Defer HLS or Re-apply Forum

[josh61693]

Just got waitlisted at Stanford, got accepted to Harvard in January. I recently decided that I want to work for a year or two more (I graduated in 2015 and spent a year in Puerto Rico running a very small food cart business) at a real job (consulting) before starting law school.

Deciding if I should defer HLS and thus be locked in to attending there or re-apply with more substantial work experience under my belt and hopefully get into Stanford.

I was planning on applying to consulting firms end of April/early May. Alternatively, I could apply to firms this summer after riding the Stanford waitlist and receiving a decision, then either go straight to Stanford this Fall (if accepted) or get a job (if not). The problem with the lattermost option is a I would have to decline Harvard and thus would be putting all my eggs in the Stanford basket.

Questions are: 1. Will Harvard be less likely to accept me the 2nd time around after declining admission the first time, 2. will I be more likely to get into Stanford the 2nd time around, and 3. If I were to re-apply, could I re-use the Stanford specific rec letters I included in my app this year, and more generally, how much do I have to change in my second application.

Stats are 3.95, 175

Thanks.

[Clemenceau]

No reason to defer. Go to law school when (if ever) you're ready. Those numbers aren't going out of style.

[josh61693]

So no penalty for denying an acceptance and reapplying at H?

[Biglaw1990]

So no penalty for denying an acceptance and reapplying at H?

Why S instead of H?

[Clemenceau]

So no penalty for denying an acceptance and reapplying at H?

Nah. I think the common wisdom on here is to switch up your PS or something along those lines when you reapply. But I highly doubt you'll experience any kind of prejudice either way.

[josh61693]

So no penalty for denying an acceptance and reapplying at H?

Why S instead of H?

It's basically a toss up for me at this point, but leaning slightly Stanford cause I'm a California kid and have a bunch of friends in the SF area.

[QuentonCassidy]

FWIW, I know someone who was rejected from Harvard when they reapplied after declining admission in a previous cycle. They didn't even get an interview second time around and they believed it was probably influenced by their previous acceptance. That being said, it is only one anecdote and I agree with the previous poster who mentioned that you should wait and only go to law school when (if ever) you are ready. You have a stellar GPA that will remain so forever and a stellar LSAT that is usable for five years. Those numbers are not going out of style and law school isn't going anywhere. Given what you have said, my recommendation would be to check out your interests (consulting etc.) now and reapply later (not just defer), because you will have great options any way you swing it. Just my opinion, good luck and have fun with your choices!

[josh61693]

FWIW, I know someone who was rejected from Harvard when they reapplied after declining admission in a previous cycle. They didn't even get an interview second time around and they believed it was probably influenced by their previous acceptance. That being said, it is only one anecdote and I agree with the previous poster who mentioned that you should wait and only go to law school when (if ever) you are ready. You have a stellar GPA that will remain so forever and a stellar LSAT that is usable for five years. Those numbers are not going out of style and law school isn't going anywhere. Given what you have said, my recommendation would be to check out your interests (consulting etc.) now and reapply later (not just defer), because you will have great options any way you swing it. Just my opinion, good luck and have fun with your choices!

Thanks for the help. Just FYI to you and the above poster, I'm 100% set on going to law school and working as a lawyer long-term, doing a 1-2 year stint in consulting is just something I'd really like to do first, but not set on doing like I am set on law. That's why deferral seems attractive to me, and I'd be super bummed if reapplied and didnt get into H.

[KiltedKicker]

It sounds like getting into Harvard again isn't a lock, though my guess is it's likely. That being said, with your numbers and additional work experience it seems basically guaranteed that you'll at the least have a couple other great options (S or Y, named/very large awards to other t10 schools). If you don't care a lot between S and H AND would choose H over your other potential options (i.e. more $ to a t10), I think you might as well defer given your certainty about law school. If you want the freedom to take your time doing consulting or really prefer Stanford, take a year and re-apply knowing you will end up with something great, even if it isn't Harvard

[Clearly]

What are your career goals? If you're going into consulting I assume biglaw? In that case don't defer because you're better off taking money to CCN

[pterodactyls]

I would think with those numbers, you would have a pretty good shot at HYS in round 2. If your dream is S over H, I would take the chance. I would think that the additional work experience certainly couldn't hurt you.

I am just a 0L though, so I don't claim to be an expert.

[QuentonCassidy]

Thanks for the additional info OP. In light of that I will say a couple more things. If your goal in the legal world is Biglaw, I would echo Mets' suggestion of strongly considering taking money at CCN. Any of those schools will get you to a market-paying biglaw job just as well as H or S will, and your stats make you a serious contender for some major money there. I know it's hard to turn down the lay prestige of Harvard or Stanford, but they will get you the same outcome as CCN with significantly more debt. Also, ignoring that advice, like pterodactyls said, if Stanford is your dream over Harvard, I definitely wouldn't defer H. You're going to land great offers regardless of what cycle you apply (ahem CCN with $$$) and you shouldn't tie yourself to H (and a large debt load). You might want to stay in consulting for a couple more years, you might get into Stanford (or even Yale), and you might cop a Hamilton or Ruby and get to go to a school nearly guaranteed to land you biglaw for free.

Once again, just my two cents. Best of luck

[tuxedocat]

FWIW, I know someone who was rejected from Harvard when they reapplied after declining admission in a previous cycle. They didn't even get an interview second time around and they believed it was probably influenced by their previous acceptance. That being said, it is only one anecdote and I agree with the previous poster who mentioned that you should wait and only go to law school when (if ever) you are ready. You have a stellar GPA that will remain so forever and a stellar LSAT that is usable for five years. Those numbers are not going out of style and law school isn't going anywhere. Given what you have said, my recommendation would be to check out your interests (consulting etc.) now and reapply later (not just defer), because you will have great options any way you swing it. Just my opinion, good luck and have fun with your choices!

Thanks for the help. Just FYI to you and the above poster, I'm 100% set on going to law school and working as a lawyer long-term, doing a 1-2 year stint in consulting is just something I'd really like to do first, but not set on doing like I am set on law. That's why deferral seems attractive to me, and I'd be super bummed if reapplied and didnt get into H.

Have you worked in consulting before? It's hard to get into a Big 4 without work experience if you missed campus recruiting while you were still in undergrad.

[jbagelboy]

What are your career goals? If you're going into consulting I assume biglaw? In that case don't defer because you're better off taking money to CCN

[ABCJO123]

Just got waitlisted at Stanford, got accepted to Harvard in January. I recently decided that I want to work for a year or two more (I graduated in 2015 and spent a year in Puerto Rico running a very small food cart business) at a real job (consulting) before starting law school.

Deciding if I should defer HLS and thus be locked in to attending there or re-apply with more substantial work experience under my belt and hopefully get into Stanford.

I was planning on applying to consulting firms end of April/early May. Alternatively, I could apply to firms this summer after riding the Stanford waitlist and receiving a decision, then either go straight to Stanford this Fall (if accepted) or get a job (if not). The problem with the lattermost option is a I would have to decline Harvard and thus would be putting all my eggs in the Stanford basket.

Questions are: 1. Will Harvard be less likely to accept me the 2nd time around after declining admission the first time, 2. will I be more likely to get into Stanford the 2nd time around, and 3. If I were to re-apply, could I re-use the Stanford specific rec letters I included in my app this year, and more generally, how much do I have to change in my second application.

Stats are 3.95, 175

Thanks.

I'm wondering what happened here. I'm in the exact same situation just with H and S reversed. Did you get back into H the second time around?