2016 Harvard Law School transfer thread Forum

[dabigchina]

Numbers necessary but not sufficient. That's fair, but people should know that going into their application cycle.

I think numbers are still more or less the ballgame at most of the T14. HYS just have more room to be picky. I feel like a lot of the advice for transfers on this forum is geared towards getting people to a T-14, not HYS.

[Xrt313]

Stats of those admitted so far (and I hope there will be more acceptances today and next week!!):

July 7 (all times are EST, all admittances were done by phone call from Cambridge number):

1. 3:45 p.m.: 3.91 from CCN
2. 5:05 p.m.: 4.15 from T30
3. 5:29 p.m.: 3% from T20
4. 5:40 p.m.: ~5% from T14
5. 6:00 p.m.: 3.94 from T30
6. 6:35 p.m.: #2 in class at mid-40s T1
7. 6:45 p.m.: #1 in class from T50 (said very strong softs and 4.0 GPA)
8. 7:00 p.m.: ~5% at lower T14
9. 7:00 p.m.: #1 at T20
10. 7:06 p.m.: 1-3% at lower T14
11. 7:07 p.m.: 4.0 at T20
12. 7:30 p.m.: 2% at lower T14

[zaylla2015]

FWIW, someone from Davis was admitted last night with a less impressive "law school resume" than myself (GPA, awards, 1L summer job)... so I'm still holding out hope today, but it's safe to assume that, as others have indicated, that softs may have been very important for this transfer cycle. I don't have many softs but my understanding is that this person did.

But back to the most important question - does anybody want to call to see if they plan on admitting anyone else, or if last night was it?

EDIT: Let's get this discussion back on track a bit. Some of us are still feverishly refreshing this thread hoping to find a second wave of acceptances has begun.

I'm inclined to wait until 3:30, since the first known acceptance yesterday was around 4, correct? If it's still silent by 3:30 I'll bite the bullet and call.

At that point, ain't really nothing to lose. Although my inclination is that the 50 acceptances went out yesterday, they have until Thursday to respond, which means no one else is hearing back until some declines come through, and then they'll call sporadically based on the hierarchy of their list of waiting applicants. just my thoughts, anyways.

[Nebby]

I stalked through the previous year threads. It's really not as much a numbers game as people say on this forum, because plenty of people in T14 top 5% or T1 top 1% have been rejected. Probably more than those admitted, which means something like top 5% at a T20 definitely has <50% chance. I should've spent more time on application materials, because I made the mistake of thinking they didn't matter that much. I wrote a generic error-free safe personal statement.

It's obviously not impossible for someone to get admitted today or even Monday but I wouldn't hold my breath. It's been on the same day all the way back to like 2012.

Arrow's guide really should be taken down because it's misleading.

Well, PnJ, I do hope you get in. The thing is that Harvard uses a "holistic" admission system. See SAT 2400 is not enough to get into Harvard for asians. See also Fisher v. U Texas.

See also ROBERT88, You're an Idiot, 22 L.J.L 69 (2016)

[tebowtime23]

FWIW, someone from Davis was admitted last night with a less impressive "law school resume" than myself (GPA, awards, 1L summer job)... so I'm still holding out hope today, but it's safe to assume that, as others have indicated, that softs may have been very important for this transfer cycle. I don't have many softs but my understanding is that this person did.

But back to the most important question - does anybody want to call to see if they plan on admitting anyone else, or if last night was it?

EDIT: Let's get this discussion back on track a bit. Some of us are still feverishly refreshing this thread hoping to find a second wave of acceptances has begun.

I'm inclined to wait until 3:30, since the first known acceptance yesterday was around 4, correct? If it's still silent by 3:30 I'll bite the bullet and call.

At that point, ain't really nothing to lose. Although my inclination is that the 50 acceptances went out yesterday, they have until Thursday to respond, which means no one else is hearing back until some declines come through, and then they'll call sporadically based on the hierarchy of their list of waiting applicants. just my thoughts, anyways.

Hope this isn't the case - but if it is, there won't be any more admits until Yale and S make their admission decisions.

[ilikechocolate]

For those applying next year - undergraduate GPA doesn't seem to matter at all (I had a 3.1), nor does whether or not you had a shot at getting in for 1L (though they stated that it does on their website - I certainly did not & was rejected right away when I applied). Also - don't forget that H requires dean's certificates, and make sure to turn them in on time (request them like 2 weeks before the application is due, at least) because someone in admissions told me they won't even start reviewing applications until they're received (though mine came in at least a week late). I write all this because I was really anxious about my application for these reasons, and it would have helped my anxiety levels a lot not to have had these things on the back of my mind.

Obviously, the biggest indicator seems to be grades. I don't know much about what Admissions considers strong softs, but I wasn't a k-JD - I took 2-3 years off & had a bunch of different interesting jobs during that time. I submitted a completely different personal statement from the last time I applied, but my diversity statement was the exact same. My personal statement was very pointed and about what I care about. I didn't have more than 1 sentence about why I want to be at Harvard (& even that was pretty generic - mentioned a professor who I love who teaches there and a specific program I want to participate in, but that's it) and nothing at all about why I want to transfer. I'm sure there are a lot of successful formulas - maybe it would be helpful to others in the future to write down what worked for transfer admits.

Stats of those admitted so far (and I hope there will be more acceptances today and next week!!):

July 7 (all times are EST, all admittances were done by phone call from Cambridge number):

1. 3:45 p.m.: 3.91 from CCN
2. 5:05 p.m.: 4.15 from T30
3. 5:29 p.m.: 3% from T20
4. 5:40 p.m.: ~5% from T14
5. 6:00 p.m.: 3.94 from T30
6. 6:35 p.m.: #2 in class at mid-40s T1
7. 6:45 p.m.: 4.0 from T50 (said very strong softs)
8. 7:00 p.m.: ~5% at lower T14
9. 7:00 p.m.: #1 at T20
10. 7:06 p.m.: 4.0 at lower T14 (~1-3%)
11. 7:07 p.m.: 4.0 at T20
12. 7:30 p.m.: 3.88 at lower T14 (2%)

It's also worth noting that #7 was also #1 in his/her class. 4.0 doesn't really mean much on its own -- you could be at a school that weighs A+ as 4.3 and gives them out like hotcakes to the highest scoring exam even if it's far from perfect. In that instance a 4.0 would barely put you in the top 5-10%.

[Xrt313]

It's also worth noting that #7 was also #1 in his/her class. 4.0 doesn't really mean much on its own -- you could be at a school that weighs A+ as 4.3 and gives them out like hotcakes to the highest scoring exam even if it's far from perfect. In that instance a 4.0 would barely put you in the top 5-10%.

True. Didn't see that stat about #7. Changed accordingly.

[PeanutsNJam]

My UGPA was somewhere between 2.4 and 2.7, so maybe it does matter if it's extremely low. This cycle looks weird because in 2015, there were 6 or 7 out of 55 transfers that were from T14, and most were from T1. Median GPA was also only like a 3.92 or something. The cycle before was also something like less than 5 T14 out of 33 transfers.

Maybe they were just more selective this year? All of the admits were very high numbers, and on average higher than previous years. More T14 applications too maybe.

I hope this thread is helpful to people looking to xfer to HYS in the future.

[browniestasty]

Someone from my school got in. T2 school and gpa wasnt highest of the people that applied so softs do seem to matter a bit. I am actually not sure if he/she was top 5% but certainly top 10%. He/she does have strong softs though from undergrad and law school participating and running for seemingly everything within reach.

That or UGPA. Mine was 3.0.

My guess is HLS looks for some kind of threshold like top 5/10% (enough to transfer anywhere not HYS) and then actually reads the apps for softs for tie breakers for close cases.

[PeanutsNJam]

Yeah it makes sense that once you break the minimum GPA threshold, softs take forefront. Everything from uGPA and personal statement to whether you have a PhD and cured cancer or not.

[the-american-guy]

Someone from my school got in. T2 school and gpa wasnt highest of the people that applied so softs do seem to matter a bit. I am actually not sure if he/she was top 5% but certainly top 10%. He/she does have strong softs though from undergrad and law school participating and running for seemingly everything within reach.

That or UGPA. Mine was 3.0.

My guess is HLS looks for some kind of threshold like top 5/10% (enough to transfer anywhere not HYS) and then actually reads the apps for softs for tie breakers for close cases.

It has to be softs, then, rather than UGPA. I had a 3.69 in Undergrad and I'm at a T2, top 4% now. Granted that isn't the best undergraduate GPA out there, but if that was a factor, I figured I would have had a slightly better chance.

[Joscellin]

Not uGPA as a major factor, as mine was much lower than PnJ's. I had some goodish employment, but no special softs. Great LoRs though.

[browniestasty]

gotta chalk it up to blackbox then =(

My application status is still incomplete (which makes no sense, because I got all the paper work as soon as available and the person that got in was subject to same time line.)

But oh, well.

[Nebby]

It's only July 8th. I don't think they're done with acceptances

[tebowtime23]

It's only July 8th. I don't think they're done with acceptances

Fair enough, but I don't think many more are coming in. If they knew which students they wanted to admit yesterday, and haven't admitted anymore today, it seems like they may just be waiting to see if people decline and they have to add a few more students at the end of the process.

[Nebby]

Also, if it's any consolation, I was at a TT with a 3.96 and didn't get in two years ago

[Planktonian]

You guys have to remember that real human beings are reading these applications. Would you read an application and think, "the numbers are lower than that other one, but the ugpa is better." These actual real people probably read an applicant file and feel, wow I really liked that one, that one didn't speak to me, or wow that one was awful. They don't get that feeling from numbers, they get it from the story you can tell them about yourself and your life. Most likely before they even get to that stage they would have already triaged applicants into those meeting number requirements and those that don't. H gives aid to those that meet need requirements, they're not taking transfers for revenue purposes. They take transfers because they read their application and felt like they wanted that person to be at H for whatever reason. Numbers don't tell a good enough story by themselves. You have to tell them about yourself and that is in your softs, your ps, lors and anything else you can send them.

[dracula]

Just got a call from "Cambridge MA" and almost died of a heart attack...

TURNS OUT IT WAS MY A-HOLE FRIEND WHO WAS TROLLING ME WITH "CAT FACTS PRANK CALLS"

I can't do this anymore... :'(

[houritsu]

.

[dajdaj23]

Alright you wonderful people. I just got off the phone with Harvard's admissions office. Below is the conversation.

Me: Hi, I applied to transfer to Harvard Law for the Fall of 2016, and I was wondering have you released all admissions decisions?
Officer: No, we have not released all our admissions yet, we are hoping to have that completed by the end of this week.

[the-american-guy]

Alright you wonderful people. I just got off the phone with Harvard's admissions office. Below is the conversation.

Me: Hi, I applied to transfer to Harvard Law for the Fall of 2016, and I was wondering have you released all admissions decisions?
Officer: No, we have not released all our admissions yet, we are hoping to have that completed by the end of this week.

You're my new hero.

[ilikechocolate]

Alright you wonderful people. I just got off the phone with Harvard's admissions office. Below is the conversation.

Me: Hi, I applied to transfer to Harvard Law for the Fall of 2016, and I was wondering have you released all admissions decisions?
Officer: No, we have not released all our admissions yet, we are hoping to have that completed by the end of this week.

That's because they haven't sent out the rejections yet. Those are admissions decisions too.

[tebowtime23]

Alright you wonderful people. I just got off the phone with Harvard's admissions office. Below is the conversation.

Me: Hi, I applied to transfer to Harvard Law for the Fall of 2016, and I was wondering have you released all admissions decisions?
Officer: No, we have not released all our admissions yet, we are hoping to have that completed by the end of this week.

Can confirm. Had the same conversation about half an hour ago. Was told we would absolutely know one way or the other by the end of this week. Didn't sound like many acceptances (if any) would be coming, though, but that was just the impression I got.

[dajdaj23]

Alright you wonderful people. I just got off the phone with Harvard's admissions office. Below is the conversation.

Me: Hi, I applied to transfer to Harvard Law for the Fall of 2016, and I was wondering have you released all admissions decisions?
Officer: No, we have not released all our admissions yet, we are hoping to have that completed by the end of this week.

That's because they haven't sent out the rejections yet. Those are admissions decisions too.

Agreed. It would be nice to have a final say in order for all of us to get on with our lives. Congratulations to all those who got in, and for those of us waiting, if its not meant to be, then its not meant to be..

[heregoeseverything]

Just to sort of help with the grades v. softs for future applicants or posterity or whatever, I was second in my section with a 4.0, and someone who was 1st in a different section at our T20 applied and has not yet been accepted. I have really strong softs (im a little older than my average 1L classmates) a prior graduate degree, tons of public interest work experience, and I put a lot of time into my transfer applications because I didn't want to leave anything up to chance. So, my feeling is that it's probably grades that get you even considered and softs that might get you accepted. I'm definitely not adding to racial or ethnic diversity but maybe public interest focused diversity?