Got off the waitlist- Is deferring a year impossible? Forum

[lissyluv]

Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone could give me some input about requesting for a deferral.

I have been accepted to a T-14 school this cycle after being put on their special waitlist for about a week. My LSAT was in their 25% but I applied really late in the cycle (end of Jan.) so I'm guessing that the class was pretty much full by the time they reviwed my applications.

Well, I have read through some of the posts that said people who get accepted off the waitlist are not granted deferral. However, is this really impossible even if I have legitimate reasons and I am willing to sign a binding statement saying that I will not apply to any other schools and definitely attend the law school next year?

I want to attend this school but I would really like to defer for a year. If I'm not allowed a deferral, will they accept me again in the next cycle? Has anyone done this before? Is it worth taking the risk?

[03121202698008]

Hi guys, I'm an international student and I'm not really familiar with the deferral policies. I was wondering if anyone could give me some input about requesting for a deferral.

I have been accepted to a T-14 school this cycle after being put on their special waitlist for about a week. My LSAT was in their 25% but I applied really late in the cycle (end of Jan.) so I'm guessing that the class was pretty much full by the time they reviwed my applications.

Well, I have read through some of the posts that said people who get accepted off the waitlist are not granted deferral. However, is this really impossible even if I have legitimate reasons and I am willing to sign a binding statement saying that I will not apply to any other schools and definitely attend the law school next year?

I want to attend this school but I would really like to defer for a year. If I'm not allowed a deferral, will they accept me again in the next cycle? Has anyone done this before? Is it worth taking the risk?

They use the waitlist to fill vacant seats, I highly doubt they'd let you defer...

[BarnabeSpooge]

The only real answer to this question is to call (or write a thorough, but succinct, email) to the Admissions office and ask them. Admissions officers know their own policies by heart, and only they can decide whether or not special circumstances warrant exceptions. The odds are not necessarily in your favor, but you'll never know until you ask them.

Good luck!

[smov_operator]

I was in the same boat as you. I have heard of a few exceptions, but usually schools have no incentive to grant you a deferral because:
1) coming off the waitlist you probably weren't their top choice to begin with and
2) there are 10,000,000 people behind you on the waitlist who are prepared to come right this second.

If you weren't an auto-admit numerically speaking, then there is no reason to assume that they will automatically accept you if you reapply. Better to ask.

I would also ask admissions if there is any appeals process for asking for a deferral to present your case. Otherwise, you just have to make a choice between going now or reapplying.

[Bildungsroman]

University of Virginia, for one, explicitly forbids deferring enrollment after being accepted off of the waiting list.

If I am offered admission from the waiting list, may I defer my enrollment?
No, the deferral option is not available to candidates admitted from the waiting list.

Check your school website for an answer to this question, and call the school (even if there's no policy on the website it's likely they still have one).

Edit: Stanford and
Yale both state that deferrals will not be granted to people accepted off of the waitlist. Checked all the other T14 websites and was unable to find out any other school's policy.