Mass Black Judge

If you want to attend law school, it’s essential that you start the application process early as most institutions utilize a rolling admissions policy that favors applicants who submit early.

Before beginning your applications for law schools, register with LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service (CAS). This service will organize your LSAT scores, transcripts and letters of recommendation into packages to send to every law school you apply to.

Rolling admissions

Nearly every American Bar Association-accredited law school utilizes rolling admissions, meaning they evaluate applications as they arrive and make decisions until all needed students have been admitted for enrollment. Applying late reduces your odds significantly as opposed to applying earlier in the cycle.

Preparing to apply to law school takes several months of hard work, so it is wise to start early. Your timeline may differ depending on your personal situation; generally it falls somewhere between summer of your junior year and autumn of senior year in college. At this stage you should be taking and taking an LSAT, working with recommenders, and sending official transcripts directly to LSAC.

Prepare your personal statement as part of the application. Try to steer clear of cliches such as plans to save the world or enter politics; taking your time in crafting a thoughtful essay will improve your chances of admission.

Early decision

If you’re planning on applying early decision to law school, it is crucial that you plan ahead. Applying this way requires you to submit additional materials (recommendation letters and updated transcripts) earlier than your regular application; depending on your circumstances this could mean getting these together as early as this spring and having them submitted by Halloween or even before Christmas.

Early decision applicants often face smaller applicant pools, increasing their chances of admission; however, this does not guarantee admission to your first-choice school and does not allow you to compare financial aid offers between schools.

At the end of the day, applying early decision to law schools you are passionate about attending is always best. Additionally, consider whether their financial aid packages fit well with your current financial situation if ED law schools don’t. If they don’t, regular decision law schools provide more opportunity for comparison so you can select your perfect fit.

Regular decision

Applying early is typically in the best interests of law school applicants. Many schools offer accelerated applications that enable qualified individuals to submit an application before general pool, and receive a decision sooner on their submission. This can be particularly helpful if LSAT scores or GPA may fall below median levels at their chosen school.

As part of their application, applicants require letters of recommendation. Preferably these should come from academic or professional sources, although community leaders or spiritual leaders can also provide useful letters. Letters should generally be specific and detailed.

Applying through Education Direct requires applicants to pledge that if accepted, they will attend the school as agreed. This can be daunting when your top choice school is involved – which is why conducting thorough research before making your ED application can prevent regret later.

Financial aid

Planning ahead by knowing when law school applications are due will allow you to better organize and manage the admissions timeline, submit applications quickly and increase chances of interview invitations.

If you have not done so already, register for the LSAT and establish an LSAC account. Contact law schools and review their viewbooks or brochures to understand more about their programs. It would also be a good idea to update your resume as this can assist when communicating with recommendation writers.

Starting the Personal Statement and Diversity Statement. Drafting these essays may take months to write and revise, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time. While drafting, build genuine relationships with professors who may write letters of recommendation for you – they should know you well enough to vouch for your skills, aptitudes and abilities in ways not evident from standardized test scores or undergraduate GPA alone.