What do you guys think about the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau and Board of Student Advisers?

For those of you who attended previous years' ASWs, how did you dress for the main dinner? I don't want to have to check a bag, but, if it's a touch more formal, I'll need a bit more space. I'm hoping I can get buy with something more casual (sweater/shirt/chinos). Muchas gracias in advance.

casual-ish works just fine

Housing questions: do you guys recommend HLS housing or Harvard Graduate housing? I've heard it's nice to get away from law students since you already see them in class all day, but then again it might be easier to join study groups if I live with law students...

If HLS housing, I was thinking North, because it seems to be the chillest of the HLS dorms.
If Graduate, I was thinking Peabody... is Peabody graduate only or also undergrad? If undergrad as well, are there any other cheap options for furnished graduate-only housing? Thanks!!

Peabody is graduate-only. However, not sure if you're aware that it's at least a 20 minute walk to HLS. There's a shuttle nearby but then you've got to worry about timing, and it won't be that much shorter. I don't think you'd have to worry about seeing very many other law students there.

Can anyone tell me if there are opportunities to do externships at non-profits/government organizations for 1 semester? Other schools have really good programs for externships in the US and abroad but I can't find much about whether Harvard has such opportunities.

I've spoken to a couple of students who've told me that there aren't really a lot of externship opportunities. I find it really weird/ironic considering Harvard's hosting a conference ON externships... (http://www.law.harvard.edu/calendar/?tr ... 3d98323227). Seriously?

I recommend apartments, personally, but it really depends on whether you feel like living with communal spaces (kitchens, etc.). I wouldn't worry about being able to join study groups if you live away from law students. Just start your own. It's not hard to make friends in the section setup.

Not an HLS student, but I work in fed gov and we had a HLS student intern in our office for spring semester under Harvard's internship in DC program. Basically you intern 9-5 and then take a class or two at night for the semester from adjuncts who live/work in DC.

Where can I get more information about religious services around Harvard? My undergrad gave us a whole list when we came in, but I doubt a law school would do that.

Thanks! Yeah, it seems like they do have one program where you can work in DC. I'm wondering if it's only in government though or if you have some flexibility in where to extern.

Probably contact a student organization. There is a Jewish Law Students Association, a Christian Law Students club, etc.

http://www.law.harvard.edu/current/orgs ... index.html

Do you think the LSAT is a good indicator of how well people will do in Law school?

Assuming that most people got at least a 172 to get into Harvard, by theory most students should be doing well at that school. I mean unless those people who suddenly got lazy or got health problems or didn't do enough studying for whatever reason.

What do you guys think. Do you think most people who got into to Harvard usually do well their given that they do a decent amount of work?

Are there people who have trouble with their reading and/or writing at Harvard?(Maybe some international students?)

You understand the dynamics of curved grading, I presume?

Oh, yes of course. But what I wanted to ask was whether doing well on the LSAT is a reliable indicator of doing well in law school. What do you think? Of course, because the grades are curved, there must be some people getting a C+ average but I'm sure even at Harvard some people don't try their best for whatever reason.

What I really want to know is whether there are people that DO try their best but don't get good grades and don't get employed, and maybe drop out even?

I think it's not a reliable indicator. It's just better than the alternatives. Except of course considering the LSAT in tandem with gpa etc. I don't think there's any way to tell how you would do in relation to your classmates so there's no use worrying about it, really.

Why are you worried about jobs this early? It's not good for your health. Cheer up. Cheers.

The LSAT only really predicts how well you do...relative to other people? So it predicts someone with a 173 does better than someone with a 155. But considering the vast majority of Harvard Law students are somewhere in the high 160s up to 180, our band is too small for it to really predict much within that range.

There's less correlation between effort and grades than you think. I know people here who barely try and get great grades, and others who work really hard only to get all Ps. I got my better grades in the classes I showed up to least and where I had like entirely blank pages for lecture notes.

Employment here isn't quite as grades driven. A string of Low Passes is problematic, and you need top grades for the grade-picky firms and top clerkships etc, but for the average Harvard student your employment odds, at least for biglaw, rise and fall with your interviewing skills and background. If you have a banking/consulting background at top companies like Goldman and McKinsey, you can still go to really top firms with below median grades.

And I do know people who have gone on leave because they weren't happy with their grades.

I'm not even in law school but I'm worried because a friend of mine who goes to CCN told me that his grades are not so good and says he's in trouble. He got a decent LSAT score and I considered him to be fairly intelligent if not brilliant so I'm worried if law school isn't right for me.

Someone know about becoming a research assistant for a professor? Is that something people can do as 1Ls? In spring term of 1L? Or just as 2Ls and 3Ls?

I've heard that some folks even do this in their 0L summer. Check out HLS administrative updates: http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/adup/

It's been two days since I got admitted and my sister has made a laundry list of the things I can't do even though I got into Harvard. Making jello is one of them

Haha, my friends use this line on me about once a day. I got in about a month ago and it doesn't look like they will stop anytime soon, so get used to it!

My personal favorite is "Wow, you got into Harvard Law and I still kicked your ass at words with friends"

In town early for ASW. Anyone recommend a good pub or a place for dinner?

Yes. Do this please haha!

Sure, feel free to PM me when your book list comes out. I have a couple books I'll list here that weren't section-specific, but I'll probably keep the books that were only assigned to my section to PM just to lower my out-ability.

Also, SHAMELESS PLUG:
My roommate and I are going to have a parking space really close to the law school to sublease. It's not on the street, so you have the benefit of not having to worry about street-cleaning and getting your car towed, which I've known to happen to an unfortunate number of people with cars they park on the street. It's also across the street from the law school.