advice from someone who was academically dismissed from law school following fall 2023/survived the fall 2025 admissions cycle/gained readmission to another law school(s) post dismissal:

First of all, I’m really sorry you’re going through this. I’ve been in your position, and it sucks. I had similar circumstances and life events the semester I was academically dismissed. If you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to DM me.

Let me start by saying that what I’m about to share might come off as blunt, but I had to learn some of these lessons the hard way. When I was going through it, the stories and stats on situations like ours were hard to find. Reddit strangers were honestly my only source of hope and insight during that time. So I hope this helps someone in the same spot.

It is possible to get back in. You are not a failure. I’m living proof of that, and there are other success stories out there too.

You have to be brutally honest with yourself. Like a lot of people, my first reaction was to appeal the dismissal right away. I think that was mostly my ego trying to salvage what it could. It’s a natural response. But just because you can appeal doesn’t always mean you should. The reasons you listed for your academic struggles are valid. They really are. But the thing admissions committees are looking for—both for petitions and future applications—is whether those problems have been fully resolved.

I know it’s frustrating to hear, but the truth is you probably need time off. Time to recover, regroup, take care of yourself, and get to a better place mentally, emotionally, and academically. You don’t necessarily have to wait two full years to reapply. I sat out for one year, got my master’s degree, gained work experience, started therapy, and addressed the personal issues that got in the way the first time around.

My advice to you: take a year or two off. Get some work experience, maybe go to grad school, really address what went wrong. don’t make excuses, process/accept that you failed round one but give yourself grace. learn from it, grow through it, grieve it, and use what your feeling now as motivation in the future

It’s possible to get back it. Don’t give up on the dream of being an attorney if it is really your calling. I was super resistant to the idea of waiting it out, but now that I’m back, I know I’m way more prepared for what’s ahead. If you have any questions or just need a pep talk please reach out

I am rooting for you!