Timeline for law school application/ scholarships

LSATTrev

My original plan was to take the upcoming LSAT in June, but I realized the error of my ways and decided I could use a LOT more time to study. My GPA sucks, so I'm relying more heavily on the exam than most. So, I intend to take the December/January test in about 6 months.

I spoke to some people familiar with the admissions process, and one of them advised me to begin the application process ASAP (maybe about 10 months before I'd begin school) because scholarships are limited and many are claimed early on. So my question is this: if I take the LSAT at such a late juncture, should I then hold off on applying to schools until the next cycle (18 months hence)?

This is also working on the assumption that most law schools only permit L1s to begin in the autumn semester rather than allowing entry bi-annually like most undergraduate programs.

Anyone have any thoughts?

ebalde1234

I've been in the same boat as you - in fact I put off applying for 12 months , because I hadn't taken the lsat and most schools operate on rolling admissions.

Most here and throughout the course would advise to take the PT diag. see where you sit and how much prep you need, I've had friends prep in 2 months ( not advised - I think they were geniuses tbh) but the standrd time frame for lsat prep is about 4/6 months give or take.
Again this depends on how well you score, what your target score is, and what the compt score of the schools you are applying for.
Always adv to take the lsat before the application to see whether you should prep more or apply for that cycle. Law school app ( and Im talking about Canadian schools) are not that lengthy hardest/longest section is the personal statement.

GPA and LSAT are the main factors and hence should be given the greatest amt of time.
You could always see if you could retake some courses to bring your marks up - if they allow you to.

THERE are no hard and fast rules to get a high lsat score because everyone learns/starts at a diff point.
Having done other courses 7sage is pretty good - go through the CC , do the practice questions , do PT untimed- then start doing them timed once you have the material down.

The main things are - figure out the admissions process/important dates for the schools you want to apply to, figure out what your initial lsat score is and develop a schedule that is realistic that can get you to the score you need. Best of luck - remember the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

arscolavino

I would suggest applying as soon as possible. The earlier the better. If you are relying heavily on scholarship money, as most people are, I wouldn't apply any later than the first week of October. Nonetheless, depending on what schools you want to attend; the higher the LSAT the more school will be inclined to give you money.

What schools did you have in mind?

TexAgAaron

Depends how bad you want to go this coming cycle. While taking the Nov/Dec exam isn't the end all be all, the cycle will be half complete by the time your score is out and a good portion of spots/$$$ will be gone. I like playing the percentages and want to give myself the best possible chance. If you are that concerned about GPA, then why not just wait a cycle and give yourself an excellent chance at a superior LSAT score?

Your chances go up a significant amount by applying early. Again, this is a general opinion and much of it depends on certain variables (your diagnostic, where are you wanting to go, etc.).

FlashLSAT

Im in a similar position having decided to postpone taking it this year until January 2019! But being since your GPA is low I truly believe you are making the right decision. Essentially your giving yourself more time to focus on one of the most important factors on your application. Instead of applying earlier hoping for a miracle admission from dream schools and $$$!

tylerdschreur10

I think you can succeed applying in January, but it is definitely a little late in the game. I would seriously suggest trying to have a personal statement ready and applications initiated before taking the lsat. Ideally you would send applications out the minute your lsat score is posted.

LivingThatLSATdream

"Beginning the application process", as your friends put it, is more or less looking at schools you'd be interested in attending, looking over their LSAT and GPA percentiles, and then determining where you should be scoring in order to have a high likelihood of acceptance. Then the next step in the application process is studying for the LSAT. Studying and taking the LSAT is one of the biggest components to the application cycle so you should start that as soon as you decide you want to attend law school and have some sort of time frame in mind. If you are studying, you are beginning the application process. Don't get a head of yourself with the essays. Check out this page to get a better understanding of non-LSAT components of the application.

7sage... https://7sage.com/admissions/law-school-admissions-primer/

Worrying about when you hit "submit" should not be the focus. You can run numbers and application times at mylsn.info to get a better idea of when is best to submit your application, the earlier the better like many state. That website helped me decide to postpone applications after taking the December 2017 exam and pushed me to retake. I know some that applied with their December 2017 scores and weren't happy with their cycles and are either retesting and reapplying or just reapplying. You'll know more about what to do when once you have an LSAT score.

Also, there is no magic time that it takes to learn and beat the LSAT. Push the exam if you need to. Push applying if you need to. If $$$ matters to you and I'm assuming it does, you'll want to put yourself in the best possible position by scoring as high as possible on the LSAT. As a fellow splitter, I feel the same necessary intensity. 7sage is a great place to learn! Good luck and just take it one day at a time!

LSATTrev

Hey everybody! I'm a horse's ass and I forgot I ever made this thread. Somehow just discovered my notifications section of 7sage, and rediscovered this post :0

I ended up deciding to wait. Plan is to take the test in Summer 2019, give myself plenty of time. Some of my family thinks I'm crazy for waiting so long, but I know I made the right decision. Everybody keep pushing, this test is a beast but it's not invincible. I feel like the greater timespan has given some of the core concepts more time to sink in. Good luck everyone