What Can I Make of This? Forum

[b.j.]

Today, I received four separate e-mails from different schools that encouraged me to apply. I have received this from no-name schools in the past (Phoenix and Ohio Northern, for instance) and also at least one wishing me luck on the LSAT (from WUSTL), but each of the schools that contacted me today were pretty decent (i.e. not Cooley). Going from the bottom up, we have Hofstra, the University of Denver, Richmond, and Baylor.

All of them were fairly general and told me that that got my information from LSAC. Hofstra didn't mentioned anything about a fee waiver. Baylor told me that if I applied online, it would be free, but I assume that this was the case for everyone who got the e-mail. Denver talked about a fee waiver in the subject line, but didn't mention it in the e-mail. Richmond said it was offering me "a special application fee waiver," although it's unclear to me how special it really is.

Is this anything to be happy about? I mean, it's certainly not bad, but my GPA isn't good, and my LSAT score (159) isn't where it is going to be once I take it over in February. (Positive thinking, right?) I'm not a minority in any sense and I can't see how they'd consider me a special economic case, since I never applied for a fee waiver to take the LSAT.

What exactly can I make of this?

[BenJ]

It doesn't hurt to apply if you have fee waivers. But fee waivers are not at all good indications of likelihood of admittance, especially unsolicited fee waivers.

You may want to wait and apply in September for the 2011 cycle. Applying early on in a cycle would give you much better chances anywhere you apply than this close to the deadline.

Honestly, they're probably trying to lower their admittance % by encouraging people with below-average stats to apply and be rejected. You could stand a chance with a new LSAT score, but I don't think a 159 will cut it at any of those (maybe Hofstra).

[b.j.]

It doesn't hurt to apply if you have fee waivers. But fee waivers are not at all good indications of likelihood of admittance, especially unsolicited fee waivers.

You may want to wait and apply in September for the 2011 cycle. Applying early on in a cycle would give you much better chances anywhere you apply than this close to the deadline.

That's kind of what I figured. The only one that sounded kind of special was Richmond, but I don't see why they'd be so eager to have me.

As far as it being too late to apply, a lot of the schools I'm looking at have deadlines in March or even April. I'm a little behind, mostly because I keep having issues with my personal statement, but I don't see how I am going to be screwed if I send in an application due March 15 during the first week of Februrary. I can understand how it might be a waste to apply to a school that has a February 1 deadline well after that deadline if I can't get everything done on time, but that's different. If the school wanted applications a lot earlier, why would it make the deadline later?

[BenJ]

It doesn't hurt to apply if you have fee waivers. But fee waivers are not at all good indications of likelihood of admittance, especially unsolicited fee waivers.

You may want to wait and apply in September for the 2011 cycle. Applying early on in a cycle would give you much better chances anywhere you apply than this close to the deadline.

That's kind of what I figured. The only one that sounded kind of special was Richmond, but I don't see why they'd be so eager to have me.

As far as it being too late to apply, a lot of the schools I'm looking at have deadlines in March or even April. I'm a little behind, mostly because I keep having issues with my personal statement, but I don't see how I am going to be screwed if I send in an application due March 15 during the first week of Februrary. I can understand how it might be a waste to apply to a school that has a February 1 deadline well after that deadline if I can't get everything done on time, but that's different. If the school wanted applications a lot earlier, why would it make the deadline later?

True, but they tend to rely on getting the leavings of people who were rejected from higher schools and are applying to weaker schools. Without knowing your GPA (guessing 2.8-3.2?), I'm thinking Hofstra would admit you, but the others only will if you improve your score.

[b.j.]

It doesn't hurt to apply if you have fee waivers. But fee waivers are not at all good indications of likelihood of admittance, especially unsolicited fee waivers.

You may want to wait and apply in September for the 2011 cycle. Applying early on in a cycle would give you much better chances anywhere you apply than this close to the deadline.

That's kind of what I figured. The only one that sounded kind of special was Richmond, but I don't see why they'd be so eager to have me.

As far as it being too late to apply, a lot of the schools I'm looking at have deadlines in March or even April. I'm a little behind, mostly because I keep having issues with my personal statement, but I don't see how I am going to be screwed if I send in an application due March 15 during the first week of Februrary. I can understand how it might be a waste to apply to a school that has a February 1 deadline well after that deadline if I can't get everything done on time, but that's different. If the school wanted applications a lot earlier, why would it make the deadline later?

True, but they tend to rely on getting the leavings of people who were rejected from higher schools and are applying to weaker schools. Without knowing your GPA (guessing 2.8-3.2?), I'm thinking Hofstra would admit you, but the others only will if you improve your score.

Eh, what the hell, I'll tell you. It's a 2.47, because I switched majors. (It's pretty clear if you look at my transcript, and I plan to include a GPA addendum.)

The LSAC calculcator tells me I have a good shot at Hofstra but not particularly great chances at a lot of other schools I considered applying to, like Richmond. That's why I am taking the LSAT again.

I'm also considering part time programs. I don't know if they have a separate team evaluating the part time applicants and/or if they are judged any differently (i.e. less harshly), but from what I've seen, they tend to have fewer applications and somewhat lower stats. Plus, some of the deadlines are later.

[twopoodles]

Though the deadlines are a couple months away, most schools do admissions on a rolling basis, and they say so on their websites, etc.. So, why you are still considered in late February, they have probably already admitted a couple hundred applicants.

[thwalls]

Dude, I received an invitation to apply today from UVA. With my numbers if I ever DREAMED of getting into UVA Law I'd have to wake up and apologize.

Lambs to the slaughter my friend.

[b.j.]

Dude, I received an invitation to apply today from UVA. With my numbers if I ever DREAMED of getting into UVA Law I'd have to wake up and apologize.

Lambs to the slaughter my friend.

What are your numbers?

[thwalls]

Dude, I received an invitation to apply today from UVA. With my numbers if I ever DREAMED of getting into UVA Law I'd have to wake up and apologize.

Lambs to the slaughter my friend.

What are your numbers?

3.23/161, though I am a VA resident...

[b.j.]

Though the deadlines are a couple months away, most schools do admissions on a rolling basis, and they say so on their websites, etc.. So, why you are still considered in late February, they have probably already admitted a couple hundred applicants.

I understand that, and while I think that applying well after a deadline does significantly hurt your chances, I don't see how applying two weeks or six weeks before the deadline is going to make a difference one way or another. Sure, it's possible to get in right away if your numbers are above what they would normally be looking for, but if you're on the fence, and you apply six weeks versus two weeks before the deadline, why is it going to make a difference? If there's no chance, there's no chance. But each school has a particular deadline for a reason. They might have already accepted a couple hundred of applicants, but do they usually fill their classes well before the deadline and then just stop accepting applicants after that, no matter what the numbers are? I'd like to see some proof of anything resembling that.

I do plan on applying to schools as early as I can, just so I don't have to rush everything at the last minute. The school that I somehow imagine myself ending up at doesn't have a deadline until April 1, but I hope to have everything in by March 1 for every school. I am just not sure if there's any point in sending away anything right now, since I don't have my personal statement, among other things, quite done.

[b.j.]

Dude, I received an invitation to apply today from UVA. With my numbers if I ever DREAMED of getting into UVA Law I'd have to wake up and apologize.

Lambs to the slaughter my friend.

What are your numbers?

3.23/161, though I am a VA resident...

Was it an invitation to apply or a fee waiver? (Is there a difference?)

As I said before, Baylor's e-mail made it seem like it was meant for everyone, but Richmond's didn't.

Although, in the end, if I am applying for free, what the hell do I care? Even if I get rejected, it's not like I wasted anything but a few minutes of my time.

[goosey]

The reason it hurts to apply that late is because if there are 5000 ppl competing for 300 seats, it is far less competitive than 1000 people competing for 10 seats. In the former, there are 16 ppl competing for each sear, in the latter there are 200 ppl competing for the same seat. You significantly hurt your chances at schools that you may not have the numbers for but would have liked something else about you. And with a low gpa, unless you have 175 I can't see how march won't hurt you.

[ec2xs]

Baylor is free for anyone. Richmond hands out fee waivers like candy. I can't speak for the rest, but don't be too blown away by those two.

That being said, I went to UR for undergrad and love it. Worth an application if you want to be in VA.

[b.j.]

The reason it hurts to apply that late is because if there are 5000 ppl competing for 300 seats, it is far less competitive than 1000 people competing for 10 seats. In the former, there are 16 ppl competing for each sear, in the latter there are 200 ppl competing for the same seat. You significantly hurt your chances at schools that you may not have the numbers for but would have liked something else about you. And with a low gpa, unless you have 175 I can't see how march won't hurt you.

But again, if they have a deadline that is April 1, why are they making all of the decisions well in advance of that date?

Anyway, it's not as if I am delaying it to the last minute just to prove a point. I don't have the applications ready. I can start them, but without some necessary parts, they aren't going to evaluate it. Even if I had everything in now, I'm taking the LSAT again in Feb, so I'm not sure if I'd want them to evaluate the applications just yet.

[b.j.]

Baylor is free for anyone. Richmond hands out fee waivers like candy. I can't speak for the rest, but don't be too blown away by those two.

That being said, I went to UR for undergrad and love it. Worth an application if you want to be in VA.

Good to know about those two.

Don't ask me why, but something tells me I'd be very happy either in Maryland, Virginia, or North Carolina. From what I know of them, they all seem like the perfect combination of a few different parts that you might have in a state while also being far enough away from where I now live (New York) but not far enough away that it's incredibly hard to come home.

It's probably a little unrealistic, but I'd love to get at least a 170 and have a small chance in hell of being accepted to William & Mary.

[goosey]

The reason it hurts to apply that late is because if there are 5000 ppl competing for 300 seats, it is far less competitive than 1000 people competing for 10 seats. In the former, there are 16 ppl competing for each sear, in the latter there are 200 ppl competing for the same seat. You significantly hurt your chances at schools that you may not have the numbers for but would have liked something else about you. And with a low gpa, unless you have 175 I can't see how march won't hurt you.

But again, if they have a deadline that is April 1, why are they making all of the decisions well in advance of that date?

Anyway, it's not as if I am delaying it to the last minute just to prove a point. I don't have the applications ready. I can start them, but without some necessary parts, they aren't going to evaluate it. Even if I had everything in now, I'm taking the LSAT again in Feb, so I'm not sure if I'd want them to evaluate the applications just yet.

because its a deadline. They have rolling admission--that means they accept people as applications come in, but will accept applications no later than x day. So really, the burden to get in before the class is pretty much full is on the applicant. Im retaking in feb as well but all my applications are in because at the very least, your file will be at the top of the pile when your score *does* come in.

also, hofstra doesnt have an application fee

[j.wellington]

I've received three of these this morning from perfectly respectable schools. It's pretty clear these schools are making a last-minute push right now to get their applicant numbers up and their selection percentage down. You might very well get in with a strong app, and for $12 it couldn't hurt. But I wouldn't take it as an indication that they "want" you.