Deferring question Forum

[ENGINEERD]

I know there are dozens of threads about this but I cant seem to find an answer for this particular question.

If you defer and the contract is binding, are the conditions of the contract still binding if you withdraw the defer. Is it even possible to withdraw after you have deferred?

Lets say one wanted to retake the LSAT and tie up some lose ends so they deferred for a year. Is it possible to to retake the LSAT in october and make the decision to stick with the deferred school or withdraw and reapply to other schools? I know binding contracts make it clear you cannot apply to other schools but if you withdraw are you in the clear???

[Mr. Pablo]

I think you would have to look at the specific wording of the contract. It may be that you would have to wait an extra year to apply to schools again in order to not breach the contract.

[ENGINEERD]

I think you would have to look at the specific wording of the contract. It may be that you would have to wait an extra year to apply to schools again in order to not breach the contract.

That is what I am worried about. As a 0L I know nothing about contracts but it seems like if you withdraw before you apply to the other schools the terms of the contract shouldn't apply...?

[webbylu87]

I think you would have to look at the specific wording of the contract. It may be that you would have to wait an extra year to apply to schools again in order to not breach the contract.

That is what I am worried about. As a 0L I know nothing about contracts but it seems like if you withdraw before you apply to the other schools the terms of the contract shouldn't apply...?

It does depend on the school. I applied last year, accepted at a school, and deferred because I found a job for a year. I ended up deciding to not attend the school I deferred at for various reasons and was able to withdraw without any issues. I made a point of asking the Dean of Admissions at this school whether or not my deferral was binding before I asked for one. Needless to say it was not. I withdrew in October and applied to other schools starting in November. It really just depends but make sure to ask the important questions ahead of time.

[ENGINEERD]

I think you would have to look at the specific wording of the contract. It may be that you would have to wait an extra year to apply to schools again in order to not breach the contract.

That is what I am worried about. As a 0L I know nothing about contracts but it seems like if you withdraw before you apply to the other schools the terms of the contract shouldn't apply...?

It does depend on the school. I applied last year, accepted at a school, and deferred because I found a job for a year. I ended up deciding to not attend the school I deferred at for various reasons and was able to withdraw without any issues. I made a point of asking the Dean of Admissions at this school whether or not my deferral was binding before I asked for one. Needless to say it was not. I withdrew in October and applied to other school starting in November. It really just depends but make sure to ask the important questions ahead of time.

Thanks for sharing, I have heard of stories like yours with a nonbinding contracts. I know that the school I would defer has a binding contract. I was just thinking that maybe I could defer and if I want to apply to other schools next cycle then withdraw from the original institution before applying to the others. The problem is that I don't know if withdrawing from that school would free me from the condition of not applying to any other schools. I guess I will have to ask the school their policy on this but I wanted to see if anyone had done anything like this.

[webbylu87]

I think you would have to look at the specific wording of the contract. It may be that you would have to wait an extra year to apply to schools again in order to not breach the contract.

That is what I am worried about. As a 0L I know nothing about contracts but it seems like if you withdraw before you apply to the other schools the terms of the contract shouldn't apply...?

It does depend on the school. I applied last year, accepted at a school, and deferred because I found a job for a year. I ended up deciding to not attend the school I deferred at for various reasons and was able to withdraw without any issues. I made a point of asking the Dean of Admissions at this school whether or not my deferral was binding before I asked for one. Needless to say it was not. I withdrew in October and applied to other school starting in November. It really just depends but make sure to ask the important questions ahead of time.

Thanks for sharing, I have heard of stories like yours with a nonbinding contracts. I know that the school I would defer has a binding contract. I was just thinking that maybe I could defer and if I want to apply to other schools next cycle then withdraw from the original institution before applying to the others. The problem is that I don't know if withdrawing from that school would free me from the condition of not applying to any other schools. I guess I will have to ask the school their policy on this but I wanted to see if anyone had done anything like this.

Ah right. Yeah that is definitely something you'll need to clarify.

[Mr. Pablo]

I think you would have to look at the specific wording of the contract. It may be that you would have to wait an extra year to apply to schools again in order to not breach the contract.

That is what I am worried about. As a 0L I know nothing about contracts but it seems like if you withdraw before you apply to the other schools the terms of the contract shouldn't apply...?

What I meant was that you should actually read the contract. Read your cell-phone contract for practice. I don't really know anything about contracts either, but on some level I'm sure that if you read it you will come away with a better understanding than what you will get off of this website, especially since you haven't mentioned what school you are talking about; these things vary from school to school.