Application Toolkit: Additional Guidance

On this webpage, you will find our advice on when to apply as well as guidance regarding addenda and general advice about preparing for the law school admissions process.

Application Timeline

Each year, the application for Fall semester enrollment opens in mid-September, and closes in mid-February. We aim to notify all applicants of their admission decision by early April.

Is it advantageous to apply early?

No. Strong applications rise no matter when they are submitted. A weaker application is no more likely to get an admit decision just because it has an early submission date.

We have three rounds of admission in January, February, and March (rather than ongoing rolling admissions). Throughout the fall months, we wait to see the pool develop. By the time we begin releasing decisions in January, we have a strong sense of the caliber of the pool.

The artificial construct of “early” seems to push applicants to rush and submit before their applications are fully polished—we encourage you to apply when your application is fully demonstrative of your potential.

J.D. Application Timeline

Know this, applicants: there is no magic definition of “early” that will change the trajectory of your file.

Podcast Advice

Miriam Ingber (Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Yale Law School) and Kristi Jobson (Assistant Dean for Admissions at Harvard Law School) provide candid, accurate, and straightforward advice about law school admissions — direct from the source. They will be joined by guest stars from other law schools to discuss application timing, letters of recommendation, personal statements, and more.

Miriam and Kristi share their thoughts on the so-called “softs” – and explain why these aspects of your application may be the most important of all. This episode includes lots of resume tips, and a discussion of when to include, and how to maximize, a diversity statement.
Nkonye Iwerebon (Columbia Law School) joins Miriam and Kristi to dig into addenda, character and fitness issues, contacting admissions offices, and all things judgment related. Good judgment is a key to every application and this episode will talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Sandy Williams (NYU), Miriam, and Kristi offer their candid advice on how to be the best applicant you can be.

Additional Application Components

Addendum

We encourage you to provide any relevant information that may be helpful to us in making an informed decision on your candidacy. If you need additional space beyond the application questions and required materials, you may include a brief addendum.

An addendum is a brief statement, typically one to two paragraphs long, that offers additional context to any application component or addresses matters that you deem require elaboration.

Launching to 1L

Curious about more than just the application components? If you’re exploring the idea of law school, considering where to apply, or simply wondering how the process works, you’ll find guidance here that can help you get started as you “launch” to 1L year.

FAQs

  • How should I format my addendum?

    Your addendum should be brief. Use a legible font (not less than 11 point) with 1” margins and not less than 1.5 line spacing. We recommend adding your name and LSAC number in the header.

  • What’s appropriate to include in an addendum?

    We encourage applicants to provide any relevant information that may be helpful to us in making an informed decision on an application.  Any information that you believe to be relevant to your application is appropriate. Ultimately, we ask for applicants to exercise best judgement when determining what to include.

    For example, you may choose to describe extraordinary circumstances that may have affected academic performance, standardized test results, or the reasons behind a gap in your resume.

  • Can I include a writing sample or published work in my addendum?

    No. You are welcome to include a brief summary or abstract that describes the writing sample or publication. Please note we will not review the work itself or click on any links to a third-party site.