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Is there a time period upon hearing of your early decision acceptance during which you can withdraw from the school?

No. When you apply ED, you enter into a contract which binds you to attend in the fall regardless of circumstance. You cannot withdraw or defer.

Actually, if it's the same as undergraduate -- you can withdraw due to financial hardships (i.e. if the school offers you zippo financial aid and you have 10 bucks in the bank but can't get a loan with an interest rate below 50%... or something along those lines, those circumstances are usually worked out with the school). But that also means you cannot attend another law school that year.

Can you apply to only one law school early decision?

yeah, make sure you wanna go to the one you apply to. I'm going to apply to Columbia early decision next year regardless of how I do on the LSAT cause it's my dream school.

ObamaHasDoneJack wrote:yeah, make sure you wanna go to the one you apply to. I'm going to apply to Columbia early decision next year regardless of how I do on the LSAT cause it's my dream school.

I'm sure we all commend you on your braverism.

You can only withdraw if you decide not to attend any law school that year.

GeePee wrote:No. When you apply ED, you enter into a contract which binds you to attend in the fall regardless of circumstance. You cannot withdraw or defer.

That's wrong. When you apply ED, you enter into a contract not to apply to any other LS for the coming fall. You can withdraw at will, forfeiting your deposit and remaining bound not to attend another LS, or apply for a deferral.

Kohinoor wrote:

GeePee wrote:No. When you apply ED, you enter into a contract which binds you to attend in the fall regardless of circumstance. You cannot withdraw or defer.

That's wrong. When you apply ED, you enter into a contract not to apply to any other LS for the coming fall. You can withdraw at will, forfeiting your deposit and remaining bound not to attend another LS, or apply for a deferral.

Kohinoor is correct, GP is wrong. It really bothers me when people say things in such matter of fact manner when they are clueless.

hopefulundergrad wrote:

Kohinoor wrote:

GeePee wrote:No. When you apply ED, you enter into a contract which binds you to attend in the fall regardless of circumstance. You cannot withdraw or defer.

That's wrong. When you apply ED, you enter into a contract not to apply to any other LS for the coming fall. You can withdraw at will, forfeiting your deposit and remaining bound not to attend another LS, or apply for a deferral.

Kohinoor is correct, GP is wrong. It really bothers me when people say things in such matter of fact manner when they are clueless.

I thought GP was joking?

Kohinoor wrote:
GeePee wrote:
No. When you apply ED, you enter into a contract which binds you to attend in the fall regardless of circumstance. You cannot withdraw or defer.

That's wrong. When you apply ED, you enter into a contract not to apply to any other LS for the coming fall. You can withdraw at will, forfeiting your deposit and remaining bound not to attend another LS, or apply for a deferral.


Kohinoor is correct, GP is wrong. It really bothers me when people say things in such matter of fact manner when they are clueless.

Wait, what? Am I suffering from serious RC fail?

AFAIK, GP is 100% correct. When you apply ED, you can still apply to other schools, you just cannot apply to those schools ED. If accepted to the ED school, you are obligated to attend that school.

A simple look at LSN tells us that people applying ED to one school also applied to several other schools. If you are accepted ED, you drop your apps at all other schools. If you are rejected, or deferred, you are released from the potentially binding contract.

Take a look at CLS's ED policy, for instance (emphasis mine):

"Candidates applying on an Early Decision basis commit themselves to matriculate at Columbia if admitted. Successful Early Decision candidates may not initiate any new law school applications, must decline any acceptances they may have received prior to admission to Columbia and the Early Decision Plan, and must immediately withdraw other applications once notified of their Columbia acceptance in December. Failure to honor these commitments will result in Columbia revoking its offer of admission"

The fact that accepted ED applicants "must decline any acceptances they may have received prior to admission" tells us that an ED applicant can, in fact, apply to other schools, as long as s/he has not already been accepted to CLS ED.

Shaggier1 wrote: Wait, what? Am I suffering from serious RC fail?

i think so. re-read his statement

Shaggier1 wrote:
Wait, what? Am I suffering from serious RC fail?


i think so. re-read his statement

I just did, for the umteenth time (since I know the above posters to be both considerate and well-versed in the what and how of law school admission). Still, I can't get around the fact that this i patently false:

When you apply ED, you enter into a contract not to apply to any other LS for the coming fall.

If you are accepted ED you cannot apply to any other school. The mere act of applying ED, however, does not disallow one from applying to other schools.

I mean, think about the amount of risk that would add. Applying to only one school, especially when that school is most likely a reach? That's craziness.

Shaggier1 wrote:

When you apply ED, you enter into a contract not to apply to any other LS for the coming fall.

If you are accepted ED you cannot apply to any other school. The mere act of applying ED, however, does not disallow one from applying to other schools.

I mean, think about the amount of risk that would add. Applying to only one school, especially when that school is most likely a reach? That's craziness.

that's not what he said. what he said was:

GeePee wrote:No. When you apply ED, you enter into a contract which binds you to attend in the fall regardless of circumstance. You cannot withdraw or defer.

which is 100% false

as you stated, the ED contract only binds you in attending that law school for the coming cycle if you were to attend any law school. it certainly doesn't bind you in attending if you couldn't nor does it prohibit you from deferring.

Never mind. Now I see it.

Sorry for the thread derail.

So, GP was wrong since you can withdraw, you just can't withdraw to attend another school.

I still think, Kohinoor's statement should be clarified. You can apply to other schools, as long as you haven't already been accepted ED.

If you accept an ED offer, can you not transfer after 1L either?

..

ok this is just for shits and giggles:

let's say you get accepted ED at a school A, and you also get accepted at school B

school B>A

could you, defer your acceptance at school B for a year, and withdraw your ED app from school A, and then enroll in school B the following year?

Borhas wrote:ok this is just for shits and giggles:

let's say you get accepted ED at a school A, and you also get accepted at school B

school B>A

could you, defer your acceptance at school B for a year, and withdraw your ED app from school A, and then enroll in school B the following year?

I think you'd have to ask a lawyer or someone who is very familiar with admissions for this one. Even if it is kosher, I think it would be pretty disingenuous.

edit: also, I think part of the ED commitment involves withdrawing all your applications to other schools, so you'd have to figure out a way to work around that too.

Borhas wrote: could you, defer your acceptance at school B for a year, and withdraw your ED app from school A, and then enroll in school B the following year?

the lantern wrote:part of the ED commitment involves withdrawing all your applications to other schools, so you'd have to figure out a way to work around that too.

he can't work around it. he can either attend A or withdraw from both.

f0bolous wrote:

Borhas wrote: could you, defer your acceptance at school B for a year, and withdraw your ED app from school A, and then enroll in school B the following year?

the lantern wrote:part of the ED commitment involves withdrawing all your applications to other schools, so you'd have to figure out a way to work around that too.

he can't work around it. he can either attend A or withdraw from both.

That was pretty much what I was implying

can you be released from ED due to financial obligations?

jocelyne wrote:can you be released from ED due to financial obligations?

You can withdraw and not attend anywhere. Otherwise, you have to go to the ED school. That is why most (if not all) ED contracts say you should not apply ED if financial assistance is a condition of your attendance.

the lantern wrote:

Borhas wrote:ok this is just for shits and giggles:

let's say you get accepted ED at a school A, and you also get accepted at school B

school B>A

could you, defer your acceptance at school B for a year, and withdraw your ED app from school A, and then enroll in school B the following year?

I think you'd have to ask a lawyer or someone who is very familiar with admissions for this one. Even if it is kosher, I think it would be pretty disingenuous.

edit: also, I think part of the ED commitment involves withdrawing all your applications to other schools, so you'd have to figure out a way to work around that too.

Yup, upon acceptance you must immediately withdraw all applications, acceptances and waitlist.

Pretty sure Kohinoor is right. ED is a binding contract and you can withdraw, but you cannot simply choose to attend somewhere else. ED is a big decision that many TLSers this cycle need to treat more seriously; it really should be seen as an option to apply to your top choice school, and not as a tactic to purely boost your odds at a random reach school. That's why it always confounds me how posters list a bunch of schools asking for their chances and want to know where to ED.