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5 Things You Can Do To Be Admitted From the Wait List

By Ann K. Levine, Esq.

Did a law school put you on a waitlist? What does that mean and what can you do to boost your chances of being admitted to that law school?

First, why were you waitlisted? Simple Answer: U.S. News & World Report Rankings.

Schools are very concerned with their rankings and an easy way for them to control things from an admission standpoint are (a) watching the LSAT/GPA for admitted students; and (b) keeping acceptance rates low. What this means is that if you are at or below their median LSAT/GPA, they may waitlist you and make you fight your way in to make sure (before having to count you as an "admit") that you are actually fairly likely to attend their school.

So, how do you demonstrate that your attendance is likely? Here are some ways:

1. Visit the law school. Schedule a visit through the admissions office and ask to sit in on a class and go on a tour. You may even have the opportunity to meet with someone in the admissions office. This shows your interest and likelihood to attend a school in the geographic region.

2. Follow up with a thank-you letter reiterating your interest in the school based on what you learned during your visit. Be specific!

3. If you can't visit, write a letter with an update about what you've done since submitting your application.

4. Write a letter stating the reasons for your specific interest in that law school and highlight things from your background that tie into those interests.

5. Send an additional Letter of Recommendation if they will allow it.

Good luck! And thanks so much to everyone who voted on topics - I will try to address the other requests in the next week or so.

Full post as published by LawSchoolExpert on January 14, 2008 (boomark / email).