Your credit history is the record of your behavior relating to how you borrow money and pay it back. Your credit report is the main determinant in your ability to get a loan.  Additionally, your credit report contains information about your employment record; the number of times you applied for getting a loan and with which lenders; collection accounts; and judgments. Three credit bureaus — Equifax, Transunion, and Experian — collect and maintain your credit history information, including account names and numbers, account types, opening/closing dates, credit limits, balances, high balances, monthly payments and late payments.  Order a copy of your credit report. You may request one free copy of your credit report each year from each of the credit bureaus. You can contact the credit bureaus on the phone or complete a form online to obtain these reports.  It is important to get all three, as some bureaus may report different information than others. Examine your credit report for negatives. This includes late payments, over-limit balances, collections, and judgments. Repair negative issues on your credit report. This may be as simple as reporting an inaccuracy to the credit bureau or may involve paying off a collection or judgment. In addition to your credit report, getting your credit score is a good idea. Generally, a credit score of 640 or above is considered above average and will not give you problems when applying for a loan. If your score is below 640, you may have a tough time finding a lender that won't charge you a high-interest rate or impose other conditions on your eligibility.  Lenders should be able to give you a range of credit scores required for a particular loan. If you fall within that range based on your credit score, you'll know that you, at least, have a chance at being approved for the loan. You'll have a much harder time qualifying for a loan with a range far above your credit score.  If you're looking to improve your credit score, you can take certain steps, such as getting a better debt to credit ratio, paying off lingering loans, reducing overall debt and opening multiple lines of (good) credit. Your income is equally as important to getting a loan as your credit. Not only will you need a current source of income for loan approval, but you will also need a stable history of earning income.  Keep a recent pay stub from your job when you go to apply for a loan. It is possible that lenders will want to see proof of income. The more stable the history of income, the better your chances of getting a loan with favorable conditions, such as a low-interest rate. You will have to prove your ability and willingness to repay a loan to get approved for a loan. You will need to provide supporting evidence of these qualities in the form of a credit report (which the lender can pull), bank statements, pay stubs and/or income tax forms. Collect these documents and store them in a safe place. Have them ready for when you find the perfect loan to apply for. The size of loan you need will help narrow your lender options. Additionally, it is necessary to determine that you can afford the payments on the loan size you need.
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One-sentence summary -- Optimize your credit report. Get your credit score. Establish a stable source of income. Gather documentation. Determine the amount of money you need to borrow.


A great way to get insight into the admissions process and life at Harvard Law is to contact current students. The Harvard Law admissions office will be happy to put you in touch with a student who will share their experience. You can call them at 617-495-3179, or email them at jdadmiss@law.harvard.edu. Harvard Law uses rolling admissions, so according to the dean, there is an advantage to applying early before too many of the places are filled. The application typically goes live in late September. For the best chance of getting in, you should be ready to submit your application then or shortly thereafter. You will apply at LSAC website. You’ll want to start early in order to acquire recommendations, complete the LSAT on time, and make sure your personal statement and resume are as good as you can make them. The application consists of 7 mandatory parts:  A fee of $85 The application form Your resumé A personal statement Your LSAT scores 2-3 recommendation letters. (At least one should be from an academic. If you have been out of school for a long time, you may submit non-academic recommendations, or consider taking extended education college courses to get to know a professor.) Character and Fitness Questions (to determine eligibility for the bar upon graduation) An interview (granted to approximately 1,200 applicants) Harvard Law strives to admit a diverse mix of students. A diversity statement gives you a chance to place your achievements in the context of your background and to make a case for how you would increase diversity on campus. Particularly if there are discrepancies in your application, such as a low GPA and high LSAT, consider including an addendum to explain them, preferably in a way that turns a weakness into a strength. For example, if you had low undergrad GPA, you might address it up front, and explain that between working your way through school and your commitment to an extracurricular (sports, student government, debate, etc.), it was difficult to maintain your grades, but you learned valuable things from these other experiences.
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One-sentence summary -- Reach out to current Harvard Law students before applying. Apply early. Complete the application online. Add a diversity statement if applicable. Include an addendum.


If your meningitis is caused by bacteria, your doctor will start you on antibiotics. Often, you will stay in the hospital and antibiotics will be given by IV. Oral antibiotics may not be strong enough or fast-acting enough to treat bacterial meningitis appropriately.  Your doctor may start you on “broad-spectrum” antibiotics immediately, even while waiting to see what bacteria grows from your spinal tap. These are antibiotics that fight a wide range of bacteria. Then once results return, your antibiotics may be changed to specifically target the appropriate bacteria causing your illness. You may also get treated with corticosteroids to minimize the chance of complications like seizures and brain swelling. Most cases of meningitis come from viruses, not bacteria. Viral meningitis is usually less severe than bacterial meningitis. It usually requires no treatment and should clear on its own. Stay home from work or school, get plenty of rest, drink fluids, and allow the illness to pass.  Over-the-counter pain medication can help to temporarily relieve uncomfortable symptoms.  Your doctor may want to give you a course of steroid treatment to prevent brain swelling, and maybe anticonvulsants to prevent seizures. If the herpes virus is causing your meningitis, you may be prescribed an antiviral medication. Chronic meningitis – when symptoms develop over a course of 2 weeks or longer – occurs when a slow-growing organism, like fungus, causes the infection. This requires hospitalization and treatment with antifungal medications. The symptoms are similar to bacterial meningitis, so seek care and diagnosis when you have any meningitis symptoms. If someone around you has meningitis, your doctor may recommend that you take antibiotics as a prophylactic, or preventative, measure. This can help keep you from getting the illness, especially if you live with someone who is sick or you have a weakened immune system. Discuss this option with your doctor.
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One-sentence summary --
Get antibiotic treatment for bacterial infections. Take it easy if you have a viral infection. Seek immediate medical care for chronic or fungal meningitis. Ask your doctor about prophylactic medicine if you’re around sick people.