Life After Denial, Reconsidering Applications Forum

[JDO]

Hello Everyone,

I would like advice on what to write in a letter to a school to ask for a reconsideration of an application. How should it be formatted? Has anyone here had success in doing this?

Thanks,

JDO

[Cleareyes]

Do you have a specific reason why they should reconsider your denial?

[soonergirl]

Can you tell us which school? Most schools will tell you flat-out not to bother sending appeals, because they won't be read.

[Nicholasnickynic]

why would a second reading make them decide to admit you?

Do you think your reader had dyslexia and misread your 165 as a 156?

[romothesavior]

If you want answers, perhaps it is a good idea to stay online so you can answer people's questions rather than run off and leave us without enough information to really help you.

[amputatedbrain]

There was one thread recently about a TLSer who successfully appealed to have his denied app reconsidered at a school (Wisconsin I think). His reason involved an incredible jump on the LSAT when he retook it. That's the only time I've ever heard of it working. Before that I thought it couldn't be done unless the school screwed up on your app (misread your GPA or some sort of clerical error). Rather than ask to be reconsidered, you might have more luck asking what could make your application stronger for next cycle.

[JDO]

Thank you all for the responses. I was recently accepted into CLEO's Six Week Summer Institute program. I am now writing a letter to the dean of admissions at the schools where my application is currently under review. I am unsure what information I need to include in my letter to those schools.

I am also writing a letter to Ohio State University, where I was denied admission. Again, I do not know exactly what I should write. I will write the letters in business letter format addressed to the dean of admissions and in my body include a request to consider my application with the new information (or for Ohio, re-consider my app).

Is this enough? What would you do?

[romothesavior]

Thank you all for the responses. I was recently accepted into CLEO's Six Week Summer Institute program. I am now writing a letter to the dean of admissions at the schools where my application is currently under review. I am unsure what information I need to include in my letter to those schools.

I am also writing a letter to Ohio State University, where I was denied admission. Again, I do not know exactly what I should write.

I will write the letters in business letter format addressed to the Dean of Admissions and in my body include a request to consider my application with the new information (or for Ohio, re-consider my app).

Is this enough? What would you do?

Sorry Bro Namath, this is probably not going to happen. Definitely contact the school you are under review at currently, but I would guess tOSU is gonna say no way.

[icydash]

Ok so long story short: softs (like your acceptance to CLOEs summer institute) typically have little to no bearing on the application process. It sucks, but I have my masters in electrical engineering from Brown and it did 0 for me in the application cycle, so I know your pain.

Schools care about two things, and pretty much two things only: your UGPA and your LSAT. If you got rejected somewhere, it was most likely because of your LSAT or UGPA (or a combination thereof) not being high enough. Likely, no soft you add to your resume after a rejection will be enough to overcome the immense obstacle of minimizing the importance of your GPA or LSAT scores in your application package. If you got rejected, this new information will not make them accept you -- I wouldn't waste your time.

On the flip side, if you're still pending somewhere, definitely send a LOCI with the new information tied into it. This is a good chance to beef up your application and show continuing interest before they've reviewed your application.

[Cleareyes]

Thank you all for the responses. I was recently accepted into CLEO's Six Week Summer Institute program. I am now writing a letter to the dean of admissions at the schools where my application is currently under review. I am unsure what information I need to include in my letter to those schools.

I am also writing a letter to Ohio State University, where I was denied admission. Again, I do not know exactly what I should write. I will write the letters in business letter format addressed to the dean of admissions and in my body include a request to consider my application with the new information (or for Ohio, re-consider my app).

Is this enough? What would you do?

I think contacting the schools you are under review with to mention CLEO is probably a good idea. I think Ohio State will probably not reconsider your application, but you have nothing to lose by contacting them. In terms of what you should write you should be brief, clear, and to the point.

[DoktorZaius]

If you're trying to get accepted to a school well above your LSAT, don't expect it to happen late in the cycle. Either significantly lower your sights, or significantly raise your LSAT. That being said, it can't hurt to write a LOCI if you have something worthwhile to add -- just don't expect it to work if you're too far below their medians.