Harvard Law c/o 2020 Applicants (2016-2017) Forum

[SmallK]

Lol, just got out of a meeting and had a missed call and voicemail from an unknown number...

...it was my dentist. UGH!

Another reason why dentists are just the worst.

I've gotten three unknown 617 calls in the past two days. Four is my lucky number, though, so keep 'em coming.

[Monday]

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[anonperson2017]

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[forum_user]

HLS 25th - 170
170 and up: -3%, or 2288 potential applicants from approx. 2364 last year

HLS 50th - 172
172 and up: -17%, or 1145 potential applicants from approx. 1380 last year
(173 median for Class of 2020 looks unlikely as it's -15.5%, or 843 applicants from approx. 998 last year)

HLS 75th - 175
175 and up: -20.5%, or 371 potential applicants from approx. 467 last year

Assuming that HLS makes offers (approx. 900 based on past statements) consistent with their desired medians (which they probably don't--they probably make more offers to high-stat applicants), that means they'd admit about:
225 people below 170 (out of ~14,000 [assuming LSAT floor of ~155])
225 people w/ 170-172 (out of ~1,400)
225 people w/ 173-175 (out of ~600)
225 people w/ 176-180 (out of ~250)

Caveat: I have no idea how percentiles or almost anything else works.

[R. Jeeves]

^ I think the number of applicants they admit in those bands will depend on the historical yield % among applicants with those scores. Also GPA. Idk what the applicant gpa distribution looks like. It seems like we can expect it to look similar from year to year but idk.

[R. Jeeves]

how likely is it that they cut their class size by 5% or more?

[Pozzo]

^ I think the number of applicants they admit in those bands will depend on the historical yield % among applicants with those scores. Also GPA. Idk what the applicant gpa distribution looks like. It seems like we can expect it to look similar from year to year but idk.

That makes sense. I imagine a 167, e.g., has a higher yield than 177, since the 177 probably has more $$$ offers to attract them away from H.

[Monday]

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[anonperson2017]

^^ I would add that the number of people <170 you estimate is probably too high. 170 being the 25th means a quarter of the class is less than or equal to 170, so technically it could be all 170's and then just a handful of those with less.

[Pozzo]

how likely is it that they cut their class size by 5% or more?

Doesn't seem too likely. Sounds like there are enough high scorers for them to maintain medians without a significant cut in class size.

[GoBucks6612]

how likely is it that they cut their class size by 5% or more?

In my completely uninformed opinion, I doubt it would happen intentionally. 5-10% of matriculants is worth a lot more to them I would assume (think utilizing existing resources, future donations, etc.) than an LSAT point in US News. Keep in mind all schools are dealing with the same applicant pool so unless other schools cut as well or build a way better class, it would not affect them in the rankings to keep the same class size barring other factors.

[Monday]

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[CHyde]

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[Monday]

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[CHyde]

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[CHyde]

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[Monday]

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[ashrice13]

^^ I would add that the number of people <170 you estimate is probably too high. 170 being the 25th means a quarter of the class is less than or equal to 170, so technically it could be all 170's and then just a handful of those with less.

I disagree with this statement because I want it to be wrong.

Signed,
A person below 170

[ashrice13]

how likely is it that they cut their class size by 5% or more?

That seems unlikely: the reduction in 172+ isn't that significant. And seeing how it's CCN+ that will be hit the hardest, given the reduction spread, I don't see any reason for HYS to adopt this type of change just to maintain or increase its LSAT median.

...although, before, reduction of section size went through faculty approval so this might be the reason for our current, unusual period of silence.

Care to expound on this? What's the source and what else do you know about the procedure for faculty approval?

I did a cursory Google search after R. Jeeves's question (to see law schools' general policies on class size changes) and found this article from 2001: Faculty Approves Strategic Plan. That's all, all speculation and no actual substantive information.

By the way, what ever happened to "Ask Jeeves"?

Google took over the world

[R. Jeeves]

I did a cursory Google search after R. Jeeves's question (to see law schools' general policies on class size changes) and found this article from 2001: Faculty Approves Strategic Plan. That's all, all speculation and no actual substantive information.

Well so it looks like they've been admitting about ~550 per year since before 2001. Seems unlikely to change.

[gargleblaster]

how likely is it that they cut their class size by 5% or more?

That seems unlikely: the reduction in 172+ isn't that significant. And seeing how it's CCN+ that will be hit the hardest, given the reduction spread, I don't see any reason for HYS to adopt this type of change just to maintain or increase its LSAT median.

...although, before, reduction of section size went through faculty approval so this might be the reason for our current, unusual period of silence.

Care to expound on this? What's the source and what else do you know about the procedure for faculty approval?

I did a cursory Google search after R. Jeeves's question (to see law schools' general policies on class size changes) and found this article from 2001: Faculty Approves Strategic Plan. That's all, all speculation and no actual substantive information.

By the way, what ever happened to "Ask Jeeves"?

Google took over the world

There is still an "ask.com" labeled skyscraper in oakland...

[texteach]

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[SmallK]

If no decisions come today, at least we have fewer days to stress over next week since Monday is President's Day and HLS Administration Offices are closed.

Man, work on Monday is going to be SO boring without any reason to stare at my phone. It won't stop me from still doing it, but the excitement will be gone.

[Saul Berenson]

If no decisions come today, at least we have fewer days to stress over next week since Monday is President's Day and HLS Administration Offices are closed.

And yet some of us will speculate that HLS isnt going to celebrate Presidents' Day this year.

[Nonconsecutive]

how likely is it that they cut their class size by 5% or more?

Grain of Salt Warning:

HLS 3L here, and I'll start by saying that you all know this data far better than I do . But from an institutional perspective I'd be really surprised to see HLS cut their class size. You might have seen where FAS is cutting their graduate admissions by 4.4% - but a lot of the reasons for that don't seem to be effecting the law school (at least not substantively, Harvard always QQs about being poor), nor have I heard anything about size cuts. It's 100% true that I'm in no inner admissions inner circles, but I do have semi-ongoing email conversations with the admissions dean and am good friends with the student body president, and this is something that has never come up. My guess is that the size will follow historical trends, as already mentioned.