Asked because the Justice Dept. is investigating Harvard Law for affirmative action admissions practices.
Btw, @oldfort , curious as to why your D waited and then reapplied. Not looking to get too personal, but could one of her strengths have been the 2-3 years of work experience she may have had during that gap?
Yes, as I alluded to. But your point is that by actually seeing the applicant, a school can differentiate based on race, for example, correct?
Agree that “on the fence” applicants are most likely to be interviewed. What causes an applicant to be placed in the “on the fence” discretionary group is unclear. I suspect that it may arise from one’s recommendations which raise issues about the applicant.
A well respected law school website states:
In law school admissions, interviews are not common. Many law schools do not interview at all, and most [that do] only do so on a limited basis.
A request for an interview means that you are in a discretionary group and the admissions committee is looking for ways to distinguish the applicants.
Looking for strengths and weaknesses in the following areas:
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Professional experience
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Knowledge of the field
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Personality
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Motivation
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Balance = seeking well rounded people.
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Maturity
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High energy level
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Communication skills
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Listening ability
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Sense of humor
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Pride
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Honesty
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Initiative
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Leadership potential
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Confidence
If this website’s explanation is correct, then it is a clear sign that although qualified based on one’s numbers the application raises concerns about the applicant that require clarification. In essence, this suggests that the applicant did a poor job on the application and/or that the teacher recommendations raised concerns about the applicant warranting further investigation.
It is important to note that the above post #23 does not apply to interviews for Northwestern Law & for Harvard Law.
You mentioned about Harvard earlier. I know that NWL recommends interviews. I thought Harvard is in the same category with the other T14, other than NYU…no?
Harvard Law does not admit without an interview. Not all applicants are offered an interview.
Interesting. Harvard lists the Interview as a step in the process but cannot find where they expressly state that the Interview is a necessary component for a favorable decision. From the Harvard Law Admissions Office: “If you are invited to interview, know that it is a positive step forward in the application process.” Do you have a more specific link? Thanks!
My post #26 above is from Harvard Law website.
Yes. From HLS admissions website:
Does Harvard Law School grant interviews?
Yes. Evaluative interviews are available by invitation only. All interviews are conducted via an online platform. No applicants will be admitted without an interview, however, not all applicants will be invited to interview. If you are selected to interview, you will be notified by email with more detailed information.
If you aren’t invited to interview is that their way of telling you you didn’t get in?
Yes, HLS interviews every person that it accepts. In fact, they get two calls: 1) the first is a real interview; 2) the second call, is a Congratulations call.
Harvard law interviews all applicants who are competitive. D received her JS1 email today. In many cases law schools will interview very strong candidates being considered for prestigious scholarships so an interview request could be because you are on the fence or it could be because you are in the running for serious money
@wje9164be - While there are law schools into which an applicant can gain admissions without an interview, there are several schools in the top 14 that actually require an interview. Harvard and Chicago are the most prominent. Northwestern offers an interview to pretty much all applicants and it is “strongly recommended” by admissions. UVA apparently interviews people just prior to accepting them. Although it appears that an interview is a precondition to admission to Cornell as well, the jury is still out on that one. Schools such as Yale, Stanford, Penn and Duke do not interview at all. Otherwise, schools such as Georgetown appear to interview either because the applicant is on the fence or because they are assessing true interest. D1 was well above the GULC medians and was frankly told at her interview that the sense in admissions was that she would go to a top 10.