Apply Now or WE -- HLS, 3.72/180 Forum

[donmincho]

Hey TLS,

I'm looking for advice from those of you who might have some insight into HLS admissions--I've done lots of research, know what to expect with my numbers, but I'm trying to strengthen my softs as much as possible to give myself the best odds. I have a 3.72 from a top LAC and a 180, strong academic softs (honors, double major). My UG softs are meh, some campus political involvement first two years, focused on academics Jr and Sr years. I DONT have much substantive WE. Been out of school for 2 years, traveled a bit then spent the past year+ PT at a cool PI job, and some PT teaching. Now in the process of applying to biglaw paralegal jobs.

My question is this: apply now (2013-2014) or wait another year to get a full year of FT WE under my belt. My real target here is HLS--think I have good odds at Columbia/NYU, possibly Chicago, and on down. YS are almost a statistical nil.

I want to work FT as a biglaw paralegal to get a feel for biglaw before heading to law school. Also need the professional development since I haven't worked any FT office jobs. Probably not interested in biglaw long term, but thought it would be good to get a new perspective. So, TLS savants, whaddya think?

[Darmody]

mylsn shows that you have an 80% chance of acceptance to HLS purely based on your numbers. A year of WE could help, but I'd apply this cycle if I were you. Also, congrats on the 180, you beast.

edit: tips on LSAT prep?

[t-14orbust]

I think you're in at H this cycle. They're going to want to scoop up the high LSATs

[Lavitz]

You probably have a good enough shot at Harvard right now if you wanted. You should decide how important the extra WE is to you. Also, many firms ask for a two-year commitment from paralegals. So if you got one of those you'd want to either 1) wait until next cycle to apply or 2) apply with the intent of deferring if you get Harvard or a comparable offer, and withdrawing and reapplying if you don't. If the job doesn't come with a commitment, you may want to apply this cycle.

Right now I would be getting everything ready to apply for this cycle, and decide in a month based on the job search whether I wanted to apply or sit this one out.

[donmincho]

mylsn shows that you have an 80% chance of acceptance to HLS purely based on your numbers. A year of WE could help, but I'd apply this cycle if I were you. Also, congrats on the 180, you beast.

edit: tips on LSAT prep?

Thanks all for the thoughts. If you do a broader search on mylsn, shows closer to 60% (e.g., 177-180, 3.66-3.78). If you do the search you did (auto search), the sample size is small (n=5) and all but one of the accepted had 3.78 GPA or higher. In either case, I agree that my chances are very good, but there were a number of applicants with similar numbers last cycle who were waitlisted. I also think that WE is relatively important for HLS, and having had no FT employment post-UG will hurt me.

Lavitz, definitely true that most firms will want a 2-year commitment, so I'm keeping that in mind. I don't know that the best strategy is to apply, and if W/R, to reapply with an additional year of WE. Haven't done a ton of research on reapplying, but it seems that the best way to go is to make your application as strong as possible and apply once.

So, I think it makes sense to get everything ready and make a decision in a month once I have a better idea about job opportunities. I'm also trying to weigh the added value of an additional year of FT WE against the potential for more selective admissions next cycle, if applications rise.

Thanks all for any input.

[donmincho]

mylsn shows that you have an 80% chance of acceptance to HLS purely based on your numbers. A year of WE could help, but I'd apply this cycle if I were you. Also, congrats on the 180, you beast.

edit: tips on LSAT prep?

I spent about 2 years on-and-off and took every published practice test, many of them twice. PM me for more details.

[t-14orbust]

mylsn shows that you have an 80% chance of acceptance to HLS purely based on your numbers. A year of WE could help, but I'd apply this cycle if I were you. Also, congrats on the 180, you beast.

edit: tips on LSAT prep?

I spent about 2 years on-and-off and took every published practice test, many of them twice. PM me for more details.

Now I know why I didn't get a 180 lol

[bjohnsobf]

if this is a serious post you're being silly

dude i dont care if you went to university of pheonix if you have over a 3.5 and a 180 you're going whereever you want.

[Borg]

For purposes of getting into Harvard I think you have a good shot at being accepted this year. For purposes of giving yourself options outside of law and not being at the mercy of the ever collapsing biglaw machine, I think you're making a mistake if you either apply now or work as a paralegal. You would be much better off finding a job in industry with nothing to do with law for a couple of years instead.

[Humbert Humbert]

You probably have a good enough shot at Harvard right now if you wanted. You should decide how important the extra WE is to you. Also, many firms ask for a two-year commitment from paralegals. So if you got one of those you'd want to either 1) wait until next cycle to apply or 2) apply with the intent of deferring if you get Harvard or a comparable offer, and withdrawing and reapplying if you don't. If the job doesn't come with a commitment, you may want to apply this cycle.

Right now I would be getting everything ready to apply for this cycle, and decide in a month based on the job search whether I wanted to apply or sit this one out.

This is nominally true but by no means is it a contractual obligation. I know paralegals at my V10 who have left after a year to attend law school.

[Lavitz]

if this is a serious post you're being silly

dude i dont care if you went to university of pheonix if you have over a 3.5 and a 180 you're going whereever you want.

No.

You probably have a good enough shot at Harvard right now if you wanted. You should decide how important the extra WE is to you. Also, many firms ask for a two-year commitment from paralegals. So if you got one of those you'd want to either 1) wait until next cycle to apply or 2) apply with the intent of deferring if you get Harvard or a comparable offer, and withdrawing and reapplying if you don't. If the job doesn't come with a commitment, you may want to apply this cycle.

This is nominally true but by no means is it a contractual obligation. I know paralegals at my V10 who have left after a year to attend law school.

I never said it was. Sorry, I guess I assumed everyone else knew commitment = expectation, not a contractual obligation. Yes, you can leave if you want. But I personally wouldn't be comfortable accepting a job knowing they expected two years and then only working one year. The guy I was hired to replace at my last job did that and they didn't take too kindly to that.

[Cicero76]

Retake.

But seriously, you should be fine at Harvard this year. Applying won't hurt you--if you get rejected you can just go on with your WE plans and apply next year or in two years.

Plus, you can always ED UVA.

[willwash]

Retake.

[GJWheeler]

I think you're in at H this cycle. They're going to want to scoop up the high LSATs

+1

seriously 1) they dont care THAT much abotu your WE; and 2) any WE you get will most likely be boring and pointless and not worth the time you took off

(and 3, no one gives a shit about a paralegal that didn't fulfill 2 years of a paralegal job. also, no one really gives a shit about paralegal WE, so i'm wasting my time typing these words)

[KingofSplitters55]

I don't think WE will help your application further. It may help in recruiting though, depending on what kind of field of law you're aiming for (of course in a totally insignificant way compared to 1L grades/law review, but still I've seen/heard it being a factor at times).