JDP Reapplication Insights

As noted in a previous blog post entitled Reapplying after JDP, the Admissions Committee warmly welcomes reapplications. Each year, several students who were not admitted to HLS through the Junior Deferral Program reapply and join the HLS community. In this updated blog post, we aim to clarify our advice for JDP applicants, specifically regarding when JDP reapplicants should submit their applications.

Given that the purpose of the Junior Deferral Program is to allow students the opportunity to gain post-graduate experience before 1L year, we expect that previous JDP applicants who choose to reapply will spend a minimum of two years in a structured educational program, employment situation, or service opportunity before reapplying.

We strongly advise against applying to the JDP and the regular JD program in the same application cycle. 

If it has been at least two years since you last applied to HLS and you feel ready to reapply, we encourage you to review our advice for your new application below. You may also find the Applying to HLS as a Reapplicant blog helpful in preparing your application.

Update Your Resume

You now have two or more years of experience than you did when you last applied, so be sure to highlight everything that you’ve been up to since the summer after your junior year on your resume. Include any internships, part-time work, or full-time work you’ve done. You’ll also want to showcase your involvement in any extracurricular or volunteer opportunities you participated in during your senior year and beyond. And don’t forget to include any leadership roles you’ve taken on through those experiences! Any post-graduate experiences, whether they be professional, educational, or service-oriented, will make you a more competitive applicant.

Consider Retaking the LSAT or GRE

It is common for applicants to take their preferred test more than once in an attempt to achieve a score that demonstrates their full academic potential for law school. Evaluate your LSAT or GRE score(s) from your previous application and ask yourself if you could achieve a higher score and if a higher score would substantively strengthen your application. If the answer is yes, consider retaking the test. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to study (4-6 months is recommended) and to utilize resources such as LawHub in preparation for your retake. For advice on taking the LSAT, listen to Season 5 of Dean Kristi Jobson and Dean Miriam Ingber’s podcast, Navigating Law School Admissions.

Consider Requesting New Letters of Recommendation

Some reapplicants choose to have the same recommender(s) submit a letter on their behalf. This is especially common with undergraduate faculty. There is no issue with this. If the same individual is still the best person who can write you a strong letter highlighting your academic abilities and engagement in the classroom, ask them to edit their previous letter with relevant updates related to your academic and/or professional pursuits. It might be the case, however, that your former recommenders are no longer the best option, and that is okay too.

If you’ve worked professionally, you could ask a manager or supervisor to write you a letter showcasing the skills you’ve honed and the work you’ve done in a professional environment. If you’ve pursued graduate study, you could ask one of your graduate school professors to write you a letter.

Ultimately, the best rule of thumb is to select people who know you the best and who can write an enthusiastic letter with concrete examples to back up their assessment of your character, talents, and abilities.

Two letters of recommendation are required, but you may submit up to three. We strongly recommend that at least one letter of recommendation come from an academic source. For additional advice, review our Application Toolkit for Letters of Recommendation.

Write New Statements

The J.D. Admissions Office changed our essay requirements in 2023. We now require all applicants to submit both a Statement of Purpose and a Statement of Perspective. As a result, if you applied to HLS through the Junior Deferral Program before 2023, you will need to write new statements.

Even without these changes, however, we’ve always encouraged reapplicants to revise their written statements or to start fresh and submit something new. You’ve likely changed in the years since you last applied to HLS, and we encourage you to reflect on that as you begin to brainstorm what you might like to write about. How has your legal vision developed over time? How have the experiences you’ve gained since last applying confirmed your interest in the law? How have they prepared you to succeed in law school? How will they affect your engagement in our community and the legal profession as a whole? Our Written Statements Workshop is a helpful resource that will guide you through all of these questions and more as you begin to draft new statements.

Review Our Application Instructions

One of the best ways to make a positive impression in the application process is by following our application instructions closely. Attention to detail is one of the most important qualities for a lawyer to possess, and following our application instructions is an excellent way to demonstrate that you have this ability.