Submitted Application, Rejected 13 days later Forum

[FrOhara1213]

I just received my first admissions decision (a rejection) out of the 8 Law Schools I applied to. Not only was it my "safety" school, but I received the admissions decision a mere 13 days after submitting my application. The rejection is a huge disappointment on many levels. For one, I honestly believed getting into SUNY Buffalo law school would be NO PROBLEM. My LSAT scores are fairly low (148) but I managed a 3.6 UGPA and 4.0 in grad school, all while working full-time. The thought that this is just the start of a long chain of rejections (from places like Brooklyn, Syracuse, Temple, Northeastern and Fordham) turns my stomach.

Is 13 days an unusually short amount of time for a committee to render an admissions decision? Has anyone in this forum known of an applicant being rejected from a less competitive school right off the bat only to receive acceptance/wait-list to a more competitive school later on? I tried looking for similar situations but could not find any. Given my credentials and the length of time from submission of application to decision would you read this news as an omen or a fluke?

Thoughts please!

[SisyphusHappy]

Your LSAT is 9 points below their median and your UG GPA is barely above their median. This was your safety school?

Pick one:
A. Retake
B. Stop considering law school
C. Get some realistic expectations

[Kilpatrick]

.

[FrOhara1213]

Fair enough.

[ksimon2007]

DELETED

Offensive. Women are not objects.

[Spack]

I have a few things to say.
First, I'm very sorry that you have gotten a rejection but I have to ask, what made you think that SUNY Buffalo would be a safety for you? Looking at their class profile their median LSAT is 158 and a 148 is quite a bit lower. Are you URM? Even so, I wouldn't have considered this a safety at all.

Second, I don't think it's abnormal to receive decisions that quickly. Usually people like to hear back as quickly as possible but I can understand wondering about that when the response was a rejection. I have received acceptances within 10 days from going complete.

Third, I have to say that I honestly think that many of the schools you are applying to are going to be a stretch. There's still a chance you'll get in of course. I'm not an adcomm and I figure you've probably put together a pretty nice application. Admissions cycles are unpredictable even for people with stellar numbers so you can't really base your future off of this one application. If worse comes to worse you will end up having to apply next year and retake the LSAT

[mez06]

Ohara, cheer up my friend! It's the holidays, a lot to be thankful for. Honestly though, how many times did you take the LSAT? Did you study the POWERSCORE BIBLES? You need to retake it. Fordham, Syracuse, Temple are auto-rejects for sure to be honest. Retake it, your GPA is too solid to settle. You might even have to sit out a year to be honest.

[albanach]

Thoughts please!

Unfortunately your Grad School GPA counts for very little. Like that or not, it's the way it is. Your 3.6 is marginally above Buffalo's Median, but your LSAT of 148 is below average, and below Buffalo's 25th percentile.

If you want to see a different outcome to your cycle, the answer is to retake the LSAT.

Of the other schools you mentioned, lawschoolpredictor.com has you as a deny at all bar Syracuse where you're a weak consider.

[FrOhara1213]

Thanks all for the thoughtful replies.

I shouldn't have referred to this as my "safety school," it was just the least competitive school I applied to.

I am URM.

Took the LSAT twice, same score both times. Full-time work and school at the same time kept me from studying adequately (or at least I hope that's why I scored so low). I suppose I underestimated the amount of influence such a score would have on my overall application.

Lastly, I have plenty to be happy about. Maybe this wake-up call is one of those things.

[Spack]

Thanks all for the thoughtful replies.

I shouldn't have referred to this as my "safety school," it was just the least competitive school I applied to.

I am URM.

Took the LSAT twice, same score both times. Full-time work and school at the same time kept me from studying adequately (or at least I hope that's why I scored so low). I suppose I underestimated the amount of influence such a score would have on my overall application.

Lastly, I have plenty to be happy about. Maybe this wake-up call is one of those things.

Perhaps you should take a year off and spend some time studying for the LSAT without the worry of school. As an URM you really shouldn't waste that solid GPA on a lower LSAT. If you can get a 10 point gain you'd be in the running for all of the schools you've listed and probably with some $. With that being said, you could still get in somewhere but you'd probably be paying sticker and you definitely don't want that. Good luck.

[Sandro]

geeze, I've submitted apps 9 days ago and havent gotten so much as an acknowledgement email from some schools. Atleast they didnt let your app sit in a pile for 2 months?

[SortOfObsessed]

As someone who has taken the LSAT three times and also got the same score the first 2 times, I think you should definitely consider a retake. So far my cycle has been playing out according to my highest and third LSAT score. The schools you're looking at probably won't even look at your first 2 LSATs if you manage a third and higher LSAT score. As an URM with a solid GPA, I think it'd be worth it for you to retake and apply again next cycle.

[Ragged]

If you can't even score at a median it's probably a sign that law is not for you. Hate to sound so negative and blunt, but I think it needs to be said.

[FrOhara1213]

I always knew deep down I couldn't get by with that score. I just so passionately hate standardized testing and hoped the rest of my credentials would compensate. The 13-day turn around on this one, however, makes me feel like all that was seen of my application was the LSAT and UGPA before it got tossed to the "rejection" pile. Lots to think about...

[YankeesFan]

If you don't want to retake CUNY has you as a strong consider and tution is cheap enough that you wont even need a scholarship.

[FrOhara1213]

If you can't even score at a median it's probably a sign that law is not for you. Hate to sound so negative and blunt, but I think it needs to be said.

Honesty would have saved me a lot of time and energy this past semester...

I kind of wish I had discovered this place sooner.

[derrminater]

My man, don't listen to all the retake garbage people will want to feed you. Some people just don't perform well on standardized exams. You WILL get into a law school with your score and credentials. It won't be HYS but you will get in somewhere. I suggest you do some research on schools who have lower medians. If you really want to go into law and don't feel like you can do better on the LSAT, find a school which will accept your scores, as I am positive some will. There are a lot of haters out there who want to shit on everyone who can't get a 180 but if you really want to get into law school this cycle you can, just gotta find the right schools.

[beachbum]

I always knew deep down I couldn't get by with that score. I just so passionately hate standardized testing and hoped the rest of my credentials would compensate. The 13-day turn around on this one, however, makes me feel like all that was seen of my application was the LSAT and UGPA before it got tossed to the "rejection" pile. Lots to think about...

Not really. You're a URM with a good GPA and a terrible LSAT. Even a few points added to that score will dramatically alter your outlook. So if you're serious about law, put your full time and energy into studying for this test. And if you're not serious, then a rejection from a bad school was probably a blessing in disguise.

[Grizz]

My man, don't listen to all the retake garbage people will want to feed you. Some people just don't perform well on standardized exams. You WILL get into a law school with your score and credentials. It won't be HYS but you will get in somewhere. I suggest you do some research on schools who have lower medians. If you really want to go into law and don't feel like you can do better on the LSAT, find a school which will accept your scores, as I am positive some will. There are a lot of haters out there who want to shit on everyone who can't get a 180 but if you really want to get into law school this cycle you can, just gotta find the right schools. Then, go to said schools and enjoy hilarious debt combined with horrific job prospects.

You forgot the crucial last step.

[glewz]

If you can't even score at a median it's probably a sign that law is not for you. Hate to sound so negative and blunt, but I think it needs to be said.

A bit harsh Ragged; I'll disagree on your point here (though I know you mean well).

FrOhara1213 needs to evaluate this for himself - whether something like this is a "sign that law school is not for [him]" is very arguable and certainly not to be spoken from anyone who doesn't have a solid awareness of OP's capabilities. Given adequate time & prep. it is highly likely that a 148 can improve substantially.

Evaluate yourself After you have put a strong effort into test preparation. A score that has a <0.2 correlation to 1L success shouldn't deter you from your dreams to practice law, if that's what you're truly interested in.

[Excellence = a Habit]

If you can't even score at a median it's probably a sign that law is not for you. Hate to sound so negative and blunt, but I think it needs to be said.

Honesty would have saved me a lot of time and energy this past semester...

I kind of wish I had discovered this place sooner.

I think the way you're responding to this news is really commendable. It can be difficult to accept that the LSAT is such a big deal for schools. If you decide to retake - or whatever you end up doing - I wish you the best.

[glewz]

Given adequate time & prep. it is highly likely that a 148 can improve substantially.

Of course, you know yourself best, but I wanted to post this information for encouragement. The statistics are in your favor according to an LSAC published document: http://lsac.org/JD/PDFs/RepeaterData.pdf

Test takers who previously scored 148 have scored the following upon repeat:

1 person scored 120-129
17 people scored 130-139
785 people scored 140-149
1153 people scored 150-159
35 people scored 160-169
1 person scored 170-180

[d34d9823]

My man, don't listen to all the retake garbage people will want to feed you. Some people just don't perform well on standardized exams. You WILL get into a law school with your score and credentials. It won't be HYS but you will get in somewhere. I suggest you do some research on schools who have lower medians. If you really want to go into law and don't feel like you can do better on the LSAT, find a school which will accept your scores, as I am positive some will. There are a lot of haters out there who want to shit on everyone who can't get a 180 but if you really want to get into law school this cycle you can, just gotta find the right schools.

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch.

[Ragged]

If you can't even score at a median it's probably a sign that law is not for you. Hate to sound so negative and blunt, but I think it needs to be said.

A bit harsh Ragged; I'll disagree on your point here (though I know you mean well).

FrOhara1213 needs to evaluate this for himself - whether something like this is a "sign that law school is not for [him]" is very arguable and certainly not to be spoken from anyone who doesn't have a solid awareness of OP's capabilities. Given adequate time & prep. it is highly likely that a 148 can improve substantially.

Evaluate yourself After you have put a strong effort into test preparation. A score that has a <0.2 correlation to 1L success shouldn't deter you from your dreams to practice law, if that's what you're truly interested in.

I agree with the above. But since the OP took the test twice already and got the same score it means either that OP simply can't improve significantly or doesn't understand what kind of a committment the test requires. In both cases, considering the fact that maybe law is not the answer is warranted.

[sarahlawg]

what's your grad degree in?