Harvard Student(s) Answering Your Questions

[delusional]

Speaking of which, what is the deal with the Harvard and bathrooms? Notable statistics: 1600 Students, 200 Faculty, 150 administrative personnel, 2 bathrooms. Am I the only one who notices this?

?????? 4 bathrooms on first floor of pound?(2 per gender) and another additional set per floor???

Okay, I was exaggerating. But there are what, seven classrooms that hold eighty people apiece? And everyone uses them at the same time - right before and after class, and during a break, if the class has one.

The most egregious, though, is in the Hark. There are hundreds of people there from 12-1, and there is one bathroom per gender.

[094320]

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[spek]

Speaking of which, what is the deal with the Harvard and bathrooms? Notable statistics: 1600 Students, 200 Faculty, 150 administrative personnel, 2 bathrooms. Am I the only one who notices this?

?????? 4 bathrooms on first floor of pound?(2 per gender) and another additional set per floor???

Okay, I was exaggerating. But there are what, seven classrooms that hold eighty people apiece? And everyone uses them at the same time - right before and after class, and during a break, if the class has one.

The most egregious, though, is in the Hark. There are hundreds of people there from 12-1, and there is one bathroom per gender.

I've never had to wait more than one person in line for the bathroom. Maybe you're just using them at unfortunate times. I also don't eat at the Hark unless I have to.

Re: Dorms. I don't live in one, but there's a range. Some have bathrooms and common rooms. And they're law students only, no grad students and no undergrads. I couldn't stand the idea of living in a dorm for a 5th year in a row, though, so I bolted for an apartment near campus. I'm quite happy with that instead.

How did you go about finding your apartment? And how hard is it to get one close to campus? Does one have to start looking pretty early on?

[094320]

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[ebeth]

I know there's a common stereotype that Harvard is highly competitive/there are a lot of gunners. Is there any truth to this or not? I'm about 99% sure about attending HLS and this is the only thing that's making me nervous!

I'm going to answer this from anecdotes from my section that show that we're not gunners, but I'm going to do this via PM. I'm outed enough already (OH HELLO EVERYONE who knows who I am in real life and who might be reading this. Also hello nice person who introduced himself to me in the library. I don't remember your face anymore, but feel free to introduce yourself again or friend me on facebook), but I might try to maintain some semblance of privacy for myself.

Also, re: transcript. It isn't special for Harvard. A large # require transcripts from everyone. Some don't from anyone. They won't specially request from Harvard students, to my knowledge. You can actually calculate a GPA off of your grades, it just wouldn't be "official".

Now I feel left out. Also, if you're in section four, you totally are gunners.

Alright, I know this was said a long time ago, and I'm sorry to waste space in an otherwise helpful thread, but I have to say that this is a myth fabricated by people who are jealous of section four's greatness.

[delusional]

I know there's a common stereotype that Harvard is highly competitive/there are a lot of gunners. Is there any truth to this or not? I'm about 99% sure about attending HLS and this is the only thing that's making me nervous!

I'm going to answer this from anecdotes from my section that show that we're not gunners, but I'm going to do this via PM. I'm outed enough already (OH HELLO EVERYONE who knows who I am in real life and who might be reading this. Also hello nice person who introduced himself to me in the library. I don't remember your face anymore, but feel free to introduce yourself again or friend me on facebook), but I might try to maintain some semblance of privacy for myself.

Also, re: transcript. It isn't special for Harvard. A large # require transcripts from everyone. Some don't from anyone. They won't specially request from Harvard students, to my knowledge. You can actually calculate a GPA off of your grades, it just wouldn't be "official".

Now I feel left out. Also, if you're in section four, you totally are gunners.

Alright, I know this was said a long time ago, and I'm sorry to waste space in an otherwise helpful thread, but I have to say that this is a myth fabricated by people who are jealous of section four's greatness.

Relax, I was just trying to get a reaction.

[ebeth]

I'm going to answer this from anecdotes from my section that show that we're not gunners, but I'm going to do this via PM. I'm outed enough already (OH HELLO EVERYONE who knows who I am in real life and who might be reading this. Also hello nice person who introduced himself to me in the library. I don't remember your face anymore, but feel free to introduce yourself again or friend me on facebook), but I might try to maintain some semblance of privacy for myself.

Also, re: transcript. It isn't special for Harvard. A large # require transcripts from everyone. Some don't from anyone. They won't specially request from Harvard students, to my knowledge. You can actually calculate a GPA off of your grades, it just wouldn't be "official".

Now I feel left out. Also, if you're in section four, you totally are gunners.

Alright, I know this was said a long time ago, and I'm sorry to waste space in an otherwise helpful thread, but I have to say that this is a myth fabricated by people who are jealous of section four's greatness.

Relax, I was just trying to get a reaction.

It worked . Section 3?

[tomwatts]

There are three dorm buildings: the Gropius complex, Hastings, and North. North was once a hotel, and it still looks like one (they didn't remodel it much if at all). Hastings is a bunch of suites. Gropius is the place for dorm purists. The kitchens and bathrooms are cleaned daily -- the maintenance staff is really good -- and are pretty well maintained.

These dorms are law dorms, which means you'll get mostly J.D. students in them, with a few LL.M. and S.J.D. students. This is kind of cool; you'll get to meet some international students who you otherwise might not ever encounter.

One thing about Gropius that's odd is that the floors are all almost but not quite the same floorplans, so there are mostly the same numbers of bathrooms stalls in each bathroom but not exactly, and they're mostly in the same places but not exactly, and the kitchens are pretty similar in layout but not identical, and so on. (The same is actually true of the rooms: even if you get the same Type 1 room as someone else, you might not have the same layout.) This makes it a little hard to generalize.

The floor kitchens have fridges and freezers that are fairly big. I've never had much of a problem with space in them, but you can have a mini-fridge in your room if you think you need it. They're stocked with all the usual equipment (including microwaves, toaster ovens, etc.).

The rooms are pretty tiny, but I like my room a lot. The rooms in North are more spacious (was put up there for ASW, swanky). They're all singles, which is kind of necessary for law school. Generally a better experience than I had in undergrad.

[delusional]

Anyone care to post a little about 1L winter term? What's the schedule like? Is it easier than a real semester or harder? How is it graded?

[Harvard14]

Anyone care to post a little about 1L winter term? What's the schedule like? Is it easier than a real semester or harder? How is it graded?

I'm under the impression that everyone gets the same grade, and that it's very laid back. I think you have 4 hours in the morning, and then a couple hours later to work on stuff with your group. All this is from current 2Ls and 3Ls.

[kulshan]

It seems like one advantage to the dorms is that you aren't tied to your place if you have a summer job outside of Cambridge/Boston. If you rent a place, what do you do over the summer? Sublet your place? Work in Boston? Eat the cost? Do a lot of people stick around over the summer?

[englawyer]

It seems like one advantage to the dorms is that you aren't tied to your place if you have a summer job outside of Cambridge/Boston. If you rent a place, what do you do over the summer? Sublet your place? Work in Boston? Eat the cost? Do a lot of people stick around over the summer?

you are spot on about the biggest downside to off-campus apartments. some people sublet, some just pay rent in two places, and others choose to stay around Boston to not bother with moving (at least for 1L summer). Nonetheless, it is significantly cheaper, especially on a $/ft basis. It would be interesting to compare dorm 9 months vs apartment 12 months but I bet its pretty similar, so eating the cost is not THAT bad

[delusional]

Anyone care to post a little about 1L winter term? What's the schedule like? Is it easier than a real semester or harder? How is it graded?

I'm under the impression that everyone gets the same grade, and that it's very laid back. I think you have 4 hours in the morning, and then a couple hours later to work on stuff with your group. All this is from current 2Ls and 3Ls.

I didn't even know that the morning had four hours in it. I hope you're right about the laid back part. I'm not sure how I feel about all getting the same grades. There's gotta be something to get me out of bed...

[DoubleChecks]

Anyone care to post a little about 1L winter term? What's the schedule like? Is it easier than a real semester or harder? How is it graded?

I'm under the impression that everyone gets the same grade, and that it's very laid back. I think you have 4 hours in the morning, and then a couple hours later to work on stuff with your group. All this is from current 2Ls and 3Ls.

I didn't even know that the morning had four hours in it. I hope you're right about the laid back part. I'm not sure how I feel about all getting the same grades. There's gotta be something to get me out of bed...

I can speak to the PSW experience...keep in mind, it is very new (2-3 yrs running) so they are/will change it a bit every year I imagine.

It is Pass/Fail so yes, everyone gets the same grade in that it is NOT GRADED lol. The schedule is like 9 to 12 every morning, M-F. Then you have an assignment; you break for lunch and then meet with your PSW group (it's like 6 ppl) and you guys work on whatever. The projects change every few days -- from contracting to interviewing (wow a lot of JD students are no good at this lol) to memo writing w/ research, etc. You have to sometimes present to the faculty, and one of the larger projects you present to actual attorneys in the city on one specific night (i.e. you ride the T to their offices at night -- sometimes biglaw attorneys, sometimes small law, etc.).

The projects themselves are not hard (it is like a group writing a memo together) and usually just take a few hours in the afternoon...so it is kinda like a 9 to 3 or 9 to 4 kinda setup (note: projects vary in length so sometimes you're done at 1, sometimes 4). So 'laid back' in those regards. There are textbooks but you NEVER HAVE TO READ -- at least not in my year. I never even bought the books (I don't recall anyone referring to them EVER...note: could change for your yr, I'd do the wait and see lol).

What they seem to want to teach you is some practical skills and teamwork. Yes, you work in a group every day so be prepared for personalities. Because it is P/F, I guess you don't have much incentive in going to class...except that you screw your group over. Usually in class, a portion is spent explaining the assignment and ways to go about it. Not being there means your group has to waste time (time that no one wants to waste as they'd rather be home) explaining to you how it works, re-assigning tasks, etc., if you end up showing up after the classroom session is over. This has happened to me and our group was...never happy about it. You evaluate each other near the end of the course -- if your group has a problem with you, the faculty will let you know and then make you do extra work. So show up in class imo (missing once or twice is totally fine...missing half+ is not).

Now I know showing up in class is hard...BELIEVE me I know...because the 9-12 portion is the most unbearable part of PSW. It is REALLY boring. Their hearts are in the right place; I believe in what PSW is trying to accomplish...they just haven't worked out the kinks yet. It is hella boring because you do pointless stuff. Example: you will LITERALLY spend 15 minutes where the faculty takes turns calling on students to give them buzzwords for what 'teamwork' means (which is then of course written on a whiteboard). Really? 15 minutes on what teamwork means? Before we move onto another 15 min brainstorm session of what communication means? My God...

[freestallion]

What kind of work can you do with the Student Practice Organizations as a 1L? I'm really interested in the Immigration Project for example -- would you actually get to work with clients in your first year?

[DoubleChecks]

What kind of work can you do with the Student Practice Organizations as a 1L? I'm really interested in the Immigration Project for example -- would you actually get to work with clients in your first year?

I don't know about that SPO, but I did participate in another SPO (the mediation one, HMP) my 1L year. Definitely hands-on with real clients. After the state-mandated 36 hrs of training or so (2 full weekends), you actually go to small claims courts and co-mediate with another HMP student. In fact, it is quite intimidating at first BECAUSE you get to do so much. You get used to it of course and it is a great experience. That being said, the 1 hr commute to any small claims court is kinda a bitch (even if it is only once ever 2 weeks lol), but that is more HMP-specific than SPO specific.

[freestallion]

What kind of work can you do with the Student Practice Organizations as a 1L? I'm really interested in the Immigration Project for example -- would you actually get to work with clients in your first year?

I don't know about that SPO, but I did participate in another SPO (the mediation one, HMP) my 1L year. Definitely hands-on with real clients. After the state-mandated 36 hrs of training or so (2 full weekends), you actually go to small claims courts and co-mediate with another HMP student. In fact, it is quite intimidating at first BECAUSE you get to do so much. You get used to it of course and it is a great experience. That being said, the 1 hr commute to any small claims court is kinda a bitch (even if it is only once ever 2 weeks lol), but that is more HMP-specific than SPO specific.

Wow, thanks, sounds really amazing that you can get such substantive hands-on client work in 1L year! Is it possible to try a different SPO in each of the 1L semesters or is it recommended to just stick to one for a whole year?

[Rudolph]

On a related note, do most 1Ls have time to get involved in a couple extracurriculars right when they begin? Do other clinics and journals allow 1Ls to join? Or do students generally wait until their 2L and 3L years to get really involved?

[delusional]

On a related note, do most 1Ls have time to get involved in a couple extracurriculars right when they begin? Do other clinics and journals allow 1Ls to join? Or do students generally wait until their 2L and 3L years to get really involved?

I definitely know people who are involved in extracurricular stuff. It didn't work out for me, and I am a little jealous of those for whom it made sense. But I know people who joined the Defenders, and people who subcited for journals, although I don't even know what that means.

[DoubleChecks]

What kind of work can you do with the Student Practice Organizations as a 1L? I'm really interested in the Immigration Project for example -- would you actually get to work with clients in your first year?

I don't know about that SPO, but I did participate in another SPO (the mediation one, HMP) my 1L year. Definitely hands-on with real clients. After the state-mandated 36 hrs of training or so (2 full weekends), you actually go to small claims courts and co-mediate with another HMP student. In fact, it is quite intimidating at first BECAUSE you get to do so much. You get used to it of course and it is a great experience. That being said, the 1 hr commute to any small claims court is kinda a bitch (even if it is only once ever 2 weeks lol), but that is more HMP-specific than SPO specific.

Wow, thanks, sounds really amazing that you can get such substantive hands-on client work in 1L year! Is it possible to try a different SPO in each of the 1L semesters or is it recommended to just stick to one for a whole year?

Yes it is possible, as long as you personally have the time for it. There certainly isn't any school restriction I know of (besides minimum time requirements). SPOs are kinda like extracurricular clubs is all haha.

[DoubleChecks]

On a related note, do most 1Ls have time to get involved in a couple extracurriculars right when they begin? Do other clinics and journals allow 1Ls to join? Or do students generally wait until their 2L and 3L years to get really involved?

1Ls definitely can get involved a few weeks in. In fact, I would say most do. Clinics are for older students as many have pre-req workshops that you can't take till at LEAST 1L spring semester (ex: Negotiation workshop for negotiation clinic -- very popular), but journals (save the Harvard Law Review) are open to everyone. They even heavily focus on recruiting 1Ls. You know, awesome secondary journals like the Harvard Negotiation Law Review cough*.

Secondary journals vary in how much responsibility/requirements are expected of 1Ls. Generally, larger journals that are very popular have 1Ls do more of the grunt work. They publish more articles and more frequently, and have a more hierarchical structure (ex: any journal with the world "international" in it ). Smaller journals obviously allow 1Ls to take on more responsibilities earlier on. For example, the current board of HNLR is more than 2/3 2Ls...which means they won those positions as 1Ls during the spring. 1Ls in the spring can also become article editors. This may not be very realistic in a larger, more popular journal.

Regardless, 1Ls are all expected to subcite. Some journals have 1Ls subcite A LOT and some have 1Ls subcite just a few hours for the whole semester. Once again, probably tied to how much the journal publishes in a year. Subciting is essentially "bluebooking"...where you check the substance and technical accuracy of footnotes. It is horrid, horrid work that most 1Ls must do, unfortunately

[DoubleChecks]

Oh and on whether extracurriculars take up a lot of time or not...varies from journal to journal, SPO to SPO, organization to organization. Do what works for you, though as I mentioned earlier, most 1Ls at least join a secondary journal or some organization.

I have never really tried to hide my identity of TLS lol, so I can lay out what I joined as a 1L: I joined an SPO, an affinity organization (for fun), and a secondary law journal. It did not interfere with my schoolwork at all and was a good balance for me. Note, however, that I probably spend a lot less time than most schoolwork (not to say I didn't get my stuff done, I always did lol). That doesn't necessarily have to be a driving force: I have a friend who never studies, had loads of time, and did not join a single extracurricular thing hahaha. If he weren't aiming at a secondary market (where he did land biglaw), I would have pointed out in a more emphatic way how that would hurt him in EIP

[094320]

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[DoubleChecks]

I did twoish student practice organizations(one hasn't assigned me a client yet...) and a secondary journal and an affinity organization(no leadership tho). I had a lot of responsibility with the spo and found the time to balance it all.

Do I know you? lol

[roranoa]

I'm not sure if this was asked. (I couldn't find an answer by searching this thread.)

Do you enjoy law school generally? Is the general feeling somewhat like being in college? (but of course with more intense exams)

Is there a lot of homework? Are they important or is grading just about exams?