Pros/Cons of ED/EA? Forum

[TennesseeJed]

So, I'm a rising Senior at a T-15 school (although I did transfer in) with a GPA of 3.64. As I'm currently hitting my stride academically, I expect it to rise to maybe even a 3.7 after the first semester, and then even more by the end of the academic year. I got a 157 on my diagnostic LSAT, which I'm happy with, as I have plenty of time to improve (and I have), especially considering my summer commitments are about to free up significantly.

I know my GPA, especially as it is now, will be a hindrance to getting accepted to top schools unless I absolutely crush the LSAT, so my question is whether or not I should apply ED or wait until my GPA picks up. I am pretty confident that I can score high 160s/low 170s by the time October comes around, but of course this is all hypothetical.

Schools I have in mind:

-GW
-American
-Boston U.
-BC
-University of Tennessee
-University of Alabama
-Vanderbilt (currently attending and have connections, but I really think I want to get out of the state for a while)
-UVA (long shot, but I love the school and area, and I also have some family that attended)
-Duke (same as above)

Any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks

[dixon02]

So, I'm a rising Senior at a T-15 school (although I did transfer in) with a GPA of 3.64. As I'm currently hitting my stride academically, I expect it to rise to maybe even a 3.7 after the first semester, and then even more by the end of the academic year. I got a 157 on my diagnostic LSAT, which I'm happy with, as I have plenty of time to improve (and I have), especially considering my summer commitments are about to free up significantly.

I know my GPA, especially as it is now, will be a hindrance to getting accepted to top schools unless I absolutely crush the LSAT, so my question is whether or not I should apply ED or wait until my GPA picks up. I am pretty confident that I can score high 160s/low 170s by the time October comes around, but of course this is all hypothetical.

Schools I have in mind:

-GW
-American
-Boston U.
-BC
-University of Tennessee
-University of Alabama
-Vanderbilt (currently attending and have connections, but I really think I want to get out of the state for a while)
-UVA (long shot, but I love the school and area, and I also have some family that attended)
-Duke (same as above)

Any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks

It's impossible to give ED advice before you have an actual LSAT score. Generally, people who ED are either splitters or a little below both medians and looking for that extra boost. The schools you've listed stretch across a pretty enormous range, so it's really not possible to say what you should do. Your GPA, however, will not hold you back from any of those schools if you actually do hit low 170s.

[TennesseeJed]

Thanks for the response, and yeah, the schools I would do ED for would be of the UVA/Duke etc. caliber. I plan on applying to UT, for instance, as a fallback school and would so as a regular decision, as I've heard ED oftentimes cuts in to potential scholarship money.

[Tom Joad]

Your GPA isn't that bad. Just get a 170 plus on the LSAT and you should be T14 safe somewhere.

A 157 diagnostic is a great starting point. Set your goals high.