The year is almost over, and although it is only the middle of the law school application cycle, many applicants are in a tough spot.
Some have applied using an LSAT score that doesn’t reflect their full potential. Others let things slip between the cracks and ended up submitting a half-baked, rushed application. Some are just getting caught in the bevy of applications law schools are receiving since the election of President Donald Trump.
[Read: What Is a Good LSAT Score?.]
Regardless of the reason, these applicants may find themselves in the unenviable position of only being placed on waitlists or being admitted only to their safety schools, which they are not too excited to attend. For these students, questions may loom about whether they should wait a year and reapply of bite the billet to get a head start on their legal education.
Here are a few things to consider when deciding whether to take a year off.
Waiting a year doesn’t mean you’re wasting a year. We’ve already discussed the rising importance of work experience in general as part of your application — especially if you’re less than two years removed from college — but this newfound time could also be used to strengthen specific parts of your application. Interested in criminal law? Secure an internship with the District Attorney or public defender’s office. See your future in corporate law? Find an entry-level position at a local law firm. Having relevant experience — and highlighting it in next year’s application — can get you over the hump.
[Read: Make the Most of Gap Years Before Law School.]
Similarly, you can address the weaknesses in your application during this year. Giving yourself more time to prepare for the LSAT — and perhaps doing so while out of school or not working — is likely to improve your score, and even a few points could be the difference between rejection and admission.
Taking a few months to think and draft the perfect personal statement would also look better than that essay you may have procrastinated on then threw together at the last minute to submit this year. This extra year can be used in many ways, all of which can improve your chances in a world where differences between applicants are razor-thin.
Schools do not look down on reapplicants. I have never heard a law school Dean or admissions officer even imply that a reapplicant is at a disadvantage, and many schools, including top ones, like Michigan, explicitly echo the sentiment.
In fact, one could use the reapplication to their advantage: If you were admitted to a school you weren’t entirely happy with, you could discuss that in an addendum during the next cycle by pointing out that you were admitted to other schools, but you turned them down because you were so excited about a specific school that you decided to wait a year.
You won’t have to recreate your entire application. Presumably, your transcripts remain the same, unless you take some additional courses during your time off. There is also no need to get new letters of recommendation from those whose acquaintance with you and your work hasn’t changed.
[Read: Take 3 Steps to Reapply to Law School.]
There is also no formal requirement to submit new essays as part of your application — but it is advisable to do so. Reusing the older material could reek of laziness, and could cost you. Instead, redraft the personal statement, perhaps even using it to address the reasons you are reapplying.
That doesn’t mean that you should tear up every optional essay you wrote — if you’re discussing the most influential figure in your life, writing a new essay picking another figure could look odd and inconsistent. The trick is to look at your material in the context of your first application and evaluating whether a change is advisable.
Will the next cycle be less competitive? This is mostly speculative, and while it’s too soon to know the exact figures for this cycle, the sense is that the midterm elections and the overall political climate has once again caused more aspiring lawyers to apply to law school.
Obviously, this is a very tough personal choice to make, especially for someone motivated to make a change now. However, sometimes patience is warranted, and in the long run it can be easier to secure a better job having graduated from a better school.
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How to Decide Whether to Wait to Reapply to Law School originally appeared on usnews.com
