Offer and waitlist Forum

[Lawgirl96]

Hello,

I got an offer of admission with full tuition at school A that I applied to in the state I live in (top100). Their 1st seat deposit is in mid April, and I need to accept their scholarship by then. I got also waitlisted by one of my top choices (T10) and still have tons of schools that I applied to in February and haven't heard from. I do not want to jeopardize my full scholarship at school A, but I also want to remain on the waitlist of my top choice and wait for the other schools. What should I do in this case? Does paying 1st deposit and accepting their scholarship considered binding? Also, what if I don't hear back from the other schools before their 1st seat deposit? What would happen in this case?

Thank you!!

[QContinuum]

The general rule is that you may only deposit at a single school, and once you've deposited, must decline any other offers of admission you've received. Generally the deadline for depositing at a school, and declining any/all other offers, is April 15th. (Some schools are more lenient and may have a later deadline, or may allow you to deposit at more than one school. But these are exceptions to the rule.)

However, there's no obligation to withdraw from any waitlists (whether before/after depositing or before/after April 15th). You can stay on as many waitlists as you like all the way up to the time school starts in the fall. If you do indeed get off a waitlist, say in June or July or even August, you will then need to promptly decide whether to matriculate at that school or stick with the school you deposited at. If you decide to matriculate at the new school, you will be able to do so, but you will forfeit the seat deposit you paid to your original school.

In line with TLS tradition, I will also say - even though you didn't ask - that there's no good reason to simultaneously consider matriculating to a T2 law school and a T13 law school. If your goals require attending a T13/T20 law school, then you should not attend a T2 law school, even if they give you a full scholarship, and even if they give you a stipend on top.

[Lawgirl96]

Thank you so much for your reply! What about other admission decisions that I haven't heard about yet? Would it be a problem if I deposited at a school and I still have other pending applications in review?

Thanks!!

[cavalier1138]

Thank you so much for your reply! What about other admission decisions that I haven't heard about yet? Would it be a problem if I deposited at a school and I still have other pending applications in review?

Thanks!!

Generally, yes. But read the school's actual language regarding the deposit. If it says (as it usually does) something along the lines of "must withdraw all outstanding applications to other schools," then you can't leave pending applications open. You can still remain on any waitlists, and unless there's language about dropping off waitlists in the seat deposit, you can remain on those lists until school starts.

But I'll just reiterate what Q said: If your goals require a T13 degree, there's no reason you should be considering a T2 regional school.