Military Prospective Student Series
It’s a big week for the Armed Forces Association, HLS’s student org for military vets! Veteran’s Day is this Wednesday, and the AFA has a speaker lined up for Tues and a dinner for the actual holiday. “Dinner with the Deans” is an annual highlight for both the vets and our faculty (I hope) - it’s a wonderful opportunity for AFA members to meet HLS leadership in a fun, informal setting. It usually features a fancy schmancy Cambridge restaurant and business casual dress, but this year’s dinner is sponsored by Zoom and GrubHub.
That just feels right, honestly - anything more would go against the spirit of 2020.
But before we get to Veteran’s Day, the AFA has a huuuuuge event on November 9 and 10. It’s the second annual “Military Prospective Student Series,” a recruiting effort for veteran applicants hosted by the HLS Admissions Office.
Now, let me back up for a sec. When I was applying for law school in 2018, I had no idea if my military experience would be perceived as “positive” - I never thought about other vets on Harvard’s campus, let alone knew about a robust, supportive veteran’s organization! Had I known that HLS (and other schools, to be fair) valued veterans, I would’ve felt far more confident and comfortable submitting my app.
But at least I went for it. Many vets don’t even submit applications to “reach schools” because they assume they’re underqualified or won’t be welcomed. This is especially true of enlisted veterans, who sometimes feel like schools only want military officers (so not true!!!!), or veterans with slightly-lower-than-average-stats, who don’t understand the value of service on their resume. Test scores and grades are important, but I’ve learned that a mil background displays other essential skills to admissions personnel - leadership, teamwork, perseverance, hard work, and resiliency, to name just a few. I’ve also heard from multiple professors who love having vets in their classroom, because - and I quote - “you guys just take the hits and keep coming back for more.” But many vets (maybe even most) simply don’t see themselves that way. Therefore, events like MPSS are essential to reframe their perspective and encourage them to shoot that initial shot.
Truer words have never been spoken. Thanks Michael.
As I said, MPSS isn’t AFA-led, but we get to play a pretty sizeable role in the event. I’ll run an hour-long Q&A tomorrow with a panel of current HLS vets, allowing the attendees to ask us anything about law school. It’s especially important to highlight our 1Ls because the “newbie in virtual law school” may be a reality for some of the incoming vets!
We’ll also introduce the attendees to the leaders of the Veteran’s Legal Clinic (where HLS students do real, free, legal work for veterans in Massachusetts); several faculty members, including former Dean Martha Minow; members of the Admissions team; and Financial Aid gurus from the law school and the Center for Public Leadership (the org helping with my own tuition!). It’s unfortunate that the prospective students won’t get the “full experience” of campus tours, grabbing lunch at Cambridge Common, and exploring Harvard Square, but there a few advantages to the online environment.
First, we can reach a HUGE audience without the space and personnel limitations imposed by a normal, on-campus event. Second, the virtual event places much smaller financial burdens on our participants - no need for flights or hotels when we’re just on Zoom! Finally, the information can be recorded and watched by participants who can’t attend every session. This is awesome because many active duty members would have to take leave to attend a Cambridge version, and civilian vets may also struggle to get time off.
Long story short, the MPSS may be another “glass half-full, thanks 2020” situation, but I’m personally thrilled that Admissions is still willing to host at all. The AFA can’t wait to meet our potential classmates starting tomorrow afternoon!
