Am I Wasting Time/Money Applying Now?

[AynRand]

I'm in need of some pretty quick advice, for reasons that will quickly become apparent...

I understand that it is highly beneficial to apply to law schools as early as possible (October/November seems to be the consensus), and my original plan was to wait until next cycle and then apply in those months listed. However, I've had a couple of things happen at work recently that are leading me to wish that I had applied this cycle.

I have accumulated my rec letters already, and they are sitting in wait in LSDAS; transcripts are in LSDAS as well..would just need to put together a personal statement, which, as motivated as I feel right now because of my loathing for work, I think I could do reasonably quickly.

My numbers are 172/4.0 (4.19 LSAC). The schools I would like to apply to are basically the top 14, perhaps minus the top 3 since I doubt whether I'd have a shot at admission there and would probably just be throwing away a couple hundred bucks in admissions fees.

Have I missed the boat this cycle for admission and/or scholarship dollars if I got apps out in, say, the first week of January?

Thanks.

[Jamie Stringer]

You should apply to all schools, including HYS.

If you think you can put together a solid application (including personal statement) in the next week or so, I say to go for it. I don't think you're throwing away an opportunity for scholarship money unless you maybe planned to apply to one of NYU's special scholarship programs or other scholarships like that for which you needed to apply by mid-December. Don't discount your numbers. Having a 4.0+ GPA is really impressive.

Good luck!

[nerfco]

Definitely not just wasting your time. I would apply to perhaps the top 10 schools. I don't think there is much chance you end up attending Cornell or Georgetown, and so wouldn't really bother with those.

[nerfco]

I'd certainly take Cornell and Georgetown over a few of the top 10 schools.  Remember, USNews is just a reference.  You're taking the rankings too seriously.

No, I'm really not.

I am quite interested to hear your argument that GULC is better than any of HYS-CCN-MVPB. It place worse than all of those schools, especially if you are at or below median. The same goes for Cornell.

[Contract2008]

I'm in need of some pretty quick advice, for reasons that will quickly become apparent...

I understand that it is highly beneficial to apply to law schools as early as possible (October/November seems to be the consensus), and my original plan was to wait until next cycle and then apply in those months listed. However, I've had a couple of things happen at work recently that are leading me to wish that I had applied this cycle.

I have accumulated my rec letters already, and they are sitting in wait in LSDAS; transcripts are in LSDAS as well..would just need to put together a personal statement, which, as motivated as I feel right now because of my loathing for work, I think I could do reasonably quickly.

My numbers are 172/4.0 (4.19 LSAC). The schools I would like to apply to are basically the top 14, perhaps minus the top 3 since I doubt whether I'd have a shot at admission there and would probably just be throwing away a couple hundred bucks in admissions fees.

Have I missed the boat this cycle for admission and/or scholarship dollars if I got apps out in, say, the first week of January?

Thanks.

Late is when your application is complete after February 1st.  Send in everything now and make sure they are complete by January 10. There will be a big wave of application right after the new year. 

[nerfco]

Obviously the top 6 you don't even need to list.  Arguments can be made for Gtown and Cornell over any of BMVPND (all in the top 10).  There are so many factors that it's not worth getting into a debate.  They are all fine schools.  It's the way you phrased your response as if being top 10 is somehow more significant than top 14 when it really isn't.

Me: "I am interested to hear your argument that GULC is better than any of MVPB."
You: "Arguments can be made for Gtown and Cornell over any of BMVP..."

This was non-responsive. MVPB have better placement numbers than GULC, especially for median or sub-median students. (Top 10% at GULC can go to nearly any firm in the country; this isn't at issue.)

[mbw]

Definitely not just wasting your time. I would apply to perhaps the top 10 schools. I don't think there is much chance you end up attending Cornell or Georgetown, and so wouldn't really bother with those.

Are you always this myopic?  There's a 1L (with numbers comparable to the OPs) on LSD who turned down your own school for Cornell.  I know three non-trads at Cornell (myself included) who turned down T10 schools.  And, btw, there are people at Cornell with numbers similar or better than the OPs who were not accepted to T10s. 

Not everything is rankings, rankings, rankings.  If someone says they could turn down a T10 for a lower school, maybe you should believe them.  And perhaps, just perhaps, the OP might want the option of some cash thrown his/her way.  Not everyone wants to pay sticker ITE.

[nerfco]

Are you always this myopic?  There's a 1L (with numbers comparable to the OPs) on LSD who turned down your own school for Cornell.  I know three non-trads at Cornell (myself included) who turned down T10 schools.  And, btw, there are people at Cornell with numbers similar or better than the OPs who were not accepted to T10s. 

Not everything is rankings, rankings, rankings.  If someone says they could turn down a T10 for a lower school, maybe you should believe them.  And perhaps, just perhaps, the OP might want the option of some cash thrown his/her way.  Not everyone wants to pay sticker ITE.

OP did not express any particular desire to attend any particular school aside from the "top 14." Therefore, I believe I am safe in assuming OP wishes to attend the best school he/she gets into. I merely stated that OP is extremely likely to get into one of the top 10 schools, and therefore doesn't really need to apply lower than that, unless OP would choose one of those schools over the others.

All this is pretty obvious. Sorry you are so defensive about your school. Many people turn down my, and many other, schools  every year. I don't feel defensive about this. I am sure that most of them are making the correct choice, for them, in doing so. Tons of people go to Cornell and love it. I wish them the best of success. Tons of people also go to FSU and love it--should I recommend OP apply there as well?

[mbw]

Are you always this myopic?  There's a 1L (with numbers comparable to the OPs) on LSD who turned down your own school for Cornell.  I know three non-trads at Cornell (myself included) who turned down T10 schools.  And, btw, there are people at Cornell with numbers similar or better than the OPs who were not accepted to T10s. 

Not everything is rankings, rankings, rankings.  If someone says they could turn down a T10 for a lower school, maybe you should believe them.  And perhaps, just perhaps, the OP might want the option of some cash thrown his/her way.  Not everyone wants to pay sticker ITE.

OP did not express any particular desire to attend any particular school aside from the "top 14." Therefore, I believe I am safe in assuming OP wishes to attend the best school he/she gets into. I merely stated that OP is extremely likely to get into one of the top 10 schools, and therefore doesn't really need to apply lower than that, unless OP would choose one of those schools over the others.

All this is pretty obvious. Sorry you are so defensive about your school. Many people turn down my, and many other, schools  every year. I don't feel defensive about this. I am sure that most of them are making the correct choice, for them, in doing so. Tons of people go to Cornell and love it. I wish them the best of success. Tons of people also go to FSU and love it--should I recommend OP apply there as well?

LOL.  So reading and responding to the OP's actual question is "defensive"?  Seriously, get over yourself.  The OP asked about the T14, not T10 (which is just as ridiculously arbitrary as the T14, but anyway.)  Posters often request info about lower ranked (and let's recall, based on a POS magazine) because they're also interested in different funding options - not everyone wants to pay $150K+, ITE, or because certain schools place well in an area (such as Duke.)  You chose your school in different times, and probably, for completely different reasons.  As I said - there's no guarantee that the OP will get into a T10 with those scores, and there's definitely no guarantee s/he'll get $$s.  The question was, is it too late for a top (defined by the OP as T14) school.  Included in those are GULC and Cornell, to which YOU made the assumption that the OP wouldn't want to attend.  Why would you make that assumption for someone you don't even know? 

[AynRand]

Thanks for the insight, everyone. To settle some debate on my intentions, I have nothing against Cornell/Georgetown, and will likely apply there as well as a few schools outside the top 14; I said top 14 just to give a ballpark of the schools I'm looking at. Money will be an important component of my decision.

And this post isn't a flame or an ego boost...just an embarassing display of ignorance that was called out.