Worth Reapplying after Waitlist Rejection? Forum

[angery16]

Hi all,
Currently I have a GPA of 3.56 and an LSAT of 168. I am retaking the LSAT in October as I am getting 173-4 on practice tests and think I could do better. Last year I applied in February (ie,very late) to the following schools with the following results:
UCLA, waitlist
UCI, waitlist then rejected
UCB, rejected
Georgetown, rejected
UMinn, waitlist

I'm fine with not having been accepted anywhere because I wouldn't want to start this fall with COVID and all. That said, I definitely want to start next year. Is it worth reapplying to any of the schools I applied to last year? I worry that having applied last year and being waitlisted/rejected will hurt my chances this year. This go 'round I'm planning to submit apps by November. How much will that help my chances? If I can get an LSAT over 170, will that open any doors here?
Thanks!

[decimalsanddollars]

There's a lot of questions here, and I commented at length on your previous post, so I'll try to answer directly the questions I can identify.

1) Having been waitlisted or rejected in the past from X school is not itself a negative mark for future app cycles at X school. If your application was weak the first time and is no stronger the second time, your rejection may come more quickly. If you submit a stronger application, the previous weaker application won't hurt you (except in some narrow circumstances e.g. a school caring about all your LSAT scores).

2) Submitting your apps in November instead of February will help your admissions chances slightly and your scholarship outcomes significantly, all else equal. If your application is stronger (i.e. higher LSAT) and earlier, even better.

3) An LSAT over 170 will make the difference at a few of these schools, but you should apply more broadly regardless---especially if your LSAT significantly improves. More options means more money, more leverage to get schools to make a decision more quickly, etc.

[angery16]

Thanks, decimalsanddollars! Those were the answers I was looking for. In the ways of "more broadly," what are you thinking? Higher/lower rankings is what comes to my mind. If my LSAT improves I am definitely going to throw in Columbia as they have very specific clinical work that I haven't seen at any other school and am highly interested in. Otherwise will be reapplying to UCI, UCLA, and Georgetown.

[decimalsanddollars]

By "more broadly" I mean to at least the whole lower T14, probably the rest of the T20, and (if your LSAT does not improve) to a couple lower-ranked California schools like UCDavis, Pepperdine, LMU, Hastings, etc. If your score improves, I'd apply to the whole T14 (at least Columbia on down) and the California schools you already applied to, plus any T20 schools that might interest you.

[kinge]

I was WL -> R at a school last year and WL -> A at the same school this year and I didn't even retake the LSAT

[angery16]

Well, with a score increase hopefully I'll be able to apply to at least a few T14s and some T20s. A little financially limited but I am hoping to apply to about 8 schools this time around.

Kinge, thanks for the hope!!

[kinge]

do you have any work experience? my GPA was almost the same as yours and I had a 175 and I got waitlisted across the t14 both years, barring the sole WL->A (though I did have more luck at t20s).

[angery16]

Oof, did not score above a 170. Had a lot of bad things happen a couple weeks before the test and was not in a good place. 168 is still my high score (good bye PTs of 174 :') ). That said, still trying. I do have considerable work experience, mostly in education tho. Some in politics and social justice as well.