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Hi all,

I'm likely set on a single school that I've been accepted to this cycle. It's a good T1 school, but I am retaking the LSAT in June and shooting for the T14. My original plan was to simply accept this admission and put down the deposit in case my June test goes poorly. If it goes poorly, I'd attend this school in the fall. If it goes well, I'd be applying to the T14 next cycle.

Now I'm thinking that even if the test doesn't go that well, it's a bit too rushed to be going in the fall. I already have a full time job at my university that I can possibly continue for my "year off." I'd be living cheaply, relaxing, and reading my law school prep books. Probably getting a dog. Since UVA is my goal, I'd be living in Virginia and establishing residency before applying, increasing my chances and lowering tuition.

But in the off chance I don't do well on my LSAT in June... I don't want to lose my acceptance to a T1. I'm PTing at 165-168 right now. I'm hoping I can push it up to 170+. My score for last cycle was 161. My school says that they offer deferrals for "compelling reasons." I know they have historically granted them, but I don't know what exactly this entails. I'm not going to China. I'm not backpacking through Europe. I'm just relaxing, saving some money, and working at a my university.

Would saving money for law school likely to be a compelling reason? Any experiences of being given a deferral for something less than a really exotic adventure?

If you can't afford to go to school, that is pretty compelling, especially if you are not expecting to receive a lot of aid. However, if you wait until after the June score comes out, your school may not grant you a deferral anyway because it is so late. If your school is tight on deferrals anyway, you will probably have to apply for one sooner rather than later if you have a chance of obtaining one. Sooner being before the seat deposits are due. If you are living in VA anyway, did you look into W&M as a backup to UVA? If you area really into T14 and have a reasonable chance of scoring around 168 as a VA resident, I say you should try for it.

Do schools ask for an initial seat deposit this year for students deferring to next year?

Thanks. That is helpful. I'm visiting in a few hours for Admitted Students Weekend. I plan on sort of asking them there and getting the necessary paperwork. I also plan on sort of gauging whether or not they may be receptive to that. The deposit is due in about a week.

As per the question: yes. For my school, you have to put down the Spring deposits for the year you defer, then put down another spring deposit the following year. So you pay double in the deposit, but it all goes toward tuition anyway.

I'm not sure that a deferral is appropriate for your situation. Most law schools make you promise that you will not deffer in order to apply to other schools. I've even heard that some students that have done this and that got accepted to better schools later ha their admission rescinded for breaking thier first schools promise. If I were you I would accept at our tier one and retake he LSAT. If you do well, cancel your admission and reapply. If you bomb it, go to the tier 1.

I'm not sure if living in Virginia for a year is enough to establish residency. Many schools are very stringent about what it takes to be considered a resident, you should look into that.