Harvard c/o 2016 Applicants (2012-2013) Forum

[edgeofthenight]

All the questions are covered elsewhere in the thread, but I think the general is more important than the specific:

- Make sure you know why you want to go to law school: self-explanatory.

- Make sure you know why you want to go to Harvard: the interviewers will know if your main reason is "because it's Harvard," and they'll expect better. One of the nice things about the interview for me was having an excuse to really get to know the school, and I was more and more excited about the program the more I learned. So research the heck out of its many offerings and figure out what interests you.

- Take it easy before the interview: get a good night's sleep, don't drink any alcohol, eat a good breakfast, etc.

- Take it easy during the interview: My interviewer was friendly and agreeable even as she asked me probing questions. It's not a cross-examination; just be yourself.

- Take it easy after the interview: I felt that my interview went well, and yet somehow, within a few hours, I convinced myself that I had blown it. I got in, so obviously that perception wasn't entirely correct. Point being, save yourself the unnecessary post-mortem stress. Go do something fun, or set a goal for accomplishing something you care about and work toward that.



Good luck yall!

Small addition: If you're a K-JD, know why you want to go to law school now as opposed to taking some time off. I had a really solid answer for that prepared, and I think it definitely helped.

Good luck

[JedBartlett]

My advice about the interview, and about life in general, is just this: Chillax.

[venus]

My advice about the interview, and about life in general, is just this: Chillax.

HAHA Because that's what you always do, right...

[JedBartlett]

My advice about the interview, and about life in general, is just this: Chillax.

HAHA Because that's what you always do, right...

LOL

[mommalee]

Another JS1 question -

Did everyone use an external mic for their interview? If so, did you just use a headset with a mic attached?

[kingsfield69]

Another JS1 question -

Did everyone use an external mic for their interview? If so, did you just use a headset with a mic attached?

I used an external mic that sat on my desk out of sight. It enhanced the audio quality without forcing me to wear a headset. I don't think wearing a headset is a big deal ... just a matter of comfort. I got the thing at Radio Shack for $15.

[shntn]

I used internal everything on my Air. Worked like a charm.

[Mr. Elshal]

Small addition: If you're a K-JD, know why you want to go to law school now as opposed to taking some time off. I had a really solid answer for that prepared, and I think it definitely helped.

Yeah, same here. I hadn't prepared for this question but I had spent so much time on this decision that I think my answer came across pretty well and I guess they were happy with it.

[Mr. Elshal]

Another JS1 question -

Did everyone use an external mic for their interview? If so, did you just use a headset with a mic attached?

I used an external mic that sat on my desk out of sight. It enhanced the audio quality without forcing me to wear a headset. I don't think wearing a headset is a big deal ... just a matter of comfort. I got the thing at Radio Shack for $15.

+1

[Mr. Elshal]

Hey all, I apologize in advance for the length of this post but I've sent out the same info to 5 or 6 people already and figured I should put it here and make it available to everyone in the thread. This is a bunch of stuff you should know about JS1s, and a rundown of my interview. Everyone's situation is different and I imagine that few people will have the same questions as me, but maybe just seeing the kind of questions will help.

First, some general information, in case you don't want to read the whole thread:
The interviewers are Jessica Soban (JS) and Karen Buttenbaum (KB).
Based on previous posts, it seems that KB's interviews are very structured and generally involve the same questions almost every single time, with a little variation here and there. Basically all of her questions were posted by Lavitz on page 25 of this thread.

Also just finished my interview but it was with KB--who is pretty awesome herself.

Questions I remember her asking:

"Tell me about your job."

"How have your experiences at that job informed your decision to go to law school?"

"What are you looking forward to at Harvard?"

"Is there a particular area of study you find most attractive?"

"What do you think your greatest challenge would be at Harvard?"

"What accomplishment are you most proud of?"

"What do you envision a successful career for yourself would look like?"

"Is there anything you were hoping I would ask? In other words, is there anything not in your app that you'd like us to know about you?" (I was caught off guard by this, completely blanked out, and then punted the question by saying "nope, it's all in my app." )

"Do you have any questions for me?" (Asked her like 4 questions)

Interview lasted about 14:30.

JS (who interviewed me) is significantly less structured and tailors her questions to the applicant. Whereas KB asks many general questions, JS asks only a few questions and they are very specific.

Interviews generally run from 13 to 25 minutes, but people with short and long ones have all gotten in, so this is not indicative of success or failure.

In terms of preparation, I would try to prepare a handful of stories (4-6) that can apply to many different questions that both KB and JS might ask. Also, don't feel pressured for time. If you have something to say, then say it, but try not to spend more than a few minutes on each answer.

Here's a summary of how my interview went:

As for what JS asked me (so you can try to figure out what she might ask you):
• Asked about a company I started last year
• Asked me some questions about my diversity statement (Hispanic Egyptian)
• Why law if I'm so well-positioned for business (went to business school, started a company, and have had significant work experience despite still being in UG)
• Why not take time off to get more experience in business
• Do I have any questions

The whole interview was 20 minutes and 35 seconds.

We spent the first 10 minutes discussing the competitors and the business plan of a company I recently started with my brother.

We then spoke for a little while about my diversity statement and whether I identify more with the culture of my Middle Eastern or Latin relatives.

After that, she asked me why I want to go to law school, given that I’m so well-positioned for a career in business.

Finally, she asked why I chose not to take some time off and work more in the business world before coming to law school.

Then she asked if I had any questions for her.

She definitely read through my application before the interview, because she was asking questions that were pretty specific to me. She also had the whole thing planned out from the beginning, and told me from the beginning that we would basically be talking about 4 topics throughout the interview.

All in all, it was actually a fun interview. We laughed a bit and spoke very casually. It was definitely more conversational than interview-ish.

Good luck to all of you, and I hope to see you all (or most) at ASW and in Cambridge next year

[Lavitz]

Hey all, I apologize in advance for the length of this post but I've sent out the same info to 5 or 6 people already and figured I should put it here and make it available to everyone in the thread. This is a bunch of stuff you should know about JS1s, and a rundown of my interview. Everyone's situation is different and I imagine that few people will have the same questions as me, but maybe just seeing the kind of questions will help.

First, some general information, in case you don't want to read the whole thread:
The interviewers are Jessica Soban (JS) and Karen Buttenbaum (KB).
Based on previous posts, it seems that KB's interviews are very structured and generally involve the same questions almost every single time, with a little variation here and there. Basically all of her questions were posted by Lavitz on page 25 of this thread.

Also just finished my interview but it was with KB--who is pretty awesome herself.

Questions I remember her asking:

"Tell me about your job."

"How have your experiences at that job informed your decision to go to law school?"

"What are you looking forward to at Harvard?"

"Is there a particular area of study you find most attractive?"

"What do you think your greatest challenge would be at Harvard?"

"What accomplishment are you most proud of?"

"What do you envision a successful career for yourself would look like?"

"Is there anything you were hoping I would ask? In other words, is there anything not in your app that you'd like us to know about you?" (I was caught off guard by this, completely blanked out, and then punted the question by saying "nope, it's all in my app." )

"Do you have any questions for me?" (Asked her like 4 questions)

Interview lasted about 14:30.

JS (who interviewed me) is significantly less structured and tailors her questions to the applicant. Whereas KB asks many general questions, JS asks only a few questions and they are very specific.

Interviews generally run from 13 to 25 minutes, but people with short and long ones have all gotten in, so this is not indicative of success or failure.

In terms of preparation, I would try to prepare a handful of stories (4-6) that can apply to many different questions that both KB and JS might ask. Also, don't feel pressured for time. If you have something to say, then say it, but try not to spend more than a few minutes on each answer.

Here's a summary of how my interview went:

As for what JS asked me (so you can try to figure out what she might ask you):
• Asked about a company I started last year
• Asked me some questions about my diversity statement (Hispanic Egyptian)
• Why law if I'm so well-positioned for business (went to business school, started a company, and have had significant work experience despite still being in UG)
• Why not take time off to get more experience in business
• Do I have any questions

The whole interview was 20 minutes and 35 seconds.

We spent the first 10 minutes discussing the competitors and the business plan of a company I recently started with my brother.

We then spoke for a little while about my diversity statement and whether I identify more with the culture of my Middle Eastern or Latin relatives.

After that, she asked me why I want to go to law school, given that I’m so well-positioned for a career in business.

Finally, she asked why I chose not to take some time off and work more in the business world before coming to law school.

Then she asked if I had any questions for her.

She definitely read through my application before the interview, because she was asking questions that were pretty specific to me. She also had the whole thing planned out from the beginning, and told me from the beginning that we would basically be talking about 4 topics throughout the interview.

All in all, it was actually a fun interview. We laughed a bit and spoke very casually. It was definitely more conversational than interview-ish.

Good luck to all of you, and I hope to see you all (or most) at ASW and in Cambridge next year

Great post.

[Mr. Elshal]

Hey all, I apologize in advance for the length of this post but I've sent out the same info to 5 or 6 people already and figured I should put it here and make it available to everyone in the thread. This is a bunch of stuff you should know about JS1s, and a rundown of my interview. Everyone's situation is different and I imagine that few people will have the same questions as me, but maybe just seeing the kind of questions will help. [...]

Great post.

Thanks, I figured I would take a page from your book. Learning from the best.

[20141023]

.

[Lavitz]

Wow... You guys have a goldmine of information here. In order to keep people from having to go back and read this entire thread or send PMs asking for info, would you mind copying this information over to this thread so that upcoming interviewees / next year's applicants can more easily access the information? (I wish I had gotten the opportunity to do a JS1 so that I could speak on the topic, but because I didn't I need to borrow your all's eliteness to take on this task. )

I'm in the middle of constructing a post in that thread, lol. I was going to just link to that post; do you want me to quote it instead?

[20141023]

.

[tekumamba]

No JS1, complete in early December; safe to say my chances are all but 0, or do they continue to extend JS1s to people like me in later batches?

There is plenty of hope.

We must keep waiting, sir. Our time will come.

somebody confirm please: is this blind optimism or is it plausible that complete 12/5-12/10ish can still get a JS1 in January? thanks all... mad nervous

[Lavitz]

somebody confirm please: is this blind optimism or is it plausible that complete 12/5-12/10ish can still get a JS1 in January? thanks all... mad nervous

Plausible. Some people who went complete on 10/10 didn't get JS1s until 11/28. One month of waiting wouldn't be strange. After all, how many waves of JS1s have gone out since you went complete? One? Maybe two? I'm sure they'll get around to more December completes after the New Year.

[sinfiery]

No JS1, complete in early December; safe to say my chances are all but 0, or do they continue to extend JS1s to people like me in later batches?

There is plenty of hope.

We must keep waiting, sir. Our time will come.

somebody confirm please: is this blind optimism or is it plausible that complete 12/5-12/10ish can still get a JS1 in January? thanks all... mad nervous

.......

I don't want to look at LSN again but yes, yes it is possible and is not blind optimism.


Edit:
From 2010-11
http://lawschoolnumbers.com/noob
http://lawschoolnumbers.com/whatisatort
http://lawschoolnumbers.com/alphagamma
http://lawschoolnumbers.com/infohelper23

Just wanted to create this , even though I'm already in law school, because I remember thinking there was no hope when it took so long after going complete to getting a JR1. I saw very few people who had gotten calls more than 2 weeks after going complete (at least not without hitting the wait list first). Once I got my JR 1 around Jan. 10, it was pretty smooth as I got in the next round of calls.
Anyway, the point of this is that you can go complete and not get a JR1 for over a month and still end up okay!

http://lawschoolnumbers.com/lucke

Plenty more if you want to look at acceptances later than ~January.

Not sure how more/longer interviews are going to effect the cycle timeline so we shall see.

[tekumamba]

Thanks all, it all looks thoroughly reasonable. My anxiety has been clouding my judgement of late . much appreciated!

[LSATSCORES2012]

Still hoping for a JS1 here... decided to do a bit of research on LSN and made the graphs below. Hope you all find them useful!

Sent date vs JS1 Date:

--ImageRemoved--

As can be seen, there is a clear trend, but there are also some deviations from that trend. Just because you're passed over doesn't mean you won't be invited down the line, for whatever reason. Here's to hoping!

JS1 date vs JS2 Date:

--ImageRemoved--

Unfortunately, this graph is less promising for those of you who have received JS1's but not JS2's. Still, there are some outliers, so there is some hope.

[trojandave]

Really really cool. Thanks!

[facile princeps]

I know these are exceptions but they give me hope. Thank you for this!

[helix23]

I know these are exceptions but they give me hope. Thank you for this!

Double-edged sword. Nice to know that JS1s are still out there and will be for a while. Crappy to know that they'll keep you hanging on until late June.

[twinkletoes16]

____

[helix23]

What's the net $ you'll save by moving back home? Is the 3 or 4 months income from the nanny gig enough money to make it worth it?