CATEGORY - ADMISSIONS BLOGS

March 1, 2010

Harvard Law School Assistant Dean for Admissions Addresses Applicant Concerns

Late last week, Assistant Dean for Admissions at Harvard Law School, Josh Rubenstein, took the time to address applicant questions on the Harvard Law admissions blog, HLS in Focus. Much like the concerns addressed by Yale Law School’s Dean of Admissions Asha Rangappa, the questions HLS applicants asked focused heavily on admissions requirements, the importance of the interview and what it means to be placed on “hold.”

In a previous blog post, Josh explained that “The ‘hold’ status is essentially our way of saying that we’re not quite ready to make a decision on your application yet and need some more time to re-examine it in the context of the broader applicant pool. This is normal as we’re not evaluating candidates in a vacuum but rather trying to select a class from the entire applicant pool.” In last week’s post, he reassured worried applicants that being placed on hold is not a bad thing, and that “there are still places open in the class, and these will be filled by people on hold or whose applications have not been reviewed yet.” Additionally, candidates who have interviewed and been placed on hold should not panic, as this is not a sign of a poor interview. As Josh explained, “If I interviewed you, you’re not on hold because you had a horrible interview (if that were the case, you’d probably just have gotten denied).”

Josh also took the time to briefly explain the purpose of the interview, which is a requirement for admission to Harvard Law. He explained that the process is a “relatively straightforward” one, and candidates who have spent a bit of time preparing should do just fine. As Josh stated, “In general though, if you do a little homework, come prepared, and honestly convey why you’re interested in law school and Harvard Law, you’re likely to have a good interview.”

Finally, Josh tackled a question frequently asked by applicants: does HLS have LSAT/GPA cutoff numbers? According to Josh, Harvard Law truly does not have cutoff numbers, but does expect applicants with lower GPAs or LSAT scores to possess “’superstar’ qualities” in the workplace, extracurricular activities including volunteer engagement or in their scholarship. As Josh concludes, “We’re looking for people who not only have the academic talent, but also have a demonstrated record of impact.”

To read Josh’s full blog post, click here.

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# posted by admin @ 12:00 pm in Admissions Blogs, Admissions Tip, School: Harvard

February 25, 2010

Yale Law School Dean of Admissions Answers Applicant Questions

Late-February is a notoriously stressful time for law school applicants. Although some applicants have begun to hear back from programs regarding their candidacy, February marks the crunch-time for reading applications at law school admissions offices. The anxiety caused by the seemingly endless waiting period has prompted a number of conversations on popular online forums.

Recently, Asha Rangappa, Yale Law School’s Dean of Admissions, took the time to respond to a number of the questions raised by prospective students on the (203) Admissions Blog. For example, one candidate wondered if Yale has a cutoff for applicants in terms of GPAs or LSAT scores. As Asha explained, Yale does not have a cutoff, but a candidate with a notably low GPA or LSAT score “does usually need extremely strong everything else.”

Another applicant wondered just how detrimental typos in an application are to an applicant’s candidacy. Again, Asha explained, ”I probably do miss some typos.  However, I catch a fair number of them, and whether they are fatal to your application really depends on the overall strength of your application and the egregiousness of the typo (as in, are you just sloppy, or does it call your literacy into question?).” Additionally, Asha eased the concern of another applicant who was worried that the late date of his submission might indicate a lack of interested in the school to the admissions committee. According to Asha, “We don’t really interpret the date you choose to apply as having any correlation with your interest (in fact, it might suggest that you chose to spend more time applying to us than to anyone else!). “

For more answers to your “burning questions,” make sure to check out the full blog post. To read questions asked of Asha in the past – and the responses to them – click here.

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# posted by admin @ 10:16 am in Admissions Blogs, Admissions Tip, School: Yale

January 28, 2010

Admissions Blog: University of Michigan Law’s A2Z

The University of Michigan Law School has recently launched a new admissions blog, A2Z. The blog entries are written by Sarah C. Zearfoss, Assistant Dean and Director of Admissions. Though she has just recently begun writing posts, Zearfoss has already discussed a number of topics that may be of interest to current and prospective students alike. Her inaugural post focused on the reasons why pursuing a law career is a smart decision even in today’s tumultuous economy, while more recent posts have covered such topics as traits the admissions committee looks for when admitting candidates and avoiding common application pitfalls.

The A2Z blog is one of several recently launched law school admissions blogs. In the past, we’ve highlighted Yale Law School’s (203) Admissions Blog and Stanford Law School’s The Fayemous SLS Blog.

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# posted by admin @ 8:00 am in Admissions Blogs, School: Michigan

January 21, 2010

Yale Law Offers Unique Exam Options, Schedule

In this week’s Trivia Tuesday, we outlined the unique application process at Yale Law School, as the scholarly program relies on its full 60-person permanent faculty to review and rate applicants.

Additionally, a post this week on the (203) Admissions Blog reminded us of another distinctive feature of the school, as Yale’s law students are currently taking exams for last semester’s courses. This administration of post-winter break final exams is unlike most peer law schools.

And while the post speaks with clear subjectivity about the positive aspects of such a schedule, there are simple objective facts to be noted about this system: First, most of Yale Law’s exams are offered online and are self-scheduled, with only “check-in” and “check-out” times limiting duration. Secondly, all 1L fall-term courses are offered on a pass/fail basis, adding further flexibility to exam preparation. Thirdly, many YLS classes operate with papers, rather than exams, and are revealed as such before registration, so a student can tailor their schedule to academic preferences.

Though many law students counter that they prefer to complete finals period before the holiday season, this exam system, like other aspects detailed in our Yale Law School Guide, offers another indication of how the program is unique among peer programs.

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# posted by admin @ 12:00 pm in Admissions Blogs, School: Yale

December 31, 2009

Admissions Blog: Yale’s (203) Admissions Blog

Last week we discusses Stanford Law School’s recently released admissions blog; the week before we highlighted Harvard in Focus. This week, we’d like to point out yet another admissions blog that students can use as a valuable resource.

Yale Law School, like Stanford and Harvard, provides an admissions blog that discusses a range of topics - various categories of topics discussed include, “Applying,” “Bad Ideas” and “Student Life.” The blog - entitled the (203) Admissions Blog - is a great resource for students considering applying to Yale, as the various posts provide an insider’s look at different aspects of the admissions process, Yale curriculum and student life. It’s also just as good a resource for students already intend on applying - the information gained from reading to blog will be valuable when writing your personal statement and during interviews.

For additional information about Yale Law School, make sure to check out the Clear Admit’s Guide to Yale Law School. Inside, you’ll find information on student body demographics, independent research opportunities and study abroad offerings.

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# posted by admin @ 8:00 am in Admissions Blogs, Law School Guides, School: Yale

December 24, 2009

Admissions Blogs: The Faye-mous SLS Admissions Blog

Last week, we discussed HLS in Focus, Harvard Law School’s admission blog. This year, we’d like to highlight The Faye-mous SLS Admissions Blog. Like Harvard, Stanford Law School’s admissions blog is a valuable resource for prospective students hoping to gain an insider’s look at the program. Unlike HLS in Focus, however, Stanford’s blog has recently been introduced to the blogosphere, with its inaugural post being published on December 15th.

The new blog is written by Faye Deal, Stanford Law School’s associate dean for admissions and financial aid. Deal has served as Stanford’s associate dean since 1992. In her first post, Deal encourages her readers to, “Come along for the ride – you’ll find tips, you’ll get advice, you’ll hear from me, you’ll hear from guest bloggers, you’ll learn more about the school, you’ll have access to the SLS inside scoop. “

In her most recent post, Deal notes that the school is shutting down for the holidays, but indicates that the blog will be updated sometime shortly after January 4th, 2010.

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# posted by admin @ 8:00 am in Admissions Blogs, School: Stanford

December 18, 2009

Law School Admissions Blogs: Chicago Signs Off, Harvard Offers Progress Update

With a final post last week, the University of Chicago Law School’s Admissions blog, A Day in the Life, officially signed off.

In an entry titled, “Time, and Technology, March On,” the school’s Admissions Office wrote, “We find that each year we don’t have that many new things to add to our advice about personal statements and the like, but the advice from previous years is all still valid.”

Indeed interested applicants could use the blog’s archive to learn about the Law School, gauge how the Admissions Office feels about including supplementary information in an application or find out what they should include in a resume, among other topics.

The post also indicated that “the time has come to communicate with [prospective students] in new and different ways.”  As evidence, the Law School does maintain an active presence on Twitter.  (Both Chicago Law School feeds can be found on our Law School Twitter list.)

Also writing last week on an Admissions blog, Harvard Law School’s Dean of Admissions, Josh Rubenstein, offered some feedback on the timing of notifications.  (On Thursday, we took a more in-depth look at this blog, HLS in Focus.)

In his entry, Rubenstein indicated that decisions typically take about two months, with early applications taking a bit longer due to school visits and holidays.  Rubenstein added, “As a general rule of thumb, if your application was complete before November 1, we should be able to get you a decision by early-to-mid January.”

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# posted by admin @ 12:00 pm in Admissions Blogs, Law School News, School: Chicago, School: Harvard

December 17, 2009

Law School Admissions Blogs: HLS in Focus

For those of your considering applying to law school or in the process of doing so, we’d like to highlight a valuable resource that you should consider using to narrow your list of target schools and research the programs in which you’re interested. Many of the leading law schools host an admissions blog that provides law school applicants with an inside look at the program and offers admissions advice in an effort to make the process a bit more transparent.

This week, we’d like to focus on Harvard Law School’s JD Admissions Blog, HLS in Focus. Potential HLS applicants – or those individuals wondering if they should apply to the program – will find the frequently-updated blog to be a valuable resource during the application process. Readers will discover that a variety of topics are discussed. The most recent blog post discusses “one of the most feared aspects of law school” – the Socratic Method, while posts in the past have discussed such topics as Exam Week and Financial Aid.

Visiting this blog on a regular basis will ensure that you stay informed of various HLS happenings and announcements, and will also give you a leg up in interviews, since you’ll be familiar with the various community goings-on and program offerings.

For further information about life at Harvard Law School, make sure to check out the Clear Admit Harvard Law School Guide. Our HLS guide serves as a key resource for any applicant interested in learning about the program in detail, and for those who want to see the educational and employment opportunities that HLS provides.

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# posted by admin @ 8:00 am in Admissions Blogs, School: Harvard