Harvard 2012 applicants (class of 2015) Forum

[hypothalamus]

Congrats to the canadians! another canadian here but i've been held at H since january. not keeping my hopes up since i lack a ridiculously high GPA like you two but hoping H continues to show some love to the neighbors to the north.

So does Harvard's 10% foreign student body consist only of Canadians? We more conventional foreigners feel left out.

Hm, it seems to be so. Canadians do have an advantage, in that many Canadian universities have GPAs or grades that can be pretty easily converted to a GPA, and we don't really have to worry about the English language requirement unless you lived your whole life in the backwoods of Quebec/New Brunswick.
Also my guess is that Harvard isn't considering me part of their foreign student body since I'm a dual citizen and I've lived in Michigan for almost ten years.

I went to a very American UG with very convertible grades. But those grades are also not 3.9+ haha.

I'd actually be curious to see how many non-Canadians with American undergraduate are waiting for decisions from Harvard or what decisions they've received. Feel free to PM me, fellow internationals!

[captainwasabi09]

Yeah, I'm curious too, how many non-Canadian internationals have gotten into Harvard so far?

[AntipodeanPhil]

Yeah, I'm curious too, how many non-Canadian internationals have gotten into Harvard so far?

Only two have been reported on TLS or LSN. The first was an Australian with a 179, and the second was a ivy-educated student from an Asian country.

Although, Harvard has held almost all internationals with a decent LSAT score, and there has been some speculation (most of which I have been responsible for) that they might be dealing with internationals' applications in the same way they seem to deal with URMs' applications - letting in a few truly exceptional ones, and then putting the rest aside to look at as a group later in the cycle.

ETA: unless Spek is a non-Canadian international, in which case the number is three.

[Syme]

... in the same way they seem to deal with URMs' applications - letting in a few truly exceptional ones, and then putting the rest aside to look at as a group later in the cycle.

Is this speculation or pretty much known?

[hypothalamus]

... in the same way they seem to deal with URMs' applications - letting in a few truly exceptional ones, and then putting the rest aside to look at as a group later in the cycle.

Is this speculation or pretty much known?

This speculation gives me hope? Though it's weird that other schools got back to me pretty quickly, despite my foreignness.

[QueMellow]

... in the same way they seem to deal with URMs' applications - letting in a few truly exceptional ones, and then putting the rest aside to look at as a group later in the cycle.

Is this speculation or pretty much known?

He wrote that it was speculation. I hope it's true, though!

[AntipodeanPhil]

... in the same way they seem to deal with URMs' applications - letting in a few truly exceptional ones, and then putting the rest aside to look at as a group later in the cycle.

Is this speculation or pretty much known?

He wrote that it was speculation. I hope it's true, though!

The part about URMs I've read here before a number of times, but I think it's just speculation. The part about internationals is speculation based on speculation. Still, it's speculation that makes sense to me.

[JosephusMyer]

Yeah, I'm curious too, how many non-Canadian internationals have gotten into Harvard so far?

Only two have been reported on TLS or LSN. The first was an Australian with a 179, and the second was a ivy-educated student from an Asian country.

Although, Harvard has held almost all internationals with a decent LSAT score, and there has been some speculation (most of which I have been responsible for) that they might be dealing with internationals' applications in the same way they seem to deal with URMs' applications - letting in a few truly exceptional ones, and then putting the rest aside to look at as a group later in the cycle.

ETA: unless Spek is a non-Canadian international, in which case the number is three.

Let's hope there's movement for us true internationals soon. It has to be said that, if H does have a policy of leaving most internationals until the end, it is really counterproductive for them, given that calls have been going forth from New Haven to the four corners of the Earth over the past few weeks.

[vulpixie]

I read somewhere that being AA is like an automatic 10 point boost on the LSAT.

Not at Harvard. Harvard admits tons of whites every year with 173 LSATs, but I don't think they admitted a single AA last year with a 163 or lower.

Definitely not true. On lsn there is an AA male with a 160 that got in last yr. on tls there was a 159 AA female. Also a 16o AA male later got in off the wait list.

Yeah, the AA male on LSN with a 161 who claims to have gotten into Harvard also claims to have gotten a $10,000 scholarship to Yale with a 2.9 GPA. The people you mention above are all trolls.

[Nulli Secundus]

In @ my score page.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... JTgg8#t=8s

We are the Held.
Resistance is futile.
The delay as it has been going on, is over.
From this time forward, you will service us.
You will add our cultural and academic distinctiveness to your own.
Resistance is futile.

[PBJones]

I remember reading in Anna Ivey's book that the median LSAT among AA's at H is 167. In any case, I'm certain that the AA-non-URM LSAT gap (10 points at most schools) is smaller at the very top ones. LSN seems to confirm this; only 2 AA's were admitted to H with LSATs below 165 last year, and both had perfect GPAs.

[sharktankdean]

I read somewhere that being AA is like an automatic 10 point boost on the LSAT.

Not at Harvard. Harvard admits tons of whites every year with 173 LSATs, but I don't think they admitted a single AA last year with a 163 or lower.

Definitely not true. On lsn there is an AA male with a 160 that got in last yr. on tls there was a 159 AA female. Also a 16o AA male later got in off the wait list.

Yeah, the AA male on LSN with a 161 who claims to have gotten into Harvard also claims to have gotten a $10,000 scholarship to Yale with a 2.9 GPA. The people you mention above are all trolls.

Nope I'm talking about SoColdintheD. He had a 3.8/160.

[sharktankdean]

Also the other AA male with a 160 was from tls. Look through the Harvard wait list thread from last yr.

Your 163 theory is really not valid. I actually know someone that got in with a 162.

[vulpixie]

My theory isn't that Harvard *never* admits blacks with a 163 or less. Just that its less common for an AA with a 163 to get in than it is for a white student with a 173 to get in (which is extremely common). If the AA boost were equal to 10 points, then you'd expect the AA average at Harvard to be around 163, 10 points less than the white median. But it's actually 167.

[vulpixie]

My theory isn't that Harvard *never* admits blacks with a 163 or less. Just that its less common for an AA with a 163 to get in than it is for a white student with a 173 to get in (which is extremely common). If the AA boost were equal to 10 points, then you'd expect the AA average at Harvard to be around 163, 10 points less than the white median. But it's actually 167.

[avd90]

I know of people who have gotten in below 165. But these people (who happened to be AA) also happened to be particularly amazing. We're talking graduate degrees, and president of their university class, plus working under a senator etc. Not average shit. (These are two people, btw. One ended up at Yale, the other Columbia) I get the impression that race, particularly AA status calls for a much more holistic review of applications. Who cares though? (I guess..)

[JosephusMyer]

I know of people who have gotten in below 165. But these people (who happened to be AA) also happened to be particularly amazing. We're talking graduate degrees, and president of their university class, plus working under a senator etc. Not average shit. (These are two people, btw. One ended up at Yale, the other Columbia) I get the impression that race, particularly AA status calls for a much more holistic review of applications. Who cares though? (I guess..)

Where were they in terms of socioeconomic group?

[avd90]

I know of people who have gotten in below 165. But these people (who happened to be AA) also happened to be particularly amazing. We're talking graduate degrees, and president of their university class, plus working under a senator etc. Not average shit. (These are two people, btw. One ended up at Yale, the other Columbia) I get the impression that race, particularly AA status calls for a much more holistic review of applications. Who cares though? (I guess..)

Where were they in terms of socioeconomic group?

One guy (who I met in my feminisms class my freshman year) had one of those amazing stories--his mom had him at 16, never knew his dad. Helped his mom who eventually became a cop raise his siblings when she married in his teens. The perfect guy, pretty much. The other girl (woman) was more well off, but she ended up getting her masters in social work and working as a social worker for a year or two before going away (she's a mutual friend--my best friend is in a traditionally black sorority and she is one of her sisters)

[sharktankdean]

My theory isn't that Harvard *never* admits blacks with a 163 or less. Just that its less common for an AA with a 163 to get in than it is for a white student with a 173 to get in (which is extremely common). If the AA boost were equal to 10 points, then you'd expect the AA average at Harvard to be around 163, 10 points less than the white median. But it's actually 167.

Fair enough. But out our curiosity where did u get the 167 from?

[JosephusMyer]

I know of people who have gotten in below 165. But these people (who happened to be AA) also happened to be particularly amazing. We're talking graduate degrees, and president of their university class, plus working under a senator etc. Not average shit. (These are two people, btw. One ended up at Yale, the other Columbia) I get the impression that race, particularly AA status calls for a much more holistic review of applications. Who cares though? (I guess..)

Where were they in terms of socioeconomic group?

One guy (who I met in my feminisms class my freshman year) had one of those amazing stories--his mom had him at 16, never knew his dad. Helped his mom who eventually became a cop raise his siblings when she married in his teens. The perfect guy, pretty much. The other girl (woman) was more well off, but she ended up getting her masters in social work and working as a social worker for a year or two before going away (she's a mutual friend--my best friend is in a traditionally black sorority and she is one of her sisters)

Those stories sort of make sense. The point of giving some groups special consideration (if that did happen here) is to allow people in traditionally disadvantaged groups to explain why their numbers don't reflect their potential. Being busy raising siblings or being busy trying to prevent child neglect are genuine reasons why they would make better law students than their numbers might suggest; it's clearly far more nuanced than an artificial "LSAT+10" approach.

[vulpixie]

My theory isn't that Harvard *never* admits blacks with a 163 or less. Just that its less common for an AA with a 163 to get in than it is for a white student with a 173 to get in (which is extremely common). If the AA boost were equal to 10 points, then you'd expect the AA average at Harvard to be around 163, 10 points less than the white median. But it's actually 167.

Fair enough. But out our curiosity where did u get the 167 from?

It's in Anna Ivey's book "The Ivey Guide to Law School." She was the Dean at UChicago Law School for several years.

[ricsllscir]

Just got the hold email...was a long shot anyways, but better than a reject

[Syme]

Just got the hold email...

BRACE FOR IMPACT!

[ricsllscir]

Just got the hold email...

BRACE FOR IMPACT!

Haha, hrmm...definitely wasn't a specialized email of any sort...so hoping I wasn't the only one, haha

[Syme]

Just got the hold email...

BRACE FOR IMPACT!

Haha, hrmm...definitely wasn't a specialized email of any sort...so hoping I wasn't the only one, haha

When did you submit and when did you get the complete email?