Harvard 2012 applicants (class of 2015) Forum

[aperfectmap]

Anyways, do those of you who've had your interviews already have any advice for those of us who will have ours this week and next? I know the questions are pretty standard, but any collected wisdom would be much appreciated!

I would say just give some genuine thought to the questions she's been asking, find a relatively quiet place to wait for the call, and be yourself!

Quiet, like the middle of my 7th grade math class at the end of the day. She seemed apologetic about interrupting my lesson on converting word phrases to multi-step equations.

That's what they get for not specifying whether they were going to call on Eastern time or Mountain.

[spek]

what kind of answers do you guys come up with for "why law"?

I'm having a bit of trouble with this as well. Don't want my answer to seem shallow or overly contrived.

[kulshan]

Quiet, like the middle of my 7th grade math class at the end of the day. She seemed apologetic about interrupting my lesson on converting word phrases to multi-step equations.

That's what they get for not specifying whether they were going to call on Eastern time or Mountain.

Ha! At least being in the middle of things probably kept you from being too nervous in the run-up to the call. I'm also in Mountain time, and it didn't occur to me that the call was scheduled for Eastern time until the day before. I had to be on campus, so I found a back hallway area that turned out to be a very popular place for making and taking phone calls. When I started my call, a couple of other people left. Maybe I was talking really loud :S.

[aperfectmap]

Quiet, like the middle of my 7th grade math class at the end of the day. She seemed apologetic about interrupting my lesson on converting word phrases to multi-step equations.

That's what they get for not specifying whether they were going to call on Eastern time or Mountain.

Ha! At least being in the middle of things probably kept you from being too nervous in the run-up to the call. I'm also in Mountain time, and it didn't occur to me that the call was scheduled for Eastern time until the day before. I had to be on campus, so I found a back hallway area that turned out to be a very popular place for making and taking phone calls. When I started my call, a couple of other people left. Maybe I was talking really loud :S.

I was considering telling my kids, "If Mr. Aperfectmap runs out of the room like a madman halfway through class, don't worry," but settled for telling them that I had an important call to take. Luckily, they didn't ask questions about it because they don't know I'm leaving at the end of the year, and it didn't seem like a good time to bring it up.

[kulshan]

I was considering telling my kids, "If Mr. Aperfectmap runs out of the room like a madman halfway through class, don't worry," but settled for telling them that I had an important call to take. Luckily, they didn't ask questions about it because they don't know I'm leaving at the end of the year, and it didn't seem like a good time to bring it up.

Haha, yeah, I've considered keeping my phone out later in the semester when calls might be coming in. I only have to teach 2 hours per week, though, so the chances that the call comes while I'm teaching are pretty small.

[LaCumparsita]

This is encouraging! *knocks profusely on wood* From the Assistant Dean's corner, 2010:

"For those of you unfamiliar with this, one requirement for admission to Harvard Law is that you have a short phone interview with me. In addition to giving me the pleasure of getting to know you a little bit, the interview is a great opportunity for me to learn something about you that I might not pick up from your application.

Everyone invited to interview is a pretty strong candidate; generally, an invitation to interview means that you have a good chance of admission. Now that doesn’t mean that the interview is dispositive, because we’re interviewing a wide range of candidates. In some cases we have a really strong evaluation of your candidacy and the interview is more about making sure you’ll be a good fit for HLS; in other cases the committee may be a bit more uncertain of where you stand or we may have a specific question about something on your application. The interview gives me another chance to get a sense of what you can add to the class.

It’s a pretty straightforward conversation, and to a large extent I give out the questions ahead of time. So there shouldn’t be any surprises. Being somewhat prepared is critical – I’m a little bit shocked if you can’t articulate why you’re interested in coming to law school. In general though, if you do a little homework, come prepared, and honestly convey why you’re interested in law school and Harvard Law, you’re likely to have a good interview."

[planeride]

More KB1s today please!

[igelchen]

KB1 report: What are you up to, why law, do you know what you want to study in law school.

I asked if she thought the drop in LSATs administered will impact H's admissions, and she said she doesn't think it'll change the top-end at all, still plenty of qualified candidates-- such as all of yourselves. :>

[WhiteGuy5]

KB1 report: What are you up to, why law, do you know what you want to study in law school.

I asked if she thought the drop in LSATs administered will impact H's admissions, and she said she doesn't think it'll change the top-end at all, still plenty of qualified candidates-- such as all of yourselves. :>

lol @ you actually asking.

Anyway, checking in (as if I have a chance). Feel arrogant.

[instantwonton]

KB1 report: What are you up to, why law, do you know what you want to study in law school.

I asked if she thought the drop in LSATs administered will impact H's admissions, and she said she doesn't think it'll change the top-end at all, still plenty of qualified candidates-- such as all of yourselves. :>

lol @ you actually asking.

Anyway, checking in (as if I have a chance). Feel arrogant.

Hey I have similar numbers and had my kb1 today... You definitely have a chance!

(I hope I didn't screw mine up with all my nervous laughter lol)
Same questions everyone else has been saying... Mine was like exactly 8 mins long. Now the big wait starts.... Eep!!!! :/

[WhiteGuy5]

Hey I have similar numbers and had my kb1 today... You definitely have a chance!

(I hope I didn't screw mine up with all my nervous laughter lol)
Same questions everyone else has been saying... Mine was like exactly 8 mins long. Now the big wait starts.... Eep!!!! :/

Why would you mislead me like this? ..

(also, are you a URM? survived the holocaust, etc?)

[instantwonton]

Hey I have similar numbers and had my kb1 today... You definitely have a chance!

(I hope I didn't screw mine up with all my nervous laughter lol)
Same questions everyone else has been saying... Mine was like exactly 8 mins long. Now the big wait starts.... Eep!!!! :/

Why would you mislead me like this? ..

(also, are you a URM? survived the holocaust, etc?)

Lol... Nope! Nothing like that at all! 2 yrs of solid work experience is my best soft... I'll keep you updated on if I actually get in or not :p.... But hopefully you'll have tour kb1 by then too!

[instantwonton]

Hey I have similar numbers and had my kb1 today... You definitely have a chance!

(I hope I didn't screw mine up with all my nervous laughter lol)
Same questions everyone else has been saying... Mine was like exactly 8 mins long. Now the big wait starts.... Eep!!!! :/

Why would you mislead me like this? ..

(also, are you a URM? survived the holocaust, etc?)

Lol... Nope! Nothing like that at all! 2 yrs of solid work experience is my best soft... I'll keep you updated on if I actually get in or not :p.... But hopefully you'll have tour kb1 by then too!

Your I mean... Not tour haha... Stupid iPhone!

[WhiteGuy5]

Lol... Nope! Nothing like that at all! 2 yrs of solid work experience is my best soft... I'll keep you updated on if I actually get in or not :p.... But hopefully you'll have tour kb1 by then too!

Thank youuu<33

[Hawkeye Pierce]

KB1 report: What are you up to, why law, do you know what you want to study in law school.

I asked if she thought the drop in LSATs administered will impact H's admissions, and she said she doesn't think it'll change the top-end at all, still plenty of qualified candidates-- such as all of yourselves. :>

Interesting. I hope she's wrong lol.

Anyone get a KB1 today?

[thederangedwang]

for those who did or gonna do their kb1's...u guys arent gonna send a thank u email right? seems kinda pointless considering the email address is the general harvard law address....

[bleylaw]

its okay to say were not exactly sure what kind of law right? dont they want us to like learn from them or something like that? especially if only an ug?

[starr3287]

Is anyone who received a KB1 so far planning on sending a "thank you" email? Is that overkill?

Thanks!

[kulshan]

I wasn't planning on it.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Yeah, I've never heard of anyone sending a thank you email....

[dean159]

Just had my KB1. It was really very relaxed and seemed like it was over pretty quickly. My questions were similar to everyone elses. What are you doing lately, why law and what areas of law are you particularly interested in.

Good luck to everyone else.

[FryBreadPower]

Got my application in late last week; any one know how long it usually takes to get your KB1? (assuming that you do, in fact, get the KB1?)

[snailio]

its okay to say were not exactly sure what kind of law right? dont they want us to like learn from them or something like that? especially if only an ug?

It's ok if you don't tell them you want specialize in municipal finance law, but you should have a general idea of why you want to go to law school, rather than iunno.

[094320]

..

[m3taphysician]

The question of what kind of law you want to go into will come up again in job interviews. I'm not sure about the advice for the KB1, but I've heard the general idea of interviews is to get specific if you can really back it up, otherwise state that you're open to learning.

Illustrative examples:
If you majored in econ/finance in undergrad, worked in wall-street for a couple years at, say, Goldman, and are now in law school, it makes sense to say "Corporate".
Or, if you majored in computer science, worked at, say, Google, and are now in law school, it makes sense to say "Intellectual Property."
If you are straight from undergrad with a liberal arts major like anthropology, it is probably nonsensical to say "Patent Law."

Use your best judgment.

Good to know. Thanks a lot!