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UsernameChange · April 2016

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allison.gill.sanford · April 2016

You could also ask about deferring. I think if you have any concern you aren't reading for law school or don't want to go yet, you should follow that instinct.
I'm also a big fan of waiting between undergrad and law school. I've been out of college for six years, and I'm a different person now than I was at age 22. I'm convinced I will be a better lawyer for it, and I am confident about my decision to go back to school. This is a huge commitment and puts me on a certain trajectory for the rest of my life, and I could not be more pleased with the decision to do something else for a while before I really considered law school.

My personal advice: take at least one year off, more if you can stand it. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain from stepping away from school for a while. Get some real world experience. Take the time to figure out if law school is even right for you. You simply don't know yourself well enough at your current life stage to make that call (and plenty of unhappy JDs who went straight to school back up that assertion). Your LSAT score will be good for a few years. It's pretty likely that the scholarship they are offering you now will be on the table again later if you reapply. Live your life, and if you're meant for a legal career you will find your way to law school when the timing is right. I think it is a very rare person who would benefit more from heading straight to a JD program than taking time to do something else.

Nicole Hopkins · April 2016

I would try to defer. Consider that schools might not appreciate you messing with their yields because you didn't exactly saddle your horse all the way going into this cycle. You don't want to leave a bad taste in their mouth.

allison.gill.sanford · April 2016

That's true. If you want more than a year off, it may be worth calling admissions at one of the schools you are interested in to ask how they would look upon that. Ultimately, I think if you decide to do anything more drastic than deferment, you could write a letter explaining your choice. I still think it's worth it to opt out for your own sake if you aren't 100% sure about school (don't go to school when you're unsure for the sake of not burning bridges, this decision is far weightier than that), but as Nicole said, there may be some consequences.

NYC12345 · April 2016

@allison.gill.sanford said:
I'm also a big fan of waiting between undergrad and law school. I've been out of college for six years, and I'm a different person now than I was at age 22. I'm convinced I will be a better lawyer for it, and I am confident about my decision to go back to school. This is a huge commitment and puts me on a certain trajectory for the rest of my life, and I could not be more pleased with the decision to do something else for a while before I really considered law school.

I completely agree that taking time off between undergrad and law school can be very beneficial. I'm going straight through, but many people prefer getting work experience first. With that being said, I feel compelled to inform you of the risks of postponing law school. Unless a school grants a deferral request, you might not be reaccepted at all of the schools, and even if you are reaccepted, who's to say that you'll receive the same generous scholarship offers? Schools give a lot of merit aid because it is currently a buyer's market. If that changes within the next couple of years, your chances of getting $$$ from T14s decreases substantially. You're ultimately going to have to weigh the pros and cons and determine what is the best course of action for you to take, but please weigh all of the variables.

allison.gill.sanford · April 2016

@alexandergreene93 Do you think the law school admissions climate will change significantly in the next 5(ish) years? I truly don't know, but the trend lately seems to be that less students are applying each year, and schools continue to struggle (and thus offer scholarship incentives) for top candidates. Unless law school tuition goes way down or the market becomes significantly more favorable for JDs seeking employment, I don't foresee a major change in this dynamic. Since law school admissions function so much like a business, I would guess that if @UsernameChange submits a similar application in three years, the same kind of offers will come in. UGPA and LSAT are the primary factors anyway, and this gives times to gain stronger softs. Perhaps I'm unaware of how applying one year and then pulling out of the process could reflect poorly on someone, but I also doubt the admissions committees will remember if they are reading hundreds of apps each year... thoughts?

NYC12345 · April 2016

@allison.gill.sanford
I don't know what the climate will be in a few years, and that's the issue. It is difficult to predict, which is why there's a major risk involved with postponing. To respond to you other statement, there's a question on each application about whether an applicant previously applied and what the decision was. If I was an Adcomm, I would view someone reapplying who was previously accepted with a scholarship as someone who wanted to get into a better school and thinks of my school as a backup (regardless of an addendum explaining the desire to get a couple of years of work experience first). That's just my $.02.

allison.gill.sanford · April 2016

Got it - I was unaware of that box. Thanks for the clarification. I wonder how it's generally viewed when people reapply, I do think talking with admissions folks on the phone or visiting to show your true interest in attending could go a long way. But, of course, they might think you're just playing the game and still view your reapplication in a negative light.

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