International Student here! Some questions

hello1002

Hi guys, I'm an international student from a foreign undergrad that took the Dec Lsat.

Basic information about myself
LSAT: 174 (First try)
GPA: It's 3.9 on a 4.0 scale, but I think foreign undergrads are classified as Superior (with this level of GPA)
Softs: Some moot court competition wins, about a year of intern experience at a domestic law firm
LOR: 2 from professors, 1 from the lawyer I worked under (All strong)

I have two main questions!

1. I understand that Yale and Stanford don't admit too many foreign undergrads and that out of HYS, I have the best chances with Harvard. I think the earliest I'll get my applications in is by mid-January. Would that be too late in the cycle? I might be able to intern at another law firm starting from late January. Should I maybe just wait for the next cycle?

2. If I applied and was accepted to Columbia but rejected by Harvard, could I defer the Columbia offer and apply to Harvard the next cycle? This is pretty common in my country, but I get the feeling it wouldn't be acceptable in the States.

Some people might wonder why I seem obsessed with Harvard, but it's because I plan to return to my country later on. All the domestic lawyers I've met tell me that name-value is everything if I want to enter a big firm here

Thanks!

pickupel

I’m in a very similar situation (international applicant with173 LSAT, ‘superior’ GPA assessment). I’ll try and answer your questions:

1. January is not too late in the cycle to apply. However, given international applicants seem to have less predictable cycles, it may give you a slight boost to apply in the first wave next year.

2. I don’t think you can apply to other schools while holding a deferred acceptance at Columbia. You would have to relinquish your spot in order to reapply.

I hope that helps. Good luck with your applications!