Harvard C/O 2019 Applicants Forum

cc1012 · Post by **cc1012** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:08 pm

dreamerchic19 wrote:Has anyone requested a fee waiver?

Harvard doesn't give merit based fee waivers.

I have not requested a need based waiver though so I'm not much help there.

Theresa87 · Post by **Theresa87** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:25 pm

Did anyone write an LSAT addendum? I have a 18 point score increase from 1st to 3rd time...14 point increase from 2nd to 3rd time. I don't really have much to say about it other than the fact that I studied minimally/poorly the first two times.

maracuya · Post by **maracuya** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 9:24 pm

Theresa87 wrote:Did anyone write an LSAT addendum? I have a 18 point score increase from 1st to 3rd time...14 point increase from 2nd to 3rd time. I don't really have much to say about it other than the fact that I studied minimally/poorly the first two times.

I wrote one, but it was only for a 10 point increase. Congrats to you for your LSAT gains~

gobears!! · Post by **gobears!!** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 2:12 am

maracuya wrote:
Theresa87 wrote:Did anyone write an LSAT addendum? I have a 18 point score increase from 1st to 3rd time...14 point increase from 2nd to 3rd time. I don't really have much to say about it other than the fact that I studied minimally/poorly the first two times.
I wrote one, but it was only for a 10 point increase. Congrats to you for your LSAT gains~

I also wrote one for 10 points. You can be pretty short in the addendum and explain any circumstances as to why you studied minimally/poorly.

Dcc617 · Post by **Dcc617** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:24 am

11 point increase and I wrote nothing. I don't think anyone cares. We'll see how that plays out.

linguafranca90 · Post by **linguafranca90** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 10:11 am

I had a seven-point increase and I wrote an addendum. If you have seven or higher, you should absolutely write one as well. They will want to know what happened, even if the answer is just, "I studied harder." Just make sure it's brief, to the point, and doesn't try to make excuses for previous poor performances.

This is all advice I got straight from Harvard admissions, FWIW.

Ensalada · Post by **Ensalada** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 10:23 am

Dcc617 wrote:11 point increase and I wrote nothing. I don't think anyone cares. We'll see how that plays out.

Same. Pre-law advising at my UG said it doesn't matter if your first score was already at a certain level. And said that if you don't have a reason like pneumonia or something, then pointing out your former lack of work ethic for studying (even for solid reasons like working full time or being engaged with too many other activities) doesn't exactly give a positive impression.

ugg · Post by **ugg** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 10:23 am

Post removed.

HarvardUberAll · Post by **HarvardUberAll** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 11:53 am

I have seen a lot of posts/threads listing questions that have been asked during interviews, but are there any threads that discuss good ways to approach the basic "Why Law" and "Why Harvard" questions? Obviously not specifically what to say, but general advice about what to focus on and what not to stress in order not to come across as too sappy or just money-driven etc.

Li'l Sebastian · Post by **Li'l Sebastian** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 12:51 pm

HarvardUberAll wrote:I have seen a lot of posts/threads listing questions that have been asked during interviews, but are there any threads that discuss good ways to approach the basic "Why Law" and "Why Harvard" questions? Obviously not specifically what to say, but general advice about what to focus on and what not to stress in order not to come across as too sappy or just money-driven etc.

http://www.velocitylsat.com/blog/guest- ... cent-admit

turndown4brunch · Post by **turndown4brunch** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 12:58 pm

Hildegard15 · Post by **Hildegard15** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 1:20 pm

Post removed.

Ensalada · Post by **Ensalada** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 1:22 pm

Hildegard15 wrote:
turndown4brunch wrote:I'm a long time lurker and have never posted before, but I just got my JS1 and figured that I'd give people a heads up
You got it today? Can one of our JS1s verify that slots are open?

Congrats on the JS1!

18 slots available on the 19th and 20th

oliverotis · Post by **oliverotis** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 1:35 pm

out of curiosity, has anyone compiled the total # of JS1s sent out by looking back at the # of open slots reported in each wave? (hint, hint, if anyone's looking for time to kill...JS1 wave dates are in the OP).

ebouchard · Post by **ebouchard** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 1:35 pm

Js1 11:38am today! Can confirm slots on the 19th and 20th

dreamerchic19 · Post by **dreamerchic19** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 2:03 pm

ebouchard wrote:Js1 11:38am today! Can confirm slots on the 19th and 20th

Wow congrats, they are moving

turndown4brunch · Post by **turndown4brunch** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 2:30 pm

So I've not really searched around much, but do we know what JS1 means in regards to acceptance? Like what percentage of JS1's get immediately accepted/waitlisted?

oliverotis · Post by **oliverotis** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 2:47 pm

turndown4brunch wrote:So I've not really searched around much, but do we know what JS1 means in regards to acceptance? Like what percentage of JS1's get immediately accepted/waitlisted?

in past years, roughly 1200 interviews, 900 offers. someone in last year's thread did some analysis and estimated 94% of JS1 offers in Oct/Nov resulted in admits, but s/he was extrapolating from the spreadsheets and evenly splitting "decision pending" (people who didn't update their stats) between admits and wl/dings, which seems a bit generous, since probably admits are more likely to update than wl/dings.

also, there have been some early JS1s to applicants with relatively low numbers this year, which suggests they might be interviewing more than in past years. lots of speculation here

curious bobcat · Post by **curious bobcat** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 3:01 pm

oliverotis wrote:
turndown4brunch wrote:So I've not really searched around much, but do we know what JS1 means in regards to acceptance? Like what percentage of JS1's get immediately accepted/waitlisted?
in past years, roughly 1200 interviews, 900 offers. someone in last year's thread did some analysis and estimated 94% of JS1 offers in Oct/Nov resulted in admits, but s/he was extrapolating from the spreadsheets and evenly splitting "decision pending" (people who didn't update their stats) between admits and wl/dings, which seems a bit generous, since probably admits are more likely to update than wl/dings.

also, there have been some early JS1s to applicants with relatively low numbers this year, which suggests they might be interviewing more than in past years. lots of speculation here

So there is a correlation between wave # and acceptance rate? Are first wave-JS1s dinged regularly? Asking for a paranoid friend...

oliverotis · Post by **oliverotis** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 3:10 pm

curious bobcat wrote:
oliverotis wrote:
turndown4brunch wrote:So I've not really searched around much, but do we know what JS1 means in regards to acceptance? Like what percentage of JS1's get immediately accepted/waitlisted?
in past years, roughly 1200 interviews, 900 offers. someone in last year's thread did some analysis and estimated 94% of JS1 offers in Oct/Nov resulted in admits, but s/he was extrapolating from the spreadsheets and evenly splitting "decision pending" (people who didn't update their stats) between admits and wl/dings, which seems a bit generous, since probably admits are more likely to update than wl/dings.

also, there have been some early JS1s to applicants with relatively low numbers this year, which suggests they might be interviewing more than in past years. lots of speculation here

So there is a correlation between wave # and acceptance rate? Are first wave-JS1s dinged regularly? Asking for a paranoid friend...

it's unlikely there's much of a correlation between wave # and acceptance rate if you're talking about Oct 20 vs. Nov 5, but once you start looking later in the cycle, there's likely to be a stronger correlation. They offer JS1s off the WL, and more of those JS1s will be on the bubble, so fewer will be admitted.

Anyway, if you just got your JS1, don't worry that you didn't get it in October, you're in great shape.

curious bobcat · Post by **curious bobcat** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 3:17 pm

oliverotis wrote: it's unlikely there's much of a correlation between wave # and acceptance rate if you're talking about Oct 20 vs. Nov 5, but once you start looking later in the cycle, there's likely to be a stronger correlation. They offer JS1s off the WL, and more of those JS1s will be on the bubble, so fewer will be admitted.

Anyway, if you just got your JS1, don't worry that you didn't get it in October, you're in great shape.

Well, I actually asked bc I received a JS1 in the first wave (Oct 20). I don't think I screwed up my interview but I definitely didn't do anything impressive either. I guess I am just pandering for reassurance that the odds are strong as I continue this long wait until the new year.

cantorb · Post by **cantorb** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 4:40 pm

oliverotis · Post by **oliverotis** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 6:37 pm

cantorb wrote:Is the general TLS opinion that all JS1s are equal? I.e. do stats and the rest of the applicant profile still matter when a decision is being made after the interview, or do those only matter in the decision whether to grant an interview, and the final decision is simply based on how the interview went.

I'm assuming the first option, but really want to reassure myself in case I underwhelm during the interview.

Not all JS1s are created equal. Here's JR from a few years back, and I think we can safely assume things haven't changed too drastically:

"The import of the interview really varies from candidate to candidate. In some instances I have a strong inclination about a candidate before I get a chance to speak with him or her. In other situations, the candidate may be “on the bubble” or I may have a specific question. And in some cases, I am just interviewing to get a sense of what an applicant is like overall. It never ceases to amaze me how candidates who have similar quantitative scores vary dramatically in other aspects of the application, so I am often interviewing to get a sense of what else an applicant has to add to the class."

That said, if you got a JS1, you're obviously in great shape. Be prepared to talk about your strengths and weaknesses, be ready to answer 'why law' and 'why Harvard', and just be yourself. You'll do great

bamb00zled · Post by **bamb00zled** » Fri Nov 13, 2015 12:13 am

turndown4brunch wrote:I'm a long time lurker and have never posted before, but I just got my JS1 and figured that I'd give people a heads up

Wasting a very good username on lurking smh

HarvardUberAll · Post by **HarvardUberAll** » Fri Nov 13, 2015 2:05 pm

oliverotis wrote: That said, if you got a JS1, you're obviously in great shape. Be prepared to talk about your strengths and weaknesses, be ready to answer 'why law' and 'why Harvard', and just be yourself. You'll do great

"Why Law" and "Why Harvard" are exactly what I'm nervous about. They will be hearing hundreds of answers to those questions over these few months, and I don't really have much to say other than "I want to work in BigLaw and make big money, and Harvard is just the best goddamn school in this country." Somehow I have a feeling that wouldn't go over too well, and just claiming "I want to help people" isn't too articulate of an answer either.

Is there any general advice as to what are good/bad reasons to discuss in answering those questions? (Li'l Sebastian's link above doesn't address this at all).