Application Components

Application Status Check

You may check the status of your Harvard Law School application online. This feature will allow you to monitor the status of your file at your convenience. Your status will be updated as soon as changes are made to your application.

The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)

You must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) before the February 1 application deadline (no later than the December LSAT administration) in order for your application to be guaranteed consideration.

LSAC's Credential Assembly Service

You must also register for LSAC's Credential Assembly Service and have all undergraduate and graduate transcripts sent to LSAC. When we receive and process your application, we will request your LSAC's Credential Assembly Service report and LSAC will send it directly to us. The LSAC's Credential Assembly Service report includes your LSAT score(s), LSAT writing sample(s), copies of your academic transcripts, an undergraduate academic summary, and other information. Even if you have previously registered with LSAC's Credential Assembly Service, you must register for the current year. For information on the LSAT and registration, write to Law Services, Box 2000, Newtown, PA 18940, or call (215) 968-1001, or visit the website. You can also pick up the LSAT/LSAC's Credential Assembly Service Registration and Information Book by visiting a law school admissions office, including ours.

The Personal Statement

The Personal Statement provides an opportunity for you to present yourself, your background, your ideas, and your qualifications to the Admissions Committee. Please limit your statement to two pages using a minimum of 11-point font, 1-inch margins, and double spacing. Please refer to the Statement Form for more information. Attach your statement to the Statement Form when submitting on paper.

Recommendation Letters

Recommendations should come from those who have had an opportunity to evaluate you carefully and individually over a sufficient period of time. At least one letter should deal with your academic and scholarly abilities. We realize that some applicants may have difficulty finding even one academic recommender. If that is the case, letters from employers who have worked closely with you will be helpful. A minimum of two recommendations are required.

Information for Foreign Educated Applicants

Harvard Law School requires that your foreign transcripts be submitted through the LSAC JD Credential Assembly Service (CAS). If you completed any postsecondary work outside the US (including its territories) or Canada, you must use this service for the evaluation of your foreign transcripts. The one exception to this requirement is if you completed the foreign work through a study abroad, consortium, or exchange program sponsored by a US or Canadian institution, and the work is clearly indicated as such on the home campus transcript. This service is included in the LSAC's Credential Assembly Service subscription fee. A Foreign Credential Evaluation will be completed by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), which will be incorporated into your LSAC's Credential Assembly Service report.

Resumés

The following links are to sample resumes from successful applicants in prior years.  You do not have to follow the formatting used in these resumes, but all three are examples of well-organized, easy-to-read drafts.

• Sample Resume 1
• Sample Resume 2
• Sample Resume 3

The Phone Interview

We anticipate inviting 1000-1200 applicants to participate in phone interviews after their applications are reviewed by one or more members of the admissions committee. Phone interviews are typically 8-10 minute conversations where the dean of admissions asks applicants about elements of their application. Typical questions include "How are you spending your time outside of class?" or "Could you explain this activity you listed on your resume?" or "How did you come up with that thesis topic?" Applicants are not expected to prepare anything special for this interview — they just need to know what they've done and what they put on their application! The main purpose of the interview is to learn a bit more about the person than can be discerned from the pages of an application.