Will it be harder to transfer into HLS now that they accept the GRE? Forum

[VarthDader]

What do you guys suspect? I have a feeling they will open up their class more and take less transfers (this is completely unfounded though). Anyone have any thoughts on how/if the transfer acceptance rates would even change?

[Jchance]

No.

[joefresh]

nope.

[sanzgo]

just curious but why does harvard admit such as large transfer class every year anyway?

their attrition (due to transferring out, dropping out, etc.) is so low each year (i checked 509s and it's usually less than 3) why don't they just admit 20-30 more 1Ls? it's as if they deliberately pick 20-30 fewers 1Ls each year to reserve those spots for transfers 2L.

are they just trying to boost their class profile by poaching other top students? that argument would make more sense if they were like YS (who mostly admit only other top T-14 1Ls) but H goes all the way down to the TT

[grades??]

just curious but why does harvard admit such as large transfer class every year anyway?

their attrition (due to transferring out, dropping out, etc.) is so low each year (i checked 509s and it's usually less than 3) why don't they just admit 20-30 more 1Ls? it's as if they deliberately pick 20-30 fewers 1Ls each year to reserve those spots for transfers 2L.

are they just trying to boost their class profile by poaching other top students? that argument would make more sense if they were like YS (who mostly admit only other top T-14 1Ls) but H goes all the way down to the TT

Naw, they just want that extra 150k per student. Thats like $4 million in free tuition for them.

[heythatslife]

just curious but why does harvard admit such as large transfer class every year anyway?

their attrition (due to transferring out, dropping out, etc.) is so low each year (i checked 509s and it's usually less than 3) why don't they just admit 20-30 more 1Ls? it's as if they deliberately pick 20-30 fewers 1Ls each year to reserve those spots for transfers 2L.

are they just trying to boost their class profile by poaching other top students? that argument would make more sense if they were like YS (who mostly admit only other top T-14 1Ls) but H goes all the way down to the TT

Naw, they just want that extra 150k per student. Thats like $4 million in free tuition for them.

But aren't transfer students also eligible for need-based aid anyway? In that case, the school won't be making that much more money. And I imagine prospective transfers with high expected financial contribution/low aid eligibility are less likely to make the jump when they see the bill, whereas folks with higher demonstrated need (and therefore bringing less money to the school) would be more likely to do so.

[Samarcan]

just curious but why does harvard admit such as large transfer class every year anyway?

their attrition (due to transferring out, dropping out, etc.) is so low each year (i checked 509s and it's usually less than 3) why don't they just admit 20-30 more 1Ls? it's as if they deliberately pick 20-30 fewers 1Ls each year to reserve those spots for transfers 2L.

are they just trying to boost their class profile by poaching other top students? that argument would make more sense if they were like YS (who mostly admit only other top T-14 1Ls) but H goes all the way down to the TT

Naw, they just want that extra 150k per student. Thats like $4 million in free tuition for them.

But aren't transfer students also eligible for need-based aid anyway? In that case, the school won't be making that much more money. And I imagine prospective transfers with high expected financial contribution/low aid eligibility are less likely to make the jump when they see the bill, whereas folks with higher demonstrated need (and therefore bringing less money to the school) would be more likely to do so.

This post is correct re the financial aid situation at HLS, and the poster it's responding to is incorrect. HLS has some of the best need-based financial aid options among peer/elite schools, especially in the context of transfers. I suspect one reason it takes relatively more transfers is that it better understands the business of law. Take a look at the bio of law firm partners. Many are not graduates of elite schools. Big law success does not require being a graduate of a top school, but being a successful lawyer reflects well for the school from which that person graduated. By taking students with a demonstrated ability to grind and work, they increase their own chancing of placing their graduates in positions of success in the real world of practicing law (unlike, relatively, other types of legal employment, which Y/S focus relatively more on). HLS also just has more resources to draw on, in absolute terms.

[Big Dog]

I suspect one reason it takes relatively more transfers is that

there are not enough top scorers to go around. Harvard's class is so big that if they took 10-20 more 1L's, it would hurt their numbers. Transfer LSATs don't hurt rankings.