Are we alone? It’s just, y’know, I don’t want you to be embarrassed. Not that a small, um, score is something you should be embarrassed about, just… I know you’re self conscious and all.

You haven’t gotten your February score back yet — maybe you even canceled already — but you know things didn’t go as well as you’d hoped. If this were September or even December, I’d say, “Cheer up! There’s always next time!” Well, there is always next time, but we’re getting to the point where LSAT next time means law school next year.

What to do?

First, please don’t make any rash decisions. And by rash decision, I mean going to a law school that significantly down the law school totem pole from your ideal school. There’s a difference between a safety school and a desperation school.

I know — I know! — you don’t want to study for the LSAT one more damn time and go through a whole new round of applications and on and on and on. But this is your career we’re talking about. You don’t get a do over when it comes to law school, but you do when it comes to the LSAT. Going to the wrong law school often results in not being a lawyer.

Secondly, if you haven’t canceled, think twice about canceling. We do a to-cancel-or-not-to-cancel post just about every administration of the exam, so maybe check out this one. Or this one. Or this one, which is especially relevant since it has to do with canceling a February score.

Third, think about your goals. If you’re in range for your safety school but not others, it may be time to contemplate what safety means to you. Does your safety school give you a reasonable chance of having the career you’d like? Does it have a decent job placement and bar passage rate? If so, it might be time to accept that you chose this safety school for a reason. But if you’re planning on getting a big law job and making a sweet $180K right out of school, then a safety school outside the top ten is probably a no go.

On a related note, you should think of your goals in terms of the rest of your life. Law school is three years, and then you’re done. Waiting one more year might not be the worst thing. See the world. Fall in love. Save puppies from burning buildings. Being a lawyer can wait.