I Missed the OLSAS Deadline by 1 Minute. Am I Fucked?

[VitalGiraffe]

I didn't realize I had to click submit on a separate tab. Is there anything I can do or should I google the nearest bridge?

[WishfulThinking]

Not sure but take a screenshot for proof. I believe you can request at certain schools for special permission to submit a late application (though seems permission is rarely granted and only in extreme circumstances…but you never know). Good luck! 

Also, if you are willing to go to QC, McGills deadline is not for a few more days so you can apply there if youunderstand at least minimal French. 

[VitalGiraffe]

9 minutes ago, WishfulThinking said:

Not sure but take a screenshot for proof. I believe you can request at certain schools for special permission to submit a late application (though seems permission is rarely granted and only in extreme circumstances…but you never know).

I just took one. I don't think I'm going to be granted anything. I'm literally having a mental break down right now.

[Pendragon]

Worst case scenario, you apply next year for Fall 2023 intake. A year goes by pretty quickly. 

Also, haven't you applied to US law schools already?

[VitalGiraffe]

12 minutes ago, Pendragon said:

Worst case scenario, you apply next year for Fall 2023 intake. A year goes by pretty quickly. 

Also, haven't you applied to US law schools already?

I know you're trying to help, but the first line is not very comforting right now.

But yes, I am applying to American schools as well as a few other Canadian schools outside Ontario. This is the reason I am several beers deep instead of committed to a hospital. I can't fucking believe this.

[CleanHands]

2 minutes ago, VitalGiraffe said:

I know you're trying to help, but the first line is not very comforting right now.

But yes, I am applying to American schools as well as a few other Canadian schools outside Ontario. This is the reason I am several beers deep instead of committed to a hospital. I can't fucking believe this.

There's nothing you can do about this right now. It's past midnight in Ontario and I'm sure you wouldn't be in a condition to deal with this rationally and productively even if there was something you could do right this moment.

It's far easier said that done, but...play some vidya games, go for a walk, listen to music...just get away from this forum right now and do whatever the hell you can to think about literally anything else.

I normally don't endorse alcohol as a means of coping with long-term, accumulated sort of stress, but for a one-off shitty time like this, you've earned the right to drink yourself unconscious right now. I'd be doing that, personally.

When you're rested and awake and have given yourself some time to process everything, phone OUAC at 519-823-1063 tomorrow with your reference number handy and ask them for advice on what you could possibly do about this situation. They start taking calls at 9:30am.

Good luck. I'm sure many here would be interested in how this pans out so please do share.

[Whist]

No bridge googling over law school applications! Hang in there. Take the rest of the night and do literally anything else aside from dwell on this. Drink it up, binge Netflix, cry, eat a family-sized bag of potato chips, whatever. Tomorrow, contact OLSAS and/or the individual Ontario schools you applied to, explain the situation, and go from there. Remember that you're not out of the law school running altogether this year - you applied outside Ontario. If you've told a bunch of people in your life you're applying, avoid mentioning this for a little bit because you'll feel really bad all over again when it's fresh. 

[Piffle]

Well, OP, my heart sank while reading this.

If this gets to you in time:

This is just me, but I'd personally be sober for tonight and tomorrow.

Right now, I’d be crafting emails to OLSAS, and then to each school you applied to, explaining what happened. I’d note any valid reasons for why they should exempt you from the deadline, ask if there’s any recourse, etc. And I’d send those emails immediately as soon as they're in a professional/presentable state to signal my timely response to the situation.

In addition to those emails, I’d also call OLSAS, followed by each school, first thing in the morning as soon as they open. Right now, I’d be preparing a script of talking points to best explain the situation.  

I'd say that these tasks require peak mental capacity to get them right, or at least for them to go as well as possible. 

Only after all that is over would I be cracking open the booze the following night. (On that front though, I’ve always kept a good bottle of bourbon handy. I'd say then would be the time to open it.)

Whatever happens, I'm rooting for you!

Edited November 2, 2021 by Piffle

[VitalGiraffe]

21 minutes ago, Piffle said:

 

I appreciate you're well crafted reply. Unfortunately you are a bit late, and I am pretty drunk. But I think you're idea is solid, and pretty much all I've thought since midnight is how I am going to tackle this tomorrow morning. Trust me I will be on the phone 9:30am sharp with OLSAS. If denied I will be on the phone with individual schools immediately.

I'm going down swinging.

[LMP]

You can still apply to Windsor through the dual degree. Personally I wouldn't do it, but it's an option if attending an Ontario school this year is of paramount importance to you.

[Renerik]

In past comments you've indicated that you're open to going to a Canadian law school outside of Ontario. Instead of thinking it's over (or that you'll need to wait until next year to reapply), look into all of them, not just UBC/DAL/UVIC. 

Really sucks, I'd probably be a few beers in myself at this point, but in the grand scheme of things this is not worth entertaining self-destructive ideas. Fight the good fight tomorrow and no matter the result, know that you're worth more than a few OLSAS apps. 

[GGrievous]

 Not to give any false hope, but I would be shocked if there was nothing they could do. I’m on the edge of my seat here for OP. Sending good luck vibes.

[Apple]

Also not to give false hope, but I believe something similar to this happened in past years. Albeit it, it was because so many people waited until the last minute to apply and OLSAS's website crashed, but when that happened OLSAS had no problems helping students impacted. Admittedly, it's not a completely parallel situation as OP so take from it what you will.

Just as an aside, I don't know why people wait until literally the minute the application is due to submit it. Surely you can submit it a day before the deadline without the application being meaningfully impacted. Waiting until the last minute for any application is not a prudent decision to make for this very reason. I think a lot of time this sort of reality is driven by an obsession for perfection but there's no need to waste precious mental resources and time "perfecting" something. I know a lot of law students are type A personalities, but learning when to step away from something and invest the time elsewhere is an important skill to learn - especially as you enter into a profession which will demand from your incredible time management and resources allocation skills. For future applicants, just submit your application before the deadline. 

[Internationaljd]

I know few people who requested Utoronto to send in late applications and they actually allowed them to do so.  That's an option I guess.

[NowOrNever]

12 hours ago, VitalGiraffe said:

I didn't realize I had to click submit on a separate tab. Is there anything I can do or should I google the nearest bridge?

OP, don't worry too much.

PMed you.

[VitalGiraffe]

UPDATE

First thing I want to say is I really appreciate everyone reaching out. Both here and DMs. You've all been very supportive and I would've been very lost without the advice and support here.

Secondly, things are going strangely well. I was skeptical of @Barry's optimism, however I've heard back from all but one school at this point. Last night I thought a year of my life went up in smoke. The schools are actually very understanding of how shit happens.

Lastly, DON'T BE ME. APPLY IN AUGUST, LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE. I was having wifi issues last night, my brain was fried from trying to edit to perfection 12 hours straight, I was stressed beyond belief. Unexpected things can happen and you don't want to put yourself in a position where you are desperately contacting schools November 2nd begging for help. Yes the schools may still let you apply, but they might not as well. I poured my fucking heart and soul into each application to possibly have thrown it away for nothing. APPLY. EARLY. The last 13 hours has taken years off my life. The deadlines for the other schools I'm applying to are in December, that shit is getting done immediately after this mess is sorted.

Fuck bridges, CanLawForum exists.

Edited November 2, 2021 by VitalGiraffe

[GGrievous]

That’s great! I figured this wasn’t their first rodeo.

[Kobe]

3 minutes ago, VitalGiraffe said:

UPDATE

First thing I want to say is I really appreciate everyone reaching out. Both here and DMs. You've all been very supportive and I would've been very lost without the advice and support here.

Secondly, things are going strangely well. I was skeptical of @Barry's optimism, however I've heard back from all but one school at this point. Last night I thought a year of my life went up in smoke. The schools are actually very understanding of how shit happens.

Lastly, DON'T BE ME. APPLY IN AUGUST, LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE. I was having wifi issues last night, my brain was fried from trying to edit to perfection 12 hours straight, I was stressed beyond belief. Unexpected things can happen and you don't want to put yourself in a position where you are desperately contacting schools November 2nd begging for help. Yes the schools may still let you apply, but they might not as well. I poured my fucking heart and soul into each application to possibly have thrown it away for nothing. APPLY. EARLY. The last 13 hours has taken years off my life. The deadlines for the other schools I'm applying to are in December, that shit is getting done immediately after this mess is sorted. Fuck bridges, CanLawForum exists.

That's really good news, I felt terrible for you yesterday. In a year this will just be a funny story to tell about the time you almost missed applying. Wishing you all the best this cycle! 

[Rashabon]

On the bright side, you're learning an adult lesson now when you're the only person impacted. Hopefully this can be a learning experience so you don't mess with deadlines for your future clients, where there is less sympathy.

[Apple]

39 minutes ago, VitalGiraffe said:

UPDATE

First thing I want to say is I really appreciate everyone reaching out. Both here and DMs. You've all been very supportive and I would've been very lost without the advice and support here.

Secondly, things are going strangely well. I was skeptical of @Barry's optimism, however I've heard back from all but one school at this point. Last night I thought a year of my life went up in smoke. The schools are actually very understanding of how shit happens.

Lastly, DON'T BE ME. APPLY IN AUGUST, LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE. I was having wifi issues last night, my brain was fried from trying to edit to perfection 12 hours straight, I was stressed beyond belief. Unexpected things can happen and you don't want to put yourself in a position where you are desperately contacting schools November 2nd begging for help. Yes the schools may still let you apply, but they might not as well. I poured my fucking heart and soul into each application to possibly have thrown it away for nothing. APPLY. EARLY. The last 13 hours has taken years off my life. The deadlines for the other schools I'm applying to are in December, that shit is getting done immediately after this mess is sorted.

Fuck bridges, CanLawForum exists.

I'm gonna go ahead an assume you're just being overdramatic, but whether you are or aren't this warrants comment on. 

If you indeed did spend 12 hours straight revising your application you need to nip this sort of behavior in the butt now. It is not healthy whatsoever and the pressures of law school and work will easily overwhelm you if you continue to allow yourself to behave like this. You will not be able to maintain this sort of conduct. 

Lastly, your immediate response to a problem also needs to be dealt with. It is not healthy, productive or assistive to immediately respond to a problem with the dramatic "my life has been wasted gonna go find a bridge" thinking. You will face many many many more problems throughout law school and in practice and you need to start training yourself to respond to them maturely and in a composed manner. I get it, law school apps are important but your response to the problem you faced was just irresponsible and immature. 

That all said, I am happy things appear to have worked out and wish you the best this cycle.  

[Yogurt Baron]

ETA: incidentally crosspoted with Apple; there was no intent to co-ordinate tough love here.

VG, I'm glad this is working out for you, and I wish you the absolute best in getting in wherever you want to get in. But just an alternate perspective: I was also this stressed about law school applications, once upon a time, and it actually drove me to mental and physical health crises that have actually imperiled my life. Now, maybe you're just being cute and melodramatic, but I read some of the things you're saying on this thread, and I worry about you.

It's easy for me to say, "Missing a law school application deadline would be no big deal for me - I'd just wait a year or go to another school." (I still do think I'll go one day. I'm in absolutely no hurry. When you're 22, the difference between 22 and 23 feels much vaster than the difference between 40 and 50 feels when you're in your late thirties.) It's easy for me to say, "One major turning point in my own admissibility was when I stopped stressing about everything until the last second and started doing applications in fifteen minutes." But that's comparing my life to yours, and that's not something that's really fruitful. What worries me is comparing where you are now to where you might be a few years from now. It only gets harder and more stressful from here. If you're invoking psych hospitalizations and suicide because you may or may not have slightly curtailed your chances of going to a certain school in 2022, how are you going to feel when the stakes are even higher?

I think Blocked gave some good advice in this post here - I'd give it a look. If you think I'm totally off-base, I respect that - I'd have thought someone giving me this advice was totally off-base, circa 2008 - but I just read this thread and I think, "This is somebody who needs to take care of themselves before this goes someplace dark."

Edited November 2, 2021 by Yogurt Baron
crosspost

[GGrievous]

22 minutes ago, Apple said:

"my life has been wasted gonna go find a bridge" thinking.

This kind of hyperbole doesn't have a place on the forums, I came to that realization recently, and pretty sure that's what you linked to. But going to dark places is sometimes the best way to cope so I wouldn't go that far. Just maybe identify the appropriate time, place, and company for gallows humour. 

Edited November 2, 2021 by Barry

[VitalGiraffe]

For reasons that are beyond this discussion, this is the only year I am applying to law schools. I've known that for a long time. For that reason what happened last night was a massive punch to the gut. I don't think I've ever had so much cortisol running through my veins as I did when I made this post. I probably did go too far with the bridge. Honestly though I was feeling sick to my stomach thinking I was shutout of Ontario. I do have a dark sense of humor but I shouldn't have said that here.

I understand the concern about my stress but I think this is not really comparable to law school or working as a lawyer. There are many exams/cases during school/career but I think few of them are as individually consequential to me personally. One failed exam or one lost case will likely not change much in the grand scheme of things. This application is a one-off event with life-changing implications IMO.