Applying to Law Schools

[JoshFrank]

Hi everyone,

Hope all is well. I am currently applying to law school, with the hope of being accepted to a school in Fall 2019. I am reaching out to ask for advice about a predicament I find myself in.

I plan to take the LSAT this coming November and will submit my applications in December. I am applying to a few T-14 schools (was waitlisted for Cornell Law School and Northwestern Law School last year) and thought that perhaps December might be late to submit my application. Is it excessive for me to write a letter to law schools saying that I intend to apply? Is there anything else that I can do, until December, to show law schools that I am interested, or is it best to do nothing until then? I am also planning to visit campuses and participate in campus tours.

Thank you for your time.

[Ben DiFabbio]

Hi Josh,

I think your plan to apply in December is totally fine, and there is little chance that your application will be considered punitively "late" at that point in the cycle. December applications are basically mid-cycle, and they come in before the historic post-holiday flood of applications that come through in early January. If all else is equal, a December application should perform pretty much as its numbers predict, neither better nor worse.

I don't think writing a letter of intent to apply to particular schools would do much to help your future application, although I wouldn't say it would be perceived as excessive. As long as it's polite, concise, and free from error, a letter of intent to apply is unlikely to hurt you. However, any communication with admissions committees comes with some risk of error (typographical or otherwise), and I can't imagine any measurable benefit of a letter of intent that would outweigh it.

Visiting campuses and taking tours of law schools that interest you is a great idea, though! Even if it doesn't help your admissions chances, it will make the decisions easier on the other end if you get an admissions offer. Talking to students and faculty about their impressions of the school can help you tailor your application materials to that school and inform your optional "Why X?" essays, should you choose to submit them.

Best of luck!

- Ben