When you’re applying to law school, it may feel like there’s nothing worse than receiving a rejection letter.
At the risk of triggering applicant nightmares, there is one worse admissions result: being accepted and then having your admission offer revoked. Fortunately, this dreadful scenario is highly rare and wholly avoidable.
Here are the most typical misjudgments that can jeopardize an enrollment offer.
Application Misconduct
The Law School Admission Council maintains standards of conduct in the admissions process that both law schools and applicants are expected to follow. For example, law schools must “respect the confidential nature of information received about applicants,” while applicants should “provide accurate and complete information.”
While these standards are not legally binding, a violation could cause an admissions office to revoke an admission offer.
After all, law is a profession that imposes very strict rules and standards of conduct on its members and takes malpractice seriously. Law schools value integrity and are averse to accepting students who may be judged inadmissible to the bar due to issues of character and fitness.
[READ: When to Expect a Law School Decision.]
Examples of misconduct include cheating on the LSAT, submitting altered or falsified records or misrepresenting your academic qualifications or professional experience.
This is why, for example, you should avoid writing your own recommendation letter. It is not truthful to pass off your own writing as someone else’s work.
To avoid running afoul of these standards, follow application instructions carefully and err on the side of disclosure. While it may seem embarrassing to discuss criminal or disciplinary issues in an addendum, it is much worse to try to omit these past faults.
Anticipate that law schools will conduct thorough background checks on accepted applicants, as do state bar associations as part of their character and fitness evaluation.
Violating a Binding Commitment
As a lawyer, you should stand by your word. Reneging on an agreement is not a great start, so be careful to respect your agreements.
Most saliently, applicants who are accepted through an early decision process are bound to withdraw all other applications. Likewise, incoming students who accept a deferral also commit to refrain from applying elsewhere.
[Related:What to Do After You Submit Law School Applications]
More rarely, a law school may have binding terms in their scholarship offers requiring withdrawal of other applications. If you receive such an offer, read its terms carefully, as it may not require withdrawal from schools where you are on the waitlist.
Note, however, that honoring your word does not necessitate that you act in the interest of law school admissions offices. For example, law admissions offices dislike it when applicants make multiple seat deposits. But this would not be grounds for revocation without some sort of binding commitment or prohibition on doing so.
In the past, law schools circulated lists of accepted applicants and sometimes cracked down on applicants who made deposits at multiple schools, but this is no longer the case. If a law school finds out that you are holding deposits at multiple schools without good reason, they certainly may pressure you to make a decision and free up space that could go to another worthy applicant.
Unprofessional Behavior
Finally, note that law schools reserve the right to revoke offers from applicants who act in ways that call their character into question, even if they abide by other standards.
[Related:What Does It Take to Get Into a Top Law School?]
If you treat admissions staff or other members of the school community with disrespect, if you write rude or angry posts on law school admissions forums, or if your social media presence makes you seem like a risk on campus, then don’t be surprised if a school has second thoughts about letting you in.
Ultimately, these pitfalls affect very few applicants. Like a good lawyer, read all directions carefully and ask for clarification when in doubt.
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Reasons Law Schools Can Revoke Admission Offers originally appeared on usnews.com
