Harvard Law vs. Stanford Law Forum

[enibs]

If you check Wachtell's attorney list, guess how many Stanford alumni are there? Less than the fingers of a hand.

Do you really have more than 11 fingers on your hand?

[michlaw]

If you check Wachtell's attorney list, guess how many Stanford alumni are there? Less than the fingers of a hand.

Do you really have more than 11 fingers on your hand?

I have heard than Inigo Montoya is looking for an eleven fingered man.

[Draconem]

If you check Wachtell's attorney list, guess how many Stanford alumni are there? Less than the fingers of a hand.

Do you really have more than 11 fingers on your hand?

I have heard than Inigo Montoya is looking for an eleven fingered man.

[landshoes]

I think Cambridge is cool and could see preferring it to Hyde Park (although it's wildly expensive), but it's kinda nonsensical to act like HP is the extent of Chicago, which is an awesome city and very accessible from Hyde Park.

I don't think it's "nonsensical" to recognize that most law students are going to be near school the vast majority of the time, especially during their first year. So while I agree that Chicago is a great city that has lots to do, you're not really living in a vibrant, urban setting if you have to travel 45 minutes by public transit to get to there. The same thing is true, to some extent, with the differences between Cambridge/Boston and Palo Alto/San Francisco. But even Cambridge and Palo Alto are more exciting places than Hyde Park.

Hyde Park is not 45 minutes away from Chicago. Cambridge is dense and interesting (and I think the coolest part of Boston), and that's a pro for HLS, but you're really overstating the case.

[jbagelboy]

I think Cambridge is cool and could see preferring it to Hyde Park (although it's wildly expensive), but it's kinda nonsensical to act like HP is the extent of Chicago, which is an awesome city and very accessible from Hyde Park.

I don't think it's "nonsensical" to recognize that most law students are going to be near school the vast majority of the time, especially during their first year. So while I agree that Chicago is a great city that has lots to do, you're not really living in a vibrant, urban setting if you have to travel 45 minutes by public transit to get to there. The same thing is true, to some extent, with the differences between Cambridge/Boston and Palo Alto/San Francisco. But even Cambridge and Palo Alto are more exciting places than Hyde Park.

Hyde Park is not 45 minutes away from Chicago. Cambridge is cool, dense, and interesting (and I think the coolest part of Boston), and that's a pro for HLS, but you're really overstating the case.

Yea the narrative about hyde park is bizarre. And for every person that considers the Cambridge area fun and interesting, there's another that finds it deeply depressing. I lived in Belmont on the border of the townships and for the inflated apartment prices, it's a mixed bag.

[landshoes]

I am more on the deeply depressing side, but people seem to like it. I got out of there as quickly as possible. Palo Alto makes me want to stab my eyes out just so that I can feel something, but someone is living there and paying $300 for mediocre Mexican food. And the weather is gorgeous.

[dirac]

If you check Wachtell's attorney list, guess how many Stanford alumni are there? Less than the fingers of a hand.

Do you really have more than 11 fingers on your hand?

My bad, I was trying to say "how many Stanford alumni are partners there?" Watchell does have 11 SLS attorneys.

[dirac]

Stanford would like to brandish its best part to admitted students and the whole world, even that means it has to be in a really odd place not to disclose its dropped median several months after the national deadline (the only one in T-14).

Harvard is used to showing every aspect of its school to admitted students and the whole world. You will realize your real life is better than what you were imagining after starting your 1L.

Trust me, many straight P students at HLS get V10 jobs at NYC pretty easily (it needs to be emphasized that NY office is normally the strongest office of a law firm except a few tech firms) or even Cavath job. If you check Wachtell's attorney list, guess how many Stanford alumni are there? Less than the fingers of a hand. CA firms are gorging HLS students and your tie to CA will easily land you an excellent firm job there, whether prestigious litigation boutiques or tech-focused transactional work in V10.

Stanford does have a little bit higher clerkship percentage probably 28 percent versus 16 percent at HLS. But considering HLS is three times as big as SLS, you will know the huge difference in alumni network in the future.

If you really do not want to go to Yale, you should choose Harvard.

Lol @ "a little better" clerkship percentage. I guess almost double is just "a little better."

If there's no significant COA difference, I'd choose Stanford every time. HLS is a diploma mill (a very good one, admittedly, but it's still a factory of a law school). The classes are huge. Also, Boston and Cambridge objectively suck and practically your whole academic year will be the equivalent of winter.

Stanford enjoys great weather, smaller classes, and offers a much rarer degree -- something I'd find appealing if I was interested in the prestigious nature of schools (and OP apparently is). Also, GSB is just as prestigious as HBS.

TL; dr: Stanford for better weather/atmosphere/culture.

Also, am I the only one who thinks that in 50 years Stanford will be widely perceived as a superior school to Harvard?

I like the comparison in terms of weather. But unfortunately Cambridge enjoyed very nice weather this year and the fall in NE is really beautiful every year.

Rarer degree means rarer alumni, especially on the supreme court justices and federal circuit judges. That said, one of the few advantages of a rarer degree is a higher position on US news ranking.

But I do agree GSB is as prestigious as HBS. They are both the best business schools in this country, focusing on different areas.

[kloseframe]

I went to Stanford so obviously can't speak to Harvard. I'm sure you could reach your goal of LA biglaw from there or anywhere. I also didn't love Yale and had basically the same experience you did - it was just exhausting - so I get it.

Other than general validation, I'll add two things. First, Palo Alto is not vibrant. I am an east coast city boy, so I might have a different view of things, but Silicon Valley is mostly a sleepy bubble for millionaires. That being said, there are fun things to do here and there, and I enjoyed spending three years there. I also do mostly love SF and Oakland. A pretty big chunk of my class moved up to SF at some point, and I spent almost every weekend in SF (or Sonoma, or Oakland, or hiking, or Tahoe, or some other indulgent pleasure-town).

Second, taking classes outside the law school is basically the easiest thing in the world. Whether you want to do a joint degree (MBA or otherwise) or just dabble in the B-school or d.school, you can probably get some cool non-law classroom experience without really sacrificing anything. I'd say about 10 of my classmates applied to, and were admitted to, the business school in their first year of law school. A few more did degrees at HKS or Woodrow Wilson. I don't know whether it is hard or easy to take classes at HBS/HKS from HLS, but I can tell you that it is very easy to take classes or get a second degree from other Stanford schools (or other schools).

PM me if you have any questions.

[eph]

It is by no means a guarantee that being admitted to HLS will get you into HBS for your MBA. The schools use very different criteria. HBS is more about a good deal of significant work experience. That being said taking classes at the various schools is relatively straightforward and the grades there do not count towards your HLS gpa such as it is.