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Applications will become available on LSAC starting September 10.
Application Deadline: February 1
Application fee: $85

Take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
Register for LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and pay all appropriate fees
Submit all undergraduate and graduate transcripts to LSAC
Submit two letters of recommendation to LSAC
Submit your HLS application, personal statement and resume electronically

HLS is somewhat unique in that our admissions process for the past few years has included a short, evaluative phone interview. That interview was an incredibly valuable part of the admissions process because it offered us the opportunity to actually speak with applicants and learn more about their passions, interests, and aspirations. Last year I conducted hundreds of phone interviews with applicants and at the end of each interview, I always wished I had had more time to continue the conversation. Today, I am happy to announce that Harvard Law School is enhancing our interview process for students in this admissions cycle.

What’s changing:

1) Interviews will now be conducted using Skype. This face-to-face interaction will be more personal than what we could accomplish over the phone.

2) They will be longer. Traditionally our phone interviews have lasted somewhere between five and ten minutes. We are anticipating that these new interviews will be closer to 15 minutes.

3) More students will be interviewed. In the interview, students are given the opportunity to articulate their life stories in a different way than they could on paper. I want more students to have that opportunity.

4) I’ll have help! To accommodate more interview spots and longer conversations, Karen Buttenbaum, the Director of Admissions, will also be conducting interviews. Which one of us you talk with is no reflection on your application. We have a similar set of questions and will be compiling our notes for consideration along with the rest of your application.

5) What you wear… Ok – let’s be realistic. In the past you could have rolled out of bed five minutes before our interview and I would have been none the wiser. This year, you (and I) should both make sure that what the camera captures is appropriate.

What’s not changing:

1) This is NOT a new hurdle! We’ve been doing interviews for several years, this is just an improvement in our process.

2) Interviews are still by invitation only. Applicants will receive an email inviting them to interview with us.

3) As always, we will accommodate individuals who may be unable to conduct their interview in this manner. If there is a reason that Skype would not work for you, we will work with you to find an alternative. However, our expectation is that Skype likely will be used for the majority of the interviews we conduct.

4) Interviews will occur on a rolling basis from November through the end of our process.

outlookingin wrote:Checking in, but yeah I think this is out of my reach... my 3.75/175 is good, but perhaps not Harvard good!! If I get in, I bet it will reeeeeaaaaaal late in the game.

Lavitz wrote:

outlookingin wrote:Checking in, but yeah I think this is out of my reach... my 3.75/175 is good, but perhaps not Harvard good!! If I get in, I bet it will reeeeeaaaaaal late in the game.

Anything is possible this cycle. But yeah, I predict many of us with above-median LSAT and below-median GPA will get held until after the February deadline when they can evaluate the entire applicant pool. They probably wouldn't want to dip below their traditional 3.8 GPA floor unless they have to in order to maintain their LSAT median. But since it appears they did it last cycle, I'm pretty sure they'll do it again. So there's definitely hope.

Triveal wrote:I think I'm under the GPA floor, with a 3.45 but I'm going to apply anyway in hopes that this cycle is miraculous due to declining applicants

Eichörnchen wrote:

Lavitz wrote:

outlookingin wrote:Checking in, but yeah I think this is out of my reach... my 3.75/175 is good, but perhaps not Harvard good!! If I get in, I bet it will reeeeeaaaaaal late in the game.

Anything is possible this cycle. But yeah, I predict many of us with above-median LSAT and below-median GPA will get held until after the February deadline when they can evaluate the entire applicant pool. They probably wouldn't want to dip below their traditional 3.8 GPA floor unless they have to in order to maintain their LSAT median. But since it appears they did it last cycle, I'm pretty sure they'll do it again. So there's definitely hope.

I think you guys have a good shot! I'm at 25th percentile LSAT and a bit above 50th for GPA...not so good.

LargeNinCharge wrote:I'll post this again as this thread develops but to begin - any other retakers out there?