The LSAT / Admissions Waiting Game:

What’s there to say about the month of February? Well, it’s the shortest month, it has Valentine’s Day, and it is Black History month. A few things you probably didn’t know about February: it’s National Bird-Feeding Month, National Wear Red Day, AND hopefully you are sitting down, because as you read this, I think you’ll be thrilled to know that our neighbors to the north are celebrating Canadian Flag Day. Now, I suspect that you have two questions for me: First: “Is it lame if I don’t have any bird-feeding activities penciled in until March?” Second: “Is this a joke? You just managed to write the most useless, mundane, and insipid article introduction of all time. I’m calling Blueprint during normal business hours to see if there is anyway to reclaim those 15 seconds of my life.”

Well suck it up, because in our community of LSAT-takers and law school applicants, February is a month where we all sit on our hands and wait. In other words, I’ve got plenty of time, so don’t even get me started on Argentina’s National Day of the Sun. You are probably in one of two groups:

If you’re like me, you took the LSAT in 2010, got your applications in a couple months ago, and now you check the mailbox every day like some 9 year-old kid who clips UPC codes from his Frosted Flakes. I’ve been lucky enough to hear from two schools so far, but there’s no doubt about it: I’m playing the waiting game and I am not alone. February 1st was the application deadline for most schools, which means that for most of us February is simply a wedge between the time when everyone is applying, and the time when everyone is getting accepted and rejected. It’s mildly annoying, to the point where you’d rather just stay home on Lincoln’s Birthday.

If you just took the February LSAT last weekend, I would first like to congratulate you and to wish you the best of luck on that score report. If you are using this score to apply for the current admissions cycle, your patience will be tested even more. Presumably, you’ve filled out all of your apps, sent in transcripts, and asked for letters of rec months ago. All of this is irrelevant, of course, until you receive that three digit score in a few weeks. Once those apps are set free, it will be another couple months before admission decisions start rolling in. You have to wait just so you can wait. Better get comfortable…

In all seriousness, there’s no point in obsessing about things that are now out of your control. If you still have doubts about whether or not everything else in your application is ready to go, you should first examine your chronic procrastination habits, and then read this recent article from Blueprint instructor Matt Shinners. In the meantime, let’s move on to obscure holidays in the month of March. Can you say Pi Day?