Took the December test - First LSAT ever. Should I wait to send in my application?

garretthmjohnson

I'm also waiting on a couple of my recommenders to finish their letters for me. So at the very least, I need to wait for them... Right? Should I send my incomplete applications in, and supplement the letters later? Is it going to hurt my application that it will be coming in close to the deadline?

I've heard that getting the apps in as early as possible is important for the T14 schools, but for the rest, it makes very little difference. Any thoughts? Thanks!

TabbyG123

The sooner the application is sent in the better. Although they will not review your application until your application has your score, the earlier you turn in a completed application, the closer to the top it will be when those schools start to review their December LSAT applications. Also, the sooner you can get it off your chest, the better!

Whether or not an application is going to be strongly impacted by being late in the cycle is a factor of 1. The strength and qualities of your application, 2. The school itself, and 3. The applicant pool.

If a school is really, really hoping for a student with X demographic and you happen to fit that demographic and you send in a decent application later in the cycle, but the school hasn't received that demographic in the pool yet, then you are going to look very good to them compared to applicants of equal test scores.

The issue is that T14 schools get so many applications that they don't have a hard time building the diverse law school class that they want and still have tons of those applicants with stellar scores.

garretthmjohnson

Hey Nicolas! Thanks for the response. In addition to my score, what I'm really waiting for is two crucial letters of recommendation - I don't think it would make sense for me to send in the application without those being in it, right? Will schools accept letters of recommendation that come in later than the rest of the application?