Drop out and go back to a different LS? Forum

[LAJohn23]

Does anyone have any experience or know anyone that disliked their law school so much that they dropped out about a month in and reapplied and went to another law school the following year? Asking for a friend, of course, who's at a T20 but hates the culture/geographic location of his school and got into several T10s his first application cycle but chose his current school because he got a big scholarship and really liked it when he visited.

A lot of people will say to stick it out for a year and transfer, but for now let's forget about that as an option and stick to the above scenario. Would someone be absolutely crazy to do this? Does anyone have any info on this? Couldn't find much on the forum search (maybe for good reason).

[northwood]

tell your friend to contact the school he/she wants to go to next year and talk to an admissions person to see what they ahve to do to get in. If your friend really hates it, and its possible to do so- then go for it, but realize that they will have ot pay to break their lease, pay some tuition- refund their loans, move and find something to do for the extra time gap.

[cinephile]

I absolutely wish I had done that. There may be financial implications, but your friend can look into that and see if it's worth it. There is no reason to make yourself miserable for a year.

[northwood]

I absolutely wish I had done that. There may be financial implications, but your friend can look into that and see if it's worth it. There is no reason to make yourself miserable for a year.

plus if you stay and dont get in the top 20% or better in the class, you may not be able to transfer to where you want to go. If you are dead set on going to another school- then drop and go.

OP, i was in your boat last year. While i liked my classmates, and the school was decent- it was not in the area where I watned to live, and if I wasnt able to transfer to the school im at now, i would have been super miserable- and probably would have dropped out and done something else. ( law school still sucks though). But I was lucky to have done well enough to transfer to the school ( i was admited but took the scholly at old school). Reflecting on that now, I was foolheartly in that regard, BUT I WAS LUCKY.

tl dr- its easier( and probably wiser) to matriculate at the school you want to end up as a transfer.

WOuld you ED to that school to show your commitment? Or were your numbers good enough to get you in with some sort of scholarship? YOu may want to advise your friend to explain in an optional essay why they chose that school,a nd why this school is the best and only option for him/her

[dietcoke0]

Why do you hate USC John?

[LAJohn23]

If I did drop out I'd ED to my new school. LSAT 1 point below median, GPA above median. Odds are I wouldn't get much, if any, scholarship money. However, I'm trying to decide if the money to be completely content and happy with my choice because it is a big one that will follow me for the rest of my life.

Do you all think it's worth the extra money, breaking my lease, taking a year off, etc.? I'm afraid if I stay I'll always think I let myself down by settling, but it would also be a huge pain to move and kind of embarrassing.

[cinephile]

If I did drop out I'd ED to my new school. LSAT 1 point below median, GPA above median. Odds are I wouldn't get much, if any, scholarship money. However, I'm trying to decide if the money to be completely content and happy with my choice because it is a big one that will follow me for the rest of my life.

Do you all think it's worth the extra money, breaking my lease, taking a year off, etc.? I'm afraid if I stay I'll always think I let myself down by settling, but it would also be a huge pain to move and kind of embarrassing.

Can't you find a job in your current city and just stay and avoid breaking the lease? You can also avoid the move and any embarrassment.

[LAJohn23]

Also, transferring to my desired school is (from what TLS says) almost impossible if you are out-of-state, which I would be. So it seems like really my only option for going there would be to drop out and start next year.

Sorry for being so vague, a lot of people at my school troll on here and I don't really want people knowing I'm considering this.

[northwood]

Call the admissions dept at te other school tomorrow...
If u were to finish Brye year but can't transfer would u drop out? I ask this because depending on how u answer u may need to consider why u want to drop and reapply to the school or if law school is even for you.

[LAJohn23]

No I wouldn't drop out. I know law school is definitely what I want to do. I just don't think the place I'm at right now is where I want to do it. Do you think the new school will let me do it if I apply binding ED? I am going to call them tomorrow.

[KevinP]

Does anyone know how law schools will look at this applicant if he applies? E.g. if he was enrolled in law school but drops out? I assume it won't matter since he didn't fail anything, but he may have to provide a valid reason.

If you are that miserable, I honestly would drop out and reapply to another school (assuming law schools won't hold it against you).

[northwood]

i think because it is still very early in the semester that they wont hold it too much against him, especially if he contacted the school before he dropped out. But in all seriousness, OP if you are this miserable now and are regretting your choice- i would strongly consider dropping out or taking a leave of absence.

[LAJohn23]

Cool, thanks a lot for your help. I am going to call the school tomorrow and will let you all know what they say. I wonder if I'm the first neurotic person to call in and ask about this. If they let me, the only thing preventing me from doing so is that I'd feel like somewhat of a failure if I dropped out of law school not even a month in, it'd be embarrassing to tell family/friends about it.

[swimmer11]

Can you actually do this? Can you take the lsat again? I was under the impression you could not.

[northwood]

Cool, thanks a lot for your help. I am going to call the school tomorrow and will let you all know what they say. I wonder if I'm the first neurotic person to call in and ask about this. If they let me, the only thing preventing me from doing so is that I'd feel like somewhat of a failure if I dropped out of law school not even a month in, it'd be embarrassing to tell family/friends about it.

you are not a failure for realizing you chose the wrong school. If anyone asks, just state that you decided to transfer to your new school ( assuming you got in) and as a condition of your transfer, you had to restart again in the fall.

YOu are not dropping out of law school. You are switching schools. Even if you did drop out and never return, you learned some valuable things about what you value and what you need out of a school, or a job, and a city.

[Jimbogiant]

I'm interested in this as well. Not trying to hijack the thread, but does anyone know how this same situation would be handled for a 2L?

I attend a TT/TTT, ended 1L ranked in the top 5% and graded on to LR. For a variety of reasons I've become disillusioned with the school, and I'm really regretting my complete lack of attempt at transferring this summer. I only applied to 1 school for kicks (my T14 undergrad, didn't get accepted), and I'm confident that I could have transferred to any of several T1 schools in the area had I applied.

Does anyone know if potential transfer schools would look down on my application if I were to drop out of my current school, and try to transfer for Fall 2013? I'm obviously past the deadline to drop classes without taking a "W", could I explain away my decision to drop out past the deadline?

[KevinP]

@op: Dont care what others think but ppl will understand. Im a T6 dropout, so I know the feeling.

Can you actually do this? Can you take the lsat again? I was under the impression you could not.

Yes. Id have to look at the official doc. Buts its essentially so long as one doesnt complete 1L, one can retake and reapply.

[LAJohn23]

FYI: I called the school that I am looking at going to and they said, while rare, this situation has happened a few times and they have accepted students who have done it before. They said as long as it was fairly early in the semester (i.e. Sept-Oct) it shouldn't be looked upon too unfavorably. I told them my numbers (1 LSAT pt. below median and GPA above) and they said they couldn't guarantee anything but that my chances of being admitted were good.

However, my current school said it's too late to get any of my tuition money back from this semester, so that is a downside. Still not sure if I'm going to do it.

[cinephile]

FYI: I called the school that I am looking at going to and they said, while rare, this situation has happened a few times and they have accepted students who have done it before. They said as long as it was fairly early in the semester (i.e. Sept-Oct) it shouldn't be looked upon too unfavorably. I told them my numbers (1 LSAT pt. below median and GPA above) and they said they couldn't guarantee anything but that my chances of being admitted were good.

However, my current school said it's too late to get any of my tuition money back from this semester, so that is a downside. Still not sure if I'm going to do it.

Also, if you quit now the school has to return your $ to the lender and you have to pay back the school, which might not allow for an extended repayment plan. You might be better off to finish the semester at least so you don't have to deal with paying it all back within a year or less.

[swimmer11]

I thought that I read on here somewhere that you needed something like 4 years from the date you dropped out before you could reapply again. If this is not the case, can you drop out, retake the LSAT and reapply to schools within a year or two? I am in a similar situation as OP.

[09042014]

You'll hate the new school just as much as the one you are at. Law schools are basically fungible in terms of quality of life.

[KevinP]

I thought that I read on here somewhere that you needed something like 4 years from the date you dropped out before you could reapply again. If this is not the case, can you drop out, retake the LSAT and reapply to schools within a year or two? I am in a similar situation as OP.

Yes, it is not the case. I know someone whose has dropped out, retook the LSAT, and reapplied; I just figured there was a limit on how many credits one could have attained before being unable to retake and reapply. Reading over the ABA standards and policies, I could not find anything limiting one from retaking/reapplying.

Closest thing I found was:
"A law school may admit or readmit a student who has been disqualified previously for academic reasons upon an affirmative showing that the student possesses the requisite ability and that the prior disqualification does not indicate a lack of capacity to complete the course of study at the admitting school. In the case of admission to a law school other than the disqualifying school, this showing shall be made either by a letter from the disqualifying school or, if two or more years have elapsed since that disqualification, by the nature of interim work, activity, or studies indicating a stronger potential for law study. For every admission or readmission of a previously disqualified individual, a statement of the considerations that led to the decision shall be placed in the admittee’s file."

[vanwinkle]

You'll hate the new school just as much as the one you are at. Law schools are basically fungible in terms of quality of life.

This.

[northwood]

I thought that I read on here somewhere that you needed something like 4 years from the date you dropped out before you could reapply again. If this is not the case, can you drop out, retake the LSAT and reapply to schools within a year or two? I am in a similar situation as OP.

Yes, it is not the case. I know someone whose has dropped out, retook the LSAT, and reapplied; I just figured there was a limit on how many credits one could have attained before being unable to retake and reapply. Reading over the ABA standards and policies, I could not find anything limiting one from retaking/reapplying.

Closest thing I found was:
"A law school may admit or readmit a student who has been disqualified previously for academic reasons upon an affirmative showing that the student possesses the requisite ability and that the prior disqualification does not indicate a lack of capacity to complete the course of study at the admitting school. In the case of admission to a law school other than the disqualifying school, this showing shall be made either by a letter from the disqualifying school or, if two or more years have elapsed since that disqualification, by the nature of interim work, activity, or studies indicating a stronger potential for law study. For every admission or readmission of a previously disqualified individual, a statement of the considerations that led to the decision shall be placed in the admittee’s file."

thats if you fail out- not if you drop out before you get any grades

[sunynp]

I thought that I read on here somewhere that you needed something like 4 years from the date you dropped out before you could reapply again. If this is not the case, can you drop out, retake the LSAT and reapply to schools within a year or two? I am in a similar situation as OP.

This 4 year rule is not true. And it is definitely not true that you can't drop out and go somewhere else before you have any credits. At some point you become a transfer instead of a new admit.

I would cut my losses and run now. There is no point in having some credits from a school you hate and then possibly having to be considered a transfer. Also it is going to look like you left because of grades rather than just being unhappy at the school.

Retake is always a better plan than going to a bad school. Get out now.