Questions about deferring, reapplying, etc. Forum

[Tabemaju]

I took the LSAT, have finished most of my applications (without submitting), and have an LSAC fee waiver that basically makes all my applications free, but I have recently decided that I'm going to take a year off before law school and pay down my UG loans. I am planning on retaking the LSAT in the summer because I'm confident I can do much better than I did.

Question: since I have everything filled out and ready to go, is there any reason for me to submit applications this cycle? Further, how do deferrals work? Can I defer both an acceptance and a scholarship or just the acceptance? If I don't retake the LSAT (which I won't unless I am consistently well above my previous score), I assume submitting this cycle might be a good idea (it would be easier for me and my family to move to where school is). If I do submit this cycle and retake the LSAT, can I reapply to the same schools again?

Given that I may or may not be taking the LSAT next summer and I definitely will not be going to law school until fall 2013, what are the pros and cons of applying this cycle?

Thanks, and sorry if I made this more complicated than it needs to be.

[AriGoldButNicer]

I took the LSAT, have finished most of my applications (without submitting), and have an LSAC fee waiver that basically makes all my applications free, but I have recently decided that I'm going to take a year off before law school and pay down my UG loans. I am planning on retaking the LSAT in the summer because I'm confident I can do much better than I did.

Question: since I have everything filled out and ready to go, is there any reason for me to submit applications this cycle? Further, how do deferrals work? Can I defer both an acceptance and a scholarship or just the acceptance? If I don't retake the LSAT (which I won't unless I am consistently well above my previous score), I assume submitting this cycle might be a good idea (it would be easier for me and my family to move to where school is). If I do submit this cycle and retake the LSAT, can I reapply to the same schools again?

Given that I may or may not be taking the LSAT next summer and I definitely will not be going to law school until fall 2013, what are the pros and cons of applying this cycle?

Thanks, and sorry if I made this more complicated than it needs to be.

If you're gonna retake it sounds like a waste to apply now.

[rinkrat19]

Not all schools grant deferrals. Some schools require more notice and/or better reasons for deferring (e.g. "I got cancer" not "meh, I'm just not into it this year.") From what I understand, schools usually do not defer a scholarship, although you may be able to reapply for sholarships/financial aid the next year.

I deferred at Northwestern last year. I deferred before scholarships were awarded, so my fin. aid app was just disregarded by NU, and I will have to reapply for fin. aid this spring with other applicants for fall 2013. I had to pay my first seat deposit before I could even apply for a deferral, and I had to pay a 2nd one a few months later. I will have to pay a 3rd this spring.

Yes, you can reapply to the same schools the next year. You might want to include a brief addendum in that case, explaining why you bailed the year before, just to alleviate any worries of flakiness the adcomms might have. But they probably won't really care.

If you are going to retake, I don't see any reason to apply this year. If you aren't going to retake, I suppose having the extra year to move your family would be nice, but remember that getting a deferral isn't automatic. You may want to find out whether the schools you're applying to are really fussy about reasons for deferring or if they grant them to anyone who asks.

[Tabemaju]

I took the LSAT, have finished most of my applications (without submitting), and have an LSAC fee waiver that basically makes all my applications free, but I have recently decided that I'm going to take a year off before law school and pay down my UG loans. I am planning on retaking the LSAT in the summer because I'm confident I can do much better than I did.

Question: since I have everything filled out and ready to go, is there any reason for me to submit applications this cycle? Further, how do deferrals work? Can I defer both an acceptance and a scholarship or just the acceptance? If I don't retake the LSAT (which I won't unless I am consistently well above my previous score), I assume submitting this cycle might be a good idea (it would be easier for me and my family to move to where school is). If I do submit this cycle and retake the LSAT, can I reapply to the same schools again?

Given that I may or may not be taking the LSAT next summer and I definitely will not be going to law school until fall 2013, what are the pros and cons of applying this cycle?

Thanks, and sorry if I made this more complicated than it needs to be.

If you're gonna retake it sounds like a waste to apply now.

That's a part of my problem. I want to say that I am certain I want to retake, but I am not entirely sure whether I will.

In all honesty, my wife and I want to have another baby before law school, and the thought of having a baby the summer before law school starts is terrifying. The less terrifying route is to have the baby and wait a year for law school.

[rinkrat19]

I took the LSAT, have finished most of my applications (without submitting), and have an LSAC fee waiver that basically makes all my applications free, but I have recently decided that I'm going to take a year off before law school and pay down my UG loans. I am planning on retaking the LSAT in the summer because I'm confident I can do much better than I did.

Question: since I have everything filled out and ready to go, is there any reason for me to submit applications this cycle? Further, how do deferrals work? Can I defer both an acceptance and a scholarship or just the acceptance? If I don't retake the LSAT (which I won't unless I am consistently well above my previous score), I assume submitting this cycle might be a good idea (it would be easier for me and my family to move to where school is). If I do submit this cycle and retake the LSAT, can I reapply to the same schools again?

Given that I may or may not be taking the LSAT next summer and I definitely will not be going to law school until fall 2013, what are the pros and cons of applying this cycle?

Thanks, and sorry if I made this more complicated than it needs to be.

If you're gonna retake it sounds like a waste to apply now.

That's a part of my problem. I want to say that I am certain I want to retake, but I am not entirely sure whether I will.

In all honesty, my wife and I want to have another baby before law school, and the thought of having a baby the summer before law school starts is terrifying. The less terrifying route is to have the baby and wait a year for law school.

You just don't sound at all ready to start a cycle. It will be much less complicated if you just wait until you're actually ready, and then apply.