After You Apply

After submitting your law school applications, you may have questions about what comes next. The most pressing question for many students is “When will I find out if I was accepted?” Unfortunately, there is no one clear answer -- because law schools admit students on a rolling basis, some students may hear back about their application status in a month, while others may not learn whether or not they have been accepted until just weeks before the seat deposit deadline. While you wait, there are some things you should do (and some you should avoid!).

What to do after submitting your law school applications:

Check Your Work:  Before you move on to the next part of the process, make sure to take the time to double check your submissions and that you have received notification that your application submission is complete.

Take a Break!:  The law school application process is long and hard. Getting those applications in is an achievement, no matter what comes next. Make sure you take the time to celebrate your work!

Check the Status of Your Application (Occasionally): Many law schools have an online status checker to reduce the number of calls from applicants. Make sure to check the status of your application occasionally, though refrain (for your own mental health) from compulsive checking!  If you are accepted, most schools will communicate that information to you by phone call or e-mail. If you are waitlisted or rejected, you will receive an e-mail and/or letter at your address on record.

Keep Your Grades Up: It is tempting to feel like once your applications have been submitted, you can relax about your grades, but you still want to keep your grades high so that you can submit them to schools where you have been waitlisted or who have not made a decision on your application. Additionally, law schools will still review your final transcripts even after admission.

Schedule a School Visit/Observe a Law School Class: If you have not already visited schools to which you applied or observed a law school class, this is a great time to do those things. Most schools of “student ambassador” programs where prospective students can receive a tour from a current student -- take advantage of the opportunity to talk to students at the school to find out what the brochures might not tell you!

Continue to Look for Scholarship Opportunities:  There are many external grants and awards for students pursuing legal education. Make sure to continue to look for opportunities to finance your legal education!

What NOT to do after submitting your law school applications:

Bug the Admissions Office with Unnecessary Questions:  It is fine to reach out to the admissions office to seek clarification about the process, the timeline, or with other procedural or technical questions but ONLY if you have first done your due diligence in making sure the information is not readily available on the website. You should avoid reaching out with unnecessary inquiries — remember that this is a very busy time of year for their office and they will not appreciate repeated calls or requests for information that has been provided via the website, email, or the application instructions.

Obsess Over Reddit or Internet Forums:  Internet forums such as Reddit can be a great source of information, but remember, much of that information is unverified. Law school applicants can create a lot of unnecessary stress for themselves by reading long threads of other law school applicants comparing notes about LSAT scores, admission decisions, or other “secret” knowledge about the process at individual schools.

Fail to Update Schools About Important Information: Did you move? Get new grades? Realize that you forgot to include information required in the character and fitness addendum? Make sure you keep law schools up-to-date about any pertinent changes in your life or application information!.