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Disadvantage of writing in February 2018 for enrolment of the same year
Hi everyone,
I have slowly realized that I probably won't be able to make the December LSAT; going through CC has taken me a lot longer than I expected, and on top of this, Canadian law school apps are due Nov. 1 and I really want to put a lot of time and effort into all my personal statements. I'm applying for admission in 2018. I'm only on invalid argument forms right now and I still have to do a lot more LR, all of LG, all of RC, and PTs.
There's a part of me that wants to write December anyway (and then re-write in Feb if I do poorly), but I really feel like I'll bomb it which won't look great on my record (I'm assuming). The schools I'm applying to accept the February LSAT, but I know a lot of people say it puts you at a disadvantage because you are competing for fewer spots by the time your marks come out & they review your apps etc.
When I spoke to schools on the phone, they made it seem like I wouldn't be at a huge disadvantage but it's not ideal; on the other hand, I've heard from applicants themselves that it's really not a good idea.
Does anybody have experience with this? Do you feel like it's actually a disadvantage? I only know one person who's gotten into law school using their February score of the same year. I can't decide if I should just go ham and push like crazy for December and risk having a mental breakdown, or take my time and have a better chance of doing well but possibly less of a chance of getting in...
Comments
I don't know much about Canadian law schools, but are you applying to any schools in the U.S? if so, a lot of U.S law schools don't accept the February LSAT. Some do, but lots don't unless I guess if you're using it for scholarship negotiating purposes.
Canadian law schools though I have no idea about, maybe someone else can chime in.
Most schools will take a Feb LSAT. Even NYU and Columbia will take it (even though they say they don't) as long as you just email them by Jan1 for approval.
Thanks for the responses! I'm not applying for U.S. schools - only within Canada; I know the Canadian schools I'm applying to accept the Feb. LSAT, but say that it can put you at a disadvantage because so many acceptances have gone out already & thus you are competing for less spots.
wait what, seriously????
It varies on a school by school basis for Canadian law schools.
I don't know about how it will impact your chances at admission, but I do want to touch on some other points. I am making the assumption that you have to start school in 2018, and are not interested in pushing back another year.
If you don't mind the extra cost, you should go ahead and sit the December exam. I think it's unlikely you will be close to your best potential score in such a short period of time, but I don't think having 2 scores on your record is virulent for admission.
Don't rush yourself, and don't burn through the juicy tests during December prep. There is no benefit to thinking about how having to take the February exam is going to impact your application. You're going to stress yourself out, and the situation won't change.
If you have already come to terms with taking it in February, then I would say you should stop stressing about the December exam entirely. Create a new study schedule with the Feb. date and work towards that, giving yourself enough time over this month to prepare the rest of your application for your November 1st deadline.
However, while others may disagree, I think taking the December exam still may be a good idea, even while knowing that you aren't going to keep the score. I was in a similar position regarding the September exam and went ahead and took it knowing that I am also retaking in December. I found the experience of taking the real exam to be very helpful, especially since I'll be retaking in the same location in December. While of course you can take practice tests under timed conditions and basically mimic real test day conditions, there is something about that real experience that clarified a lot of my weaknesses in a way that has allowed me to adjust my prep accordingly. Of course, this may just be my experience. If you think by taking the December exam you'll ultimately just increase your stress/worry level by wondering if it's bad to have 2 scores on your application, then maybe don't take the test. I was able to arrive at a point of not caring about having multiple scores, so for me it wasn't an issue.
Hey there. I was literally in your circumstance last week (also a Canadian). I was initially planning to sit for the Dec. take, but my jam-packed schedule didn't permit much study time, so I decided against taking the test in Dec.
The last thing you want to do is rush through the CC - you need to ensure that your fundamentals are solid and you aren't treading on fragile ground.
Considering where you're at right now in your prep, I really wouldn't advise you sitting for the December test. As it stands, if you were to take the Dec test at least one of two undesirable scenarios is likely to happen: (i) either you won't be PTing enough or (ii) you'd be rushing through the CC. The common knowledge on this forum is that if, at any point, you're rushing through something in your LSAT prep(including sitting for the LSAT), it's generally not a good idea.
If you feel you'd be better prepared by Feb, it's probably a wiser decision to take the test then. Just be cognizant that it's your one and only shot -- so be sure to prepare well.
You're right, the Feb test might put an applicant at a disadvantage of sorts - but that's entirely contingent on the applicant's academic standing. Several Canadian law schools admit about 2/3rds of their class by that point, so it might not be an ideal position to be in for a fringe candidate. If your stats are solid, however, there isn't any reason why they'd deny you admission.
Try and schedule a visit with your target school and ask admissions while you're there. I called my target school and was told that they accept the Feb test, and even accept the June test for the following August class.
My vote is take the Feb and apply. If you don't get in reapply early for 2019. Sitting for December while you're only on invalid arguments is really pushing it.
Yes, this^ keep in mind if you're pushing for a 170+ you still need to spend a while fool proofing games 1-35.
If you're okay with throwing two hundred bucks away (I'm assuming you are, since you're about throw tens of thousands at law school), I'd sign up for both the December and February tests.
Do not rush the CC, spend the amount of time needed getting the fundamentals down, and once you start drilling and/or PTing post CC, you'll have an idea of where your December score will be. You can always cancel it the night before or cancel your score after taking the test.
My main point: you'll probably end up going with your February score to apply, but you don't want to make it your only option. It's a more expensive decision signing up for December, obviously, but having both options open is more important to you right now than the $200 you'll lose (even if you're 90% certain that $200 will be thrown down the drain for December).
I am in the exact same position as you are! I haven't finished the curriculum nor do I think that I will be getting a +170 on the December sitting (which is the score that I am aiming for). I have been stressing myself and have had several breakdowns. The one thing that stresses me the most is that this will be my third time writing the LSAT (the first two times, I did absolutely terrible and was so not ready).
I am applying to Canadian schools in Ontario, and know that I will be at a relatively disadvantage if I will write the February LSAT. However, after reading everyone's recommendations on this thread, I think it would be much wiser to not write it in December as I do not want to get a low score and ruin all of my future chances.
But if I would be in your position, I would write both the December and the February test.
Omg yes I just started fool proofing LG and the first game took me 1.5 hours. It takes FOREVER lol. *side note: when are we getting together with the spouses lol!
Hopefully soon! It seems like all my time is consumed with foolproofing. I refuse to not foolproof at least 1-35. We do need to get together soon, at least my wife will believe me when she sees that other people eat, drink, and sleep the LSAT also.
If you write in December and do not achieve a competitive score they can open your file and review it and close it. They don't have to look at February.
If her application remains unopened because it is incomplete without the LSAT a better score in Feb is better than taking in Dec. Essentially, they won't review the file unless the LSAT is there.
That's not how it works. If you indicate on the OLSAS application that you intend to write in Feb, they're going to still review it with your latest score - in the scenario that the Dec. score doesn't meet their standards. They won't reject you based on your past score whilst knowing that your latest score is higher.
Literally in the exact same position as you (and also Canadian). I'm signed up for the December LSAT, but at this point I have just finished the CC and just wrote my first PT and I've realized that I still need a TON of work to do. Unless my PT scores rise significantly within the next month, I do not want to walk into that December test with not much confidence. Personally, I set my sights on entering law school in 2018 because I literally have no idea what I would do with an additional year off...so I'm really in a hard spot right now. At this point, I'm contemplating the idea that having another full year off wouldn't be the end of the world and that I could do some things in that time that could be to my benefit (do some travelling, read a lot of books, find some work/volunteer opportunities).
I started PT's at the start of October, and the plan was go write PT's til the end of November (3 a week). I realized that going through 3 PT's in a span of 7 days with a thorough is near impossible.
To the OP, or others that have a knowledge of Canadian law schools, do you know what specific schools are open to accepting February LSAT's for 2018?
Good luck!
All schools except Windsor, I believe, accept the Feb LSAT!
Only once! December will be my second take.
Thanks!
Haha the struggle is real. I just started foolproofing and I'm terrified it's going to take a year and a half. Lol
Thank you everyone for all the incredibly helpful replies so far and sharing your experiences/what worked well for you. Based on what everyone has said, I think I'll sit in for the December exam just to get the experience being in the real test setting (which is great advice, I honestly hadn't thought of doing that) and then indicate on my app that I am writing in February as well. As @thisissparta mentioned, I should only be worried about February if I'm a fringe student, but I have a good cGPA and very strong ECs and LORs so it might not put me at a huge disadvantage. However, if I leave the December LSAT feeling like I got an embarrassingly low score, I'll definitely consider cancelling it.
I hope this thread can help others in the same scenario as well!
Sounds like a plan. Most Canadian schools seem to be pretty focused on strong GPAs and relatively lower LSAT scores (an LSAT score of 158ish-162ish should secure you a seat at most Ontario schools), so you seem to be in a good spot, in that case.
Wish you the best! Go get 'em (it?)!
UBC, UVIC, and TRU to name a few accept the February test.
Others like Calgary, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Windsor accept until December.