3 Ways to Boost the Chances of a Late Law School Application

As spring approaches, many of the application deadlines for the 2014-2015 law school admissions cycle are approaching, and the earliest application deadlines have already passed.

Since the law school application process is rolling, meaning that schools evaluate applications as they receive them and will offer admission to applicants without having seen their entire applicant pool, there is an advantage to applying earlier in the application cycle for the simple reason that there are more spots available.

One of the most common questions I get at this time of year is whether it is better to submit applications late in the cycle or wait a year and apply at the beginning of the next year's cycle.

Get more [tips on applying to law school late in the year.]

It's important to remember that although there is a disadvantage to applying late in the cycle, in recent years that disadvantage has been much less pronounced as applicant numbers have decreased. With this year's slight uptick in law school applications, the disadvantage of applying late is slightly greater than in recent years, but it is still not an insurmountable disadvantage. So if you are applying now, do not despair and consider the following suggestions.

1. Make your interest known: Since there are generally fewer spots for applicants who submit applications close to the deadline, it is especially important to emphasize your strong interest in each school to which you are applying.

The best way to do this is to contact admissions offices to find out ways that you can further educate yourself about the school, its students, faculty and alumni and its best programs. Admissions offices will often have events for prospective students or student and alumni networks to give applicants the opportunity to learn more.

Check out [law admissions trends 2015 applicants should know about.]

There are three advantages to doing this investigating. First, you will be making a better-informed decision about where you are applying to law school.

If you are admitted, you will have already done a lot of the work that you would do to decide where to attend.

Second, you are putting yourself on the radar of the admissions offices you contact. Some schools will make a note of who reaches out to them for information, especially if you let them know that you are definitely applying this cycle.

Finally, by learning more and coming into direct contact with the school community, you are arming yourself with information and anecdotes you can use to demonstrate your interest in the school in your written application or in an interview.

2. Update your personal statement: Once you have attended an event for prospective students, spoken with the admissions office or contacted students and alumni, you should make sure to include those experiences in your personal statement.

I recommend that students include in a school-specific paragraph in their personal statements, in which they speak about each school individually and why it would be a great fit for that student.

Follow [four final steps before submitting law school applications.]

Doing this is especially important if you are applying late in the cycle, as you are competing for a limited number of spots. Admission may hinge on whether the school believes that you truly want to attend that school and are not simply applying at the end of the cycle as an afterthought.

3. Submit an application after the deadline: Most applicants believe that once the stated deadline has passed, there is no chance to submit applications. In fact, I have found through my work with clients that many schools will accept applications past the deadline if the applicant contacts the school directly and requests to be considered for admission.

This situation is not ideal, and most schools who accept applications after the deadline will consider those applications only if there are spots remaining after having considered the applicants who submitted their applications before the deadline. Even though submitting after the deadline is a long shot, a long shot is better than no shot at all.

What steps are you taking to maximize your chances of admission? Let me know in an email or tweet me @shawnpoconnor.