If retaking in December, when/how to apply?? Forum

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paperrev

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If retaking in December, when/how to apply??

Post by paperrev » Thu Oct 10, 2013 6:58 pm

Hey guys, so I have a question regarding retaking the LSATs and applying. I took the October test but am not feeling confident at all about my score (honestly, I'm still wondering if I'm doing the right thing not cancelling). I registered for the December exam, but I'm just wondering when I should actually apply for schools. Should I apply in advance or should I wait til I get my scores in December?? Will LSAC automatically send my new December scores, or will I have to send something to the schools I'm applying to remind them that I have new better scores?? At the current moment, I feel like I should just wait till I get my December scores and apply as soon as I get them, but I wonder if that's too late, considering that law school admissions are kind of rolling based... Can anyone shed some light on this topic??

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Clearly

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Re: If retaking in December, when/how to apply??

Post by Clearly » Thu Oct 10, 2013 7:07 pm

The schools will usually make a decision on your available score unless you tell them not to, in which case they will wait until scores come out, in which case you won't be judged till scores drop, so it doesn't really matter if you applied earlier or not.

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tofuspeedstar

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Re: If retaking in December, when/how to apply??

Post by tofuspeedstar » Thu Oct 10, 2013 7:07 pm

Send in now and let them know you're retaking in December and do not consider your application complete until the December scores are in.

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jordan15

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Re: If retaking in December, when/how to apply??

Post by jordan15 » Thu Oct 10, 2013 9:57 pm

Clearly wrote:The schools will usually make a decision on your available score unless you tell them not to, in which case they will wait until scores come out, in which case you won't be judged till scores drop, so it doesn't really matter if you applied earlier or not.
No. Sometimes they will admit students if the first score is high enough but it's standard practice to just hold the entire application, or to read it over initially and then hold it until the second score comes in. Once you register for the December test your application will be automatically updated with this information, and LSAC will automatically send the new scores.

If you plan on waiting till the last minute to register for the December test though, you might want to send them a heads up.

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wealtheow

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Re: If retaking in December, when/how to apply??

Post by wealtheow » Fri Oct 11, 2013 10:08 am

I am in the same boat, and my plan is simply to have all my materials and apps prepared by the end of December so that I can click "submit" as soon as I've received my score, hopefully that first week of Jan. General consensus on TLS seems to be that this timeline is no longer a detriment due to the overall decline in law school apps. Of all the schools whose individual websites I checked, ALL explicitly state that the December LSAT is fine - only a few with the caveat that it was "not early." Also, seems to be the case that schools, if they know you are taking the exam again, will not consider your app complete until that pending score is in. Since the score can determine where you have a shot, I don't see a benefit in launching off apps if they're not going to be looked at anyway and you're still applying right on time. Also, I cannot imagine the anxiety I'd feel if I sent an app off, only to get a worse score - I'd be totally freaking out. I'd want to have time to re-group rather than have wasted money applying to places I don't have a chance at!

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deuceindc

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Re: If retaking in December, when/how to apply??

Post by deuceindc » Fri Oct 11, 2013 10:32 am

I'm in a similar situation, although I have a score from last year that I'm not wholly embarrassed about. I'm applying within the next 1-2 weeks and noting that I sat for the October test. Depending on where my score falls, I might be taking the December administration, as well.

LSAC will automatically report your new score/s to schools.

Regarding application timelines: If it's a safety school, I'd apply earlier as that indicates your interest in the school. If it's a borderline/reach school and you will or won't apply based on your score, I'd hold off unless you have a fee waiver.

Either way, I'd call the admissions office after your application is submitted and explain the situation (well, explain the immediate situation - you're waiting for the October score to drop). It puts you on their radar and gives you a little profile with them, which is helpful when it comes to time to negotiate scholarships.

Then, call back when October scores drop to confirm that they've gotten your score. If you'll be re-taking, mention that to them and follow the appropriate procedures to ensure that they don't make a (negative) decision based that score.

milkandcheerios

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Re: If retaking in December, when/how to apply??

Post by milkandcheerios » Fri Dec 20, 2013 5:37 pm

To revive this thread, If I have an Oct score and I'm waiting for my Dec retake, and I want to submit my app before the 6th, how do i fill out the test score portion of the application?

It asks you for all the LSATs that you took and the scores that you got and I can't leave the "score" section blank. I can only enter 3 numbers so I can't write "pending" or anything else like that. Should I just wait for the scores? at this point, does an extra week really make a difference?

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