Law School Admissions: Acceptances, Waitlists, Declines, and Holds
It's the time of the year when many law school applicants are receiving decisions from the law schools where they applied or will receive them soon. If you have received one or more decisions, you have some decisions to make yourself. You might be feeling overwhelmed, especially if you applied to multiple schools. Getting your applications finished and submitted is the hardest part of the admissions process. Take a breath and relax because the hard part is over. We are here to help guide you through each possible application outcome.
Law school applicants receive one of four different responses after they submit their application package. Law schools send letters to accept applicants, place applicants on their waitlist, decline applicants, and place applicants on hold. Below, we cover each possible response, what they mean, and the next steps you should take in the admissions process.
You Got an Acceptance Letter!
Even if it isn't your number one pick, you need to take some time to celebrate. A letter of acceptance means you've been invited to attend law school. YAY! Pop some champagne. Go out to dinner. Take a nap. Do whatever you do to treat yourself after a job well done. Once you come down from your acceptance high, you have to make a decision about your acceptance offer. Maybe you are waiting for additional offers or you know this is the place for you. Either way, here are the steps that you should follow once you know your decision.
Accepting an Offer
Read your offer carefully to find out exactly what the school needs from you to secure your spot in the class. The school might include this in your letter, or they might direct you to a special admissions website. Make sure to fill out any surveys or respond to any request that you verbally confirm your acceptance. You can expect to pay one or two deposits to hold your seat, often with deadlines as early as April and as late as June. In some cases, the school might ask you to make a deposit within two or three weeks of acceptance. Finally, if the law school does not automatically register you for your first-year classes, you need to register for classes and complete any other requirements before orientation.
Declining an Offer
If you choose not to pay a seat deposit, the law school will assume you are not attending and release your seat. However, it's poor etiquette not to communicate your decision to the school. The sooner they know someone isn't attending the sooner they can offer someone else a seat. Your acceptance letter should have instructions about how to decline, which often includes sending an email to the admissions department or filling out a quick form online. If you don't have instructions, you can send an email to the admissions office or reach out to an admissions team member you have a relationship with.
You can read more about accepting and declining law school offers of admission here.
You Got Waitlisted.
We get it. Being waitlisted isn't an acceptance letter, but it's not a decline either. Law schools waitlist students they are interested in, but cannot yet offer a spot. It means they liked some other applicants better than you, but if those applicants choose a different school, you have a chance of getting accepted. Law schools can move quickly through their waitlists, so you must maintain communication with the program, especially if you don't want to go anywhere else. One of the best ways to do this is by sending a letter of continued interest.
A letter of continued interest (LOCI) shows the admissions team at a particular school that you want to remain on the waitlist. You can send your letter as an email or attach a letter to an email, and you should do it ASAP. Make sure they are single-spaced, no smaller than 11 pt. font, and no longer than one page. Your letter should thank the admissions office for putting you on the waitlist, but don't overdo it. Most importantly, communicate your intentions of staying on the waitlist and show them you take your spot on their waitlist seriously. You should also include a sentence or two about why you are interested in a particular school, but don't use the same things you said in your personal statement or another essay. Finally, let the school know why they should accept you off their waitlist. Specifically, provide them with any updates such as new research, newly published papers, GPA, a higher LSAT score, a promotion or new role at work, etc. Check out our blog on writing a letter of continued interest after getting waitlisted.
You Got a Rejection Letter.
One or more rejections from law schools you applied to can crush your spirits. Feel the pain, but only for a minute. It will be okay. If you're waiting for other decisions, don't automatically assume you'll get more rejections. Also, if you aimed high and applied to multiple schools, one or two rejections shouldn't surprise you.
After rejection, reflect on your application package to some extent. However, don't fall down the rabbit hole of trying to figure out what could have changed the outcome. Law school admissions committees have specific things they seek in applicants and different admissions officers reviewing the same application package often come to different decisions.
If you were rejected by the only law school you applied to or the only one you want to attend, it may not be in your best interest to request the admissions team reviews their decision. It's likely best to accept the decision and reapply next year. However, you should make sure you update your application to make it more competitive. For example, retake the LSAT and get a better score, discuss new work experience, and add community service. It's also best to write a new personal essay and rewrite optional essays.
They Put Your Application on Hold.
You weren't accepted. You weren't rejected. You aren't waitlisted. Your application is on hold. What does that mean? First, being put on hold is a pretty neutral response. A law school might put your application on hold for various reasons. In some cases, they need more information to make a decision. Read your letter carefully; you might find a request for something more from them. Other times, they put applicants on hold because of internal workflow issues. Regardless, a hold means your application review is temporarily paused but will resume at some point when the committee or admissions officer gets the information they need to make a decision. You can reach out to find out if the school knows how long the delay will be. Beyond that, you need to be patient and let things play out.
The team at Barrier Breakers® Admissions Advising is here to support you through this law school application cycle! Whether it's through discounted advising for BIPOC, first-generation, and LSAC Fee Waiver applicants, our essay review services and courses, or just downloading our free Essential Guide to Applying to Law School, we're here to help make this process easier.
As always, feel free to reach out to us at hello@barrier-breakers.org with any of your questions! You can also submit a question to be answered on our weekly Break Into Law School® Podcast, streaming wherever your favorite podcast service is.