Waitlists

It is wait-list time in the law school world.  At this point, you have most likely been accepted, rejected or put on a wait-list by a law school.  If you are none of the above, it is perfectly acceptable to contact the law school and find out when you should be hearing from them.  If you are on the wait-list at a school, first read the e-mail/letter very carefully and see what their process is.  Each is slightly different so what may be okay at one school may be unacceptable at another.  Most will ask for some sort of confirmation that you will want to remain on the wait-list.  Unlike the undergraduate level where they are going for an approximate number, law schools are trying to get to the exact number that they can fit in their first year.  This means that you can be on the wait-list right up until the day school starts.  We have had students get phone calls the first day of school asking if they are still interested.  It is up to you to decide how long you are willing to wait and how important it is for you to go to that school.

The acceptance of additional information will vary from school to school.  Some schools will be going to their wait-list to make sure that they have a well-rounded class so they will be looking at gender, undergraduate degrees or where you are from.  At that point, you will have no control and are just hoping that you are what they are looking for.  Some are looking for desire to attend that particular school.  If they allow additional information, make sure you include a cover letter that expresses your interest in that school and why they are the only one that will fit the bill.  It is also helpful to talk about what you have been doing since applying to further your readiness for law school.

Yield rate becomes very important to the law schools at this stage.  A small part of their ranking is determine by how many students they accept actually end up attending.  They can make a difference in their yield with their wait-list by making sure they accept those that they know will attend.  It is important that you communicate your desire to attend on a regular basis without irritating them.  We recommend staying in contact every couple of weeks or so.

Above all, be polite and respectful.  You are on the wait-list because you have the qualifications to attend that school.  However, you are not entitled to attend that school and there were others that also met those qualifications.  The admissions staff works hard and upsetting them with your anger or frustration is not going to help your cause.  This part of the process requires a lot of patience.  You are still a talented individual and will go on to be a great lawyer no matter what happens.

Sandy