Law School Admissions Question - Timeline and ED Forum

[Rupert Pupkin]

Hey all,

I am interested in applying to T14 schools. In the fall, I will be going for a Master's in Accounting and plan to start law school the year after. I am trying to decide if it is better for me to take the LSAT in September or December. I have not started LSAT prep yet and will be working in the summer and attending school in the fall. Will the extra two months of LSAT prep make a substantial difference in my score? Does applying ED increase my chances of acceptance substantially?

I've read on this forum that a lot of people have had issues getting denied because they applied late in the cycle. What is a timeline for my application process that you folks can recommend?

Thanks.

[benwyatt]

Take in September so that you can retake if you have to, don't ED unless you have $300K sitting around, and get your applications in as early as you can without sacrificing quality.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Take in September so that you can retake if you have to, don't ED unless you have $300K sitting around, and get your applications in as early as you can without sacrificing quality.

What do you mean when you say "Dont ED unless you have $300k sitting around." ? Are you not going to receive final aid or scholarships?

[Nachoo2019]

Take in September so that you can retake if you have to, don't ED unless you have $300K sitting around, and get your applications in as early as you can without sacrificing quality.

What do you mean when you say "Dont ED unless you have $300k sitting around." ? Are you not going to receive final aid or scholarships?

When you are accepted ED you are forced to go to that school. When you are forced to go to that school they have no reason to give you scholarship money. In the end the ED will cost you 300k for law school

[benwyatt]

Take in September so that you can retake if you have to, don't ED unless you have $300K sitting around, and get your applications in as early as you can without sacrificing quality.

What do you mean when you say "Dont ED unless you have $300k sitting around." ? Are you not going to receive final aid or scholarships?

When you are accepted ED you are forced to go to that school. When you are forced to go to that school they have no reason to give you scholarship money. In the end the ED will cost you 300k for law school

It's not a guarantee that you won't get financial aid, but it definitely leaves you in a really weak position.
Everyone on here suggests applying broadly and negotiating scholarship offers. If you apply and are accepted ED somewhere, you don't have the luxury of negotiating and they can make you pay sticker price.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Okay makes sense. So applying ED doesn't increase your chances enough of getting in to gamble potentially having to pay full price?

[Nachoo2019]

Okay makes sense. So applying ED doesn't increase your chances enough of getting in to gamble potentially having to pay full price?

Northwestern ED offers 150k scholarships to people who get in ED. So that would be worth it. at other schools I think it's just tough to lock yourself in because you might get money or you might get 0.

Edit: also the ability to negotiate is HUGE when it comes to playing the scholarship game. That is lost when you are accepted ED and have to withdraw all other apps