Since law schools use a rolling admissions process, it is better to apply in the fall than to delay until application deadlines in late winter or early spring.
Once applications are in, the waiting game begins.
Most law schools aim to review applications within six to eight weeks, but applicants should prepare to dig in for the long haul. Some law schools may not make decisions until March or even April, and a late decision is not necessarily a bad sign.
[When and How Law Schools Use Waitlists]
What should you do while you wait?
The best thing you can do is to continue to strengthen your application. If you are in college, keep your grades high. If you are in the workforce, aim for a new achievement or promotion.
Look for opportunities to volunteer your time or take a relevant class.
That way, you will have something new and exciting to report to law schools if you are invited to an interview or end up on a waitlist and need to write an update or letter of continued interest. You can expect to be placed on one or more waitlists if you apply to a broad range of schools, and it is by no means the end of the road.
If it’s convenient, you might also attend online information sessions or visiting law schools that you are considering. Law schools do track visitors and event attendance, so it’s a way to show interest, although it makes sense if you wish to wait until you know where you have been granted admission.
In the meantime, before you receive a decision, is it a good idea to email law schools with updates to your application? That depends on the reason for your update.
Questions About the Process
If you have any procedural or technical questions after you submit your applications that are not addressed on the school’s website or communications, consider calling the office or sending an email. Try to group any questions together rather than send separate short emails.
[Ask these What to Ask Law School Admissions Officers]
Law schools also sometimes allow applicants to meet with admissions officers to discuss their candidacy and interest in the school. It never hurts to ask, politely.
Changes and Corrections
If you experience a major life event that would render your application outdated, like a job change or name change, be sure to send a brief email with an updated resume or new information.
Also contact admissions offices if you realize you have made a significant mistake on your application that could jeopardize your candidacy. Law is a detail-oriented profession, so oversights should be avoided at all costs, but most typos are not worth raising a fuss.
However, it is best to address errors that might call your judgment into question, like neglecting to disclose something that would change your answer to a character and fitness question.
For similar reasons, be sure to let law schools know promptly if you wish to withdraw your application or accept a binding admissions offer at another school. Law school admissions offices circulate lists of candidates who are accepted early decision, so this is a commitment to take seriously.
Checking in After a Long Wait
What if you are just feeling antsy or concerned that your application fell through the cracks?
[Read: How Law School Applicants Can Address Criminal, Disciplinary Incidents]
Check your LSAC Credential Assembly Service account to confirm your application was transmitted and look for any status updates. When a law school has requested your file to begin review, or come to a decision, you should see the status change in your application.
Many law schools also provide links to their own status checker.
Try to stay patient. If your application has been transmitted, it will be reviewed. Do not write to law schools with complaints, demands or anxious inquiries. Do not send a long email about your love for the school or extra unsolicited materials.
Instead, if it has been at least a few months, consider sending law schools a brief update on your candidacy. If you followed my earlier advice about continuing to strengthen your application, you will likely have at least something noteworthy to report.
Some law schools allow updates directly through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service. If not, email the law school to reaffirm your interest and provide a life update. Keep your email to one or two short paragraphs. Show respect for the reader’s time by writing directly and courteously. Law school is a professional school, and any communications that cast doubt on your professionalism may torpedo your chance of admission.
Try not to email the admissions office more than every month or so. You want to create the impression that you are organized and staying busy.
Ultimately, remember that admissions officers have thousands of applications to review. The time this review takes shows that law school admissions is not simply a mechanical process of sorting applicants by grades and LSAT scores. As hard as it may be to imagine, once you are in law school, the long wait will fade into a blur.
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Should You Update Law Schools After Applying? originally appeared on usnews.com
