Harvard "Priority Deadline" (tonight) vs "Regular Deadline" (March 1)?

Noise Dogood

Not sure if this is common knowledge, but what is the significance of Harvard's priority deadline? (Feb. 1). Does applying by the priority deadline rather than by the regular deadline (March 1) leave an advantage beyond the normal advantage of applying earlier?

I didn't realize this until logging on to the application today — there's a chance I can finalize everything by the priority deadline (tonight, basically), but it would be rushed. I'm wondering if there's a significant benefit to the "priority deadline".

Excellent.Fondue

Following.

123456123

The benefit comes in not only receiving an earlier decision on your application, but also potentially locking in a position before spots become more limited. "Less competition" so to speak. Usually this is an attractive option if you have a strong application and are prepared to apply. Completely up to your discretion!

-Best of luck!

Noise Dogood

Right but the "less competition" exists for any earlier application, I'm just curious what difference the Feb. 1 "priority" deadline makes

VerdantZephyr

They may batch all applications that are priority and address them all first. Not all schools necessarily address applications in first come first served order. They may sort them by what they currently need this cycle, for example LSAT versus GPA, or by some other metric like diversity factor or in-state or whatever. I would guess that regardless of how they determine the order they address applications in, they address the priority applications first.

I didn't pay attention to this, but was considering applying to Harvard to see if I could get in/to help with scholarship negotiations with other T14 schools. I would honestly most likely not attend there over my top choices elsewhere in the T14, unless they gave me a major scholarship (highly unlikely) and my lower ranked top choices didn't, but explaining to friends and coworkers overseas what I have been trying to achieve the last 8 months makes a lot more sense to them if they have heard of the schools I am applying to. "I got scholarship offers at Virginia, Michigan, and Cornell" doesn't mean a lot to overseas friends unfamiliar with US law schools, but most have some understanding of what it might mean to say "I got into Harvard." I guess if I want to concede to vanity I need to do it a bit quicker next time.