Harvard Class of 2012 Forum

(housing, friendships, future exams, all things 2012)
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1004LSAT

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by 1004LSAT » Thu Jan 08, 2009 8:27 pm

I appreciate the encouraging words. By the way Objection, have you decided where you're going yet?

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Objection

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by Objection » Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:05 am

1004LSAT wrote:I appreciate the encouraging words. By the way Objection, have you decided where you're going yet?
I'm waiting for decisions from Stanford, Yale, and Columbia.

My top 5:

1. Yale
2. Harvard
3. Michigan
3t. Stanford
5. Columbia

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iagolives

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by iagolives » Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:14 am

If I can be so nosy, why Michigan over Stanford AND Columbia?

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Objection

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by Objection » Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:31 am

iagolives wrote:If I can be so nosy, why Michigan over Stanford AND Columbia?
Well, I have Stanford tied with Michigan.

Michigan is so high for a few reasons. I love its clinical offerings. I love the atmosphere. I love the campus. I love Ann Arbor. I just genuinely love the school.

Stanford is a bit lower than it might ultimately end up if I were so lucky to be accepted and able to visit. I just don't know enough about the school.

As for why Michigan over Columbia, well, one word: Darrow. The only schools I would turn down the Darrow for are Yale (almost certainly - 99%), and Harvard (most likely - 80%).

Of course, the rankings are subject to change, particularly if other schools offer money (I'd really like a Hamilton, Columbia. Thanks!)

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iagolives

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by iagolives » Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:33 am

Objection wrote:
iagolives wrote:If I can be so nosy, why Michigan over Stanford AND Columbia?
Well, I have Stanford tied with Michigan.

Michigan is so high for a few reasons. I love its clinical offerings. I love the atmosphere. I love the campus. I love Ann Arbor. I just genuinely love the school.

Stanford is a bit lower than it might ultimately end up if I were so lucky to be accepted and able to visit. I just don't know enough about the school.

As for why Michigan over Columbia, well, one word: Darrow. The only schools I would turn down the Darrow for are Yale (almost certainly - 99%), and Harvard (most likely - 80%).

Of course, the rankings are subject to change, particularly if other schools offer money (I'd really like a Hamilton, Columbia. Thanks!)
Ahhhh, thus the "t"... got it....

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eri

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by eri » Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:16 am

Hi everyone! Sorry that this will probably be a lengthy post...

I just wanted to let everyone know I just got back last night from visiting HLS and it's WONDERFUL!! Cambridge is nothing like I expected - it's so urban! Also, I spoke with a bunch of 1Ls who were in the midst of finals, and they were shockingly relaxed and happy. They all pretty much told me that it's the best school in the world to study law, they all love it there, the atmosphere isn't competitive at all (largely because of the grading change), the people are amazing, and I should go. Not that I wasn't already planning on it...

I was a bit intimidated originally because of the school's reputation, but the ambiance was incredibly friendly and relaxed. If anyone is nervous at all, don't be - everyone seems so happy there! I can't wait to go back.

P.S. Has anyone decided where they want to live (on-campus/off-campus)? I saw Gropius on my tour and HLS redid the hallways, lounges, and kitchens!

P.P.S. If anyone will be in/near D.C. in the spring semester and wants to get together, PM me!

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iagolives

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by iagolives » Sat Jan 10, 2009 1:06 pm

I'm interested; what did you think of Gropius besides it being redone? Did you see any other of the housing while you were there?

eri

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by eri » Sat Jan 10, 2009 5:23 pm

iagolives wrote: I'm interested; what did you think of Gropius besides it being redone? Did you see any other of the housing while you were there?
There are pros and cons to Gropius. In terms of aesthetics, it's pretty nice in the common areas. The hallways now have new carpeting and great lighting. The lounge I saw was very small, but it had a flat-screen tv. The bathrooms were just fine, better than I expected (but I went to a state school for UG, so my expectations are very, very low).

The kitchen I saw was great - marble counter top, two large refrigerators/freezers, and the dean of students office actually stocks each kitchen with pots and pans and some basic cooking supplies every year. It was really clean, and the dishes on the drying rack made it seem as though students actually used it. I'm vegetarian and I really love to cook, so an unusable kitchen is pretty much a deal breaker for me.

The biggest pros for Gropius are definitely the location and cost. You're right there - the Hark is less than a minute walk away. Actually, I was told that most students in the dorms don't even bother to grab a coat for the 45 second walk to the Hark. (Once you're in the Hark everything is connected underground, so there's no need to venture outdoors.) Also, two of the students I spoke with at lunch said they were really happy in the dorms, and that everyone on their floor was friendly within two or three days of arriving. And really - it's sooo cheap.

Cons: You only have a tiny bedroom to yourself, and those were definitely not that nice. The space was, as everyone says, really really small. The desk and nightstand-type-table was gross and a little rusty. Unless you bother to decorate, the room is pretty ugly. There's also no air conditioning, and the heat takes a while to balance with the weather (I'm told). Not to mention that having people over is virtually impossible. But then again, I read somewhere online that an HLS student said those living off-campus came to visit the Gropius-living kids more than vice versa.

All in all, I think if I found people I really wanted to live with during ASW I would consider living off-campus, but otherwise I'd rather have access to a wider variety of people. But Gropius is definitely doable, especially for just a year. I'm just not sure how truly social the place is; I barely heard a peep while I was visiting.

I did see North while I was there - not at all a place I'd want to be, but I'm very social. North was extremely quiet. You get your own bathroom, but it seems to me that you pay near-apartment prices for a place with no kitchen or living room...doesn't make sense to me. And it clearly used to be a hotel - a lot of the original furniture is still in the room.

I didn't get to see Hastings, but I think there's only one kitchen in the basement of the whole building...that wouldn't really work for me. Other than that, the rest of the housing options were occupied so I couldn't visit them.

Hope that helped!

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iagolives

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by iagolives » Sat Jan 10, 2009 5:48 pm

yeah, thanks! I'll be heading up for ASW in March and I expect to spend a lot of time looking at housing. I mean, for a school with as much money as Harvard, it amazes me that they seem to lag behind many other schools in housing (e.g. http://www.law.stanford.edu/slideshow/munger/). But, I suppose there's just so much in Cambridge they might not need it. Again, thanks!

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Objection

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by Objection » Sat Jan 10, 2009 5:56 pm

I wonder if any of those on-campus houses will open up to incoming 1Ls or if the current tenants are all so happy they'll just stay there.

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pinkflamingo

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by pinkflamingo » Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:32 pm

thanks for the post on gropius eri!

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by dueprocess14 » Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:26 am

iagolives wrote:yeah, thanks! I'll be heading up for ASW in March and I expect to spend a lot of time looking at housing. I mean, for a school with as much money as Harvard, it amazes me that they seem to lag behind many other schools in housing (e.g. http://www.law.stanford.edu/slideshow/munger/). But, I suppose there's just so much in Cambridge they might not need it. Again, thanks!
HAH. Until Munger opens this year, one of Stanford's traditional law school dorms is/was Crothers - where we undergrads were punished by being placed in junior year when returning from abroad. Trust me, NOTHING in Crothers is made of marble. That said, who turns down HLS because the rooms aren't as nice? It's the same logic with undergrad - my friends at state schools and mid-tier privates had amazingly better dining halls and gyms than I had at a top private school, but I certainly wasn't going to transfer.

Apart from the lack of air conditioning, Gropius sounds pretty doable. 45 second walk = KEY, and 1L is all about the library time anyway, so who cares about the size of your room?

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iagolives

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by iagolives » Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:40 am

Yeah, sorry, when I said I'd be looking a lot at housing, I meant I'd be looking for where is the best to live on/off campus, not look at the housing as a way to decide whether to go there or not. The dorm comparison was more of an aside. I agree with you. I don't care how nice the dorms are at XYZ School of Law, I would never turn down Harvard for them because of housing.

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dueprocess14

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by dueprocess14 » Sun Jan 11, 2009 2:01 am

No, definitely. But I do think that's HLS's rationale for not offering luxury accommodation...if *that* were our priority, we'd be applying for business school. ;)

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Objection

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by Objection » Sun Jan 11, 2009 3:00 pm

Anyone get an email from a faculty member?

I just got one from Professor Ogletree.

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excitedutterance

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by excitedutterance » Sun Jan 11, 2009 3:04 pm

Objection wrote:Anyone get an email from a faculty member?

I just got one from Professor Ogletree.
I got one from Bill Alford. I think it's based on areas of interest we reported to LSAC back in the day.

Also, when can we start registering for ASW? I'm getting antsy.

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ReginaldLewis

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by ReginaldLewis » Sun Jan 11, 2009 3:05 pm

I just came to say congratulations you guys are the best and brightest and the future governors, senators, presidents, and SCOTUS of the United States and cannot overstate your accomplishment. Enjoy it, b/c many of us would kill to be in you guys position. :evil:

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by pathos2025 » Sun Jan 11, 2009 3:19 pm

Hey,

What do you guys think about the news that Kagan and Sunstien will be gone, joining the Obama administration? There is a thread about that elsewhere that was not really useful.

Personally, I was really excited about all the work Kagan has done and I am a little worried that the momentum may drop a bit if and when she leaves. I was excited about Sunstien, although I realize he just got there a year ago from Chicago so he hadn't really settled in.

Is this likely to affect anyone's decisions, particulary at the high end (like a choice between HLS and YLS or a Darrow or Hamilton)?

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ReginaldLewis

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by ReginaldLewis » Sun Jan 11, 2009 3:35 pm

Is it possible to transfer from Vandy to Harvard?

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excitedutterance

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by excitedutterance » Sun Jan 11, 2009 3:39 pm

pathos2025 wrote:Hey,

What do you guys think about the news that Kagan and Sunstien will be gone, joining the Obama administration? There is a thread about that elsewhere that was not really useful.

Personally, I was really excited about all the work Kagan has done and I am a little worried that the momentum may drop a bit if and when she leaves. I was excited about Sunstien, although I realize he just got there a year ago from Chicago so he hadn't really settled in.

Is this likely to affect anyone's decisions, particulary at the high end (like a choice between HLS and YLS or a Darrow or Hamilton)?
There's some decent talk about it on the "In at Harvard" thread (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... =7&t=54577); more, at least, than on the newer thread actually dedicated to the topic.

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joschmo

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by joschmo » Sun Jan 11, 2009 3:42 pm

To revert to an old topic, whats the deal with the free coffee?

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by RoyalT » Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:03 pm

ReginaldLewis wrote:I just came to say congratulations you guys are the best and brightest and the future governors, senators, presidents, and SCOTUS of the United States and cannot overstate your accomplishment. Enjoy it, b/c many of us would kill to be in you guys position. :evil:
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dueprocess14

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by dueprocess14 » Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:20 pm

My attitude:

RE Kagan: Yes, a big loss, but we should wait to see who replaces her. I know they'll want to trot out a new dean in time for ASW, so we can all get a sense for ourselves. My feeling is that a) they will pick someone with a similar philosophy/goals and b) changes a Dean makes takes several years to feel, so either way, I don't think this will affect the class of '12 too much. If anything, the major effect is morale more than anything else (as Leiter said, "There was much jubilation in the streets, especially in New Haven").

RE Sunstein: Yes, he's awesome, but he split his time as it was, and apart from perhaps a boozy lunch, not sure how much this really affects us. Obviously a loss, but the corresponding increase in prestige to the school and/or opportunities for students to work under him probably counters most of this.
excitedutterance wrote:
pathos2025 wrote:Hey,

What do you guys think about the news that Kagan and Sunstien will be gone, joining the Obama administration? There is a thread about that elsewhere that was not really useful.

Personally, I was really excited about all the work Kagan has done and I am a little worried that the momentum may drop a bit if and when she leaves. I was excited about Sunstien, although I realize he just got there a year ago from Chicago so he hadn't really settled in.

Is this likely to affect anyone's decisions, particulary at the high end (like a choice between HLS and YLS or a Darrow or Hamilton)?
There's some decent talk about it on the "In at Harvard" thread (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... =7&t=54577); more, at least, than on the newer thread actually dedicated to the topic.

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abenn07

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by abenn07 » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:09 pm

excitedutterance wrote:
Objection wrote:Anyone get an email from a faculty member?

I just got one from Professor Ogletree.
I got one from Bill Alford. I think it's based on areas of interest we reported to LSAC back in the day.

Also, when can we start registering for ASW? I'm getting antsy.
I received an e-mail from Alexa Shabecoff, as did other generally "public-interested" people, I assume.

I am impatient for information about the ASW too. (I'm planning to go to the one in March.) Does anyone know about past schedules--in particular, around what time first-day events have begun?

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Re: Harvard Class of 2012

Post by littleboyblue » Sun Jan 11, 2009 7:50 pm

did you all write the prof back asking any questions? not sure if i need to/should respond to the email.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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