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Law school admissions differ greatly from undergraduate admissions; with more deadlines and specific requirements such as writing personal statements and supplemental essays for each school applied to, and more deadlines and specific deadlines.
Registration with the Law School Admission Council, known as LSAC, will also be necessary in order to submit your LSAT scores and transcripts as official reports for each school that interests you.
Applying to law school is an intensive and time-consuming process, and to make sure you have ample time for your applications it’s vital that you plan ahead and understand the timeline.
Most schools open applications in the fall; however, exact dates vary. Some have strict/final deadlines while others allow admissions committees to review applications on an ongoing basis – meaning submitting later is no necessarily detrimental.
As soon as your personal statement and other application components have been prepared, submit them to LSAC along with two faculty evaluations and apply early decision if desired; early decision applications are binding and you must withdraw all applications submitted separately if accepted; this may be advantageous if there’s one law school you know for certain you want to attend.
Law school applications that stand out are those completed carefully and thoughtfully, taking time to proofread personal statements, optional essays and applications as well as update resumes and secure recommenders who will write powerful letters of support.
Preparation will depend on your unique circumstances; ideally it should begin in the summer between your junior year in college and graduation and last through fall. Some students may require additional LSAT practice tests and/or retakes and should consider taking an in-person tutor or online prep course for optimal preparation.
If you are applying to NYU’s binding early decision program, it is crucial to submit your applications by November 1. Acceptance under this program is binding; once accepted, all other schools where you applied must withdraw. Furthermore, as more applicants apply and more law schools fill seats more quickly.
Submitting law school applications early is generally advised; this allows ample time for you to complete all required application materials – LSAC credential assembly services reports and two faculty evaluations, personal statements and diversity essays (with meticulous editing), plus finding recommendation writers.
Early decision applications allow students the chance to negotiate scholarships before institutions require (often binding) deposits toward your tuition fee.
Your goal should not be to rush your application in order to meet school-mandated deadlines; take the necessary time and care in creating applications with as strong an impact as possible – remembering that quality applications matter more than GPA or LSAT scores in law school admissions! Your personal statement, recommendations and essays must all be written with great thought and care in order to increase chances of admissions.
If you plan on applying to law school this fall, now is the time to get prepared. This includes studying for and taking the LSAT; researching schools of interest; collecting letters of recommendation and updating grades through CAS; as well as working on law school essays (which may differ depending on which schools).
As early in the application cycle as possible, it is wise to begin sending emails to recommenders and writing your personal statement draft. Rushing an application could cause it to fall through without you receiving acceptance and scholarships! This is especially relevant for schools that use rolling admissions since these schools will start reviewing applications immediately after receiving them; this may result in interview invitations being extended early enough in the cycle to make the difference between waitlisting or being admitted.