Submitted Application, Rejected 13 days later Forum

[jer.smith83]

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!

If it makes you feel any better, I got rejected within 2 days of applying. My self-esteem was crap that day. haha! I agree that you should retake the LSAT. My numbers are 153/3.41 and have been working for 5 years.

[FrOhara1213]

Thank you everyone for your words of honesty, encouragement and hostility. Since I can't take back the 8 other T-100 applications I've already submitted (from which I will most likely be rejected) and have no desire or time to retake the LSAT, I'm going to apply to some "lower-ranked" schools at which I may have better odds for gaining acceptance and receiving funding. This speedy rejection stung, but hasn't obliterated my plans to study law in Fall of '11... it just brought my expectations down to a realistic level. Many of the comments on this discussion board had the same effect.

[gbpackerbacker]

/thread

[Pneumatic]

I wouldn't tell someone to go to sea without a good sail, and I wouldn't tell a student to pursue law without a good LSAT. No, a good LSAT isn't necessary for having a good law career, but a good sail isn't necessary for crossing the ocean either. That doesn't make a strong argument for crossing the ocean with a tattered sail, however.

Horrible analogy.

[Ragged]

I wouldn't tell someone to go to sea without a good sail, and I wouldn't tell a student to pursue law without a good LSAT. No, a good LSAT isn't necessary for having a good law career, but a good sail isn't necessary for crossing the ocean either. That doesn't make a strong argument for crossing the ocean with a tattered sail, however.

Horrible analogy.

Yea, that was pretty bad lol. We get the point though.

[paulinaporizkova]

as much as i don't like to admit it because it will be to my own detriment as well, admissions depts have seen tons of applications and they admit, deny, or WL according to how they think you would fare in their school and how you would contribute to the diversity of their student body. if they rejected you really fast, it was probably for a good reason and that should tell you that you wouldn't have fared very well at that school.

if someone has already said this in so many other words, sorry for the redundancy

[justadude55]

i think we're going into way too much detail here. OP should get a private tutor, and raise their LSAT score. they are going to wind up at a T-4 most probably as of now, and if they got a 160 would either get a full ride to that t-4 or wind up in a far superior school.

[caligulove]

do you mind me asking what you plan to do with a degree from a t4? I only ask because it seems like a complete waste of time, even if you receive funding. I know that you have lowered your expectations to meet your current credentials, but as an objective party in your future I would strongly recommend you raise yourself to meet your previous expectations. Law school - whether t4 or t100 - is not for those looking for an easy way out; you will be disappointed. You have to work hard, whatever school you go to. The only difference is that coming out of a t4 you'll have a degree not worth the paper it's on in terms of placement in firms - big, medium, or small. If you have neither the time nor the will to retake then perhaps the same goes for law school. It seems you are set on going though. So as a last piece of advice to you:

Do yourself a favor, retake the LSAT, don't settle, don't be lazy. There's always time, especially when it's the rest of your life on the line.

One thing I might have overlooked: if you are independently wealthy and just want a law degree for the sake of appearance, kindly disregard all that I've said. If not - RETAKE.