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I know I won't be attending til Fall 2017, but I want to see whether I can apply to a law school this year.

I took the LSAT for the first time last December, and didn't do as well as I thought.

I'm planning on taking it again in 2016, but the problem is staying motivated since the admissions process seems so far away at this point. So I want to apply to a school that I don't really intend to attend, just so that the admissions process feels more immediate.

If I apply to a school this year, would the schools I apply to next year (the ones I really want to attend) know that I applied in the previous cycle? Would they view it adversely?

You will not be disadvantaged for having applied to the school in the previous year, either you were admitted or not.

prepies04 wrote:So I want to apply to a school that I don't really intend to attend, just so that the admissions process feels more immediate.

This is a weird reason to want to do this. Why don't you do something fun with your life for the next year? If you want to do something for your apps, work on your PS. That will take a while. There's no point in blowing $100 to make it "[feel] more immediate". You'll still be waiting 2 years to attend. As far as harming your future apps, it won't matter.

Applying to a school two consecutive years in a row will not negatively affect an

admission decision alone. The admissions committee typically review and consider

LSAT scores, GPA, letters of recommendation, personal statement, and a

supplemental application. If you present a solid application for both cycles, you

should be fine. Please note that the admission cycles and competitive nature of

applicants may differ each year.

Best of luck!