<p>I've observed that some students reporting profiles on lawschoolnumbers.com applied to more than 20 schools (the application fees were waived for some schools, which is obviously inviting). Wow. </p>
<p>If fees aren't an issue, what's a good number of applications when applying to law school? For purposes of this question, assume a student with a 3.5-3.6 GPA, a 160 LSAT, and a great personal statement instead of a stellar candidate with a 4.0 and a 170+ LSAT. I'm guessing 2-3 reach schools, 2-3 safety schools, and 5 possibles? Or more? </p>
<p>Can the schools that use LSDS see the other schools where you're applying? If so, does it make a difference to them?</p>
<p>Many people tell me to apply to more schools than would appear necessary. They said that law school admissions can be very odd and inconsistent. One school might see something in you that another school doesn't. When you put the amount of a law school investment into perspective, a few extra applicants isn't too much.</p>
<p>Given the credentials mentioned above, your specified range is a reasonable amount. Also, individual law schools will NOT know about the others schools.</p>
<p>You don't necessarily need more than one safety school though. Unlike ug, law school is basically rolling admissions. If it's a true safety, you should hear acceptance back very quickly after you apply, so long as you apply early in the cycle. For instance, it's not unusual to apply by, say, Nov 1, then hear back in 2-3 weeks. So you could pick a safety you really like, and you can tuck that safety away. The "reaches" are on rolling also, but may hold on much longer to your app before they respond, in order to see more of the applicant class.</p>