Applying now vs. in 2 years Forum

[winning]

Hi all,

I have an interesting situation that I would like to get some advice on. I have received an offer to participate in an international service fellowship for 2 years, beginning next summer (2012), and I need to let them know my decision by next month.

At the same time, I am preparing to apply for law school this year, in order to enroll next fall (2012). I have already begun preparing for the LSAT and putting together my application. But if I were to apply, I wouldn't be able to submit my application until after I already made my decision about the fellowship (because of Oct. LSAT).

My question is, do law schools care if you apply after already having made another commitment for the year in which you would enroll? If I were accepted to law schools, would I just be able to get a deferral for 2 years (I have read that most schools are willing to give deferrals for intl. service fellowships)?

I know many people will respond by saying just take the fellowship and wait to apply, but the reason I need to apply this year is because I won't have time to prepare my application in the next two years if I do the fellowship. I will be much too busy both years to put together a strong application, and I don't want to wait 3 years (until after my fellowship is over) to apply.

I understand that if I get waitlisted, I probably won't have the option to defer.

Thanks.

[loblaw]

Assemble application now, submit in two years (if you still want to go then).

[winning]

Assemble application now, submit in two years (if you still want to go then).

I'm worried that my current PS and LORs will not be reflective of me in 2 years, especially after my international experience.

Would it be considered "unethical" to apply under the likelihood that I would defer for 2 years upon acceptance?

Thanks.

[minnbills]

The real issue is that you probably wouldn't be able to defer for two years. People have a hard enough time deferring for one year.

If you think taking the two years off would be worthwhile, go for it. The economy is awful right now and probably won't be much better any time soon. It most likely won't be very good two years down the road, but it may be better.

[Corwin]

I've never heard of someone deferring for 2 years for something like this, but maybe someone more knowledgeable can chime in. As for your LORs not being reflective of you in two years, presumably your professors will write about the exceptional qualities they saw while you were a student. That not something that changes. The professors just document their experiences with you and the admissions committee reads the letter in that context. Everyone who goes to work for a year or two is in the same position as you.

Get all your materials sent to LSAC. Hit the apply button in two years.

[loblaw]

Also, I believe some schools will only defer acceptance, not scholarships, if I'm not mistaken.

[cinephile]

It may sound daunting, but I've known many PCVs who've applied while abroad, including traveling to testing sites. If application costs is not a concern, I suppose you could try applying now and deferring, and if they don't allow you to defer simply apply again in two years.

[northwood]

get your LORS now and write your PS. THey will be good for 5 ( i think- the LOR) years. If at the end of your jhourney you dont like the PS, or it doesnt reflect you- you can always rewrite it. Then go and if law school is still in the picture, apply when you come back. Remember though, some schools medians increase each year, so unless you are 2 LSAT points above the median, you might not be as competitive in 2 years as you are now ( so you might want to consider taking the test again when you get back-s o keep a mind in regards to the 25% and 75%s for both lsat and UG GPA).


Best of luck

[Bildungsroman]

Assemble application now, submit in two years (if you still want to go then).

I'm worried that my current PS and LORs will not be reflective of me in 2 years, especially after my international experience.

Would it be considered "unethical" to apply under the likelihood that I would defer for 2 years upon acceptance?

Thanks.

Here's my recommendation:

Do the fellowship; apply to law school in three years. Get your academic letters of rec now because schools demand them and it'll be a huge pain to get them in 3 years. They won't expire for 5 years. You also might be able to score a good LOR from the fellowship, which will only help your app. You'll also have good PS fodder if you're hard up for that. Schools vary in their policies on 2 year deferrals so you don't want to rely on that. Plus, if this fellowship is something you want to do, this is probably the last chance you'll have for the next 40 years of doing anything like it.