April 1, 2018

Waitlisted? Now What? Get the Skinny from Southwestern's Admissions Dean

By: H.S. Hart

Tidbits of Advice and Q&A with a Real Admissions Dean.

FIRST:  Take a moment to process the following: Every situation and every school is different.  Believe in yourself.  Don't take being waitlisted personally. They don't know you.  Why not send an email confirming your continued interest and desire to get OFF the waitlist and ON to the entering class roster? Ask to attend prospective student events, show up and start networking with faculty, staff, and current students. Help the admissions team get to know you and understand that you are serious about attending.

SECOND: Take advantage of other opportunities (aka other law schools) that may be looking for, and ready to admit, someone just like you.  A successful Southwestern alum reports not even applying to Southwestern until she was waitlisted at USC and Loyola.  That process caused her to take a closer look at Southwestern and she liked what she saw so much that she applied to the part-time evening program, became a student leader, graduated cum laude, and is living (and practicing) happily ever after - TRUE STORY!

THIRD:  Read this short Q&A with Southwestern Law School's admissions Dean, Lisa Gear.

H.S. Hart: Dean Gear, what are the chances that someone waitlisted at another school, can still apply and get in to Southwestern?

Dean Gear: It depends. But if a prospect has solid credentials and the right attitude - along with the wherewithal to be proactive and explore Southwestern's J.D. programs, they may be a great fit for our entering class.
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H.S. Hart: Is there a specific program that is easier to get into? 

Dean Gear: I don't like the word easier. All of our programs have similarly credentialed admits. Based on demand, we tend to have availability in the part-time evening program until pretty late in the process. We typically have applicants to our full- and part-time programs that won't take the LSAT until June.  Some applicants retake the LSAT in June to improve their score.
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H.S. Hart: What if students haven't yet applied.  Can they still initiate an application?

Dean Gear: YES, and they should apply now!  Finding a law school that is the right fit is a two way process.  We do not want to miss out on an amazing candidate, just because they found Southwestern later in the process. There is still time -  we will even waive the application fee.
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Considering Southwestern? Send an email to Southwestern's admissions team - put FEE WAIVER in the subject line and your application fee is on us!

Already applied to Southwestern? Check your application status here.