Harvard 2012 applicants (class of 2015) Forum

[MumofCad]

*Feels self conscience for even trying for Harvard with only a BA*

You are probably much younger than me though! And plenty go to Harvard with a BA.

[MumofCad]

I called the admissions office.

On the first score, taking a break off between degrees, check "no".

On the second score, any break from any program requires an addendum and will not effect your admissions adversely - in my case, I used the example of my leave of absence from my PhD program to do field work in a war-torn country. She said a very simple addendum would be needed.

[freestallion]

*Feels self conscience for even trying for Harvard with only a BA*

*feels self conscious for even applying to Harvard in general* Never applied to Harvard for UG... too scared

[Eichörnchen]

*Feels self conscience for even trying for Harvard with only a BA*

*feels self conscious for even applying to Harvard in general* Never applied to Harvard for UG... too scared

uhhhh...well I would have never considered Harvard for UG I'm kinda just an average Jane from the midwest. Family attitude: You should probably go to college after HS. That's pretty much it. When I told them I wanted to go to law school I had to explain to them that I am aiming for the T14, what that is, and why. Sadly my life experiences reflect my average background (no internships with the UN for me haha) but my GPA for Harvard is about median, so I guess I will give it a shot. Argh I do wish I could go there

[freestallion]

*Feels self conscience for even trying for Harvard with only a BA*

*feels self conscious for even applying to Harvard in general* Never applied to Harvard for UG... too scared

uhhhh...well I would have never considered Harvard for UG I'm kinda just an average Jane from the midwest. Family attitude: You should probably go to college after HS. That's pretty much it. When I told them I wanted to go to law school I had to explain to them that I am aiming for the T14, what that is, and why. Sadly my life experiences reflect my average background (no internships with the UN for me haha) but my GPA for Harvard is about median, so I guess I will give it a shot. Argh I do wish I could go there

My GPA is not even median Sad sad. It's a big reach but I dream of Harvard <3
You have a good shot

[Eichörnchen]

*Feels self conscience for even trying for Harvard with only a BA*

*feels self conscious for even applying to Harvard in general* Never applied to Harvard for UG... too scared

uhhhh...well I would have never considered Harvard for UG I'm kinda just an average Jane from the midwest. Family attitude: You should probably go to college after HS. That's pretty much it. When I told them I wanted to go to law school I had to explain to them that I am aiming for the T14, what that is, and why. Sadly my life experiences reflect my average background (no internships with the UN for me haha) but my GPA for Harvard is about median, so I guess I will give it a shot. Argh I do wish I could go there

My GPA is not even median Sad sad. It's a big reach but I dream of Harvard <3
You have a good shot

Ugh not with my current PT scores. I will give it my best shot though. I totally stalk the Harvard law events on the site and get really jelly that I can't go to them They have the best events.

[MumofCad]

Ugh not with my current PT scores. I will give it my best shot though. I totally stalk the Harvard law events on the site and get really jelly that I can't go to them They have the best events.

What's your sticking point on the PT keeping your score down?

For me, I scored wildly on PT at first depending on how the LG section shook my confidence or flowed. I read through the Powerscore book and by the end, I was solidly in the range I roughly wanted. I went through another less common book called "Ace the LSAT Logic Games." It was perfect and bumped me up to being really consistently on the upper end of the range. The questions aren't LSAT, but are just a tad more difficult. Great for practicing and getting your speed up. By the time I worked through it, I was finishing the LG with 5 minutes to spare consistently and rarely missed more than 1 or 2. I couldn't believe I had ever struggled to complete them on time! I highly recommend that book if LG is your sticking point. Its got like 60 different games too along with explanations (ignore their graphing recommendations though, I don't think they are great and def inferior to Powerscore).

[Eichörnchen]

Ugh not with my current PT scores. I will give it my best shot though. I totally stalk the Harvard law events on the site and get really jelly that I can't go to them They have the best events.

What's your sticking point on the PT keeping your score down?

For me, I scored wildly on PT at first depending on how the LG section shook my confidence or flowed. I read through the Powerscore book and by the end, I was solidly in the range I roughly wanted. I went through another less common book called "Ace the LSAT Logic Games." It was perfect and bumped me up to being really consistently on the upper end of the range. The questions aren't LSAT, but are just a tad more difficult. Great for practicing and getting your speed up. By the time I worked through it, I was finishing the LG with 5 minutes to spare consistently and rarely missed more than 1 or 2. I couldn't believe I had ever struggled to complete them on time! I highly recommend that book if LG is your sticking point. Its got like 60 different games too along with explanations (ignore their graphing recommendations though, I don't think they are great and def inferior to Powerscore).

LG is my worst by far - I usually get 5-10 wrong depending on how horribly it goes. The other sections I get anywhere from 0-4 wrong. I did the LGB and am working through Manhattan's book which has been great....and I just got the Ace book! Good to know it helped out. My plan is to do 3 copies of each game from PT9-PT40 while refining my methods, and then doing Ace games whenever I need a pre-PT warmup or when I have a spare moment to squeeze some in. Hope it works. I'm stuck at the high 160s right now...I am not worthy of this thread yet

[mickeyD]

Uhm, can i go here?

GPA is a joke for HLS but hopefully a fancy October LSAT score and a little underrepresented minority will distract them?

[Adrianveidt1000]

Hi everyone. New guy joining the discussion. Prepping for LSAT with fingers crossed... though after reading this and last year's forum, suddenly my complete lack of work experience/graduate degrees is making me even less hopeful.

Anyways, just stopping by to wish everyone the best of luck!!!

[Pocahontas]

Uhm, can i go here?

GPA is a joke for HLS but hopefully a fancy October LSAT score and a little underrepresented minority will distract them?

+1 ... oh sweet baby jesus PLEASE!!! +1

[$1.99]

let the fun begin

[tomwatts]

Looks good Tom. Are you finally considering law school?

i'm still curious what tomwatt's rap sheet has on it. a 180 and the guy doesn't go to law school? i think he actually killed somebody or something.

They'll never prove it!

I suppose you could say that. I'm posting this from a Harvard Law dorm right now. I'm an incoming 1L.

[sandwiches5000]

I've seen people (non-URM) get in with GPAs slightly below the median (people with GPAs around 3.7) with a median-higher LSAT to compensate. I think it's better than having a below median LSAT for sure. It is rare to see someone with below 25%-ile LSAT get in who is non-URM. But, GPA... different story.

This is what I'm crossing my fingers for, at least... (I have a 3.76).

[freestallion]

I've seen people (non-URM) get in with GPAs slightly below the median (people with GPAs around 3.7) with a median-higher LSAT to compensate. I think it's better than having a below median LSAT for sure. It is rare to see someone with below 25%-ile LSAT get in who is non-URM. But, GPA... different story.

This is what I'm crossing my fingers for, at least... (I have a 3.76).

That's what I'm praying for. The problem is my gpa is 3.8 (below median) but the LSAT is exactly at their median so I don't think I have a great shot.

Worth a try anyway.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

I've seen people (non-URM) get in with GPAs slightly below the median (people with GPAs around 3.7) with a median-higher LSAT to compensate. I think it's better than having a below median LSAT for sure. It is rare to see someone with below 25%-ile LSAT get in who is non-URM. But, GPA... different story.

This is what I'm crossing my fingers for, at least... (I have a 3.76).

That's what I'm praying for. The problem is my gpa is 3.8 (below median) but the LSAT is exactly at their median so I don't think I have a great shot.

Worth a try anyway.

That's my problem as well. I'm just a hair below median with a 3.86, and have an LSAT score at their median.

[sandwiches5000]

I wouldn't sweat a 3.8+. Only comes down to a few decimal points.

I'm hoping they'll look at why I had a 3.76... I had a 4.0 throughout much of college but at the end I took a 20+ credit course load because I'm an overachiever and it kind of ended up screwing me over at the end... Now I have to retake the LSAT and try for practically a 180 this time to balance it out.

Anyway, they definitely do look at what kind of courses you took and what major(s) you had when taking your GPA into consideration.

ALSO, if you have at median scores/GPA, good softs + PS will help you out most definitely. Focus on these elements and you have a decent shot.

[icedflames]

Is their policy to strictly average multiple LSAT scores? If so, I'm not sure if I should bother applying. My GPA is slightly above their median while my highest LSAT is slightly below, but because of their policy, my first LSAT will practically make me an automatic reject.

Is there any evidence that they've made any exceptions? (Haven't had time to browse LSN yet)

[LaCumparsita]

I'm pretty sure they don't average anymore. I've seen several examples of people getting in with two LSAT scores when the average would be well below the median or even 25%. Just write an addendum saying why your first score is lower and you should be fine.

[planeride]

Is there a consensus about how late you can apply while still being in the "first batch?" (My recommenders are straggling... )

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Is there a consensus about how late you can apply while still being in the "first batch?" (My recommenders are straggling... )

Hold on, let me look at the data on LSN and get back to you.

Edit: looks like the latest one on LSN is Nov 2 with the Thanksgiving batch. I'd suggest just trying to get it in before the Oct LSAT scores come out.

[planeride]

Thanks Hawkeye, that's a relief. Should have thought of that LSN trick!

[Hawkeye Pierce]

No problem! You should shoot your recommenders a reminder email.

[sandwiches5000]

Is there a consensus about how late you can apply while still being in the "first batch?" (My recommenders are straggling... )

Hold on, let me look at the data on LSN and get back to you.

Edit: looks like the latest one on LSN is Nov 2 with the Thanksgiving batch. I'd suggest just trying to get it in before the Oct LSAT scores come out.

Hmmm. So if I submit my materials right when the Oct. scores come out would I be likely to make it in the first batch? I thought about submitting before they come out but my LSAT is below the 25th percentile so I'd be dumped in the rejects pretty swiftly... I'd rather just submit with the higher score but I don't want to be disadvantaged in terms of the time of applying. I need all the help I can get!

[sandwiches5000]

Is their policy to strictly average multiple LSAT scores? If so, I'm not sure if I should bother applying. My GPA is slightly above their median while my highest LSAT is slightly below, but because of their policy, my first LSAT will practically make me an automatic reject.

Is there any evidence that they've made any exceptions? (Haven't had time to browse LSN yet)

I've asked a lot of TLSers about this because I'm in a similar situation. Although Harvard's official policy re:retakes is "the LSAT need be only taken once," a strong applicant with a 3.7+ GPA and a killer highest LSAT score still has a chance of getting in. I've evaluated the admits on TLS and LSN and it definitely is something that happens. I think it puts you at a bit of a disadvantage when you are compared to a similar applicant who only took the exam once and achieved a high score, but it is not necessarily a death sentence.

Most schools do accept the highest score but some, particularly the most selective schools, consider the averages AND the highest score. So as an applicant you are going to be judged on your average score and your highest. Just come up with a good reason for the lower score(s) and you should be okay. I can't see Harvard turning down an applicant with a good GPA (3.7 range seems to be the lowest non-URM they will take) that got a 157 and then a 180 on their next try if they have a compelling reason for the jump. Everyone has bad days and some people, like myself, were too uninformed and optimistic to cancel their terrible score.