adMISSION: HLS

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

Sitting in his home office with a couple of basses and three Joel Daniel Phillips pencil drawings in the background, David looks no different than he did in videos from other interviews. In this Zoom call with Xiaoli and Alice, David reflects on his career path, from being a Computer Music undergrad to a venture capitalist.

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.

As a Partner at Gunderson Dettmer, Randall Clark works closely with entrepreneurs and investors in various fields. He had a delightful conversation with Xiaoli and Alice over Zoom, chatting about how he transitioned from a film major in college to a HLS student, then to a law firm partner. It all started with a $2,000 scholarship...

Each year, HLS students join our community from around the country, and the world. This year's 1L class includes a contingent of students from West Virginia - J.R., Patrick, Arka, and Travis. They connected on Zoom before the semester started. We thought we'd pass along their insight and reflections here on our blog. 

Phebe Hong is a 3L at Harvard Law School. She graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology. Prior to law school, she worked as a consultant advising pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. She is a Research Assistant at the Program on Regulation, Therapeutics, and Law (PORTAL) and an Articles Editor for the Journal of Law and Technology. Her research interests include FDA regulation of biologics and pharmaceutical patent law.

Reggie Chambers ’01 is a Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer of the Consumer Bank of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Previously, he worked in Big Law, investment banking, private equity, the White House, and management consulting. Outside of work, he teaches the development of economic policies at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs.

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

Admitted students often ask us to introduce them to current students who attended the same undergraduate institution. Last year, a few admitted students who attended women’s colleges asked to speak to current students who also attended women’s colleges. Those connections inspired this blog post. We thought we would interview a few women’s college graduates to pass on their insights more broadly.

As Chief of Strategy and Capital Development of Sightway Capital, Two Sigma’s private equity unit, Susan normally sits a few floors above Alice in Two Sigma’s Manhattan office, which is three minutes’ walk from Xiaoli’s office. But since everyone is working from home nowadays, the three didn’t grab coffee in SoHo and instead chatted on Zoom.

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

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.

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.

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

Students enrolled in the HBS/HLS four-year joint degree program come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Many are interested in pursuing careers that operate at the intersection of business and law, and they seek to utilize the resources that are offered throughout the program. Reshma Lutfeali (JD/MBA 2021) and Viroopa Volla (JD/MBA 2021), co-presidents of the JD/MBA Association, offer their perspectives on the program and what they have learned about the HLS/HBS joint degree.

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

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

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.