Just referencing a post in the June 2017 study group, a poster commented "I'm thinking of just saying F the LSAT, take the GRE and roll my dice on H". I would assume this poster is not alone in this mentality.ImGonnaTakeGRE wrote:Assuming they submit on the first day applications are available, when's the earliest HLS applicants find out whether they are accepted? After the Dec LSAT date right? If someone is seriously thinking about law school, they will still have to take LSATs... unless someone wants to put all their eggs into the HLS basket with GRE scores (seems risky because there's literally no historical data on how the admissions committee interprets that data; I doubt that they even fully understand how to interpret GRE vs LSAT at this point). Would be an incredible waste of time & resources to prepare for 2 different exams... and I warn people not to underestimate the difficulty for GRE.Platopus wrote:Assuming other schools don't follow trend, at least for the 2017 cycle, I see this being the case for a number of high GPA applicants, who may get accepted to Harvard, consider that enough and never take the LSAT (which would open the door to $$$ at CCN and down). I consider this a good thing for those looking for $$$.emkay625 wrote:
Moral of the story if you have a great GPA: don't sit for the LSAT right now. Study for and ace the GRE. Apply to Harvard the first day apps open. Spend the time waiting studying for the LSAT, but don't register until you hear back from Harvard. If rejected, then register for and take he December LSAT and apply to other schools.
Very early but this just feels like a win-win for Harvard. First off, they entice people pursuing STEM, MBAs, dual degrees, resulting in a more diverse class. This is exactly why business schools started accepting GRE - to attract candidates from different fields, but especially women & minority students. Not to mention that it allows HLS to be more selective, resulting in better metrics for the law school rankings (not that I think they're going to worry about HLS ranking/reputation anytime soon...)
While you have a point regarding attracting people diverse background and improving selectivity, Harvard maybe forced to drop in yield, as students who are not 100% committed to law school are accepted and instead decided to pursue a PHd or something else. Harvard is then forced to send out more acceptances just to fill the same class size. While this wouldn't negatively affect the actual quality of admitted students, the perception of exclusivity is diminished if Harvard is forced to offer acceptances to students who have stronger commitments to other fields, and who ultimately do not matriculate.