Advice on balancing essays, applications & LSAT studying for Dec. exam?

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• 1 Like

  Alex Alum Member ⭐

  August 2017 23929 karma

  @"lc829-1" said:
  I just started studying for the December exam with 7sage (I did take it once before tho) and will also start working on my PS, DS, resume and other components of the applications. Does anyone who works full-time have advice on how to balance the time I spend studying with app prep these next two months so it doesn't affect my LSAT prep? I won't get my score until Jan. 4th but I'd like to send my apps as early as possible.

  ALSO, my GPA is just average (3.5) but I know my LSAT score reach a 165-170. Should I still send my apps without my score (or will they get automatically turned down due to my GPA?)

  Thanks so much!

  Hey! I have been studying and working full time for a while now. To balance everything I suggest doing a little each day. I worked on what eventually became my personal statement, essentially sentence by sentence and paragraph by paragraph. Sometimes during my lunch break or downtime instead of coming on here, i'd just add a few lines to my PS/DS.

  Basically I advocate just doing little by little when you have the chance. I figured if worse came to worse I could always finish my PS/DS/App while I was waiting for my LSAT score to come back, so I always made studying a priority.

  No, you definitely won't get turned away automatically with a 3.5 GPA. I guess it depends on where you're applying and if you have sufficient time to finish everything, but I think sending in before you get your score back in January is a wise idea. There's a notorious deluge of apps that come into schools after the holidays. So it might be advantageous to get your app in and just have to wait for a score.

  Good luck!
• bcallahan95 Alum Member

  August 2017 64 karma

  @"Alex Divine" does waiting for a score and and sending in your application without your scores back yet mean your scores will get sent automatically once they come in? Is it better to do this than wait for them to come back in January and send everything in at once then?
• 1 Like

  Alex Alum Member ⭐

  August 2017 23929 karma

  @bcallahan95 said:
  @"Alex Divine" does waiting for a score and and sending in your application without your scores back yet mean your scores will get sent automatically once they come in? Is it better to do this than wait for them to come back in January and send everything in at once then?

  Yes, all things being equal, this is the better approach.

  I'd aim to submit the applications by Thanksgiving if you can (or at the latest just after the LSAT in those first few weeks of December). I know that it means you'd be submitting applications without knowing your score, but if at that point you're feeling more confident about your score, better to get the apps in before January. The schools will begin processing your application when they receive it, and it will remain incomplete until they receive your score. But at least once they receive the score your application is ready to be forwarded to committee for review. If you wait until January to apply, you're delaying the processing of the application by at least a few weeks. Plus it is right after the holiday break - many admissions offices are closed for the week from Christmas to New Year's - so there is always a deluge of applications and mail when they return, so the processing time is even longer than it is in the fall.
• LauraC829 Alum Member

  August 2017 218 karma

  @"Alex Divine" said:

  @bcallahan95 said:
  @"Alex Divine" does waiting for a score and and sending in your application without your scores back yet mean your scores will get sent automatically once they come in? Is it better to do this than wait for them to come back in January and send everything in at once then?

  Yes, all things being equal, this is the better approach.

  I'd aim to submit the applications by Thanksgiving if you can (or at the latest just after the LSAT in those first few weeks of December). I know that it means you'd be submitting applications without knowing your score, but if at that point you're feeling more confident about your score, better to get the apps in before January. The schools will begin processing your application when they receive it, and it will remain incomplete until they receive your score. But at least once they receive the score your application is ready to be forwarded to committee for review. If you wait until January to apply, you're delaying the processing of the application by at least a few weeks. Plus it is right after the holiday break - many admissions offices are closed for the week from Christmas to New Year's - so there is always a deluge of applications and mail when they return, so the processing time is even longer than it is in the fall.

  Thank you!! I thought they maybe didn't look at the application or begin processing it at all until the score arrived, but this is great to know!