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Is Reapplying Bad?


babylawyer

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babylawyer
  • Law School Admit

Sorry if this has previously been discussed, I couldn't find it. I am lucky to have already gotten into a couple schools for this fall, but am still trying to consider all my options. This is all hypothetical but assuming that a) I decide that I'm not ready for law school yet and b) my request to defer is not approved (I don't have a real concrete reason, and I know schools don't just hand out deferrals), would my chances at schools that I've already been accepted to be worse as a reapplicant? Obviously if the applicants next cycle are more competitive than this cycle, I know that I'm less likely to get in, but I'm asking specifically about if my status as someone who had previously been accepted, only to turn it down would cast me in a negative light, or if it won't affect admissions decisions. Besides the application fees, would I be losing out on anything by waiting a year and reapplying to schools that have already accepted me? Any advice appreciated!   

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Goblin King
  • Law Student

Law schools don't, as a rule, hold grudges. I applied and was accepted to UBC, uVic, uOttawa, Queens, Osgoode, and Dalhousie in two cycles. They're just trying to get the most competitive applicants in seats. 

16 minutes ago, babylawyer said:

Besides the application fees, would I be losing out on anything by waiting a year and reapplying to schools that have already accepted me? Any advice appreciated! 

It depends on why you're deferring. Providing further information if you're comfortable would be useful here.  In my case, it came from a deep-seated insecurity about my ability to perform in law school. If that's the case for you, I'd suggest taking the plunge now -- a year of waiting doesn't do anything to alleviate this anxiety, only actually doing law school will. If you have financial concerns and want to work for a year to alleviate your debt load, that has the potential to be a good idea. 

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BirdsArentReal
  • Law Student

From personal experience, I decided I was not ready for law school last cycle. I had gotten into one school. I waited a year and emphasized that I was a re-applicant and showed how I become a stronger candidate from taking a gap year. However, my circumstance is slightly different from yours as I took the LSAT again and bumped it up. With my results for this year I am very very glad I took the year and emphasized how I was better as a re-applicant. 

I dont think schools really care if you are a re-applicant. I would assume schools care more about your overall competitiveness to that years admissions cycle. If you are planning on applying to other schools after your break, do not defer. But if you plan on attending a certain school after your gap year, a deferral might be good (depending on your reason). You should speak to the admissions committee about this.

Don't stress too much, you got this!

Edited by BirdsArentReal
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Federale
  • Applicant
1 hour ago, babylawyer said:

Sorry if this has previously been discussed, I couldn't find it. I am lucky to have already gotten into a couple schools for this fall, but am still trying to consider all my options. This is all hypothetical but assuming that a) I decide that I'm not ready for law school yet and b) my request to defer is not approved (I don't have a real concrete reason, and I know schools don't just hand out deferrals), would my chances at schools that I've already been accepted to be worse as a reapplicant? Obviously if the applicants next cycle are more competitive than this cycle, I know that I'm less likely to get in, but I'm asking specifically about if my status as someone who had previously been accepted, only to turn it down would cast me in a negative light, or if it won't affect admissions decisions. Besides the application fees, would I be losing out on anything by waiting a year and reapplying to schools that have already accepted me? Any advice appreciated!   

Your chances definitely won't hurt as a re applicant, but some schools may pay attention to what you did in your year off in between applications, but even if you don't mention it I still don't think it would hurt your chances 

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babylawyer
  • Law School Admit

Thank you so much for your advice everyone! Really appreciate it, and definitely helps alleviate some of my anxiety 🙂

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