ED Chicago, Columbia, Texas

[nmartini8811]

I’m trying to decide which school (if any) to apply early decision to, my GPA is currently a 3.55 and I’m expecting it to go up to a 3.63 after this fall semester which put me at just about the 25 percentile or higher at the three schools. I’m currently hitting in the 160s on my practice lsat and will be trying to get as close to a 170 as possible before my test in the coming months. Would it be beneficial to apply early decision to any of these schools? I know that past data has shown that it could be beneficial at Chicago but could make it more difficult at Texas based on their guaranteed scholarship associated with ED. I’m a NY resident with a legacy at Columbia (the teaching college not the law school) and Columbia is my top choice but I’ve heard ED doesn’t do much at Columbia. Any advice on what would be my best option?

Second, let’s say I don’t apply ED to any of the schools would it still be better to submit my applications as early as possible and not wait until my fall grades get posted? As it’s likely the schools would not get back to me until late December at the earliest, could I contact the admissions at the schools I applied to and tell them I have a new transcript that I think could substantially help my application and send over my new transcript?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[Jeremy Press]

Hi nmartini8811,

These are all very good questions! The most important factor in determining your strategic approach to the application process is the one you don't know yet: your score on an official LSAT. That will shape your options accordingly, including whether an early decision application is a wise (or even a realistic) option. It's very hard to give sound advice on your approach to the ED process until you have that score. Depending on your score, it may very well be beneficial to apply to one of those schools ED, but we (and you) won't be able to say with much clarity until there's an official score on your record.

For the present, here are my two best pieces of advice: first, study as hard as you can for the LSAT, and take a test that will give you the option of applying Early Decision at some or all of these schools (preferably the September test, if you've registered for it). If you haven't registered yet, the October test is the next available test for which you can register (as the September registration deadline has passed). You'll likely have your score in time to apply ED to Chicago (deadline December 1), and it's possible (though not certain, as LSAC is currently on a 2.5-3 week timeline for most score releases) that you'll also have your score in time to apply ED to Columbia (deadline November 15). When you have that score, post your question again, and we'll be able to give more concrete (and more helpful) advice on a strategic approach.

Second, have every one of your other application materials in pristine condition and ready to submit by the early decision deadlines for each of those schools. It takes time to prepare a good personal statement, and also to assemble letters of recommendation from the appropriate sources, so give yourself plenty of time with those elements of the application.

With regard to your GPA question, if you want a school to take into account your fall grades, you do not get much (if any) benefit from submitting your application before those grades are available. You can submit your application early, and then call and ask a school to hold the application until that time. But what happens in that case is that you will be reviewed in the batch of applications that are reviewed after your fall grades are available. So, for rolling admissions purposes, you are effectively in the same boat as anyone who has just submitted their complete application. Whether that is a decision you should pursue (or whether you should apply early, and ask schools to review you before fall grades are available) is also going to depend heavily on your LSAT score.

In the meantime, best of luck studying for the LSAT, and please let us know if there's any way we can help with that process!

I hope this helps!

Jeremy