely not lose anything by waiting another year. More time (assuming you use it wisely) can only benefit you in the form of a higher LSAT score, better admissions results, and (yes this matters too) another year of interesting life experience not stuck in a classroom or textbook. You're fine.

  • equallyyokedequallyyoked Alum Member
    474 karma

    If you are at the typical
    Age of graduations undergrad then you can take heart in knowing that a year won’t allow you down that much or really not at all. If you can wait and feel like next cycle will feel less rushed to you then you should go what you’re feeling is best.

  • Smeaging.the.LSATSmeaging.the.LSAT Alum Member
    edited July 2021 47 karma

    You shouldn't feel bad about postponing your education. If you look at Harvard's J.D Class of 2023, the vast majority of them have taken time off after college, with 23% of the class being out of college for 4 or more years. Spending time off after undergrad makes you the norm, not the exception.

    However—and I say this without knowing all your the details about your life—what worries me is hyperbolic discounting. This refers to our tendency to increasingly choose immediate and smaller rewards over longer-term but bigger rewards.

    There are many examples of hyperbolic discounting when it comes to test-taking. Even though undergraduate students will have weeks to study for a exam, they tend to only start studying a few days prior. So by pushing your test date back, you also decrease your motivation to study. It's entirely plausible then that by the time the 2022 LSATs come around, you still haven't studied enough.

    The main takeaway from all of this is that you shouldn't feel guilty about the decision to postpone your LSAT, but you shouldn't then use this decision as an excuse to start slacking. My advice would be to make a study schedule here on 7Sage. With a year to study, the schedule will be very forgiving when it comes to the weekly hours. Then, I'd share your 7Sage account with a friend or family member who both deeply cares about you but is also an extreme hard-ass. That way, they'll make weekly periodic checks on your study schedule and keep you on course if you start to waver.

    Gl on your future endeavors!

    harvard class facts: https://hls.harvard.edu/dept/jdadmissions/apply-to-harvard-law-school/hls-profile-and-facts/

  • bklynxxxbklynxxx Alum Member
    36 karma

    You're not alone, trust me. Been out of school for 4 years already. Planned to take the LSAT August or October this year. But after studying for a few months, it's looking like I won't be ready this cycle. So it's going to have to be the next one. I'm disappointed.

    But also excited about the freedom that earning an income again brings for another year or two (currently finishing up a masters). Do the most to enjoy your time working. You'll have a lot more to talk about and a perspective that other folks won't have by having solid work experience. This will only make your applications stronger.

    I too have a tendency to look at the path others are taking and question my own. But you know yourself best and if this feels right, there's no rush!

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