<p>I'm just curious how heavily this factor is weighed by admissions people. I've been starting the process of applying to law schools for next fall and I noticed most of the schools have deadlines for February and March, some even in April. So my question is, is there really an advantage of getting your app in early? On the website to one of the law schools I am applying to, there was a message from the Dean who said that their admissions officers are so busy with other things in September, October, and November, that they really don't start to look at apps until December. I took the LSAT this past Saturday, and depending on my score, I am going to take it again, since most of the schools I am looking at take the highest score. </p>
<p>So if I took it again in December, that would mean holding off sending my apps until the end of December, but would it really matter when I send it if I had better numbers than someone who sent their app in early?</p>
<p>i think you could send your app in now, and then send an updated score report to any schools you hadn’t heard back from. then, if your scores went down, schools wouldn’t know about it, and you’d reap any benefits of sending in your app early. the only disadvantage is if a school rejects you without seeing your second score. I suppose you could always ask them to reconsider based on your new application, but I don’t know if they’d agree.</p>
<p>I have no idea if this approach is prohibited by LSAC or the law schools themselves. but if not, it might be a good way to go.</p>
<p>I believe LSAC will send an updated score whether you ask them to or not. I’m not entirely sure. But in any event, it may not be a huge benefit to apply early, but it certainly isn’t going to hurt.</p>
<p>My experience has been that there are many law schools (though I would be hard pressed to come up with a list) that will consider applications as they are received. I do know of people who have been admitted to Georgetown, Penn and Duke within a couple of weeks after their applications were submitted in the autumn. I’m sure there are others here who may have had similar experiences.</p>
<p>I know people who applied towards the end of the cycle and received letters saying “Sorry, we’ve filled our class for the year.” I don’t imagine that that’s too common, but it definitely happens. And speaking only anecdotally, I would say that yes…earlier is definitely better.</p>
<p>That said, most of the advice I’ve seen just says “aim to have things in by December and you’ll be fine.” So if you have everything ready to go and you wait until you get your Dec. scores back, you shouldn’t have trouble. Likewise, sending things in after the test but before your scores arrive should be fine (I believe that LSAC would automatically update your score reports). I’d be careful about sending things in too early, though, if you really think your score might change much, because it seems possible that a school could discard your application based on your first score (although if you indicate that you’re taking it again…I just don’t know how this would work. Something to look into if it’s a concern). </p>
<p>Anyway–and again, I can only speak anecdotally and from the advice I’ve been given–but I think it’s less of an “every week counts!” sort of situation, and more of a general “just do it as early as you reasonably can.” Think of it this way: if you’re an average applicant, you’re an average applicant, no matter when you apply. But a school might be more willing to accept average applicants when they have 75% of their spots open than when they only have a precious few offers left to give (noting that there’s likely no absolute cut-off for offers extended, so it’s probably true that the more competitive you are as an applicant, the less you’ll be affected by timing).</p>