Harvard 2012 applicants (class of 2015) Forum

[curiouscat]

I'm pretty sure this topic has been discussed ad nauseam, but I'm fairly new to the forum and couldn't locate the discussion. But, what exactly are we to do if put on hold? Is it just a matter of waiting or is it pretty much imperative that we send along new material (updated resume, additional recommendation, LOCI, etc.)?

Along similar lines, if we don't have a LOCI but just want to inform Harvard of an upcoming deadline (like April 15th at Chicago), then can we just send them an email? Or would that need to be snail-mailed?

If you call, please post...

I checked earlier on, they won't accept any updates over email, even if it's just a deadline. You'll have to send it by snail mail.

[Aqua]

On "hold" at HLS as of this morning. January applicant. I can't decide if this is good news or bad news. Probability of hold applicants ultimately invited to interview and accepted=???

Same question! I'm a female AA URM with a 165/3.8. I feel like my LSAT needs a 10 point jump in order to feel adequate on this thread, so am happy to have been held. Does the hold mean I have an actual shot at Harvard? I really hope so since I just got rejected at Penn:(

[abba12]

I wonder how this will affect the people who had a JS1 but no JS2.

Same here. In my case, I think it's safe to assume that a JS/KB2 is probably not happening. (Although I suppose that anything could happen given the twists and turns at Admissions this year.)

[pocrisp]

I am a little pissed by this whole switching deans game. For God's sake, put a guy on this position! Much Sympathy to those JS1 no JS2 folks. The recent switch probably doesn't bode well for you guys. How could KB admit someone she didn't even interview with?

[soj]

I am a little pissed by this whole switching deans game. For God's sake, put a guy on this position! Much Sympathy to those JS1 no JS2 folks. The recent switch probably doesn't bode well for you guys. How could KB admit someone she didn't even interview with?

Interviews rarely make or break you.

[mjitbswyd]

I am a little pissed by this whole switching deans game. For God's sake, put a guy on this position! Much Sympathy to those JS1 no JS2 folks. The recent switch probably doesn't bode well for you guys. How could KB admit someone she didn't even interview with?

Interviews rarely make or break you.

Agree. However, the standard of choosing whom to interview might differ. So maybe KB will not like my file and decide to interview and admit another person instead.

[soj]

I am a little pissed by this whole switching deans game. For God's sake, put a guy on this position! Much Sympathy to those JS1 no JS2 folks. The recent switch probably doesn't bode well for you guys. How could KB admit someone she didn't even interview with?

Interviews rarely make or break you.

Agree. However, the standard of choosing whom to interview might differ. So maybe KB will not like my file and decide to interview and admit another person instead.

KB and JS probably evaluate applicants with the same or nearly the same criteria. Even if they don't, you have no way of knowing if the change will be to your benefit or detriment. Ultimately, the number of spots they're filling hasn't changed, so I wouldn't worry that this will sink your application.

[mjitbswyd]

I am a little pissed by this whole switching deans game. For God's sake, put a guy on this position! Much Sympathy to those JS1 no JS2 folks. The recent switch probably doesn't bode well for you guys. How could KB admit someone she didn't even interview with?

Interviews rarely make or break you.

Agree. However, the standard of choosing whom to interview might differ. So maybe KB will not like my file and decide to interview and admit another person instead.

KB and JS probably evaluate applicants with the same or nearly the same criteria. Even if they don't, you have no way of knowing if the change will be to your benefit or detriment. Ultimately, the number of spots they're filling hasn't changed, so I wouldn't worry that this will sink your application.

I think that certainly apply to most Js1-noJs2 people, because since JS has decide not to offer them AD right after Js1, they may very likely have a better shot at a new reviewer. But since none of the last batch of international js1s had Js2(which probably means no initial decision was ever made by JS), I am guessing such switch does not sound as favorable for them.

[operagrl71]

I am a little pissed by this whole switching deans game. For God's sake, put a guy on this position! Much Sympathy to those JS1 no JS2 folks. The recent switch probably doesn't bode well for you guys. How could KB admit someone she didn't even interview with?

Interviews rarely make or break you.

Agree. However, the standard of choosing whom to interview might differ. So maybe KB will not like my file and decide to interview and admit another person instead.

KB and JS probably evaluate applicants with the same or nearly the same criteria. Even if they don't, you have no way of knowing if the change will be to your benefit or detriment. Ultimately, the number of spots they're filling hasn't changed, so I wouldn't worry that this will sink your application.

Not gonna lie, this latest changeover has me pretty burnt out on trying to understand what's going on in the mind of the Harvard admissions office this year...but sadly in my gut I'm inclined to agree with pocrisp. Late as it is in the cycle and with the mountain of held/"forgotten" applications that KB probably still has to go through, it seems highly unlikely that she would waste any time re-reviewing applications that JS was still unsure about post-interview.

[curiouscat]

Not gonna lie, this latest changeover has me pretty burnt out on trying to understand what's going on in the mind of the Harvard admissions office this year...but sadly in my gut I'm inclined to agree with pocrisp. Late as it is in the cycle and with the mountain of held/"forgotten" applications that KB probably still has to go through, it seems highly unlikely that she would waste any time re-reviewing applications that JS was still unsure about post-interview.

Not sure about that. The recent JS1s are probably among the strongest applicants in the hold bunch. I'd assume that that's one of the first piles KB looks at.

[abba12]

Not gonna lie, this latest changeover has me pretty burnt out on trying to understand what's going on in the mind of the Harvard admissions office this year...but sadly in my gut I'm inclined to agree with pocrisp. Late as it is in the cycle and with the mountain of held/"forgotten" applications that KB probably still has to go through, it seems highly unlikely that she would waste any time re-reviewing applications that JS was still unsure about post-interview.

Not sure about that. The recent JS1s are probably among the strongest applicants in the hold bunch. I'd assume that that's one of the first piles KB looks at.

I sure hope so! (Assuming you meant "whole" instead of "hold," since I wasn't held.) But still.

[Geneva]

Are the recent holds in worse shape than the older holds? How does HLS distinguish between the hold piles/which one, if any, has a better shot of acceptance and why?

[operagrl71]

Not gonna lie, this latest changeover has me pretty burnt out on trying to understand what's going on in the mind of the Harvard admissions office this year...but sadly in my gut I'm inclined to agree with pocrisp. Late as it is in the cycle and with the mountain of held/"forgotten" applications that KB probably still has to go through, it seems highly unlikely that she would waste any time re-reviewing applications that JS was still unsure about post-interview.

Not sure about that. The recent JS1s are probably among the strongest applicants in the hold bunch. I'd assume that that's one of the first piles KB looks at.

I think the most recent JS1s [aka this past week's] are probably in good shape, but I was mainly talking about the JS1 no JS2s who've already been passed over, i.e. from the big 3/12-ish batch...although no one would be happier than me to be proven wrong.

[FryBreadPower]

Bleh my head hurts. Quickly losing whatever small bit of hope I still had.

[PopTorts13]

I've said it before and I'll say it again; Harvard Law admissions has been all over the place this cycle and it has to be difficult for them to get things done. Can't discriminate against women for being pregnant, but it would have been in HLS's best interest to not have two prego ladies in one cycle. Calling it careless is an understatement. Those who have had a JS1 and no response ought to have an opportunity at a KB1, now that she is thankfully healthy from her pregnancy and back at it. Setting all aside, best of luck to all applicants and HLS, as I am sure KB has a great deal of Spring cleaning to do!

[backwards54]

I'm a non-URM international applicant. Submitted 1/16. Under review 2/1. Complete email 2/9. Silence ever since.

Exactly the same situation and dates as you. Let's keep hoping...

[Elendil]

I've said it before and I'll say it again; Harvard Law admissions has been all over the place this cycle and it has to be difficult for them to get things done. Can't discriminate against women for being pregnant, but it would have been in HLS's best interest to not have two prego ladies in one cycle. Calling it careless is an understatement. Those who have had a JS1 and no response ought to have an opportunity at a KB1, now that she is thankfully healthy from her pregnancy and back at it. Setting all aside, best of luck to all applicants and HLS, as I am sure KB has a great deal of Spring cleaning to do!

I'm sure that you're frustrated because you don't have a decision yet, but don't you think this is a little bit harsh? It might make things a little more hectic in the admissions office, but I'm sure that Harvard has a relatively solid plan for transition between the two. Besides, I would assume that if JS was hired as the dean of admissions, they definitely think that her being part of the office is in their "best interest." And not to sound harsh myself, but for applicants that are JS1-no-JS2, I really wouldn't worry. JS specifically said in her blog post that it is perfectly possible you will be "interviewed by one and admitted by the other." And if not, I'd bet that there was a good reason why those applicants haven't received a JS2 yet and KB and JS will be on relatively the same wavelength.

Again, congrats to both KB and JS, and let's keep things a little more upbeat in this admit-frustrated thread!

[curiouscat]

I'm sure that you're frustrated because you don't have a decision yet, but don't you think this is a little bit harsh? It might make things a little more hectic in the admissions office, but I'm sure that Harvard has a relatively solid plan for transition between the two. Besides, I would assume that if JS was hired as the dean of admissions, they definitely think that her being part of the office is in their "best interest." And not to sound harsh myself, but for applicants that are JS1-no-JS2, I really wouldn't worry. JS specifically said in her blog post that it is perfectly possible you will be "interviewed by one and admitted by the other." And if not, I'd bet that there was a good reason why those applicants haven't received a JS2 yet and KB and JS will be on relatively the same wavelength.

Again, congrats to both KB and JS, and let's keep things a little more upbeat in this admit-frustrated thread!

+1 on this. After catching up on some much needed sleep, I'm feeling a lot less grumpy about the situation. They no doubt have an entire admissions team in place to keep things moving as smoothly as possible, and HLS probably had some plan in place ever since they knew this transition would happen.

[sandiego222]

Any advice for someone who just got a hold, without having had an interview? Out of school for several years, so no updated transcripts or anything to send....

[arodd53]

Any advice for someone who just got a hold, without having had an interview?

Samesies

[pupshaw]

Wow. There are some whiny and entitled misogynists in this thread.

[Nulli Secundus]

Wow. There are some whiny and entitled misogynists in this thread.

Wow there are sure people who call everything under the sun misogyny.

Seriously though, if both deans were male and they had to switch this much for very male ailments, people would be frustrated just as much. So I do not see how this is misogynistic. We are inconvenienced, some of us withdrew from waitlist last year in hopes of receiving an earlier decision this year and that did not happen. It does not matter which gender inconvenienced us, or for what reason. I respect their right to procreate, but interim solutions could have been found at an institution like Harvard.

To be fair, I do not know (nobody does) if this whole thing works as this train of thought suggests, as in, when one dean takes maternity leave, decisions get delayed, the other needs to be brought up to speed and so on and so forth. Timeline certainly suggests so. Therefore, with limited information at hand, we say that this whole situation was, while probably incredibly happy for the Deans, inconvenient for us applicants. Not misogyny, simple facts.

[curiouscat]

Wow. There are some whiny and entitled misogynists in this thread.

On this topic, I just want to say that I made a pretty self-entitled comment earlier on and I really regret that. I was already feeling edgy before I logged onto the forum because of sleep deprivation and some unrelated stuff that I was on my mind and I took out my frustration in my post. It was inappropriate and very far from the sort of thing that I would usually say. I've just been feeling really bad about it, so I wanted to put that out there and apologize.

[pupshaw]

Two recent quotes from this thread:

it would have been in HLS's best interest to not have two prego ladies in one cycle. Calling it careless is an understatement.

I am a little pissed by this whole switching deans game. For God's sake, put a guy on this position!

I don't think I'm exactly going way out on a limb call this misogyny.

[Onthebrink]

Before this thread goes down the "You suck! The world is too PC! I hate you!" path I would like to provide some hope. For what it is worth, there was a whole lot of activity once JS took over for KB. It is quite possible that KB taking over will bring a great deal of movement. As for whether or not it will have any bearing on whether or not JS1s will receive their JS2s none of us will ever know but I doubt it. I think Harvard and KB would realize that that wouldn't be fair, but maybe I am just being naive.