Toby’s blog

There was a question posed in a comment below.  I reprint it here: “How will the current crisis in the financial market affect the ability of future admitted students to afford the price of HLS (and other top schools)? It seems a foregone conclusion that student loans will become much more difficult to get as a result of what is going on in the credit industry. Is Harvard planning to do anything to aid those who may be lucky enough to gain admittance into HLS but are unable to secure a loan?”

I can’t predict the future, but I posed this question to our financial aid director and his response was as follows: “No HLS student has been unable to secure loans this year, and we don’t expect students to have problems securing loans for next year. US citizens and eligible noncitizens who pass a basic credit check can finance the full cost of attendance through federally-backed student loan programs at competitive market rates. International students can obtain loans from HLS to meet financial need, and we expect to have information on additional options for international students before an admissions decision is due.” (EDITED 10/8/08)

I got this question in a recent comment posted below:

“Do you think that an applicant is at competitive disadvantage by taking the December LSAT? If this applicant scores in the 172+ range, but has an unremarkable GPA, is she better served by applying early in next year’s cycle?”

These are two very different questions, of course, but I’ll try to respond.  I do believe that an applicant is at a disadvantage if he or she is relying on the December LSAT.  I recommend that applicants apply early and that the latest LSAT taken is the October LSAT (which is in September some years).  We are crafting a class of students and depending on the strength of the overall pool, an applicant could have a better chance at different times in the year.  If you apply early, you may get more than one bite at the apple.  While we often look at applications with a December LSAT as the first (or second or third) score, and while we regularly admit applicants with a December test score, these applicants are typically rather late in applying and thus not as well positioned.

I would add that if you plan to take the LSAT for a second time in December, you can ask us to hold off on making a decision on your application until after your score comes in.  Still, that would mean delaying your application until it is relatively late, which as just mentioned, can be problematic.  A better bet would probably be to just let us go ahead and read your file with your earlier test score and then update us later with your new score.  This year we aren’t planning to deny anyone until very late in the cycle, so you aren’t at much risk.

Is a person better off waiting until the next cycle?  I don’t know if this is ever a great idea.  I don’t think there’s any inherent disadvantage in being a re-applicant.  The main reason re-applicants typically aren’t admitted is because our standards remain relatively constant over time, not because we have any bias against re-applicants.  So why not apply now and if it doesn’t work out, apply again?  It’s just $75.

We’re going to be hitting the road soon to visit dozens of college campuses around the country.  I’ll probably visit 20-25 schools myself and I look forward to seeing you.  Check our visit calendar here and tell your friends!

I’ll be making some calls tomorrow [correction from "today"] to chat with some prospective transfer students and probably make some offers of admission. Thanks for your patience!

I attended the big dinner for the graduating class a week or so ago and was reminded that some of the first students I’ve had the privilege of admitting were on track to graduate: the transfer students we admitting during my first year back on campus in the summer of 2006.

It reminded me that it’s almost time once again for the transfer admissions process. We continue to be big fans of bringing in students as 2Ls who performed at a high level at their first law school.

My earlier entries can be found pretty easily by clicking on the category “Admissions Process” or searching for “transfer” but here’s an earlier Q&A that may be helpful.

It appears we had room for a few more folks before going to the waitlist. I’m making some calls to admit today and maybe Monday. Everyone else should receive a waitlist or deny notice soon.

I had some comments in an earlier blog post asking questions about “under review” and our online status.  I thought I’d give a quick response here.

We review 7,000+ applications over the course of the year and also work with admitted applicants on their plans to visit, connecting them with hundreds of students and dozens of faculty.  And there aren’t many of us in this office.  It is not unusual for applications to be “under review” for months.  They are processed, they are reviewed by several people, and then they are repeatedly compared against other applications that come in over the course of the year.

Someone asked, what are you waiting for?  Why haven’t you told me what is up with my file?  Very simply, I have at least 1,000 applications to look over again in the next couple of weeks in order to sign off on final status.  I know that all of those files will either go into the waitlist group or the deny group.  But I don’t know for each individual file until I see it.  Also, files which I have already looked at again still have to be processed for final decision and this takes time, too, as we want to make sure we’ve crossed all the t’s and dotted all the i’s.  It wouldn’t be a good idea to send out the wrong decision to a person.

As for the online status, it is likely that it will change almost simultaneously with the e-mails that go out.

Hope this helps!

A couple of items:

We’re winding down a bit in the JD admissions office. I expect to do one more major round of admit phone calls (i.e. congratulatory calls) next week and then we’ll probably stop and go to the waitlist (and of course, deny everyone else)–i.e., those under review will either be on the waitlist or denied. Still, like in prior years, I expect to admit a fair number off the waitlist and will try to do much of that in May or early June. Interview calls may well continue. This applies to everyone (!!!!!!–note additional exclamation points in response to additional comments/questions below).

In response to one of the comments, files “under review” are under periodic review throughout the cycle–this status can last for one week or several months (for 2007-08 — we may adjust the process next year). When we make a decision, we tell you.

Also, you may notice that I’ve started allowing comments on this blog, but they will be cleared by a moderator. People become very strident and strange when they are hidden in the cloak of anonymity. Witness some of the sad, sorry displays on the public message boards. We’ll not have that here. I would appreciate constructive criticism and ideas, however.

I was just reading a file and wanted to pass along some thoughts. As I read undergraduate transcripts, I don’t much like to see a significant number of “Ps”. One or two is no big deal, but when I see a bunch of them I wonder, “What is she worried about?” or “What is he hiding?” So keep that in mind when you’re considering a pass/fail option for a class.

Oh and I’ll add this: don’t send the “track changes” version of your personal statement in.  Saw one of those today too.  There were significant changes made…by what appeared to be someone other than the applicant.  Oops.

These days I sometimes make 20 interview calls a day. We’re in the heart of the busy season here at HLS admissions. I like this time of year–reading files, getting to know people who will soon join the Harvard community, planning the admitted applicant events for the spring. We have admitted quite a few applicants already and are a bit ahead of last year, but we have a long way to go.

My thoughts on the interview at this point in the season are as follows:

(1) It is not the case that a person makes the first cut to the interview and then has to “pass” the interview to get admitted — the interview just becomes a part of the application as it’s reviewed by committee members. If you get a call, then don’t get admitted shortly thereafter, you may well get admitted later in the cycle. Of course you may also get waitlisted or denied. But generally speaking, the interview should be viewed as a relatively positive sign.

(2) There are few right or wrong answers in the interview. I’m just trying to get more of a sense for how you interact with a human being…for a few minutes…over the phone. Introverts are as welcome as extroverts.

(3) I get the feeling that there’s a rumor going around that I have an interest in certain local sports teams… Strange. I am not going to say whether I do or do not, but one should keep in mind that I’m not from around here. And it’s a stretch to call me a fanatic about sports…

(4) I can tell when you are asking a question just because you think you NEED to ask a question. I know it’s supposed to be good interview decorum to “show interest” by asking intelligent questions. I’ve always thought that to be a bit silly. When I’ve interviewed for jobs or for other purposes, if someone asked me “Do you have any questions?” I would say “No” if I thought I’d figured things out. Or, if I had one, I’d ask it. Seems simple enough. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to encourage questions–I’m sure many of you out there DO wonder about some things related to HLS and our community. Ask away! But don’t feel like you have to.

(5) I’ll usually ask about your law school-related interests after looking at your “interest checklist” on the application form. Some of you have not checked anything. Some of you have checked 20 things. Both are fine. And when I ask the question, there’s nothing wrong with saying you have no idea what you want to study or pursue at law school or beyond. I’m just curious.

(6) Being nervous is okay.

(7) I typically can’t schedule an interview precisely due to my workflow around here, so just give the times when you may be available and I’ll try my best to call within those times. Sometimes, however, I won’t get a chance to read your e-mail until after your times have passed. If that happens, I’ll just call and if I don’t get you, you can call me back! No worries.

I expect to make somewhere between 1000 and 1100 phone calls this year. We’ll see how that goes.