Re-Applying with the same stats you were waitlisted with

[existentialdread]

Hello friends, 

I'll try to keep it short and sweet but I am still on the waitlist for Ualberta and Ucalgary but I am not optimistic that there will be an offer for me this upcoming week. Truthfully, I didn't really expect to be waitlisted this long and anticipated I would have been accepted or rejected earlier and could start planning accordingly but here we are in the first week of September still up in the air!

I applied with a 3.5-3.6 ish L2 and 163 highest LSAT and I have a few years of full-time work experience in legal. I wrote the last LSAT so my application was not completed until February which I know can put you at a disadvantage. 

 

So, my current conundrum is whether or not I should try to get a higher LSAT score for the next application cycle, or just apply right away with what I have. I don't want to write in January again and put myself at a disadvantage so I would be aiming for November; however, I have concerns about my ability to study enough and make those strides in less than 3 months especially with how demanding my work schedule is. Unfortunately dialling back the hours I work isn't really an option. 

 

In short, do you think there is any point in just re-applying with my same stats but applying ASAP? Or is that going to be fruitless?  Curious to hear opinions. 
 

 

[pastmidnight]

I don’t think it’s fruitless — applying early could help, and the extra year of work experience you’ve had since last cycle might be what tips the scales in your favour at UofC — but I also think that doing everything you can to boost your chances, like rewriting the LSAT, is a good idea. 

If you had just graduated from university and been unsuccessful applying in your fourth year, I’d say that you should take the November LSAT. But because you’ve been working for a few years, I think you have a bit more flexibility here than applicants who might not have a longterm job to fall back on. 

I think your decision comes down to whether or not you’re okay with not getting in this cycle. If you’re fine with waiting another year, then I’d said reapply the day applications open, but also make a contingency plan for next year, like if you haven’t received an acceptance by June 2023 that you'll sign up for the August 2023 or September 2023 LSAT and spend as much of your spare time from that point on studying. 

If you aren’t fine with waiting another year, then I think it makes sense to take the November LSAT and do everything you can to ensure you can score at lest a few points above your 163. 

[CipherEvice]

If you already have a few years of work experience in a legal related job, I don't think that going from 3 years of that work experience to 4 is going to make much difference. I remember hearing a couple times in some info sessions that schools want to see something improve from reapplicants, whether that be your L20 GPA or LSAT. If you apply with the exact same stats they tend to wonder why. On top of that, the last couple years have been more competitive than normal and that isn't likely to change imo.

I would recommend trying to find the time to study so you can take the November LSAT, get a better score, and have an application that is completed early. Or, if you can somehow find a way to quickly complete even 1 extra undergrad course and get an A in it before December, that as well (Athabasca is pretty flexible; you can sign up anytime, and complete a course as fast as you want). If you can't do either of those things, your chances for next year are likely not any better and may even be worse. Another option could be to apply to some more schools with lower admissions GPAs etc. Best of luck!

Edited September 11, 2022 by CipherEvice

[existentialdread]

Thanks pals. 

I am going to see what I can do about increasing my score in November. I am not sure how much I can improve in 58ish days but I'll try my best. If not, I guess I will probably try for January as well as I would definitely have time to make strides by then. My highest PT before my last write was 168 and I was consistently hitting 165-166 so it would be great if I could land somewhere between 165 and 168.

 

I think I will also re-apply to TRU and maybe some other schools. 

I wish it was acceptable to say "hey, my application hasn't improved much because you left me hanging until September 7th", but somehow I don't think they'd laugh.