im confused about early decisions

[youarehydrogen]

I have a question about early decision applications. Since most are binding, does that mean that I cannot send an early decision application to more than one school? If I were to do this, and I got accepted at both, what would happen? Thanks!

[augusta]

Affirmative. You cannot and must not apply Early Decision Binding to more than one school. In agreeing to the EDB accord you are contracting with the law school to attend if they accept you. Obviously you cannot make such a contract in good faith with more than one school. If you did so, you might not actually get sued, but you probably won't get into any law school worth the name.

Some schools (Cornell, eg) have an Early Action Non-Binding--this sort of agreement does not require you to attend, it merely guarantees you early notice of the school's decision. You'll need to read each school's individual policy in order to determine which case it is, but it ought to be quite clear on the application/website.

[youarehydrogen]

great, thanks for the response. It is so tempting to get an early decision from each school, but if the consequences are so great I can definitely restrain myself. thanks again.

[tony_rocky_horror]

Affirmative. You cannot and must not apply Early Decision Binding to more than one school. In agreeing to the EDB accord you are contracting with the law school to attend if they accept you. Obviously you cannot make such a contract in good faith with more than one school. If you did so, you might not actually get sued, but you probably won't get into any law school worth the name.

Some schools (Cornell, eg) have an Early Action Non-Binding--this sort of agreement does not require you to attend, it merely guarantees you early notice of the school's decision. You'll need to read each school's individual policy in order to determine which case it is, but it ought to be quite clear on the application/website.

So if your dependent on $$$ you should never sign a binding ED since you’re agreeing to go without knowing what the offer is going to be?

[gooseisland]

Is there any sort of list for schools where ED is binding? I was talking to an admission officer and they were telling me very few schools EDs were binding.

[MauveAvenger]

You'd think this process is idiot proof. Read the application instructions. IT'S ALL THERE. As a very encompassing rule, Early Decision means you CAN'T do it to any other school, and Early Action is non-binding. Geeze people, read the damn instructions.

[gooseisland]

You'd think this process is idiot proof. Read the application instructions. IT'S ALL THERE. As a very encompassing rule, Early Decision means you CAN'T do it to any other school, and Early Action is non-binding. Geeze people, read the damn instructions.

I have seen a lot of schools with ED that doesn't mean it is binding but rather just an assurance that you will get a response by a certain date. Lets not mislead people, I don't think that is an 'encompassing' rule. Does somebody have a list that differentiates schools that are and schools that aren't?

[non parata est]

Guys, check out this website I just found!  At google.com, you can type in the name of a law school you're interested in, and then you can actually click the result to go to that law school's website!  From there, you can access a whole ton of information about the law school!  And when you want to learn about a different law school, just go back to google.com and type in the name of that other school!

It's an intarwebz revolution!

[augusta]

It's true, tempers get shorter as the season progresses...

In defense of PSU and Non Parata:

Rule of thumb for would-be thread-starters who are NOT interested in receiving a boat-load of sarcasm in response: do some of your own research first. The information really is out there to be found; it's not even that hard to find. Most schools are in the business of making sure you can access the information you need. No one's hiding the ball.

And every single school, if they offer any early action option at all, will very clearly notify you of their policy on the application. You don't need a reference guide.

[klmnumbers]

If you are interested in a school, they will likely have an explanation regarding their early action/decision procedure. It's not necessarily the same across the boards (as some are binding and others are not). My suggestion is to get a list of the schools you're interested in and check up their ED policies.

Some schools guarantee grants if you are accepted ED (I believe GW is one, but I could be wrong). So, just be certain you know the specifics about the schools YOU are applying to.