What makes an application complete?

[trippstrat]

I am planning on applying for law school this coming fall, for Fall 2010.  However, I will not graduate from college until May 2010.  I know that several law schools I have read about state that my application should be complete by such and such a date, in order to receive the best chance of getting in.  My question is, will my application not be considered complete if I have not taken 100% of all college classes by the law school's priority deadline?  Are my chances of acceptance not as good as someone that graduated the year before?  I'm not very clear on how this works, but I do want to make sure I have all my ducks in a row.  I really would appreciate any help.  Thank you.

-William

[PaleForce]

You'll be fine- your application will be "complete" when they receive the official transcript from the UG institution, whether you've fulfilled the requirements for your bachelor's degree as of the date of the application or not.  The law schools will evaluate your transcripts as they are when you apply and will probably want an updated one after winter semester grades are out, or after you graduate, or both.  As long as you graduate with your bachelor's prior to the start of law school, there's no issue.  You just need to check with each school to see how often they want updates of your transcripts.  Your chances of acceptance shouldn't be impacted unless your grades as they are are sub-par for a particular school.  Don't fret- there are a lot of people that go right from UG to LS.  Good luck!

[trippstrat]

PaleForce,

Thank you for that information.  That's very good to know.  I started off college with a low GPA but have been drastically pulling it up over the last two-three years.  My GPA should be a little higher by the time I graduate and I wish they had my final GPA number to go by, but maybe the school(s) will see a trend in my grades and take that into consideration.  Anyway, thank you.

-William

[PaleForce]

If you've got an upward trend in grades, you might want to write an addendum to bring attention to that, depending on your situation and especially where your GPA will not have been "finalized" by graduation yet.  Or, you could wait a year if the last two semester will give a substantial boost to your grade and make it far more likely that you'll be accepted to much better schools.  Either way works   Hope your cycle goes well for you!