Harvard Law School c/o 2019 Waitlist Forum

[kr2]

Answering the call for a waitlist thread:

HLS Admissions Blog: The Waitlist (published March 29, 2016)

From previous years:

• c/o 2018 Waitlist thread
  c/o 2017 Waitlist thread
  T14 Waitlist Data (updated 2014)
  Spreadsheet for waitlist (c/o 2018)

And, of course: Harvard c/o 2019 Applicants

Information from within this thread:

• - HLS will not consider June 2016 LSAT scores this cycle (in case you were considering taking it again) (there was some information to the contrary)
  - Pre-waitlist JS1 > no pre-waitlist JS1
  - Post-waitlist JS1 > pre-waitlist JS1

Previous polls: (I have fewer than 100 posts so I can't embed images!)
-----
Where do you currently stand?

• No JS1 - 92 votes (66%)
• Pre-WL JS1 - 16 votes (12%)
• Accepted or Dinged, but watching the WL drama unfold - 31 votes (22%)

Total votes: 139
-----
Where are you making a seat deposit?

• Yale/Stanford - 7 votes (5%)
• Columbia - 31 votes (24%)
• Chicago - 10 votes (8%)
• NYU - 16 votes (12%)
• Penn - 9 votes (7%)
• Berkeley - 13 votes (10%)
• Michigan - 7 votes (5%)
• UVA - 10 votes (8%)
• Duke - 1 vote (1%)
• Other/Undecided - 27 votes (21%)

Total votes: 131
-----
JS1 Wave: 5.13.16 (interviews took place 5.18 and 5.19)
JS2 Wave: 5.25.16 (seemed to only include post-WL JS1s)
Ding Wave: 5.26.16

[dizzystpizzy]

...

Thanks kr2 for getting this off the ground. Checking in! Will likely be riding till the end, unless I hear from YLS/SLS

[edditb]

Not all heroes wear capes.

[Loney M. Setnick]

Do we have any idea what the size of the waitlist is?

[OtterLaw]

Do we have any idea what the size of the waitlist is?

Huge. Lol

Seriously probably well over 100 people at this point.

[CerealMilk]

Thanks KR!

[kr2]

.

[CerealMilk]

Thanks KR!

I see your vote in the poll!

Yup! Right there with ya on this emotional roller coaster

[zvin]

Checking in.

Is everyone definitely going if they get accepted? What amount of $$ from other schools will make you waver?

[theconsigliere]

Checking in.

Is everyone definitely going if they get accepted? What amount of $$ from other schools will make you waver?

If admitted, it will take more than what I've got currently from other schools!

[kr2]

.

[ProductofUnreality]

Checking in.

Is everyone definitely going if they get accepted? What amount of $$ from other schools will make you waver?

If admitted, it will take more than what I've got currently from other schools!

That's the idea, right? You only stay on the WL if you are positive you would attend? (genuinely asking)

Yes you're only supposed to stay on the waitlist if you'll drop everything and go with or without scholarship money.

You'd want (well they'd want you) to remove yourself from the waitlist if you get a great offer between now and their final decision that you'd choose over them. I don't think there's anything wrong with staying on the waitlist while you're still waiting on decisions/scholarship offers. Some schools (lookin at you Stanford) are taking a long time to get decisions out and there's really no way to be 100% until you have all your results or at least results from all the schools that you might go to over Harvard.

[berek]

Reporting for duty, y'all. Planning to ride it out until the end/"not throwing away my shot".

[theconsigliere]

Checking in.

Is everyone definitely going if they get accepted? What amount of $$ from other schools will make you waver?

If admitted, it will take more than what I've got currently from other schools!

That's the idea, right? You only stay on the WL if you are positive you would attend? (genuinely asking)

Yes you're only supposed to stay on the waitlist if you'll drop everything and go with or without scholarship money.

You'd want (well they'd want you) to remove yourself from the waitlist if you get a great offer between now and their final decision that you'd choose over them. I don't think there's anything wrong with staying on the waitlist while you're still waiting on decisions/scholarship offers. Some schools (lookin at you Stanford) are taking a long time to get decisions out and there's really no way to be 100% until you have all your results or at least results from all the schools that you might go to over Harvard.

Yes if another school gives me an offer I can't refuse then I'd get off Harvard's waitlist

[zvin]

Checking in.

Is everyone definitely going if they get accepted? What amount of $$ from other schools will make you waver?

If admitted, it will take more than what I've got currently from other schools!

That's the idea, right? You only stay on the WL if you are positive you would attend? (genuinely asking)

Yes you're only supposed to stay on the waitlist if you'll drop everything and go with or without scholarship money.

You'd want (well they'd want you) to remove yourself from the waitlist if you get a great offer between now and their final decision that you'd choose over them. I don't think there's anything wrong with staying on the waitlist while you're still waiting on decisions/scholarship offers. Some schools (lookin at you Stanford) are taking a long time to get decisions out and there's really no way to be 100% until you have all your results or at least results from all the schools that you might go to over Harvard.

Not just acceptance decisions, but also aid offers. If you expect some chance of full tuition scholly from some other T6, I think most people wouldn't (or shouldn't) be able to commit 100% to Harvard at sticker.

[clurrburr]

Can we assume that a pre-WL JS1 means better chances of getting off the waitlist, or is that misguided?

[berek]

Can we assume that a pre-WL JS1 means better chances of getting off the waitlist, or is that misguided?

It's something that's totally varied year to year, it seems. Some years the JS2s have been roughly equal between pre- and post-WL JS1; other times, pre-WL JS1s have a slight edge.

[CerealMilk]

Can we assume that a pre-WL JS1 means better chances of getting off the waitlist, or is that misguided?

The summary I've heard (you can go through the threads to find the numbers to support this) is that pre-WL JS1s have better odds overall but a post-WL JS1 has a better chance than someone with a pre-WL JS1. I hope that makes sense...

[jewkidontheblock]

Checking in, good luck all!

[zvin]

Anyway, what's the strategy for a LOCI? The FAQ says:

A one-page letter of continued interest or substantive resume update are good examples of relevant additions to your file.

How do I fill up a page? "Harvard is the best. [here's why]. Please accept me. I will matriculate if accepted."

More bragging about myself might be warranted, but nothing really changed since I submitted the original application.

[clurrburr]

It's something that's totally varied year to year, it seems. Some years the JS2s have been roughly equal between pre- and post-WL JS1; other times, pre-WL JS1s have a slight edge.

The summary I've heard (you can go through the threads to find the numbers to support this) is that pre-WL JS1s have better odds overall but a post-WL JS1 has a better chance than someone with a pre-WL JS1. I hope that makes sense...

Thanks!! Interesting. Looks like I can't cling to my pre-WL JS1 for comfort hahah.

[kr2]

.

[dizzystpizzy]

Anyway, what's the strategy for a LOCI? The FAQ says:

A one-page letter of continued interest or substantive resume update are good examples of relevant additions to your file.

How do I fill up a page? "Harvard is the best. [here's why]. Please accept me. I will matriculate if accepted."

More bragging about myself might be warranted, but nothing really changed since I submitted the original application.

Consensus from past years' threads has been that a LOCI should only include significant updates, otherwise you shouldn't be sending one. They already know you want to go to Harvard since you're on the WL, and since Harvard is the bees knees, they don't need a "why Harvard" LOCI either. Just wisdom from our ancestors. I personally plan to send a LOCI, but I think I have accomplished things at work that would impact my application since submitting.

Edit: grammar

[freakingoutlalala]

Checking in! Thanks for making this!!

[HugsNotDrugs]

Checking in. Kinda hoping I fall in love with Stanford during this weekend's ASW so I can (happily) jump off of H's waitlist. I'm thrilled about S but I've dreamed of going to H since I was a kid. Tough to walk away from that. Wish everyone the best of luck!