7,419 applications and offered admission to just 12% of applicants. Kristi Jacobson, chief admissions officer at HLS, shared that there are currently a lean 561 students enrolled in the 1L class of 2022. But while Clark's story sounds like an archetypal path to the Ivy Leagues, it's also far from the only way to get there.
That being said: Don't dawdle, urged Ivey. "With law school admissions, there [are] all kinds of stuff that happens after you submit," she explained. Interviews, always conducted via video, must be scheduled and completed for those moving onto the next round. Historically, the LSAT has been the go-to exam for would-be law students. But in recent years,— HLS among them — have allowed students to submit GRE scores instead.
"I equate it to learning how to play a sport or a musical instrument: Just because you don't have the skills today doesn't mean you can't develop them tomorrow," said Thomas. The test is given nine times every year. Thomas encourages applicants to pick their date for a time when they can spend three months beforehand treating it as a top priority.
"I can't tell you the number of times I've read a letter of recommendation where the recommender says something like, 'I didn't have enough time to prepare this because so-and-so asked me only two weeks ago,'" she shared.In total, there are four essential components of the HLS application: the academic record starting with college, LSAT scores, the interview, and the personal statement.
Clark surmounted this challenge by leaning on the tools of narrative journalism. His personal statement opened with a description of a Black Lives Matter die-in protest he attended during undergrad that happened to occur during a major civil rights anniversary. Building on that structure, he was able to delve into his passions and goals and touch on Harvard's legacy of educating civil rights leaders throughout history.