For those of you who are going through your second cycle . . .

[dischord]

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[LifesaBitch]

This is the second time I'm going through the cycle.  The only thing changed was my LSAT score (I raised my score by about 5 points).  The results were dramatically different.

To your second question, I had a good job already, so waiting another year wasn't a big issue.

[Yossarian]

as I am already bored with my job even though I've been here less than a year

I feel exactly the same way. The only thing that is certain about next fall at this point is that I wont be working this job.

[Free Radical]

I reapplied to several schools after applying very late in the cycle the first time around. The results this time around made the wait worth it entirely. Granted I am still waiting to hear back from a few more schools, but already this cycle has yielded much better results than the first one.

I redid my personal statement entirely. I deleted one letter of recommendation and added a new one. Two of my letters remained the same. I reformatted my resume by bringing it down to one page, cleaning it up, and making it more appealing. I also redid my diversity statement and addendum. I guess you could say that I retooled my entire application, but with a year to wait, it wasn't something that I didn't have time for.

[jnb983]

This is my second cycle, didn't get in anywhere the first time.

1) I completely revamped my application.  I retook the LSAT and scored 11 points higher.  I not only wrote a different PS, I wrote a different kind of PS, one that was more personal and conversational and less autobiographical and academic-sounding.  I got two new LORs which I think were WAY better, but you can reuse old ones without doing anything.  The dates stay the same, but I don't think anyone cares about that.  Just leave them on your account as general letters and they will automatically be sent.  If you DON'T want them to be sent, you need to inactivate them or redesignate them as non-general.

2) I was riding the BU waitlist (my last hope) until mid-summer (when I was rejected), and then I was conveniently offered a promotion at work.  So it worked out for me financially and added to my resume.

I've already gotten into one school that I was rejected from last time...

[MHLM]

Tag!

[t L]

I have a couple of questions, as I might be reapplying myself next year.  I know there are at least a few of you out there . . .

1) Did you entirely revamp your application package?  Obviously most people reapply because of LSAT retakes, and another year off would probably (hopefully?) merit an updated resume, but did you rewrite/retool your PS?  Did you have to send in new LORs, even if you were using the same recommenders? 

2) How on earth did you figure out what to do with yourself in the meantime?  This is my biggest hurdle in deciding to reapply, as I am already bored with my job even though I've been here less than a year, and all of my friends and my SO are leaving town for grad/law school in the fall.

My second cycle.

My LSAT score went up 10 points.

Better job.  More volunteer experience.

Rewrote old PS, and it is remarkably better.  Very proud of it.  Added diversity statement.

No new LORs.

So far I got into two of the schools that I was waitlisted at last year.  I haven't turned any rejections around yet, but there's still time.

As far as what to do with yourself, hey, if you want the right school bad enough, you'll find something.  This year has been very, very challenging, but I know in the end it's going to be worth it.

[Slumdog Lovebutton]

This is my second cycle.  I applied the first time straight out of undergrad in 2005-06.  I'm in my second year out of UG.

* Raised my LSAT seven points (LSN numbers are slightly fudged)
* I got a master's degree in my first year out
* I'm working full time this year
* I got all new recommendation letters.  I kept one recommender the same and got a new letter from him.  Added two new recommenders from my master's program.
* Wrote a new PS.  I was worried that some schools might have kept my old app on file (I think one school may have mentioned that they would do this, at least)
* Submitted a DS (did not do this last year).
* Applied almost two months earlier

I've only gotten in to two schools so far, but one of them is a school that rejected me last time.  I've also got a decent shot at $$ from the other one, which I did not get two years ago.

[WunderCat]

Not to hijack the thread with my own questions, but the OP may find this useful, too...
-to those of you who are going through your second cycle & raised your LSAT score: had you not prepared for the test the first time around or were you disappointed with your first score even though you'd spent a lot of time preparing?  What did you do for the first time/differently to prepare (test prep classes, number of hours on your own with practice tests, etc.)?  I'm in the "not prepared" group and will be pushing my apps back a cycle, so it'd be great to know how people who have raised their score 7-10 points have done it! 
-about LORs...what do you do if you've been out of school for a couple of years and you have two LORs from your UG profs (one of my letters is dated '05 and the other is '06) --do you need to get one from work?  What do you do if you don't think your supervisor has the writing skills to write a LOR that will be helpful?

[LuvHurtz]

This is my second cycle. I decided to re-apply because I wasn't happy with the schools I had to choose from last year. I retook the LSAT and unfortunately only went up one point . My GPA is slightly higher than when I applied the first time. Also I got a job in politics. I chose to write a new personal statement because I know most schools keep your application on file for two years and I wanted to add something new. Other than that everything else in my application was exactly the same as last year. So far I've already been accepted at a school where I was rejected last year and have more than one school that I would be more than happy to attend.