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How & When to Apply
Registering for LSDASLaw Services processes not only your LSAT, but also your transcripts and recommendations. The portion of Law Services which processes your transcripts is called the LSDAS (Law School Data Assembly Service). The portion dealing with Letters of Recommendation is called LOR. Instead of sending transcripts and recs to each law school, you send one to Law Services. They receive your transcripts from all colleges and prepare a report for the law schools. They summarize the transcript for the law schools, calculate your index number if the law school wishes, and send their report along with a copy of your transcripts. They also send at least some recommendations for you. You must register for the service, send your transcripts and recs, and follow up to make sure everything has been received. The LSDAS registration is good for five years, so you can register now even if you're not applying to law schools this year. It's a good idea to register, since you can then have your recommendations sent to and stored at Law Services. What Does the LSDAS Report Say?It does not give any information about the actual courses; instead the transcripts are attached for the law schools' review. The report gives your gpa by year (or by semester if you attended a different school in each semester or were in school for only one semester of the year), and your cumulative gpa (If you attended more than one college, it shows your cumulative gpa at your degree-granting school and overall.) If 50 or more people from your college applied to law school in the last three years, it compares your gpa to the median for applicants from your school. It shows the number of A's, B's, C's, D's, F's, pass/fails and incomplete or withdrawn courses for each year. How Much Does it Cost?Prices change yearly; in 2005, the fee for this service is over $100; this fee includes a report for one law school; you must also pay a fee of $10 or more per school for each additional law school to which you apply. You can register at the same time you register for the LSAT or separately, as your budget dictates. As with the LSAT, fee waivers are available for needy applicants. Your fee waiver entitles you to apply to 3 law schools at no charge. See the downloadable forms link at LSAC. I'm Not Eligible for an LSAC Fee WaiverSadly, a large number of economically disadvantaged applicants aren't poor enough for an LSAC fee waiver. I can't get LSAC to use more liberal fee waiver guidelines, so I did the next-best thing: I found law schools that let at least some people apply for free without an LSAC fee waiver. Click here for a list of schools where you might negotiate a free application. I Don't Know Where I'm ApplyingIn paying for extra school reports you don't have to name the schools, only the number of them. So if you've decided how many you will apply to, you can register now. If you add schools later, they will charge you more per school.. How Many Schools Should I Apply to?Although the national average is about 5 schools, applicants from highly competitive regions of the country often apply to more; 10 to 15 is not uncommon. A good general rule is that if you are applying locally, just count the number of local schools. If you are applying within a region, plan on 5 to 8 applications. And if you are applying all over the country, or if you know that a weakness in your file will make your admission less likely, plan on 10 or more. If you're applying on a limited budget, you may not be able to apply to as many schools as others will. But a number of schools waive the fee for at least some applicants. Clcik here to see the list as of 2007. What Do I Do Besides Pay?In addition to completing the form and sending your money, you must have transcripts sent from every school you attended. In the back of the Bulletin are four transcript request cards. Complete one for each college you attended (even if it was an exchange program approved by your school) and bring or mail it to the registrar, along with the required fee (usually five to ten dollars). The registrar will send an official transcript to Law Services. Be sure to request transcripts for summer programs, even if you attended them before you began college. You must also include transcripts from non-degree programs such as nursing school, and from graduate study programs. Law Services will not analyze these transcripts, but will send copies to the law schools for you. If you have more than four transcripts, or if you are unable to obtain a transcript because you owe a school money, you must also complete an "academic record" form enclosed in the registration bulletin.
How Do I Send Them My Recommendations?You should also send one copy of each of your recommendations. Follow the online instructions carefully. I've prepared a "cheat sheet" explaining the system and how to use it, but Law Services is the final arbiter, not me. If my instructions don't seem to work, use theirs. When Should I Register?The later in the application year, the longer it takes for Law Services to process your papers. As Law Services undertakes more of the work of submitting applications, the processing time gets longer. Processing recs adds time; training a staff to use a new system takes time; figuring out work-arounds for the bugs takes time. So make sure you do your work of completing the info online and sending the recs and resumes at least 4 weeks before you want the info sent to law schools. LSAC Fee WaiversLaw Services now makes it possible to get a fee waiver and register for services online. However, Law Services is much more strict about whom they grant fee waivers to than most admissions officers. If you're above the federal poverty guidelines, but not by much, you should download the paper application from LSAC.org and contact your local law school. If you are requesting a fee waiver from LSAC, you can register online, but if you're requesting it from a law school admissions officer, you cannot. You must request paper forms from Law Services, complete them, then send them with the fee waiver request. After it is approved, you can complete other info online. But make sure to add two extra weeks to get the paper forms. LSAC Fee Waivers
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