"OMG!!!! I submitted X WEEKS AGO AND I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING!!!! Did they lose my application/decide to reject me/decide to ignore me????"

It's only February, and believe it or not, this is still early in the admissions cycle to be receiving decisions from schools. Most applicants have not received decisions yet!

And here's the more important message:

Keep your wits about you.

Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind while you sweat out the waiting process:

1. Do not pester schools about the status of your application. You can find out through your online LSAC account whether your application has been submitted to a school. Once you have submitted your application, different schools have different processes for notifying you if some piece of the application is missing or has not been submitted properly. You are expected to know those rules and processes and follow them. The magic word, whether it’s from an online portal the school uses, or via a confirmation email from the school, is that your application is “complete.” That’s not a status that comes from LSAC; it must come directly from the school. If your application is not deemed “complete,” and it has been more than two weeks since you submitted what you thought was a complete application (including transcripts, recommendations, etc.), contact the school to find out what they think is missing.

2. Make sure to check your spam folder regularly. Spam filters get better over time, but it would be a bummer to miss an important status update because it went to spam.

3. Do not let the discussion boards turn you into a crazy person. I know that many applicants enjoy the camaraderie of law school discussion boards and use them responsibly; that's a good thing. But I've also seen other people start doing irrational things as a result of spending too much time on them. Just because so-and-so (who doesn't even identify himself) got a Harvard interview or has already heard back from Penn, don't let that freak you out. Do not shoot off any emails to schools (or make any decisions, really) at 4 o'clock on the morning. Do not withdraw your application from School X because you are certain that their silence must mean you've been rejected. If you find yourself tempted to act rashly, back away slowly from your computer, and vow to stay away from the boards for some period of time.

And if you’re been waitlisted or put on “hold,” here’s a post about best next steps.