6

THE APPLICATION TIMETABLE

—EXECUTIVE SUMMARY—

Apply as early as you can consistent with doing the best possible application.

Binding early decision programs offer virtually no admissions
advantage—unlike those at the college level.

Apply via binding early decision programs only
if you are certain of your choice of school
and will not value being able to compare financial
aid offers.

 

The top law programs basically use one type of admissions decision format, the “rolling admissions” cycle. With rolling admissions, officers evaluate applicants on a “first-come, first-served” basis. A number of top schools modify this basic format by considering the strongest applications (read: those with the strongest index numbers) first, and then so on down the line, or by offering an Early Application option to applicants. Early Application policies grant early notification of decisions to those applying by, say, November 1. For almost all schools, there is a cutoff date after which no new applications will be read. Be aware that this comes as early as February 1 for some schools.

WHEN SHOULD YOU APPLY—EARLY OR LATE IN AN APPLICATION CYCLE?

The application cycle refers to the period of time during which a school accepts applications for a given class. In other words, a school might accept applications from September 1 through February 15 for the class beginning in September. This raises an important question. Should you apply early (in October, for example) or late (in January or February) if you wish to maximize your chances of getting in?

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF APPLYING EARLY IN THE REGULAR APPLICATION CYCLE?

There are several benefits to applying early in the application cycle. Assuming that the application is well written, an early application suggests that you are well organized. It also suggests that you are serious about getting into law school rather than applying on a whim. Being viewed as well organized and serious about your career can only help your admission prospects. Another benefit can accrue if the school underestimates the number of applications, or quality of applicants, this application season will bring. If this is the case, early applicants will have a lower bar over which to leap than will later applicants. Those needing financial aid should be aware that many schools give out aid until they have dispersed their allotment of funds, which clearly works to the advantage of those admitted early. And, of course, those who apply early tend to be notified early, which facilitates life and career planning.

Certain types of applicants, of course, can benefit (from applying early) more than others. If you are a “cookie-cutter” candidate, with excellent credentials but no unusual qualities or experiences, your file will be less likely to inspire yawns if yours is one of the first of its kind read. For example, the person who is applying direct from college, a political science major with a junior semester abroad in England, will certainly wish to apply very early. A second type of candidate who stands to benefit from applying early is someone who has a complicated message and who therefore must give the admissions committee the time and mental energy to read his or her application carefully. Admissions committees tend to lack this time and lose energy as the application season progresses.

For example, if you left college after your sophomore year to become a stage actress for five years—only to decide that what you really wanted to do was finish your degree and become a welfare counselor (your current career), your complex profile needs special attention. Someone in this category should definitely apply early to ensure that his or her application is given appropriate consideration. (International students should seek to apply as early as possible because international credentials generally add complexity to their applications.)

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF APPLYING LATE IN THE REGULAR APPLICATION CYCLE?

There is only one substantial benefit to applying late in the cycle: An applicant has the opportunity to continue to build her credentials during the few months involved. This can be significant for someone with the potential to transform her application. An applicant who expects to finish a major project—and is hoping to achieve impressive results—might wish to apply after the project is finished rather than before. This could provide wonderful material for an optional essay or a glowing recommendation. Similarly, someone still in college who expects fall semester grades to add substantially to the application’s appeal should consider waiting to apply until the grades are posted.

A second potential benefit can occur if the school has misjudged its popularity and finds that fewer good applicants have applied than it expected earlier in the cycle, resulting in reduced admissions criteria for those applying later. This is an unpredictable factor and not likely to happen to any substantial degree, however, particularly at the very top schools.

SO, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Most people will benefit, if only slightly, by applying early in the admissions cycle. In general, the most important timing criterion is to get the application done well as soon as is practicable. The earlier it is started, the more opportunity there is to rewrite and reconsider, to allow recommenders to finish their work—and even to have others help out by reading the finished product. Plus, aiming to apply in the latter half of the cycle can kill your chances if something goes wrong, because you may lack the time to set it right. Thus, the only group that should purposely apply late in the cycle consists of those who can substantially improve their credentials in the meantime.

So, unless you are in the small minority expecting such credential improvement, apply as soon as you can finish a truly professional application.

BINDING VERSUS NONBINDING EARLY DECISION

Numerous schools now offer an early decision option: Apply, for example, by November 1 and you will be notified of the decision by mid-December. Some of these policies differ little from regular admissions insofar as the acceptance is nonbinding: Successful candidates are free to keep open their already submitted applications to other schools or, indeed, apply to additional schools in the future. Many schools, however, have instituted early decision policies similar to those used at the undergraduate level. These require that accepted candidates immediately withdraw applications to other schools and forgo applying to any additional schools—upon pain of losing their early acceptance and more. (Other schools are notified of the acceptance and will withdraw the accepted candidate’s application.) In other words, these programs are binding.

 

NONBINDING PROGRAMS

 

The nonbinding (so-called early action) programs are attractive. Applying early, as described elsewhere in this chapter, offers an improved chance of admission under some circumstances. In addition, early notification for the successful candidate may eliminate the stress of waiting to hear from schools and the need to apply to a greater number of schools, thereby potentially saving time, effort, and money. Most important, candidates do not have to give up any of their prerogatives. They remain uncommitted, free to choose whatever school they like once all of the decisions have been announced.

 

BINDING PROGRAMS

 

The binding (early decision) programs, however, are another story. Many applicants assume that they are like college early decision programs, which offer a substantial admissions advantage. The admissions boost of a typical college program is 50 points per SAT section (or 100 points on a 1600 scale). The equivalent for law school would be a 5-point LSAT boost. Yet law school early decision programs offer no such advantage. At many schools there is absolutely no advantage. Even at those that do offer an advantage, it is extremely small, perhaps equivalent to a fraction of an LSAT point.

This extremely small advantage, if there is one, comes at a very high price. By locking yourself into one school, you remove the pressure on that school to give you financial aid sufficient to attract you or make your debt burden reasonable. In fact, your financial aid award will not even be announced until after the application deadline of other programs, thereby leaving you without options. So if financial aid will be a prerequisite for enrolling, apply either under the regular application or early action (if available) regimes. Do not apply for a binding early decision because you may end up locked into a school that will not give you the financial aid you require (let alone throw a major scholarship your way).

Whether applying early action, early decision, or just early in the regular application process, note that you may need to have taken the LSAT no later than the prior June.

 

SCHOOLS OFFERING EARLY ACTION OPPORTUNITIES

SCHOOLS OFFERING EARLY DECISION OPPORTUNITIES

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO DO YOUR APPLICATION?

Most applicants underestimate the amount of time that a good application requires, thinking that they can do one in a long weekend or two. The reality is that many of the necessary steps have a long lag time built into them. For example, the process of approaching a recommender, briefing her on what you want done, giving her time to do a good recommendation for you, and ensuring that she submits it on time calls for months rather than days of advance notice. This is all the more true when you apply to eight or ten schools rather than one; you have more application forms to get, more essays to write, and more recommendations to request. Although work does not increase proportionally with the number of applications, the increased complexity as well as the number of additional things you need to do will inevitably increase your efforts.

The application process should start at least one and a quarter years in advance of when you would like to start law school. Thus, if you wish to start a program in September, you should start work in May of the preceding year. This may sound excessive, but the timetable in this section makes it clear that this is an appropriate time to get serious about the process. One of the reasons this process takes so long is that schools generally require that applications be submitted six to seven months (at the very minimum) in advance of the start of the program, meaning that you will have about ten months to complete the process if you start at the suggested time.

Starting the application process late, or failing to work seriously at it until deadlines approach, leads to the typical last-minute rush and the inevitable poor marketing job. It could also mean that by the time your application gets to the committee, they have very few spots left to fill. This book presents an enlightened approach devoted to the idea that applicants can dramatically improve their admission chances if they do a professional job of marketing themselves. This timetable is meant to reinforce the message that time is required for a successful marketing effort.

It is useful to establish your own timetable for applying. Ideally, you will be able to start about fifteen months before you begin your JD program. Do not panic if you can’t, because many people will, like you, need to condense their work efforts. It is useful, however, to make sure you use whatever time you have to your greatest advantage. Be sure you note the dates that are fixed and immutable:

• LSAT (and TOEFL) registration deadlines and test dates

• Application deadlines themselves

APPLICATION TIMETABLE

The following is an appropriate schedule for someone applying to schools that begin in September, with application deadlines in February. It is intended not as an exact timeline for you to follow, but rather as an illustration of the tasks and deadlines you will want to track.

EARLY SPRING

More than fifteen months in advance of the program, you should:

• Start considering specifically what you want from a law program, and whether a law degree is indeed appropriate.

• Develop a preliminary list of appropriate schools. Read several of the better guides, look at the most recent rankings printed in the leading law and popular magazines, scrutinize the course catalog and websites of the schools themselves, and talk with people knowledgeable about the schools.

• Examine several schools’ application forms, even if they are a year out of date, to see what the application process will involve.

• Consider who should write recommendations for you (and be sure you treat them particularly well from now on).

• Start putting together a realistic financial plan to pay for school. Research financial aid sources and your likelihood of qualifying for aid. (Identify necessary forms to be completed and their deadline dates.)

• Register for the June LSAT (and TOEFL) exam.

• Consider how you will prepare for the LSAT. Start by getting sample tests from Law Services and subjecting yourself to a sample exam under realistic conditions. If you are not a strong standardized test taker, are unfamiliar with the exam, or just want to save yourself the bother of preparing on your own, figure out which test preparation course you will take and when it will be available. International students will want to do the same regarding the TOEFL exam.

• Start filling out the Personal Organizer in Appendix V to get a jump on the essay writing. Glance at the chapters covering what the schools want and how to write the essays so you have some idea of what will be required.

• Start planning school visits.

JUNE

• Take the LSAT.

• Read the chapters in this book regarding the essay questions, and the essay examples in Part IV.

JULY

• Register for the September LSAT if you are unsatisfied with your June score.

• Get an email account that will last through the whole application cycle, so that schools have an assured means for contacting you.

AUGUST

• Develop a basic positioning statement; write a preliminary essay regarding where you are headed and why you want a JD. Determine appropriate topics for additional essays.

• Start visiting school campuses based upon a “short list” of preferred schools.

• Register for the LSDAS, notifying them of the schools you will definitely be applying to.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

• Take the LSAT again (if necessary).

• Request that transcripts from the relevant schools be sent to the LSDAS.

• Establish a file folder system for each school and note specific deadlines for each.

• Approach recommenders. (Assume the average one will take at least one month to submit the recommendation.) The more time you give a recommender, the more willing he will be to support you—and you do not want to get off on the wrong foot here.

• Revise your essays. Have a friend (or your consultant) read them over.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

• Attend law school forums.

• Submit completed applications.

• Confirm that your recommenders sent the necessary letters and forms.

• Submit applications for financial aid from third-party institutions (i.e., sources other than the schools themselves).

• Request interviews at schools that offer them. Prepare for them by reading Chapter 13 and by staging mock interviews with other applicants and friends.

DECEMBER/JANUARY

• Submit loan applications (for school loans) and any forms necessary for institutionally based scholarships or assistantships.

• Thank your recommenders.

• Contact schools that have not yet acknowledged your complete file.

ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED (OR REJECTED)

• Notify your recommenders of what has happened, and tell them what your plans are. Thank them again for their assistance, perhaps by giving them a small gift.

• Notify the schools of your acceptance or rejection of their admissions offers, and send in your deposit to your school of choice.

• If you have not gotten into your desired school, what should you do? Consider going to your second choice, or perhaps reapplying in the future. (See the discussion in Chapter 14.)

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

• Enroll.

Each point made above is discussed in detail elsewhere in this book; refer to the in-depth discussions as appropriate. The timing set out in this schedule is of necessity approximate, since everyone’s style of working and personal circumstances will vary. For example, if you are working in a liquified natural gas facility on the north shore of Sumatra, you will probably have to allow more time for most of the steps listed here. Using this schedule as a starting point, however, should give you a good idea of the sequence to follow, as well as the approximate timing. It should also go without saying that doing things in advance is always a good idea.

Special Notes for International Students: The application deadlines for the standardized exams (LSAT and TOEFL) are approximately two months in advance of the actual test date. Failure to observe deadlines will result in either an increased fee or the need to take the exam on a later date. LSAT test preparation is not readily available outside the United States, so check carefully to determine where and when you can take a course. Because you must provide official translations or transcripts, recommendations, and the like, you should allow extra time. The slowness and lack of reliability of international mail should also be factored into your timetable, both for tests and for the other elements of the application process.

Also notify the school you have chosen to attend as early as possible so that you can begin the student visa application process. Depending upon your nationality and individual circumstances, this process may be either short and simple or lengthy and complicated.

WHERE ARE THINGS MOST LIKELY TO GO ASTRAY?

You should be aware of three problem areas: (1) Your recommenders are busy people who, despite their best intentions, are all too likely to need prodding to get the recommendations turned in on time, especially if they elected to write them themselves. As Chapter 12 suggests, you will want to make their job as easy as possible, and then stay on top of the situation. (2) Your essay writing is all too likely to fall behind schedule, leading to last-minute rushing and poor writing. Start the whole essay writing process early and continue to give yourself time, on a regular basis, to work on them. You must be disciplined about this if you want to maximize your chances. (3) You may not get the LSAT score you expect the first time you take the test. You will be unable to retake the exam if there are no more LSAT administrations sufficiently in advance of your application deadlines.

ADMISSIONS DEANS DISCUSS APPLICATION TIMING

THE BENEFITS OF APPLYING EARLY IN THE REGULAR ADMISSIONS CYCLE

 

The standard for admission to Cornell doesn’t change over time, but it’s still beneficial for a candidate to know what his/her situation is early in the process. Rick Geiger, Cornell

The benefit to applying early is that we run out of space near the end of the process, so people who would have been admitted only make it onto the wait list. There are also important financial aid considerations. We run out of our limited funds before all people have been admitted. Don Rebstock, Northwestern

I think it’s a good idea to apply early. When you do, you give me more time to examine your file. In general, admissions people are fresher earlier in the season. Things tend to get compressed toward the end. Edward Tom, Boalt Hall (Berkeley)

The more marginal people’s numbers, the longer they should give us to consider their files. For one thing, they are likely to have their folders handed to second and third readers. For another, we are more likely to give the benefit of the doubt to those who have been professional, organized, and on time (versus those who have shown up at the last minute). William Hoye, Duke

There are several benefits to applying early in the process. We are fresher readers early on and more likely to take a generous view. If you are a typical applicant—a poli-sci major who did a semester at LSE—it helps if you’re the first one of these we see. If financial aid is an issue, the sooner you’re admitted, the more likely you are to get aid. In addition, you can visit schools before deposits are due if you are accepted early on. You basically buy yourself more time by applying earlier. Elizabeth Rosselot, Boston College

 

WHEN APPLICATIONS ARE RECEIVED

 

We get about two thousand applications in the last two weeks before our February 1 deadline. Andy Cornblatt, Georgetown

With the increased volume of applications, it is particularly sensible to get your file in early. We send an email once the file is completed; it is up to the candidate to keep on top of the process to make sure that there has been no holdup with the LSDAS report and that the letters of recommendation are sent in on time. Ann Killian Perry, Chicago

We receive about 25 percent of applications by the end of December. The vast majority of applications are received in January. Since we are on rolling admissions, it does make sense to apply early. Chloe T. Reid, USC

By far the strongest applications come in before Christmas. The pool gets dramatically weaker as time goes on. You do yourself a disservice by applying late in the season, let alone in the last week (when we receive some 900 of 6,500 applications). Sarah C. Zearfoss, Michigan

The earlier you submit an application, the better. A real problem for late applicants is that they may not get their decision until late April or early May. Keep in mind that even if you submit your application on time, there are a number of other documents that need to make their way into your file (your LSDAS report, LSAT score, recommendations), so it may be another four to six weeks before we can even begin to review it. Megan A. Barnett, Yale

We get about half of our applications by January 1, the rest by our deadline of February 15. Don Rebstock, Northwestern

We have really encouraged applicants to get their application in by November 15. We have thus been able to advance our review process by two or three weeks. This year we received almost half of our applications by December 1. Edward Tom, Boalt Hall (Berkeley)

More than 20 percent of our applicants apply in the last week. William Hoye, Duke

 

THE LENGTH OF TIME IT TAKES TO RENDER A DECISION

 

We generally mail decisions within one and a half to two months; one month is the minimum. Don Rebstock, Northwestern

We try hard to get decisions out in six to eight weeks. Chloe T. Reid, USC

EARLY DECISION

 

If you are 100 percent sure that you want an “exclusive relationship” with Georgetown, apply early decision, which is binding. (There is a slight advantage to applying early decision, since we are naturally more interested in those who definitely want to attend Georgetown than those who are uncertain.) If you are only 98 percent sure that you want an exclusive relationship, however, apply in the regular admissions cycle to give yourself the chance to change your mind. To give yourself the best chance of admission, be sure to apply early in the regular cycle. Andy Cornblatt, Georgetown

In recent years, we’ve received between 130 and 200 early decision applications. Our acceptance rate is the same as for regular decision applicants: 14 percent. In addition, the early decision students we accept have similar GPA and LSAT scores to the students we accept through our regular decision process. Applying early decision can be helpful in showing a candidate’s commitment to Penn, and may tip the scale in very close cases, but in general it does not significantly improve a candidate’s chance of admission. If financial concerns are not great and an applicant is certain that Penn is the best fit, early decision may be a good option; but if financial aid could impact an applicant’s decision, I would caution against applying early decision since applicants won’t have the benefit of comparing financial aid packages from various schools. Renée Post, Penn

Applying early decision does not provide a huge admissions advantage. It’s meant more for students to save money and effort on applications, and to gain the peace of mind of knowing early in the process where they are headed. It is likely to affect the admissions decision only for someone on the borderline. Don Rebstock, Northwestern

There is absolutely no change in the admission standard applied to early decision applications (relative to regular admission cycle applications). Monica Ingram, Texas We now offer a binding early decision program. Those applying by December 15 through our early decision process, and who are admitted through this process, are guaranteed a full-tuition scholarship. Anne Richard, George Washington

We have a nonbinding early application rather than early decision program. Those who apply by November 15 we try to give a decision by December 15. This helps with applicants’ planning. Chloe T. Reid, USC

Columbia has a binding early decision program. The candidate who should apply early is one who has thought very carefully about the options for law school and has decided that Columbia is his or her first choice. By applying early, the candidate is signaling his or her desire to attend Columbia above all other institutions, which provides some strategic, though not significant, advantage in the admissions process. Nkonye Iwerebon, Columbia

Applying for an early decision, which is binding, is a clear indication that Chicago is your first choice. This can only help you. Ann Killian Perry, Chicago

For our summer-start program only, we offer an early decision option. Most of the people applying to this have Michigan as their first (or only) choice, so the biggest liability of an early decision option is thereby limited. We won’t extend it to the fall program, though, since the negative aspects of forcing someone to commit to just one school choice loom larger than the advantage of early certainty. Sarah C. Zearfoss, Michigan

 

ENFORCING EARLY DECISION COMMITMENTS

 

I don’t recall a situation in which a student withdrew after being admitted under a binding early decision program. I do share a list of students admitted under our binding early decision option with colleagues at peer schools and I receive lists of binding early decision admitted students from those schools as well. Applicants agree to allow us to share this information when they sign the early decision contract. We withdraw active applications for students who were admitted elsewhere under binding early decision options. Kenneth Kleinrock, NYU