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Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 1:40 am
by ManoftheHour
As this application cycle ends, I am considering a few options, with retaking the LSAT definitely one of them. Would it be foolish to commit to a school by putting down a deposit and then retaking the June LSAT? I ask this because I may be fine with one or two options right now but I still want to retake the LSAT (it would be my 3rd one) just to eliminate any "what ifs?" Would there be any consequences (other than losing my deposit and perhaps earning the fury of whatever school I bailed out on last minute)? I'm totally okay with losing my deposit btw.

A bit of exam history:
My first exam resulted in a 162. I took a year off to retake. However, some certain unfortunate uncontrollable circumstances happened and I was only able to study for three months out of that "year." I was hitting the upper 160s and even cracked 170 two times during my timed classroom setting exams. For most of those exams, I was only missing 2 to 4 on each LR section and 2 to 3 on the RC. The LGs were the main problem as there were some games that I completely get and some I struggled with. On some mock exams, I would get close to all of them correct and on some I would tank it and miss close to or over half even. Took the December LSAT, completed freaked out on the LG section, and my confidence just shattered. Ended up canceling my score.

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 1:45 am
by ManoftheHour
To clarify, what I mean by "consequences" is in the event that I kick ass on the June LSAT and choose to pull out of the commitment.

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:12 am
by Grazzhoppa
Also interested in this.

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:18 am
by bookside
also curious about this...

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:25 am
by LSATSCORES2012
I was planning to do this too. Obviously not a lawyer and can't offer legal advice, but I would just make sure that what you're signing doesn't say that you commit to attend the school (from what I've read, it usually just says that you've withdrawn all of your applications from schools to which you've been admitted and that at that time you intend to enroll in the university). Besides that, if you end up withdrawing you should probably not expect to get into that school again next year, especially if they YP heavily (though you could probably justify it by saying you're reapplying in hopes of getting a better scholarship, if that's actually what you're doing).

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:28 am
by TLSwag
No not at all. I did this, spanked June LSAT and am eternally grateful for my decision. Committed to a T30 with $$$--> T14. Do it up

edit: also relevant is that I did not have to take a year off as a school that previously rejected me reconsidered & accepted! :)

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:31 am
by ManoftheHour
TLSwag wrote:No not at all. I did this, spanked June LSAT and am eternally grateful for my decision. Committed to a T30 with $$$--> T14. Do it up

edit: also relevant is that I did not have to take a year off as a school that previously rejected me reconsidered & accepted! :)
Thank you! Going to start first thing tomorrow morning. T14 or bust, haha (hopefully).

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:33 am
by bookside
TLSwag wrote:No not at all. I did this, spanked June LSAT and am eternally grateful for my decision. Committed to a T30 with $$$--> T14. Do it up

edit: also relevant is that I did not have to take a year off as a school that previously rejected me reconsidered & accepted! :)
They reconsidered from the June LSAT?

Any chance a school that I've already been accepted to with $ would increase the scholarship offer they've made if I improved my LSAT?

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 3:14 am
by TLSwag
bookside wrote:
TLSwag wrote:No not at all. I did this, spanked June LSAT and am eternally grateful for my decision. Committed to a T30 with $$$--> T14. Do it up

edit: also relevant is that I did not have to take a year off as a school that previously rejected me reconsidered & accepted! :)
They reconsidered from the June LSAT?

Any chance a school that I've already been accepted to with $ would increase the scholarship offer they've made if I improved my LSAT?
100%... that hapenned to me as well. I would say that my success with the reconsidered app was pretty lucky, and probably more of an exception than the norm, however the scholarship increase is very very plausible (and of course I would recommend still trying to ask any apps to be reconsidered). adcomm for the school i ended up turning down almost encouraged taking it for merit aid. another reason to retake in june is to improve one's chances on any wait-lists. there really is NO DOWNSIDE and all the upside in the world. i really can not advocate retaking in june enough. if you go down, no school would ever rescind your offer, trust me. not to mention the relatively stress-free nature of the situation was an ideal test-taking environment.

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 3:17 am
by TLSwag
LSATSCORES2012 wrote:I was planning to do this too. Obviously not a lawyer and can't offer legal advice, but I would just make sure that what you're signing doesn't say that you commit to attend the school (from what I've read, it usually just says that you've withdrawn all of your applications from schools to which you've been admitted and that at that time you intend to enroll in the university). Besides that, if you end up withdrawing you should probably not expect to get into that school again next year, especially if they YP heavily (though you could probably justify it by saying you're reapplying in hopes of getting a better scholarship, if that's actually what you're doing).
this is unlikely for most schools. however, it is probably credited that you should not expect to get into a school you withdraw from late in the process. but if you think about it, if that is indeed the case, that means the june LSAT worked out for you and you wouldn't end up there regardless.

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 12:42 pm
by BigZuck
+1 on retaking June being a great idea no matter what. I had pretty much the same experience as TLSwag. Last cycle I was looking at Hastings/Houston type schools at close to sticker and deposited at a top 50, retook June and scored higher and now have UCLA/UT type schools with big scholarships and multiple t14 acceptances. There is nothing but upside to retaking. Seriously.

Do it.

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:05 pm
by bookside
BigZuck wrote:+1 on retaking June being a great idea no matter what. I had pretty much the same experience as TLSwag. Last cycle I was looking at Hastings/Houston type schools at close to sticker and deposited at a top 50, retook June and scored higher and now have UCLA/UT type schools with big scholarships and multiple t14 acceptances. There is nothing but upside to retaking. Seriously.

Do it.
Did you have to eat your deposit and then take a year off?

I've already got T14 acceptances with $, and to a school that I'd be happy at, I think. I want to retake mostly to see if I've got a shot at YSH. Say I retake it, get a better score, decide to reapply, then still don't get into YSH--is it pretty unlikely that the school where I deposited and then withdrew would reaccept me?

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:08 pm
by Nova
I seriously regret not retaking last June before matriculating. Dont be like me.

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:19 pm
by ManoftheHour
BigZuck wrote:+1 on retaking June being a great idea no matter what. I had pretty much the same experience as TLSwag. Last cycle I was looking at Hastings/Houston type schools at close to sticker and deposited at a top 50, retook June and scored higher and now have UCLA/UT type schools with big scholarships and multiple t14 acceptances. There is nothing but upside to retaking. Seriously.

Do it.
That's exactly my what I am aiming for. I'm actually okay with taking another year off if the score I get puts me in the running for a T14 or USC/UCLA with $$$. Thank you all for your replies. This was very insightful.

Wish me luck!

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:23 pm
by Rahviveh
Nova wrote:I seriously regret not retaking last June before matriculating. Dont be like me.
Just out of curiosity, why didnt you?

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:24 pm
by BigZuck
bookside wrote:
BigZuck wrote:+1 on retaking June being a great idea no matter what. I had pretty much the same experience as TLSwag. Last cycle I was looking at Hastings/Houston type schools at close to sticker and deposited at a top 50, retook June and scored higher and now have UCLA/UT type schools with big scholarships and multiple t14 acceptances. There is nothing but upside to retaking. Seriously.

Do it.
Did you have to eat your deposit and then take a year off?

I've already got T14 acceptances with $, and to a school that I'd be happy at, I think. I want to retake mostly to see if I've got a shot at YSH. Say I retake it, get a better score, decide to reapply, then still don't get into YSH--is it pretty unlikely that the school where I deposited and then withdrew would reaccept me?
Yes, I ate the deposit and took a year off. I did not reapply to any of the same schools this cycle so cannot speak from experience but I doubt that school would reject you if you reapplied especially considering the drop in apps. If I were you when you withdraw if it comes to that I would just say that now is not the time for you to attend law school for whatever reason and that you plan on reapplying next year. Just be polite and sincere and I doubt they will hold it against you.

I suggest maybe pming cusenation, he is one of the regs in the WUSTL thread and reapplied this year after withdrawing last year and doesn't seem like it was held against him. He seems like a good dude, I'm sure he would be willing to offer advice to you if that situation comes up.

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:25 pm
by Rahviveh
BigZuck wrote:
bookside wrote:
BigZuck wrote:+1 on retaking June being a great idea no matter what. I had pretty much the same experience as TLSwag. Last cycle I was looking at Hastings/Houston type schools at close to sticker and deposited at a top 50, retook June and scored higher and now have UCLA/UT type schools with big scholarships and multiple t14 acceptances. There is nothing but upside to retaking. Seriously.

Do it.
Did you have to eat your deposit and then take a year off?

I've already got T14 acceptances with $, and to a school that I'd be happy at, I think. I want to retake mostly to see if I've got a shot at YSH. Say I retake it, get a better score, decide to reapply, then still don't get into YSH--is it pretty unlikely that the school where I deposited and then withdrew would reaccept me?
Yes, I ate the deposit and took a year off. I did not reapply to any of the same schools this cycle so cannot speak from experience but I doubt that school would reject you if you reapplied especially considering the drop in apps. If I were you when you withdraw if it comes to that I would just say that now is not the time for you to attend law school for whatever reason and that you plan on reapplying next year. Just be polite and sincere and I doubt they will hold it against you.

I suggest maybe pming cusenation, he is one of the regs in the WUSTL thread and reapplied this year after withdrawing last year and doesn't seem like it was held against him. He seems like a good dude, I'm sure he would be willing to offer advice to you if that situation comes up.
I can second this. I actually deposited at a certain school and withdrew right before Orientation. Not only did I get back into that school when I re-applied but they gave me the same scholarship. Schools don't hold grudges.

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 2:26 pm
by BigZuck
ManoftheHour wrote:
BigZuck wrote:+1 on retaking June being a great idea no matter what. I had pretty much the same experience as TLSwag. Last cycle I was looking at Hastings/Houston type schools at close to sticker and deposited at a top 50, retook June and scored higher and now have UCLA/UT type schools with big scholarships and multiple t14 acceptances. There is nothing but upside to retaking. Seriously.

Do it.
That's exactly my what I am aiming for. I'm actually okay with taking another year off if the score I get puts me in the running for a T14 or USC/UCLA with $$$. Thank you all for your replies. This was very insightful.

Wish me luck!
Good luck man. A year is nothing I promise. And I still worry about debt and being median pwned or whatever but my situation is worlds better this cycle. Retaking was the best thing
I've ever done for myself and there really is no downside to it.

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 10:42 am
by pebblsrock
Hey everyone, can you bear with me for a second? So I applied late December and have heard back from some good schools, and have been waitlisted at some great schools. Theoretically, from what some people are saying here, I could retake the June LSAT to convince those that have accepted me to give me $, or those who have waitlisted me to reconsider, for this cycle? Not retake for reapplying in the next cycle? I'm sorry for being daft, just never thought about doing this and you all seem so enthusiastic, haha.

Welcome to TLS

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 10:54 am
by CaptainLeela
Welcome to TLS

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 3:18 pm
by ManoftheHour
CaptainLeela wrote:
pebblsrock wrote:Hey everyone, can you bear with me for a second? So I applied late December and have heard back from some good schools, and have been waitlisted at some great schools. Theoretically, from what some people are saying here, I could retake the June LSAT to convince those that have accepted me to give me $, or those who have waitlisted me to reconsider, for this cycle? Not retake for reapplying in the next cycle? I'm sorry for being daft, just never thought about doing this and you all seem so enthusiastic, haha.
I had a buddy do this and go from a 167 ---> 172 which took him from Emory to Penn via the June LSAT several years ago. Completely anecdotal, but it definitely happens.
Anecdotal, yes, but it does definitely give me hope. Hopefully I can go from T25 to Cornell. Or at least SC/LA with $$.

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 11:12 am
by fredmerz
I've been considering this option as well. I just deposited at what from the beginning of the process was my second (realistic) choice with a decent merit scholarship. I was thinking of retaking in June since I barely studied for the Feb LSAT (got a 168 after making an idiotic diagramming mistake on my first LG that meant I didn't finish the section), which a lot of schools I was considering wouldn't accept anyway. The thing is my GPA is low for T14, 3.3, and based on Law School Numbers, even if I got a 178, I'd have to pay sticker at all the T14 schools I'd actually want to go to (Yale, Columbia, NYU). I figured I'd have a better chance of killing it first year and potentially transferring than retaking and getting over a 178. Either way I'd have to pay sticker at the 'better' schools and at least this way I'd have one year with a scholarship (I'm old and debt averse). Although I could perhaps get another $10k a year more at the school I'm currently planning on attending with a drastically improved LSAT. Any thoughts? I'd have nothing to lose other than the time spent studying for the LSAT, right?

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 12:11 pm
by ManoftheHour
fredmerz wrote:I've been considering this option as well. I just deposited at what from the beginning of the process was my second (realistic) choice with a decent merit scholarship. I was thinking of retaking in June since I barely studied for the Feb LSAT (got a 168 after making an idiotic diagramming mistake on my first LG that meant I didn't finish the section), which a lot of schools I was considering wouldn't accept anyway. The thing is my GPA is low for T14, 3.3, and based on Law School Numbers, even if I got a 178, I'd have to pay sticker at all the T14 schools I'd actually want to go to (Yale, Columbia, NYU). I figured I'd have a better chance of killing it first year and potentially transferring than retaking and getting over a 178. Either way I'd have to pay sticker at the 'better' schools and at least this way I'd have one year with a scholarship (I'm old and debt averse). Although I could perhaps get another $10k a year more at the school I'm currently planning on attending with a drastically improved LSAT. Any thoughts? I'd have nothing to lose other than the time spent studying for the LSAT, right?
Definitely retake. You could grab a full ride if your score is good enough. You'd have good options with a 170+ and a 3.3. Maybe some cash at the lower T14s.

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 12:14 pm
by ManoftheHour
Oh god. One month and 10 days left until the June LSAT.

Re: Commit but retake the June LSAT?!

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 3:11 pm
by fredmerz
Damn. Was sort of hoping you'd say there was no reason for me to retake. I guess I have to bust out the logic game book. Good luck in June!