Thank you very much for your interest in W&L Law. Our offer of a position on our waiting list reflects our Admissions Committee's assessment that you are entirely qualified to succeed in the study of law at Washington and Lee, and that we would be happy to have you join our Class of 2016. We simply are not in a position to offer you a seat at this time.
Please review this Information Sheet for an explanation of our waiting list and selection procedures.
Please be sure to check out our blog post detailing our answers to common waitlist-related questions.
Please note that our waiting list is not ranked - we consider the application files of all students on the list as we learn of open seats. We understand that you are anxious about an admissions decision, and we plan to keep you updated by periodic email. Please provide us with any changes to your email address or phone number since we normally use those means to contact you about any openings in our class.
Every year is different, so it's hard to say exactly when you might hear something. In most years, the first point at which we learn of openings in our class is just after our initial deposit deadline (April 15). If our class is full at that juncture, we may be in a position to make offers of admission later in the season - each year a few students who have made an initial deposit decide to attend law school elsewhere; though we typically learn of their decision when our second deposit is due (June 1), seats may become available right up until the start of the academic year (September 2). We realize not every student is able to accept an offer of admission that late in the season - if at any point you no longer wish to be considered, please let us know. We contact students via email, so please be sure to keep your file updated if your contact information changes.
We encourage you to visit campus and are happy to assist you in gathering all the information you'll need to make a quick decision should you receive an offer of admission. (Though we will do our best to provide you with a meaningful period of time to consider an offer, we're often unable to hold that offer open long enough for you to arrange a visit to Lexington.) To that end, we offer the following:
Monday, March 11
Friday, March 15
Saturday, April 6
Click here to register for a Preview Day
Click here to view a tentative schedule for the April 6 Preview Day (revised 3.27)
For answers to common Preview Day-related questions, be sure to check out our Preview Day FAQs
As with past years, we will once again offer students on our waiting list the opportunity to come to campus and learn more about W&L Law. This year, we will offer three Preview Days so we might better accommodate those students who are interested in joining us. The dates for the events are above, and the format for each Preview Day will be the same.
Please note, applicants who have previously visited our campus for an individual visit will NOT be able to attend one of our Preview Days. Furthermore, due to the nature of the day's events, and as we will be meeting individually with each attendee, enrollment for each event will be limited to thirty (30). For additional information as well as answers to common Preview Day questions, we strongly encourage you to review our Frequently Asked Questions page linked above.
If you are unable to register for one of these events and wish to be placed on a stand-by list (in the event of a cancellation), please send an email to LawAdm@wlu.edu. Please be sure to include your name, LSAC ID number, and the Preview Day you wish to attend in the body of your email. Applicants may be on a stand-by list for only one Preview Day. In the event of a cancellation, students will be added from the stand-by list in the order in which their requests were received. Please note, if you are registered for a Preview Day, you may not be a on a stand-by list for another Preview Day.
During their time on campus, attendees will have an opportunity to take a tour of the law school, participate in a Q&A session with the Assistant Dean for Admissions, and have an individual meeting with an admissions representative. Registration for our Preview Days will begin on Friday, February 8th. All students on our waiting list will receive an email announcing the opening of Preview Day registration. Consequently, please make sure the email address associated with your file is current.
Attending a Preview Day is no better or more impactful than coming for an individual campus visit or scheduling a phone interview. We believe visiting is a great way to experience our school, and we want you to come to campus, spend time in Lexington and figure out if W&L Law is the right fit for you. However, as all the applicants on our waiting list will not be able to attend one of our Preview Days, it would be unfair for us to value these events any more than the other ways applicants can connect with an admissions representative. For us, Preview Days are merely an efficient way to meet with a number of students in one day as opposed to spreading these meetings out across weeks or months. We strongly encourage you to consider connecting with us in the fashion that is easiest and most convenient for you.
A list of accommodation options in the Lexington area is available from the Lexington Visitor's Center website. For your convenience, we have blocked a small number of discounted rooms at the Wingate by Wyndham Lexington hotel for the night preceeding each Preview Day. To book a room in this block, simply contact the Wingate by Wyndham at 540-464-8100 and reference "W&L Law Preview Day" as you make your reservation.
For a list of things to do during your visit to Lexington, please see our Things to Do Checklist.
For a list of places to eat during your visit to Lexington, please peruse our Restaurant Recommendations.
We're happy to have you visit campus on the weekday of your choice - we suggest you schedule your visit before our spring semester ends (April 19) so that you'll have the opportunity to meet our students and experience a law class. Instructions for scheduling a campus visit, and details about different time options, are on our Visit W&L Law page.
If you're unable to visit campus, we can conduct an interview by telephone. Email the Office of Admissions, at LawAdm@wlu.edu, to schedule a date and time.
If you wish to no longer considered for our a seat in our incoming class, we would greatly appreciate it if you would let us know as soon as you make your decision. Telephone us at 540/458-8503 or notify us by email to LawAdm@wlu.edu
We thank you for your patience and for your interest in Washington and Lee!
Shawn D. McShay, Assistant Dean for Admissions