In at Stanford: Class of 2015 Forum

[soj]

Congrats, annyong, spek, perdevise, and other recent admits! I'm incredibly excited about Stanford.

[Elston Gunn]

Congrats to all the new admits! Who wishes it were April already? My god, from those pictures, I can't see how anyone would choose Harvard or Yale over Stanford! Paradise.

Seriously, I'm almost afraid to go to ASW because they might convince me to turn down Yale! Just gorgeous.

And congrats to all my fellow new admits!

[Perdevise]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Band

I hope grad students can join.

[Stig]

Seriously, I'm almost afraid to go to ASW because they might convince me to turn down Yale! Just gorgeous.

My roommate came to SLS instead of YLS. He had a blast at SLS's ASW, didn't really dig Yale's ASW, and has since loved his first quarter at SLS. Contrary to TLS belief, one can chose to attend a different school even after being admitted to YLS

One of my close friends is at YLS, and really loves it! He does say that New Haven sucks and did see a drive-by shooting during his first semester, but other than that he is really enjoying YLS. You can't go wrong choosing between the two schools, so enjoy the process and have a great 3 years wherever you end up!

[spek]

--ImageRemoved--

I would totally do this if I was talented enough! Maybe I'll spend the day trying :p. I'm so excited for the t-shirts!

[annyong]

Good grief those pictures are gorgeous!!

Is anyone else worried about the lateness of the ASW? I don't know if I feel comfortable letting it come down to the last week of April. It may not make much of a practical difference, but as for peace of mind, I'd prefer to have a decision made by then The travel reimbursement is a big help, but I got the impression over the phone that it's only for ASW, does anyone know if that's right?

[gimelstein315]

Thrilled to be here! For some reason, I never thought it would happen. I've always seen Stanford as just as black of a box as Yale. Definitely need to start chatting with the HS admit crossovers.

And awesome pictures...ASW week is going to be great.

[medialoop]

Excited to be joining all of you! And the HLS/SLS choice is going to be tough, but I'm certainly not complaining about having to make it!

[PDXNative]

I went to Stanford for ungergrad, so I know I'd like it there... I'm trying to decide though if it would look better to prospective employers to diversify a little and go somewhere else (prob. HLS at this point) for law school. That might be stupid. I'm not sure.

At any rate, for anyone who hasn't spent time on the farm, 1) as a whole it is beautiful, 2) the law school is (in my opinion) one of the ugliest things on campus (but definitely compensated for by the rest of the campus), and 3) Munger, the new law housing, is RIDICULOUS. So nice.

[huck2012]

Hello! I'm also joining the HLS/SLS decision. I got the phone message from Dean Deal this morning!!! While it is a daunting decision, at least it is a good decision to make. I was hoping to ask this thread about specific factors they like about Stanford. I am very interested in pursuing public interest upon graduation and I am impressed by Stanford's Clinics. It's not clear to me whether HLS or SLS has better loan repayment for public interest careers. Any thoughts? I am also interested in clerking post-grad. Does anyone know which school has better opportunities for clerking? Finally, I am concerned about housing at Stanford. I have already researched Harvard's housing, and there are many options that fit my needs. I gather than housing at Stanford is more difficult to come by, but is anyone aware if this is true? Specifically, does anyone know how hard it is to get a studio in Munger?

Congratulations to everyone joining this thread!

[thisguy456]

For those who got their acceptance packages, how long did they take to get to you? It's been a little over two weeks since I've been notified of acceptance and still no package. I guess I'm just anxious to get it!

[spek]

Just found out that my package arrived at my school address. I'm west coast but that was so fast! They must have sent it early yesterday.

[soj]

Just found out that my package arrived at my school address. I'm west coast but that was so fast! They must have sent it early yesterday.

As always, I'll probably get it late, so let me know if there's anything exciting.

[takehold]

Welcome and congrats to the new admits!! Looking forward to hopefully having some good HLS v. SLS dialogue in here.

Finally, I am concerned about housing at Stanford. I have already researched Harvard's housing, and there are many options that fit my needs. I gather than housing at Stanford is more difficult to come by, but is anyone aware if this is true? Specifically, does anyone know how hard it is to get a studio in Munger?

Congratulations to everyone joining this thread!

I'm not sure how the whole housing application process typically works for incoming 1Ls, but this link has a table with a breakdown of the spaces available in graduate housing: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/rde/shs/grad/res_chart.htm

[defrutamadre]

Hello! I'm also joining the HLS/SLS decision. I got the phone message from Dean Deal this morning!!! While it is a daunting decision, at least it is a good decision to make. I was hoping to ask this thread about specific factors they like about Stanford. I am very interested in pursuing public interest upon graduation and I am impressed by Stanford's Clinics. It's not clear to me whether HLS or SLS has better loan repayment for public interest careers. Any thoughts? I am also interested in clerking post-grad. Does anyone know which school has better opportunities for clerking? Finally, I am concerned about housing at Stanford. I have already researched Harvard's housing, and there are many options that fit my needs. I gather than housing at Stanford is more difficult to come by, but is anyone aware if this is true? Specifically, does anyone know how hard it is to get a studio in Munger?

Congratulations to everyone joining this thread!

I'm also choosing between HLS and SLS, and I'm also interested in pursuing public interest--yay

I posted a few opinions here in the most recent HLS vs. SLS thread (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=175011) but what attracts me to Stanford are the quarter system, the collaborative environment, interactions with professors and ability to take a clinic full-time. In terms of where I'd be happier as a student, I think SLS is the right fit. With that said, I've talked to PI lawyers I've worked with and they are trying to nudge me in the direction of HLS (and mind you, I went to college in CA, have done all my internships/fellowships in CA and so all of my professional networks are in CA). they say that firm hiring is a different animal from PI hiring, and that east coast markets can be rather insular at times. you can overcome them with a kickass resume, which I'm sure is possible at Stanford, but they warn me about having a resume that is all CA-based and says it can be limiting down the line. internationally, harvard also has the advantage--so if that's something you are planning on pursuing, its something to consider. even though you only have maybe 2 years of actually choosing classes/clinics, I will also admit that harvard has a greater breath and depth of classes/clinics I'm interested in--namely, racial and ethnic studies in regards to law. stanford, on the other hand, has pro-bono student organizations that have more opportunities to direct engage at-risk youth in the bay, and that is really appealing as well.

with that said, everyone I've talked to who is a current student at Harvard or an HLS alum has been sorta meh about their experience. even if they love it, they don't LOVE it in the way that stanford students and alumns have expressed. stanford students seem so much more connected to their school, to their faculty and to their fellow students--I think that's both a product of and continuously feeds the collaborative and tight-knit environment at Stanford. bahh. on the other hand, even though I have no direct connections to these law schools and all the students and alumns I've talked to have been friends of friends of bosses/friends/family, the overwhelming majority of the contacts I've been given have all been HLS grads. even though most of my connections have been based in CA, the contacts still come out HLS--something I found surprising.

in terms of the loan repayment programs, SLS is more generous once you get past $50,000 but its restricted to legal work. at harvard, technically, you could work for any non-profit and your debts would be covered under LIPP. thats the biggest difference I've found.

[huck2012]

Thank you so much for the thoughtful response! SLS has been my top choice for a long time. However, I want to approach the decision as logically as possible. I'm sure that school visits will also help clarify my questions. Does anyone have an opinion about visiting outside of the ASW? Stanford's ASW is during a very busy time and I would prefer to visit in March, when I have a week off. I'm concerned that visiting SLS without an ASW immediately following HLS's ASW will not give the school its fair chance. I would also like to meet future classmates! However, logistically it is more difficult and is pushing the May 1 deadline. Any thoughts?

[spek]

Love Stanford's package. Oh boy, the HLS v. SLS decision is really tough but I think I know which one I'm leaning towards :p. Wish SLS's ASW wasn't so late but I think I'll do a personal visit in March after I come back from HLS's ASW.

ETA: Has anyone joined the google group?

[Perdevise]

Love Stanford's package. Oh boy, the HLS v. SLS decision is really tough but I think I know which one I'm leaning towards :p. Wish SLS's ASW wasn't so late but I think I'll do a personal visit in March after I come back from HLS's ASW.

ETA: Has anyone joined the google group?

I am waiting for confirmation.

[yankees42789]

Just got my packet (got across the country really fast - mailed 1/6)! T-shirt fits (how do they do it?!) and the materials are awesome. This is going to be a tough choice.

[weezer21]

Yankees, where did you go to school...I'm wondering which "top liberal arts" school you went to...

[takehold]

T-shirt fits (how do they do it?!) and the materials are awesome. This is going to be a tough choice.

+1

Also guys I stopped by the campus a couple of days ago. Although the buildings were closed, I was able to get a pretty good feel for the environment. My initial impression is that Escondido Village is a very doable option for on-campus housing: it's probably anywhere from a 10-20 minute walk to and from the Law Quad and a shorter commute by bike (I must add, it seems like a lot of Stanford students bike to get around) depending on location within the complex. The Neukom Building looks awesome from the outside and the second floor patio area is really cool. After walking around the Stanford campus for a good hour and a half I found nothing at all to complain about (it didn't hurt that the weather was 60s and clear in January!). Looking forward to setting up a more official visit in the future now that SLS is back in session.

[yankees42789]

Yankees, where did you go to school...I'm wondering which "top liberal arts" school you went to...

PM'd

[SpoonForkSpork]

T-shirt fits (how do they do it?!) and the materials are awesome.

T-shirt doesn't fit.

[AmandaPB]

T-shirt fits (how do they do it?!) and the materials are awesome.

T-shirt doesn't fit.

What? Unheard of! You guys, I am still so freaking excited about Stanford. I really think I will end up going here no matter what else happens in my cycle. I’m in love.

[Perdevise]

T-shirt fits (how do they do it?!) and the materials are awesome.

T-shirt doesn't fit.

What? Unheard of! You guys, I am still so freaking excited about Stanford. I really think I will end up going here no matter what else happens in my cycle. I’m in love.

I'm feeling the same way. I can't stop reading Wikipedia articles about San Jose, Silicon Valley, San Francisco and the like.