I think what people are saying is to take time to gain some work experiences. What I'm trying to say is to submit the application as early as possible once you decide to apply in a single cycle. E.g. people are suggesting that you apply in 2023-2024 or 2024-2025 cycle instead of 2022-2023, and I'm saying that if you do decide to apply in 2022-2023, apply in September 2022 instead of February 2023.criminologygeek wrote:Sounds like a solid plan, though from what people seem to be saying, the later you apply the better. I think a 180 is honestly heaven, but im aiming for at least a 177+ to get my foot in the door, even if that means halfway. What's your take on applying after University and if I don't get in, applying again after a year? A rejection would be devastating, but i'm wondering if Harvard wouldn't consider someone they had previously declined.Lxwind wrote:To answer the question: get a near-perfect GPA and a near-perfect LSAT and you'll be good to go. As far as I'm seeing, HLS admission is fairly predictable and highly depends on the numbers - especially LSAT which you have time to study for and have multiple chances to improve. Other than that, I'll say that if you know you are gonna do this, submit early. Stats show that for HLS, basically the earlier you apply the better chance you have, which is different from YLS and SLS. So, have all your documents ready in the summer and submit in early September will likely boost your chance, but only marginally. There are more students with experience than KJDs in HLS doesn't mean the admission rate is higher for older applicants. As a matter of fact, stats have shown that younger test takers tend to have higher LSAT scores in general. Therefore, if you've already decided this is what you want to do, leverage your advantage as a younger student who is determined and have the time - nail the test. A 3.9+ and a 180 basically means Harvard is a lock unless, idk, there is sth. extremely weird in your application. That is a goal that doesn't require gap years. Aim for that. Just remember, Harvard is always gonna be there and you don't have to rush. Good luck!
HLS's official position on reapplying can be found here: https://hls.harvard.edu/dept/jdadmissio ... sions-faq/
A rejection would not be devastating. You'll just need to submit new application documents. I'd imagine a higher LSAT score is gonna be very helpful when reapplying as well. But at the same time, since you are going to apply to a lot of schools, simply a rejection from HLS may not be worth another year of doing this - for example, if you can get admitted to one of CCN, or lower T-14 schools, please think twice before spending another year just to try again with Harvard, especially without any guarantee of success. As other people already pointed out, Harvard is perhaps not that different from the other top schools.