Waitlisted AGAIN?! What now?

What does it all mean?
First off, let's talk about what it actually means to be waitlisted. Some folks like to paint a grim and dreary picture for waitlisted applicants. In the name of "waking you up" and "helping you see reality" they tell you to "forget about it and move on." But shut those party poopers them out, especially if you've been waitlisted at your top choice school.

By waitlisting you, here's what law schools might be saying:

1. I want you: but your numbers are less than ideal. Most folks who are waitlisted aren't there because their personal statement sucked. If you've been waitlisted, then as far as soft factors are concerned (i.e., essay, resume, etc.) you're probably golden. The problem is your LSAT or GPA. So DON'T go WRITE more ESSAYS for the school to read (with the exception of the short Letter of Continued Interest - LOCI).
2. I'm just being polite: some law schools waitlist an applicant just to be polite. They think you're a great applicant, but they just can't admit you. So instead of giving you a automatic *ding*, they waitlist you. Personally, I think this is more cruel than an outright rejection because they are giving you hope, when there's really no hope for you.
3. I'm not sure if you really want me: law schools, like many of us, are insecure. They don't want to be rejected by you (because it affects their US News rankings). If a law school thinks that every other law school wants you, it may waitlist you - just to see how much you want it back.
4. You make me look good, but you suck at writing: your numbers are GREAT. But somehow your writing just lacked luster. If you're in this category, and you've been waitlisted, it REALLY REALLY sucks because had you worked harder on refining your essays, you'd be accepted. But on the other hand, you ought to be thankful, since most folks who fall under this category are usually automatic *dings*.
5. You look good and you write well, but your people tell me you suck: this is the worst of all categories. You may have done everything correct. But still, you get waitlisted because one of your recommenders tanked you with a few negative jib-jabs.

Most students lack the experience to figure out which category they fall under. DON'T go calling the admissions office and badgering them about this. That's not how you do it. A little bit of objectivity is all that's required. I'll cover this some other time.

Getting off the waitlist and onto the go-list
Most students just sit on their butts and wait. You'll never get off the waitlist that way. If you are seriously interested in attending a school that you've been waitlisted at, start doing the following:

1. Read the Instructions Carefully! First and foremost, if a school says, "do not send us anything," they mean it. So don't send anything. On the other hand, if a school asks you of something, do it.
2. Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI) This isn't suppose to be another essay. Your chance to write essays has long gone by. Rather this is meant to be a simple, clear, and direct letter that tells the school how enthusiastic and eager you are to potentially attend the law school. Don't waste the letter regurgitating trite facts about them or you (e.g., school rankings, your GPA, etc.). Instead do some research and write about why you are both meant to be together.
3. Keep in touch. This doesn't mean badger them with emails/calls everyday or every week. I tell my clients that once a month is sufficient. But don't just write for the sake of writing. Update them with pertinent/substantial happenings in your life, such as higher LSAT score, new job, promotion, etc.
4. Visit the school. If you live nearby (or happen to swing through the geographic region), visit the school and help them put a face to the application. Again, don't become a pest. Always be polite, and approach the admissions in an enthusiastic and sincere manner. Tell them you're still immensely interested in the school. Ask them for a tour.

LSAT Scare - Overblown?

When you've been doing this as long as I have (ten years!), there are some questions you get asked every year, on the one hand, and there are questions that return in waves every four/five years, on the other hand.

Questions of the latter type include:

"Is law school a doomed/stupid option - (given that article I read last Tuesday)?"

"Has the paradigm shifted?"

I want to address these types of questions. The norm (that makes sense to any rational person) is that the number of law school applicants spikes, when the economy takes a downward turn. Today, the economy ain't so hot, yet the number of applicants are no where near spiking...in fact, it's the exact opposite - the number of applicants are plummeting.

Perhaps law practice (in general) IS doomed. But as any good LSAT test taker knows there may be alternative explanations/conclusions to the evidence. While I agree with the pessimists that law school ain't the same, I disagree with the extremists that blatantly call all who apply to law school "naive idiots."

The law is here to stay. As long as we are a law driven liberal democracy, we will always need good lawyers to protect our rights. And as long as America is a capitalist society, businesses will need attorneys to help grow their profits. Lawyers are always going to be needed.

While some may argue that there are already way too many lawyers, I would argue that we don't have enough good lawyers. I recently volunteered as a poll watcher in Chicago. My good friend is the senior staff attorney of a large non-profit organization; he asked me to volunteer. I happily agreed. While I thought that the event was a success, I later learned that he had difficulty recruiting enough attorneys. Later he told me, "Dave, most law grads flock to the big law jobs, but there are so many industries and areas of life that need really good attorneys."

Look, my point is simple. If you are going to law school purely for the sake of making money, I would discourage you from going to law school. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be rich or wanting to make tons of money. But just as we are critical of medical students who got into medicine purely to become filthy rich, we are critical of attorneys who choose the law purely for the sake of making $160,000 right off the gate. Choose the law because you have an inherent passion beyond money. Think carefully and critically before you choose to invest $150,000+ into your grad school education.

In an odd way, I am sort of happy that the economy is the way it is. It's caused pre-law students to be more careful and cautious. For those who decide to apply to law school despite the big red label warnings (see here and here), good for you! I trust that you are intelligent enough to weigh your options and understand what you're getting yourself into. Don't say you haven't been warned. But also, once you've made the decision, don't let the party poopers ruin your dream/passion.