Why I'm OK with Applying in mid-October

There is evidence on TLS that quite a few people are trying to get their applications in as early as possible. My reference book for applying to law school discusses when to submit applications in nice detail, and I have no reason to question her advice. Ann Levine says that it really doesn't help to apply as soon as a school starts taking applications. Besides needing to work a few bugs out of the system at the beginning of the cycle, the people who will be making the admissions decisions aren't even in the office. They're on the road trying to recruit new students. Here is a list of the schools that will be at William and Mary's graduate and professional school fair next month. These people aren't going to be reading files. In Ann's opinion, your application is still in plenty early if it gets there before Halloween. Getting it in before Thanksgiving is still early enough to take advantage of rolling admissions (there are more seats available at the beginning of the cycle).

I've discovered another reason to hold back on submitting applications. Fee waivers are still rolling in at a nice clip. I got three today for crying out loud (Cordozo, St. Louis, and the one I'm about to mention)! I thought I was set on which schools I would be applying to, but just this evening I got a fee waiver from Washington University in St. Louis. I will definitely take them up on their offer. I also got a letter from U of R letting me know that they'll be at VCU's law school fair. If I pay them a visit at said event, they will happily provide a fee waiver. Seeing as they were the only school that I did not have a waiver for, I will pop on over there during my lunch break on October 1 and say hello.