I'm in the same boat. I contacted the admissions offices of all the schools I intend on applying to. They all stated something similar: that they would much rather a strong, competitive application that is submitted later in the cycle as opposed to a rushed one that is submitted earlier. Also, that they will still give scholarships to those applying later in the priority cycle, so long as the application is submitted before the priority deadline.
I was super worried about this, so it was very encouraging and helpful to hear directly from the admissions offices. I recommend that you email your schools' admissions as well, to hear those words directly from them. But honestly, based on what I have heard from my schools and various tutors, do not be too concerned about the timeliness of the Jan LSAT. Have your personal statement, diversity statement, and applications ready to go. As soon as you receive your score, you can just submit everything. I would personally much rather submit apps a bit "late" with a higher LSAT score, and therefore a higher chance of being accepted, than to submit earlier with a lower LSAT (and therefore lower chance of being accepted).
Good luck! You are really going to be okay. Study hard. We're all in this together. You're gonna kill the Jan LSAT!
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I'm in the same boat. I contacted the admissions offices of all the schools I intend on applying to. They all stated something similar: that they would much rather a strong, competitive application that is submitted later in the cycle as opposed to a rushed one that is submitted earlier. Also, that they will still give scholarships to those applying later in the priority cycle, so long as the application is submitted before the priority deadline.
I was super worried about this, so it was very encouraging and helpful to hear directly from the admissions offices. I recommend that you email your schools' admissions as well, to hear those words directly from them. But honestly, based on what I have heard from my schools and various tutors, do not be too concerned about the timeliness of the Jan LSAT. Have your personal statement, diversity statement, and applications ready to go. As soon as you receive your score, you can just submit everything. I would personally much rather submit apps a bit "late" with a higher LSAT score, and therefore a higher chance of being accepted, than to submit earlier with a lower LSAT (and therefore lower chance of being accepted).
Good luck! You are really going to be okay. Study hard. We're all in this together. You're gonna kill the Jan LSAT!
I am on the same boat, thank you for the insightful comment @amanda.n98!
Thank you for the comforting insight! Will heed your advice and remain in touch with each admissions office regarding my application timeline.