Harvard 1L will take some questions about Harvard. Forum

[sayan]

Thanks so much for your continued insight, Mallard. Congrats on finishing up 1L!

It's nice to get some straight talk, but as an entering student I'm particularly worried about the competitive atmosphere--I'm coming from a relatively collaborative place and kind of bought the admissions office's sales pitch that the H/P/LP system has reduced the level of cutthroat behavior Harvard is known for. Would you mind sharing some more specific stories? Perhaps by PM if you don't want to go into details here.

More generally, can you (and the other HLSers here) comment on experiences with living arrangements? I selected a room in Hastings in the lottery this week so I have to decide if I want to sign a contract for it, and I'm having mixed feelings. What worked best for you guys and your friends?

A lot of my friends lived in Hastings. I think objectively it's probably the best dorm on campus. It has the most living space and doesn't feel like a cell. The only downside is the community bathroom. It's not as social as the Groupis dorms, but its still pretty lively. I lived in North Hall, which I personally loved because it's basically a ghost town and they have private bathrooms.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I've decided to bite the bullet and live in Hastings. It seems like the right choice for me.

Hastings definitely seems to have the best mix of socializing and amenities of all the dorms so I think it's probably the best choice if you want to live on-campus.

[mallard]

creatinganalt, for better or for worse, you sound like a very good fit for HLS.

sayan, Hastings and Terry Terrace are largely undisturbed by the noise. Frankly the noise hasn't been all that bad. I have to caution against the depressing, prison-like Gropius. But you know yourselves better than I know you, of course, and you know the size and shape and look and feel of the rooms. And Gropius is kind of fun and a lot like college. So that might be a good fit too.

corpusdelicti, off-campus is cheaper and farther. You might need to find someone to sublease the apartment over the summer. On-campus you have a lot of friends and people around, which was very important for me, as was the ability to roll out of bed and run to class.

I endorse without hesitation anything excelsior, jp, cconn, or laurathenerd have said in this thread, by the way. Speaking of which: TLS is actually quite a good way to meet future classmates and develop social bonds.

[Drake014]

This entire page has nothing but animals tars. I just needed to post to break that up.

[sayan]

Thanks mallard. I decided to live in Terry Terrace and am definitely looking forward to it.

BTW, how bad is the snow in Boston? Are there heaps of it throughout late Fall and all of Winter?

[GeePee]

Thanks mallard. I decided to live in Terry Terrace and am definitely looking forward to it.

BTW, how bad is the snow in Boston? Are there heaps of it throughout late Fall and all of Winter?

Is the Canadian guy really asking this question?

[smov_operator]

Thanks mallard. I decided to live in Terry Terrace and am definitely looking forward to it.

BTW, how [strike]bad[/strike] good is the snow in Boston? Are there heaps of it throughout late Fall and all of Winter?

Is the Canadian guy really asking this question?

Better?

[sayan]

Thanks mallard. I decided to live in Terry Terrace and am definitely looking forward to it.

BTW, how bad is the snow in Boston? Are there heaps of it throughout late Fall and all of Winter?

Is the Canadian guy really asking this question?

It barely snowed up here last Winter so I want to brace myself for Cambridge.

[GeePee]

Thanks mallard. I decided to live in Terry Terrace and am definitely looking forward to it.

BTW, how bad is the snow in Boston? Are there heaps of it throughout late Fall and all of Winter?

Is the Canadian guy really asking this question?

It barely snowed up here last Winter so I want to brace myself for Cambridge.

It snowed (more than just a dusting) maybe about 4 times in New England last year. I wouldn't worry too much about terrible snowfall. It's those UVA people that have to worry about blizzards

[Zara]

Thanks mallard. I decided to live in Terry Terrace and am definitely looking forward to it.

BTW, how bad is the snow in Boston? Are there heaps of it throughout late Fall and all of Winter?

Is the Canadian guy really asking this question?

It barely snowed up here last Winter so I want to brace myself for Cambridge.

It snowed (more than just a dusting) maybe about 4 times in New England last year. I wouldn't worry too much about terrible snowfall. It's those UVA people that have to worry about blizzards

when i lived in boston (about 2 years ago) we got several feet of snow, but they are so good about keeping the roads and sidewalks clean that it barely affected anything. Having to shovel your car out of the snow is a huge pain the ass but that was the only problem I had with it...well that and the fact that schools never give you snow days!

[stingaries]

What was your 1L leg/reg class like? What sort of study aids do you use for that class? I heard someone say they used Administrative Law supplements, but just wondering your opinions.

Also, you guys get an elective second semester that you take with upperclassmen, right? Is it harder to do well in that class since you're competing against people who already have at least a year and a half of exam experience under their belt? It seems like the 1Ls might get pushed to the back of the bell curve just based on inexperience. Or does the whole High Pass/Pass/Low Pass system negate concerns like that?

Any feedback would be great, thanks!

[excelsiorcaelo]

What was your 1L leg/reg class like?

The answer differs based on the professor. However, I thought mine was very engaging and really involved the students in the interpretation of the law... some of the time. On the other hand, it was often pretty easy to put your brain on autopilot and not pay attention to the class.

In general, I found that leg reg had perhaps the least amount of raw material of all of my core classes.

What sort of study aids do you use for that class? I heard someone say they used Administrative Law supplements, but just wondering your opinions.

None. I don't use study aids generally, but I think they would be particularly wasteful for leg reg. There really isn't that much to learn. Just know the basic doctrines well and be able to argue both sides of everything.

Also, you guys get an elective second semester that you take with upperclassmen, right? Is it harder to do well in that class since you're competing against people who already have at least a year and a half of exam experience under their belt? It seems like the 1Ls might get pushed to the back of the bell curve just based on inexperience. Or does the whole High Pass/Pass/Low Pass system negate concerns like that?

Any feedback would be great, thanks!

If anything, I would think that the opposite is true. First, 2Ls and 3Ls, for the most part, don't really care about their grades that much anymore. Second, the premise that they are better qualified to take exams doesn't hold much water, because 2Ls and 3Ls are really no different from 1Ls. They've taken a few more courses, but it's not as if this fact makes them any more intelligent or better at writing exams than are 1Ls. By the time you've been through the first semester of your 1L year, you'll have all the test-taking experience you need.

[BlueCivic]

Hey thanks guys for taking questions:

1. Were you guys out of undergrad for any time before you started? If so, how was it getting back into school?

2. If you theoretically had 3 months off before you started at HLS would you do anything in the way of preparation? If you thought that the material was basically interesting?

3. What would you like someone to have told you right before going in to HLS?

Thanks!

[excelsiorcaelo]

Hey thanks guys for taking questions:

You're welcome!

1. Were you guys out of undergrad for any time before you started? If so, how was it getting back into school?

Sorry, I wasn't out of undergrad longer than a summer, so going back to school was pretty much like what I'd done every year of my life.

2. If you theoretically had 3 months off before you started at HLS would you do anything in the way of preparation? If you thought that the material was basically interesting?

No. Don't even think about it. It would be a poor use of your 3 months, even if you found the material to be interesting. I'm sure you can find something equally interesting that doesn't involve (a) studying the law and (b) risking the highly likely possibility that you will study the law incorrectly. You can read GTM if you want--I did, though I'm not sure that it made an appreciable difference in my preparation for law school exams.

3. What would you like someone to have told you right before going in to HLS?

That the concrete walls of Gropius are all but impenetrable to cell phone signals.

[BlueCivic]

Hey thanks guys for taking questions:

You're welcome!

1. Were you guys out of undergrad for any time before you started? If so, how was it getting back into school?

Sorry, I wasn't out of undergrad longer than a summer, so going back to school was pretty much like what I'd done every year of my life.

2. If you theoretically had 3 months off before you started at HLS would you do anything in the way of preparation? If you thought that the material was basically interesting?

No. Don't even think about it. It would be a poor use of your 3 months, even if you found the material to be interesting. I'm sure you can find something equally interesting that doesn't involve (a) studying the law and (b) risking the highly likely possibility that you will study the law incorrectly. You can read GTM if you want--I did, though I'm not sure that it made an appreciable difference in my preparation for law school exams.

3. What would you like someone to have told you right before going in to HLS?

That the concrete walls of Gropius are all but impenetrable to cell phone signals.

Thanks for the response. So, do you think that reading the E and E books would hurt me? I think its interesting and I'd like to get into it over the summer. I won't do it if it will be harmful but I'd like to otherwise.

[mallard]

Don't even consider reading E&Es this summer. Seriously, it's the worst possible idea. Avoid it at all costs. Travel and drink. Read, listen to music, do some fun stuff. Do not read E&Es.

[conn09]

Don't even consider reading E&Es this summer. Seriously, it's the worst possible idea. Avoid it at all costs. Travel and drink. Read, listen to music, do some fun stuff. Do not read E&Es.

Cannot emphasize that enough. By the 2nd semester I was so damn tired of law school I was actually tired of being tired of law school.

[jrs12]

Thanks so much for your continued insight, Mallard. Congrats on finishing up 1L!
It's nice to get some straight talk, but as an entering student I'm particularly worried about the competitive atmosphere--I'm coming from a relatively collaborative place and kind of bought the admissions office's sales pitch that the H/P/LP system has reduced the level of cutthroat behavior Harvard is known for. Would you mind sharing some more specific stories? Perhaps by PM if you don't want to go into details here.

HLS is not cutthroat at all. It's competitive, but that's different. What I've found is that among people who are really trying to get all Hs, it's uncommon to volunteer unsolicited aid. If someone has really figured something out on their own that the professor didn't do a good job of explaining, or if someone has a good take on something, they're unlikely to just share it with people. On the other hand, anyone who asks for help or tries to initiate a conversation is likely to get what they're looking for. Basically, the rule seems to be that if someone genuinely needs help, people will give it to them as much as they need. If you're really just tutoring someone, then it's unlikely that they'll beat you on the exam (unless they happen to have phenomenal writing skills and yours are weak).

When it comes to sharing work with people who are comparable students, the rule seems to be that you should bring something to the table. This is just common sense. Don't approach a student who is roughly similar in ability and tell them to explain something to you. You wouldn't go to a professor's office hours this way either. Be ready to discuss things. Even if they understand it better than you, if you're ready to talk about it, then you're helping them to learn it too. Challenge them and argue a little bit. I can't tell you how many times I've had a 45 minute argument about legal doctrine and found that the exact issue ended up being on the exam. In those situations, it was the process of arguing that helped me to realize how wide open a certain legal issue was.

On the other hand, there are a ton of people who are not even remotely competitive. Like everyone, they work hard, but they let the chips fall where the will, and they don't stress too much.

And please, for the love of god, do not read for law school over the summer. If you want to be on top of things, then make sure you have your first week's readings done before classes start. There will be plenty of time to get it done during orientation. It helps to keep a bit of a reading cushion when you have LRW or journal deadlines.

[jrs12]

If anything, I would think that the opposite is true. First, 2Ls and 3Ls, for the most part, don't really care about their grades that much anymore. Second, the premise that they are better qualified to take exams doesn't hold much water, because 2Ls and 3Ls are really no different from 1Ls. They've taken a few more courses, but it's not as if this fact makes them any more intelligent or better at writing exams than are 1Ls. By the time you've been through the first semester of your 1L year, you'll have all the test-taking experience you need.

Yes. The 2Ls and 3Ls were probably were almost certainly the ones rounding out the back of the curve in my class. They openly complained about the 1Ls being so on top of things.

[mallard]

Not going to agree unreservedly with either of jrs12's posts here, but it's good for everyone to see the different perspectives.

[mexjd]

Not about law school.......

I am going to Boston for a long weekend coming up and bringing along 2 good friends. Any recommendations on what to do while I'm there?

[adameus]

Don't even consider reading E&Es this summer. Seriously, it's the worst possible idea. Avoid it at all costs. Travel and drink. Read, listen to music, do some fun stuff. Do not read E&Es.

Cannot emphasize that enough. By the 2nd semester I was so damn tired of law school I was actually tired of being tired of law school.

it sounds wonderful!

[20121109]

Does anyone have an opinion on 10 Akron Street for housing? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[nattybro]

Tagged. Thanks for the info.

[GeePee]

I'm a 0L but I know where 10 Akron Street lies in relation to campus, and the only caution that I'd give is that it is a LONG walk in the winter. When it's 10 degrees in Cambridge and you're walking 15-20 minutes to your winter session course, you might regret your choice of location.

[creatinganalt]

Are there any books that every HLS 1L has no matter the section so I can them now?