Reality of Early Decision

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>Realistically, does applying Early Decision impact your chances?</p>

<p>With undergrad, personal experience demonstrated that applying ED could definitely increase an applicant's chances of being accepted, just as applying RD had the potential to really hinder an applicant's chances (regardless of whether the university claimed that the time of application had no influence on admittance).</p>

<p>I'd be interested in your thoughts in general, but I'm really wondering about NYU Law, in particular. </p>

<p>Let's say I'm currently sitting on a 3.77 GPA and anticipate getting a 4.0 this coming semester, which would cause a slight bump in the cumulative. In addition, let's say I achieve my target score of 172 on the LSAT.</p>

<p>Would I have a better shot applying ED without having this semester's grades figured into my GPA, or would I be better off just applying RD? Or will it not make a difference either way?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Yes, it definitely does matter. Even the law schools that don’t have a formal early decision program often do rolling admissions, so applying as early as possible will help you out a decent bit.</p>

3

<p>I don’t think any school would outright deny you with those numbers if you applied ED, so even if you get wait-listed you’ll likely still have the option to send in your second semester grades.</p>

<p>The BIG downside: no ability to negotiate scholarships.</p>

<p>If you hit your target score, I wouldn’t ED anywhere - you would have a good shot at CCN and an outside shot at HYS. I would, however, recommend applying before you get your grades back because applying after thanksgivingish will put you at a disadvantage.</p>