The March Application Season
It’s been a while since I’ve written something here. We hit the March 1st application deadline and we’ve been working very hard to read and make decisions on applications as quickly as we can. Time just got away from me in the midst of all the reading!
About the application process…
As you might remember from my first blog, there are a number of applications we hold until we can see what the entire applicant pool looks like. So, not only are we reading new applications, we’re also re-reviewing our held applications. We care deeply about the time and effort you took to apply and want to make sure we’re being as fair as we can in the admission process. We also know how difficult it is to wait and we are doing our best to give applications a thorough review while also letting you know our decision by mid-April.
I know some of you have expressed concerns about the deposit deadlines for other schools. Unlike undergraduate admissions, where most schools have a May 1st deposit deadline, law schools have a variety of deadlines. There are four different deadlines law schools might follow – April 1, April 15, May 1, May 15. Northeastern follows a May 1 deposit deadline. If you applied to a school that has an April 1 or 15 deposit deadline, you should be able to get an extension on this deadline if you haven’t heard from all of your schools. This is particularly true if you are waiting for financial aid information from other schools.
I find the variety of deadlines very confusing but law schools are not willing to change this in the near future as far as I can tell. We do our best to get all of our decisions out before our final decision deadline of April 15th so that you know as early as possible your choices in law schools. We know you’re anxiously waiting to hear – so I hope this explanation helps you understand what is happening and what to expect.
One final note – we have had an increase in applications this year (about 200 more applications than last year) which is great but also means there are more applications to read. We aren't only looking at LSAT and GPA numbers (although they are important) but the volume of applications does have some impact on the competition. This is why we work so hard to get to know you through your application, and all of the work you put into helping us get to know you better is much appreciated.