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Should you include a “why Harvard” statement in your application?

Each year at this time, we receive questions about how applicants should express interest in Harvard Law School. Include a “Why Harvard” essay? Talk about…

Launching to 1L: How to Make the Most Out of a Law School Event

In our blog series, Launching to 1L, we offer applicants advice on navigating the application process from beginning to end. To continue this series, we…

Changing My Tune on Applying Early

Know this, applicants: there is no magic definition of “early” that will change the trajectory of your file. I’m heading into my fifth cycle as…

Launching to 1L: Tips for Building Your Law School List

Happy October! We are pleased to launch a new blog series, Launching to 1L, to offer applicants advice on how to navigate the application process…

Overrated/Underrated Part 4

This week, we close out our series and highlight some of the overrated approaches that we recommend applicants avoid as they craft their applications.

Overrated/Underrated Part 3

Continuing our Overrated/Underrated series, this week, we shift our focus to highlight some of the overrated approaches that we recommend applicants avoid as they craft their applications.

November is suddenly upon us, and that means the J.D. Admissions team is preparing to begin interviews. If you have already submitted your application, you might be wondering about this as well. Here’s some more information to help you prepare.

Overrated/Underrated Part 2

This week, we continue our Underrated Approaches to the Application series with some additional advice.

Overrated/Underrated Part 1

The J.D. Admissions team recently came together to offer their thoughts on some underrated and overrated approaches that applicants might take towards their HLS application. We hope you’ll find some of these nuggets useful.

Announcing Dates for the 2022 Application Cycle

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling ’22 – as in, Fall Term 2022. If you are also looking ahead to the upcoming admissions cycle, read on to learn more about our anticipated dates and deadlines for the year.

Connecting with the J.D. Admissions Office in Fall 2021

We thought we would take this chance to preview our upcoming recruitment activities, which will once again be entirely virtual. For those interested in having the J.D. Admissions office join your group, school, or organization for an open Q&A on the admissions process, we’d also like to share details on how to get in touch.

Real Talk: What Exactly is "Holistic" Review?

Our final entry in the "Real Talk" series covers the "holistic" admissions process at HLS.

Real Talk: Contacting the J.D. Admissions Office

Wondering if you are eligible to apply? Have a question about our application requirements? Just want to say hello? Feel free to contact the J.D Admissions Office.

Real Talk: Expressing Interest During the Application Process

Our next installment of the Real Talk blog series covers the question of how expressing interest in HLS plays into the application process.

Real Talk: Second-hand Information in the Application Process

In this week’s installment in the Real Talk series, we cover the role of second-hand information in the application process.

Charting the 2021 Application Cycle

The timing of the admissions process can feel mysterious. When will interviews begin? When will you receive a decision on your application? In an attempt to demystify the timeline a bit, we released dates for the 2019–2020 cycle on this blog last summer. After receiving positive feedback on this step from applicants, we are going to try it again this year.

2019–2020 by the Numbers

Now that it is September, we are turning our attention to the upcoming application cycle. But before we do, we took a moment to look back at 2019–2020 by the numbers, as we did last year.

Real Talk: The Resume

This week's entry in the Real Talk series covers the resume.

Real Talk: Letters of Recommendation

Our next installment in the "Real Talk" blog series covers letters of recommendation. Read on for more!

Real Talk: The Personal Statement

For our first entry in the Real Talk series, Associate Director Nefyn Meissner shares advice on approaching the personal statement.

New Blog Series: Real Talk

August is a month of transition in the J.D. Admissions Office. Orientation for incoming 1L students is on the horizon, and we’re already gearing up for another admissions cycle beginning in September. We know many applicants are also beginning to prepare their applications. We’re excited to begin reading your stories and about your accomplishments soon, but in the meantime, we want to help you submit the best application you can.

New Podcast Alert!

Happy almost-August! I’m thrilled to announce the launch of a new podcast, in collaboration with the Yale Law School admissions team. YLS admissions dean Miriam Ingber and I have teamed up to co-host Navigating Law School Admissions with Miriam & Kristi.

Waitlist Advice from a Waitlist Admit

HLS grad Daniel Oyolu '21 shares his thoughts on navigating the waitlist process.

Our Thoughts on the Summer

We often view the summer as a period of preparation for new opportunities. Folks across the world are wrapping up their high school, college, and graduate studies to embrace the next phase of their lives. Some are in their final season of professional work before returning…

Is January our favorite month?

Hot take: January is our favorite month here at HLS.

Our Application Reading Routines

It’s December and here in the J.D. Admissions Office that means it’s Application Reading Season. Thanks to the rolling admissions timeline, we will be receiving…

How is My Interviewer Selected?

Admissions Assistant Alessandra Luedeking takes you behind the scenes of the interview assignment process.

Acing Your Interview

So you received an invitation to interview with a member of our Harvard Law School Admissions Committee! Read on to hear how that very Committee suggests you prepare for our meeting.

Optional Statements: An Opportunity, But Optional

Considering whether to write an optional statement? If you complete your personal statement and still feel that you have more to share, an optional statement provides you with an opportunity to do so. Here is our advice to determine whether submitting an optional statement is the right choice for your application.

Our Recommendations for Your Recommendations

Letters of recommendation are an important part of your application. We’ve compiled some tips and advice on how best to approach these letters to help you better prepare for this part of the process.

2020 Vision: Announcing Dates for the Upcoming Cycle

It is only July, but our team is already looking ahead to the upcoming cycle, and we suspect you may be, too.

Our Favorite Interview Questions

Each interview is bespoke to the candidate – your interviewer will have read your entire application and will have prepared questions specific to you. That said, we each have a go-to question or two.

Reflections from Fall Travel

If you follow @hlsadmissions on Instagram, you may have noticed we spent quite some time this fall on the road. This week we are settling back into the office and reflecting on all the prospective students we met and what we learned.

Personal Statement Advice

The personal statement is “an opportunity to give the Admissions Committee a better sense of who you are as a person and as a potential student and graduate of Harvard Law School.” But what does that mean to us?

Putting Your Grades in Context

This fall, we will discuss each major component of your application in a series of blog posts. Our next topic is transcripts. Like your…

So how do we think about test scores, anyway?

This fall, we will discuss each major component of your application in a series of blog posts. First up: test score(s).

Rolling Admission: Benefits of Applying Early

Speaking to prospective students this summer on the road, a number asked whether there is any advantage to submitting an application “early” in the cycle. The short answer: yes. The lawyerly answer: it depends.

Yes, HLS will continue to accept the GRE this year.

We’ve received a few questions this week about the GRE from those who have been following the active discussions about the role of standardized testing in admissions.

5 Tips for High Schoolers Thinking About Law School

We get a fair number of inquiries from students who are thinking about law school in high school, or even earlier. You do not need to have it all figured out right now, but here are a few tips from our office if you think law school might be of interest to you in the future.

The GRE @ HLS: Five Reflections on Year One

It’s summertime in Austin Hall, but we know many of you are thinking ahead to the 2018 – 2019 cycle. One question we’ve heard a lot this summer: How did the GRE pilot shake out in 2017 – 2018?

Inside the Black Box: The Admissions Process

This post is part of a series that will help to demystify the black box of HLS Admissions. In this post, you will learn more about the application review process.

Inside the Black Box: The Junior Deferral Program

Our regular J.D. application deadline passed last month, and the admissions team is deep in the process of reviewing files. But we are also excited to start thinking about our upcoming Junior Deferral Program (JDP) candidates. Now that the JDP application is open, I wanted to share some insights into the admissions process.

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