For the rejected/expecting a rejection gang: what will you do next year?

[existentialdread]

Reviving an old thread from the old forum. 

I am just curious to know what people plan on doing if they are rejected. Will you re-apply? Explore a different path?

This is is my third application cycle and I am not sure if I have it in me for a fourth...but I am a glutton for punishment. I'll probably re-write the LSAT again and try to find a better paying job that makes me hate my life a lil less. Maybe I'll get really into the gym (but prob not). 

 

 

[heehee]

Oh man, what a poignant topic. This law school cycle is starting to feel like a bad breakup, what with all the waiting and hoping and eventually being let down. 😢Personally, I'm gonna treat it like one (lol) and focus on other things this summer, as non-law related as I can get! Come fall, I'll likely re-write the LSAT and get myself back into the application frame of mind. In the meantime, time to hit the gym, chop off some hair, hang out w/friends and family, and recreate this iconic scene from Legally Blonde (but at my impending rejection letters).

[OswaldtheRabbit]

@existentialdread I noticed your stats in the waitlist discussion for the UofC. I was curious, did you apply to the UofA? I think you would get in! Possibly an option for next year if you don't get into Calgary this round.

[existentialdread]

18 minutes ago, OswaldtheRabbit said:

@existentialdread I noticed your stats in the waitlist discussion for the UofC. I was curious, did you apply to the UofA? I think you would get in! Possibly an option for next year if you don't get into Calgary this round.

Yes I did! Although I am not optimistic. It seems like U of A is really only accepting people with high high GPAs and I think mine falls short. Calgary is my top choice though so I am praying for a miracle. 

[OswaldtheRabbit]

2 minutes ago, existentialdread said:

Yes I did! Although I am not optimistic. It seems like U of A is really only accepting people with high high GPAs and I think mine falls short. Calgary is my top choice though so I am praying for a miracle. 

Ahh okay gotcha. I hope one of them works out for you! 

[Totally_Bucked]

As someone who got shut out in the 2020/21 cycle but did much better in the 2021/22 cycle, my advice to anyone who did not get the news they wanted would be to spend your time addressing the shortcomings in your application. I'll use myself as an example.

My cGPA from undergrad (3.09) is fine by most standards, but would not get me into law school. Otherwise, I felt that I had a strong application. While it is important to recognize that you can't go back and change your stats, you can do things to soften the blow of the weaker points and allow admissions committees to focus on strengths. I took a course to prove that I had the academic skills required and used the instructor as an academic reference. It didn't erase my cGPA, but it can allay some of the concerns that my 3.09 would rightfully create. 

I know this work is neither fun nor easy. People hate doing what they're not good at, myself included. But you have to be honest with yourself about what you can improve and also keep in mind that there is a reason these are the factors considered. You're not going to convince an admissions committee to ignore bad stats. But you can demonstrate that maybe that number doesn't tell the whole story. 

[BirdsArentReal]

2 minutes ago, Totally_Bucked said:

As someone who got shut out in the 2020/21 cycle but did much better in the 2021/22 cycle, my advice to anyone who did not get the news they wanted would be to spend your time addressing the shortcomings in your application. I'll use myself as an example.

My cGPA from undergrad (3.09) is fine by most standards, but would not get me into law school. Otherwise, I felt that I had a strong application. While it is important to recognize that you can't go back and change your stats, you can do things to soften the blow of the weaker points and allow admissions committees to focus on strengths. I took a course to prove that I had the academic skills required and used the instructor as an academic reference. It didn't erase my cGPA, but it can allay some of the concerns that my 3.09 would rightfully create. 

I know this work is neither fun nor easy. People hate doing what they're not good at, myself included. But you have to be honest with yourself about what you can improve and also keep in mind that there is a reason these are the factors considered. You're not going to convince an admissions committee to ignore bad stats. But you can demonstrate that maybe that number doesn't tell the whole story. 

Similar story- low GPA, worked on my LSAT & spent what felt like 200 hours on my personal statement.

[AMG]

5 hours ago, Totally_Bucked said:

As someone who got shut out in the 2020/21 cycle but did much better in the 2021/22 cycle, my advice to anyone who did not get the news they wanted would be to spend your time addressing the shortcomings in your application. I'll use myself as an example.

My cGPA from undergrad (3.09) is fine by most standards, but would not get me into law school. Otherwise, I felt that I had a strong application. While it is important to recognize that you can't go back and change your stats, you can do things to soften the blow of the weaker points and allow admissions committees to focus on strengths. I took a course to prove that I had the academic skills required and used the instructor as an academic reference. It didn't erase my cGPA, but it can allay some of the concerns that my 3.09 would rightfully create. 

I know this work is neither fun nor easy. People hate doing what they're not good at, myself included. But you have to be honest with yourself about what you can improve and also keep in mind that there is a reason these are the factors considered. You're not going to convince an admissions committee to ignore bad stats. But you can demonstrate that maybe that number doesn't tell the whole story. 

And just to add to this, when your stats are right on the borderline of being competitive sometimes getting accepted or rejected doesn't necessarily come down to you and your application. It could depend on who is reviewing your application and the others who are applying. Someone who gets rejected this year may get accepted next year and vice versa. Don't give up but also take a look a see if you do have a reasonable chance of getting in if you decide to reapply.

[Bread]

Similar to @Totally_Bucked I applied for last year's cycle and was shut out, but this year had great success. I definitely agree that you should try to amend for any weaknesses you have and work on your PSs, and I'd also add that you should try and "stay busy" because you could use these experiences to exemplify skills or mindsets that could seem absent from your application at first glance. In my experience I improved my LSAT from 15mid to 171, and got various volunteer positions and jobs adjacent to law so that I could show that even though my GPA wasn't entirely competitive, I knew how to work hard and balance various commitments, just like what they're looking for in law school.

Also, this may have just been my blunder but in my first personal statements I focused on what I wanted to do after law school, why I wanted to do that, whined a bit about why my grades and LSAT weren't super competitive, and then only minimally stated why I was a competitive applicant. If you want to get into law school, advocate for yourself, focus on "why law school" and not after, don't make excuses but if you do have weaknesses in your application then address them and find some way to show that you've learned from them or that they won't even apply to/affect your performance in law school.

Find your passion, and if your passion is law then figure out how to best pursue that.

I've been in the rejection seat and I know how that feels so if anyone wants to DM me to talk or for any advice, please do.