Amid Covid-19, why Law Schools keep extending admission deadline? Forum

[Sassysepi]

Hi all,
So I am just wondering if anyone might have an idea, of why some law schools keep extending their admission deadlines?!
I mean is it because there are not enough applicants this cycle?
Is it because of Covid-19 ( but then what does that have to do with admission-especially extending the deadline)
or is it that law schools are trying to get a better pool of applicants?!
I am just confused and honestly a bit annoyed! Had I known I could take the June LSAT and still apply for this cycle I probably would have done so!

What do you think?!

[dvlthndr]

Even if you get rejected, they get to pocket your application fee, and get the side-benefit of appearing more "selective" since the percent of accepted applicants goes down. There's no need for a "better" pool of applicants. They will gladly settle for a "bigger" one instead. The real question is why they ever *stop* taking applications.

[nealric]

Hi all,
So I am just wondering if anyone might have an idea, of why some law schools keep extending their admission deadlines?!
I mean is it because there are not enough applicants this cycle?
Is it because of Covid-19 ( but then what does that have to do with admission-especially extending the deadline)
or is it that law schools are trying to get a better pool of applicants?!
I am just confused and honestly a bit annoyed! Had I known I could take the June LSAT and still apply for this cycle I probably would have done so!

What do you think?!

Just because a school will let you apply with a June LSAT doesn't mean it's a good idea. Thes scholarship money has mostly been given out by that point, and the schools that still have significant slots open are usually not ones you want to attend. It's almost always a better idea to wait to apply until all your ducks are in a row for early fall when they start accepting applications.

[LSATWiz.com]

I know college yields are expected to be lower. It’s possible law school classes aren’t as full as expected, and if they expect wl action in July or August, they might as well hold out for wl candidates to get better numbers. This is speculation but is what seems to make most sense based on the current climate.

[BrainsyK]

I have heard from a professor who's decently involved with the administration that thus far, yields are higher than expected. I suspect that while initial seat deposits may be more plentiful, each individual seat deposit may be more suspect as people's plans change based on latest news. This effect, if real, probably amplifies as people decide to defer/drop from Yale, which sends waves through Stanford, etc. Thus, it's more advantageous to keep shopping around for applications to fill out the class as some people drop out. The fee collection to makeup for lost revenue doesn't hurt either.

[LSATWiz.com]

I have heard from a professor who's decently involved with the administration that thus far, yields are higher than expected. I suspect that while initial seat deposits may be more plentiful, each individual seat deposit may be more suspect as people's plans change based on latest news. This effect, if real, probably amplifies as people decide to defer/drop from Yale, which sends waves through Stanford, etc. Thus, it's more advantageous to keep shopping around for applications to fill out the class as some people drop out. The fee collection to makeup for lost revenue doesn't hurt either.

Interesting! I can't speak to such inside knowledge but it's also possible they are planning for a doomsday scenario. Obviously the protests, though necessary, dramatically increase the possibility of a second spread in two weeks from now, which could force schools to look deeper into the applicant pool.

[mudiverse]

I have heard from a professor who's decently involved with the administration that thus far, yields are higher than expected. I suspect that while initial seat deposits may be more plentiful, each individual seat deposit may be more suspect as people's plans change based on latest news. This effect, if real, probably amplifies as people decide to defer/drop from Yale, which sends waves through Stanford, etc. Thus, it's more advantageous to keep shopping around for applications to fill out the class as some people drop out. The fee collection to makeup for lost revenue doesn't hurt either.

Interesting! I can't speak to such inside knowledge but it's also possible they are planning for a doomsday scenario. Obviously the protests, though necessary, dramatically increase the possibility of a second spread in two weeks from now, which could force schools to look deeper into the applicant pool.

This is similar to MBA admissions - both are examples of people flocking to higher education in a time of major unemployment. People are shopping around with seat deposits and waiting for news before shelling out for tuition. The schools that offer in-person classes will hold all the cards in September. With the news of HLS going remote, I wouldn't be surprised if a non-negligible percentage went to Berkeley or something.