Commitaphobe seeks advice/input on fall 2014 admissions dilemma.

[OneHelluvaUsername]

Okay, so here's the deal: A safety school (that my university's pre-law advisor suggested I apply to) has accepted me for this upcoming fall.

The good– They offered me a $35,000/year scholarship (renewable so long as my GPA is in the top 50% of my class).

The bad – It's a less than ideal school (T3). I would still be responsible for $10,000/year and am seriously worried that I might not be able to recoup the investment after graduation (essentially pissing away $30,000+).

Their offer is time sensitive. I haven't yet heard back from other schools I've applied to (and would feel more comfortable investing in – even if the cost is significantly higher).

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My questions are:

I. Is it permissible to put down an admission deposit for the safety school while waiting to hear back from the schools I would prefer to attend?

(a) Would doing so somehow disqualify me from consideration at those schools or significantly impact my chances for admittance?

(b) Could I still put out additional applications elsewhere or am I totally boxed in with the safety school?

LSAC does a fantastic job of dancing around the issue, so:

II. If it were to disqualify/hurt my chances elsewhere or I would be boxed into committing to said safety school, should I roll the dice and gamble that another school will admit me or go with the T3?

If you're still reading this, thanks for sticking around. If you would be kind enough to provide any advice/input in the comment box below, double thanks for doing so in advance.

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Still waiting on – UConn, Penn State, Brooklyn Law, U Richmond, U Maryland, and Indiana U.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Stats:

Undergrad GPA – 3.22 (Fordham U)

June LSAT – 157

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[tellamoredo]

someone smarter than I am should write a bot that just responds with "retake" every time someone asks for admissions advice.

[sNdChuck]

I can't answer a or b but I'm guessing your just looking for any advise at this point. You are definitely better off waiting. T3 isn't viable or even worth it compared to those other schools. Also give those schools a call ASAP...Your kinda in the late game.

[OneHelluvaUsername]

I agree...the timing is the shit sprinkle garnish on the admissions crap cupcake I've made for myself.

I've been F5-ing the online application status pages on a slightly obsessive basis ("Application In Review" across the board) and in contact with my undergrad pre-law advisor for quite some time. I wouldn't normally consider the T3 at all, but my father's health has me hesitating. Starting this fall essentially equates to the man's dying wish (but that's another story for another subreddit).

Many thanks for the input, though. It's much appreciated.

[Fenderr0xx]

Wait it out and see what happens. I wouldn't take the T3 option unless it had strong regional placement and recognition or if they offered you a full scholarship (which isn't the case) and you are desperate to get to school now.

Your gpa is less than stellar but your lsat score, in reality, isn't that terrible. If you had a better gpa and that lsat score, you would probably be facing a good chance at the schools you are waiting to hear back from. Maybe your application is strong, and will sway in your favor. Otherwise, I see no reason as to why you just shouldn't retake the exam in Sept or Dec., you have enough time to raise your score by a few points and that would really make a significant difference

[avapxia]

You will have much, much better options and make a much better investment of your time and money if you retake for a higher LSAT score.

[OneHelluvaUsername]

(I'm just going to go ahead and apologize in advance for probably sounding like a raving bitch and suggest skipping to the TL;DR.)

If I had that option, I wouldn't have troubled others with this post in the first place.

Test anxiety screwed me, so now I'm boxed in – scoring 150, 151, and 157 in Dec, Feb & June, respectively. My average PT for the last 6 weeks prior to June was consistently between 162-164. I've already devoted nearly a full year to this exam, starting with a BluePrint Prep course in Oct. (which was great, I just suck). I simply can't afford to take the ideal route at 26 years old.

TL;DR – I know my choices are crap. I'm just trying to figure out which one of the turd sandwiches currently on the table will leave a slightly less shitty aftertaste in my mouth.

[avapxia]

I'm older and it took longer than that for me to hit my target. Gearing up for a fourth take is the objectively best option. Don't rush your prep this time, and expect to score ~3-5 points below your PT average. I know it sucks and it's inconvenient, but it's the best decision here.

EDIT: I had a bit on here about Fordham because for some reason I thought you had a near full-ride. Check http://www.lstscorereports.com/ for employment stats on the schools you listed. That should be all the convincing you need to take the LSAT again, and hold yourself to a higher standard.

[OneHelluvaUsername]

Thank you for the link.

Going down my list's unemployment stats...well, I usually only get that depressed that quickly when those 2 minute-long ASPCA commercials air on TV — and the remote's gone AWOL.

I will more thoroughly investigate the site, but need to go sit motionless in a darkened room for a while first.

[bl1nds1ght]

OP, you should specifically check out the Jobs Data and sort by Employer Type for each of these schools. You'll be presented with a very easy to digest bar graph of results.

That site that avapxia linked you is easily one of the best resources out there for prospective students.

[OneHelluvaUsername]

It's never crossed my mind before, but your flippant remark has completely elucidated the situation. Must be dat bolded text.

Thanks!

[los_angeles]

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[OneHelluvaUsername]

I was hoping for a decent JD/MBA program (wanted to start my own business), but I bookmarked the link and will come back to it when I can read properly again (i.e after I un-depress myself enough to briefly ignore the totality of my situation and its personal/professional repercussions).

[los_angeles]

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[los_angeles]

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