When should I expect decisions from schools? Forum

[PrincessLuLu]

Hi, first time applicant here and over the weekend I finished the last of my law school applications. According to LSAC, all of them are complete (1 still needs to be sent by LSAC but should be done by tomorrow; another I have to pay a separate application fee on the school's website). I know it may take a while, but I was wondering when I should expect a decision in the mail on my applications (one I received a denial from last month). I sent one application in August, nine sent in September, and two this month (it is early October at the time I write this). If it's relevant, I applied to the following schools regular cycle for the Fall 2017 term:
-University of Toledo College of Law
-Cleveland Marshall College of Law
-University of Akron School of Law (denied)
-Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
-Capital University Law School
-University of Dayton School of Law
-University of Cincinnati College of Law
-Ohio Northern University Claude W. Pettit College of Law
-Rutgers Law School-Camden (they have asked me to pay their application fee separately online so I have to call and figure out how to do that)
-North Carolina Central University School of Law (LSAC still needs to send it but that should be done by end of day)
-University of Nevada, Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law
-University of La Verne College of Law

All of these applications were completed by me within a few days to a week after it was posted on to LSAC. I have my transcripts, LSAT score report, Letters of Recommendation, resume, personal statements, and all other materials on file and there is nothing else I need to do other than pay the Rutgers fee separately and wait for everyone to give me a response.

I am just wondering if anyone who has experience applying to law schools in general or has applied to any of these schools could tell me when I should expect to hear from them. I can't seem to find any real estimates other than it depends on the school. Would I hear from them around November/December, or could it go as long as the spring? I would like to have an idea because I may be looking for employment and if I don't get into my top choices I may take some time off after graduation to do an LSAT prep course & retake, then reapply and find some work in the meantime. Another reason is that most of these schools require me to move there and I need time to get the money and make arrangements to find somewhere to live. Any insight would be greatly appreciated

[cavalier1138]

You will hear back any time between now and the beginning of April. If you haven't heard by mid-February, that's usually not a great sign.

On a separate-but-related not: do not go to any of the law schools you listed (with the possible exception of Ohio State, but if Akron turned you down, no way in hell you're getting in there).

[20170322]

do not go to any of the law schools you listed

[PrincessLuLu]

Thank you for your quick response. I am sorry you feel the school choices I have made are not up to par. Are all but one really that bad? If so, I would appreciate some more information on why because if what you say is true (which at this time, I have no reason to believe or doubt, so I'm all ears), it is important I know the reasons so I can evaluate my next steps (ie.: applying to other places).

I also ask you refrain from trying to predict my admissions decisions. I did not ask you this, and I have been under tremendous levels of stress from getting these applications together while taking a heavy course load at my university. Telling me I won't get in to the 'only good school on the list' may very well be true, but it is not warranted because:
A. It will not benefit me at this stage, as the applications are all done and I have spent the money & time to do them.
B. The comment is clearly outside the scope of my question and the information I provided. I asked about estimated dates of a decision from the schools. The information I gave (school names, application submission dates, the one school's recent decision, and other info) was for the purpose of giving anyone who chooses to answer as much info as possible to assist in giving a good answer. Since much of what I've heard is that the date of a decision 'depends on the school' and can vary based on when the application was complete, I felt that providing this info would help.
C. It is rude and sounds like it is intended to insult or demean. If that is not the intent, feel free to correct me, but that is what it sounds like and I do not appreciate it.
D. When a helpful answer includes an off-topic insight, it usually is not an issue, but if such comments are negative in this fashion, it makes the helpful & positive parts less powerful.

Please consider everything I've noted. I hope that you can provide some more information so I can better understand where you are coming from in a respectful, concise manner

[20170322]

Thank you for your quick response. I am sorry you feel the school choices I have made are not up to par. Are all but one really that bad? If so, I would appreciate some more information on why because if what you say is true, it is important I know the reasons so I can evaluate my next steps.

http://lawschooltransparency.com

Play around with the schools you're looking at with this website.

[PrincessLuLu]

@SweetTort Thank you. I will check this out.

Also the above response I gave was directed at @Cavalier1138 specifically

[lymenheimer]

You will hear back any time between now and the beginning of April. If you haven't heard by mid-February, that's usually not a great sign.

On a separate-but-related not: do not go to any of the law schools you listed (with the possible exception of Ohio State, but if Akron turned you down, no way in hell you're getting in there).

No need to substantively respond further. Check OP's post history, namely, the first post.

[PrincessLuLu]

No need to substantively respond further. Check OP's post history, namely, the first post.

Yes, my post history is publicly available so feel free to review it. I do not understand why you are so concerned with it. The point of a forum is to ask and answer questions, not to attack each other.

[cavalier1138]

@SweetTort Thank you. I will check this out.

Also the above response I gave was directed at @Cavalier1138 specifically

And yet someone else was able to provide you with the answer.

I'm aware this was "outside the scope" of what you asked, so that's why I answered your initial question before raising the point. I am not being rude or demeaning (at least not to you; the adcomms from these schools may take it personally). I am plainly stating that with the exception of Ohio State (and then, I would only say it would be good if you wanted to practice in Ohio, which you don't seem set on), all of the schools on your list are bad schools. They give you a 50/50 shot at even being a practicing attorney after graduating.

This absolutely will benefit you at this stage, because at this stage, you still appear to be seriously contemplating going to these schools. You should not be doing that.

Finally, the remark that you would likely not get into Ohio State is not meant to be a personal barb. You said you didn't get into Akron. Akron's median LSAT and GPA are significantly below Ohio State's medians. So while you may feel it's overly harsh or negative, the reality is that if your numbers got you rejected from Akron, they're going to get you rejected from Ohio State. It would be crueler of me to imply that you had a real shot at the school, because based on your list, you need a bit of a reality check.

Edit: And yes, reviewing your post history is relevant here. If you have a 142, you should be retaking, not applying to law school.

[PrincessLuLu]

Thank you for your clarifications and honesty. I apologize for the misunderstanding. Now for your suggestions: I have already completed all applications, so there is not much I can do about that except wait. I could withdraw, but that's a lot of money that I will not get refunded. Perhaps I could have done better in this process, but all I can do is take the events as a learning experience.

I have a separate post asking about prep courses, as I am also researching them. Unfortunately, due to academic demands and the location of my university, I most likely will not be able to do a prep course until I graduate in the spring. Currently I am looking at the options and figuring out what is available to me that makes the most financial sense and is likely to bring the most benefit. I have accepted that this route (prep course, retaking the test probably in September/October next year or December, and possibly working or finding an internship after graduation in the meantime while reapplying to schools) is at least reasonably likely. I am okay with that, as I value taking my mistakes & shortcomings, then using them to improve myself and learn from them. At this time, this course of action has been put on the back burner for the time being for the reasons I mentioned earlier. Because of all this, I still have the pending applications, so that is why I inquired about them. Despite the shortcomings of this application cycle on my part, I believe I have put in my best efforts to finish what I started and think about what it is I wish to accomplish. I have learned that having a backup plan is important and that not succeeding the first time does not make me a failure.

It is my sincerest hope that you now have a better understanding of where I am coming from.

[vcap180]

@SweetTort Thank you. I will check this out.

Also the above response I gave was directed at @Cavalier1138 specifically

And yet someone else was able to provide you with the answer.

I'm aware this was "outside the scope" of what you asked, so that's why I answered your initial question before raising the point. I am not being rude or demeaning (at least not to you; the adcomms from these schools may take it personally). I am plainly stating that with the exception of Ohio State (and then, I would only say it would be good if you wanted to practice in Ohio, which you don't seem set on), all of the schools on your list are bad schools. They give you a 50/50 shot at even being a practicing attorney after graduating.

This absolutely will benefit you at this stage, because at this stage, you still appear to be seriously contemplating going to these schools. You should not be doing that.

Finally, the remark that you would likely not get into Ohio State is not meant to be a personal barb. You said you didn't get into Akron. Akron's median LSAT and GPA are significantly below Ohio State's medians. So while you may feel it's overly harsh or negative, the reality is that if your numbers got you rejected from Akron, they're going to get you rejected from Ohio State. It would be crueler of me to imply that you had a real shot at the school, because based on your list, you need a bit of a reality check.

Edit: And yes, reviewing your post history is relevant here. If you have a 142, you should be retaking, not applying to law school.

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