Hey everyone,
I was hoping y'all could give me some advice on whether to apply ED to Columbia. Some background about me:
LSAT: October 177
uGPA: 3.9
Postgrad (M.A.) GPA: 4.0
Other softs/ECs:
2 full-time internships (40 hours/week), 3 part-time internships (20 hours/week); policy-related/adjacent
Thesis completed under a faculty advisor
Board member/treasurer of a residential cooperative
Black belt
Somewhatish compelling narrative / essays
Immigrant parents, mixed-race, LGBTQ+
Preface: I am really grateful to have scored so well on the October LSAT. However, I am now a lot more unsure of how to go about my applications. I am applying to most of the T-14s and some T25s as well. For the past year, Columbia has been my top choice: I love NYC, family ties to Columbia, and, of course, it is an Ivy.
Before I got my October LSAT score back, I was pretty sure I wanted to ED to Columbia. I am lucky that cost is not a deciding factor for me, and I did not think that I had a chance at Harvard (so I was OK with locking myself in for the marginal benefit that ED gives, as well as the benefit of knowing my decision by the end of December). Truthfully, I think I would be happier at Columbia, and I still really want to go there. That said, with my new LSAT score, I'm wondering whether I would regret giving up the opportunity to see how my application fares at Harvard. Besides those two schools, my top choices would be: NYU and then (in no specific order) Berkeley, Duke, Michigan, GULC, UCLA, and UT.
What would y'all do in my position? ED to Columbia? Play the odds? I'll take any advice and/or perspectives I can get! Thank you guys.
6 comments
This is why I don’t even consider Early Decision through a strategic lens - it’s apt to drive you crazy and it would only lead to second guessing. Sigh!
My own advice for ED is that it can make sense as long as the school is you clear #1 choice and the fin aid policy for ED admits works for you. But if your reaction to being admitted would be “yay … but I hope I hear from Harvard in the next few hours,” that would seem to indicate that you’d be better applying RD everywhere.
@JacobBaska Thank you for the advice! I really appreciate it. I am unsure if I want to work in DC or NYC long term, and so I am thinking of applying RD to Columbia instead of ED and leaving my options open for UVA and other schools that place better in DC.
I was in a similar spot as well with a 176 LSAT in August and a 3.9 UGPA. I was having the same considerations prior to getting my new score, and still ended up applying ED last month. It is still my dream school for the location, proximity to family, and for the specific career prospects I want. It sounds like the same goes for you. If your heart is set on Columbia then you should do it, unless you would be truly unhappy with the thought that you could have gone to Harvard. Best of luck!
@ArjanAiden Wow! Super similar stats to me and goals seemingly! That's cool. I was set on NYC long-term, but I am having a bit of a change of heart, and I may want to do DC instead (I went to undergrad there). For now, I am planning to hold off on ED and leave my options open to schools that place better there. Maybe I'll change my mind again before the deadline...who knows. Thank you for the advice!
I was in a similar position to you after the September LSAT, but not as good as an applicant lol. Where I landed was “why would I change now after telling everyone I wanted to go to X school?” If cost truly isn’t a factor, then you have to ask yourself if you were going to ED to Columbia to compensate for a lower score, or if you truly want to go to there. Sounds like you do actually want to go there. Then, look at it this way, if you get into Columbia, woohoo, you’re done and you go to one of the best law schools in the country. If you don’t, or get deferred, you still see how your strong application fairs at Harvard and elsewhere.
@Walrus Really helpful. Thank you for the advice! :)