As half the country emerges from sub-zero temperatures, law school admissions officers are likely not in the office but reading instead from the safety of their laptops at home. Why risk life and limb to venture to the office when the outside world looks like this
and when your main task at this time of year (file reading) is all internet-based? So let’s be kindred spirits with our AdComm brethren, put on a jacket and climb under some blankets, and take a quick spin through this week’s law school admissions numbers.
National App Figures and LSAT Registrations
It appears that we’ve reached a stasis point! The story of the autumn was that applicants and applications were running far behind the previous year but—slowly and surely—the current year numbers kept catching up. This is the first week where that’s not the case! Last week, national applications were up 4.1% versus last year and applications were down 1.7%. Checking in on this week’s data via LSAC’s Current Volume Summaries report:
Applicants have increased by 0.1% and applications have decreased by 0.1%. My friends, this is a plateau. We’re seeing similar information when we consider the breakdown of applicants by LSAT scores, especially in the T14 zone of 170-174. Last week, those applicants were down 4.7% versus last year. This week … drumroll!
Still down 4.7%!
The last chance for moving these numbers will play out after the January LSAT scores go live on the 31st. Speaking of which, LSAC’s LSAT Registrants and Test Taker Volumes report shows us that the final registration numbers for last week’s January LSAT were nearly 26,000—an increase of 26% versus last year:
While that’s certainly a big increase, it’s worth noting that registrations were almost at 30,000 students two weeks ago. So before we get too excited about a possible boost of apps in the coming weeks—let alone in February given that month’s 55% increase in registrations—let’s see the numbers once the scores come back at the end of the month.
Decisions Keep Rolling
And with file reading continuing, so are admissions decisions. This week saw waves from up and down the rankings—you had your NorCal on both sides of the Bay; your SoCal; your DC (and adjacent) schools; and so on. Expect this to continue in the coming weeks. Even the schools that have been slow to issue decisions are well aware that we’ve typically received 60% of national apps by mid-January. There’s still time to go, but the die has been cast and it’s time to start telling students what their decisions are.
Upcoming Law Fairs
A quick reminder for our readers Down South and in the Seattle area that you have a few law fairs coming up next week! Whether you’ve already applied or are looking ahead to next year, this is a great opportunity to network with admissions officers and learn more about their schools.
January 20
January 22
January 23
January 24
January 25
January 26
And when we peek ahead to February, LSAC’s next Digital Forum will be on February 2 with a registration deadline of January 31. If you’re a last-minute applicant, this is a good opportunity to drop in a few chat rooms and get some “notable quotables” for your school-specific statements!
7Sage Admissions Classes
And another quick reminder for our readers looking ahead to the next admissions cycle (or those in need of immediate triage!) that we are continuing our Zoom admissions courses next week. We will go through each part of a typical application to discuss how admissions officers use each aspect in their evaluation. Hopefully this will help to demystify the process and give you a bit of guidance going forward!