Junior Deferral Program

Truman Burrage, a 2018 JDP admit, reflects on his decision to work in management consulting after graduating from undergrad and how that prepared him for his future legal career.

Jeane Khang, a 2019 JDP admit, reflects on confirming her interest in attending law school and finding a deferral experience that would expose her to the legal field while allowing her to maintain a work/life balance.

Ben McAnally, a 2020 JDP admit, reflects on searching for a deferral experience, finding the courage to stray from the conventional path, and landing a job through AmeriCorps for his first year.

Recent Junior Deferral Program (JDP) admit Liv Panarella reflects on her time as an undergraduate student at Stanford and her passion for advocating for Native communities.

For the last few years, we have released the JDP cycle timeline on our blog to increase transparency and to help applicants plan ahead. Here is our expected timeline for the 2022 Junior Deferral Program cycle.

Xiaoli Jin and Alice Chen are members of the Junior Deferral Program (JDP) Class of 2024 and co-authors of the pilot Alumni Conversations series. In this post, Xiaoli and Alice chat about their own experiences applying to JDP, navigating the deferral period, and talking with HLS alumni.

Deven Hurt is a rising 2L at Harvard Law School and CEO of PredictionStrike. 

Junior Deferral Program admit John Casey reflects on his time at the University of Pennsylvania, as a member of the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), and shares why embracing setbacks has been vital to developing his vision for a legal career. 

Many students are actively working on their Junior Deferral Program applications, so we asked five recent admits to share their advice on the application process. We hope you find their insights helpful as you complete your application.

The  Junior Deferral Program (JDP) application is now open, so we asked five recent admits to share their thoughts and reflections on why they chose to apply to HLS through the Junior Deferral Program. We hope you will find their insights helpful as you consider this option.

Over the last two years, we have attempted to demystify the application process by releasing the dates for each application cycle early. With that in mind, we wanted to share the important dates and deadlines for the upcoming Junior Deferral Program (JDP) application timeline.

Ethan Oak was admitted to HLS via the Junior Deferral Program (JDP). In this post, he shares his unique path to law school, his plans for his deferral period, and some words of encouragement for future applicants. 

We are one month away from the Junior Deferral Program (JDP) application deadline on July 1. Here are a few thoughts and reflections from the members of the JDP Committee about what they value in JDP applicants.

One thing I have learned in over half a decade working in higher education: our schools, our classes, and our communities are not separate from or immune to what goes on in the wider world.

In this post, Junior Deferral Program student Faith Jackson reflects on what she learned from her time during her two-year deferral.

We invited Christopher Cruz (Junior Deferral Program Class of 2022) to share a few reflections on his time in the Junior Deferral Program.

Members of the Junior Deferral Program admissions committee share their thoughts on some of the most frequently asked questions about JDP.

Here are some more tips from Junior Deferral Program (JDP) students from Boston University, Berkeley, Penn, and Harvard College.

We invited some of our recent Junior Deferral Program (JDP) students to share their advice on the application process with you.

If you are considering reapplying to Harvard Law School after applying to the Junior Deferral Program, here are a few thoughts from the admissions committee to help you think through your options.