Applications, the sooner the better?

JinnyKim

Hello, I'm applying for the upcoming cycle and I'm concerned with when I should apply.
There are some application websites that explicitly state that it's better if I apply as early as possible.
I was initially planning to apply between late September-early October.
But I'm starting to wonder if I should aim for early September.
Do you think this could make a difference on my admission results?

MissChanandler

Yes, absolutely, although the difference between early September vs. late September isn't going to make nearly as much of a difference as say September vs. January. If applying a few weeks earlier would result in a sloppier application, then I would take those extra couple of weeks for polishing up your essays etc., but generally the earlier you can get them in the better.

blah blah

Outside of comparing something like Nov. vs Jan., your best bet is to just look at mylsn's admissions graphs for the schools you're interested in. Some seem to release their decisions in batches, which potentially makes early Sept. versus late Oct. probably irrelevant. Harvard is a pretty clear case of this, but let's look at Vandy's.

If you look at Vandy's timeline (http://mylsn.info/d/vanderbilt/1718-NoED/), you'll see that someone who got in their app in late August received their decision on November 8th, the same date as someone who got in their app on Nov. 2nd. You'll also see that a September app actually received a decision in December. So if you're applying to Vandy, I wouldn't be splitting hairs over early Sept. and mid-Oct — just get the best app in before thanksgiving.

Others seem to have a more linear timeline, so the earlier you apply, the earlier the decision. But even the earliest of linear timelines seem to start mid-Oct. I wouldn't split hairs over early Sept. versus October. But do check out the graphs for yourself.

JinnyKim

Thanks for the comments! It helped make up my mind

David Busis

Hi everyone! We talk extensively about timing in this lesson: https://7sage.com/admissions/lesson/affects-chances-getting-law-school/

We even came up with a statistical model to quantify the importance of timing!

Many law school admissions officers are traveling in the fall, however, so I wouldn't be surprised if our model over-estimates the difference between, say, an October and a November submission date. As long as you apply before Thanksgiving, you'll still be early.