Applying in Feb? Forum

[chalo318]

Hi everyone

If I apply this cycle it's probably going to end up being the last month of the cycle.. so Feb. My stats are pretty high, but I know that applying late isn't the best, especially for merit aid. Is it still possible to get merit aid that late, if your numbers are good enough (above 75th gpa & lsat), or does it not really matter at that point?

Trying to gauge whether or not I should apply the following cycle -- I just really don't want to wait another year. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[cavalier1138]

If you already have an LSAT score, there's no earthly reason that your applications should be late.

[dvlthndr]

I'd love to see some real research on this. My impression is that late applicants have a chance at a spot in the class and a generous scholarship, but the odds are stacked against you (particularly for the scholarship).

Put yourself in the school administrator's shoes. No school has perfect yield numbers, and there is always a bit of guesswork involved. If you have above average numbers and will help raise the overall LSAT/GPA for the class, it's easy for the school to offer you a spot (and they would probably welcome you over some random applicant with mediocre numbers sitting on the wait list).

The scholarship money is a bit more complicated. If they have a fixed budget, a lot of the money may have already been committed. And even if they have extra money sloshing around, why should they bother giving it to you? Scholarships are meant to lure in people that probably have better options available (e.g., nobody is taking BU over Harvard without a free ride to sweeten the deal). Applying late in the cycle smacks of desperation, and right or wrong, they may not be as worried about you turning them down for something better.

[The Lsat Airbender]

there's usually more room in the class for one more student and there's rarely room in the budget for one more scholarship. HTH