Harvard v. Stanford for an East coaster Forum

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taggin'

[tgir]

Yeah, like I said, these people did not go to Stanford - it was more second-hand or third-hand information. One of the nice things about Harvard's LRAP is that it covers any non-profit job, not just legal ones, but the coverage does not seem that great once your income hits $60,000+. With the public service venture fund, funding for public interest will increase in the future. It was a bit tricky for me to find a non-profit job on the west coast while going to college on the east coast. I was a able to get a job with just a phone interview, but it was AmeriCorps. I don't think an employer would have hired me for a regular position just based on a phone interview. I am in the opposite situation as you - I would like to come back to the west coast after graduating - but will probably go to school on the east coast. I do wonder how hard it will be to find a job and if I will wind up staying on the east coast because it will be easier to find a job there.

Also, I'm not quite sure I understand this particular aspect of the geographic proximity argument. Is it really that much more difficult to visit East Coast employers from San Francisco? Sure, it's a long flight to go interview, but getting to NYC/DC from Boston is not something you do on a whim either.

I think the bigger concerns are whether East Coast PI groups come to Stanford's campus to recruit, and whether East Coast PI groups are "familiar" enough with Stanford grads to give them equal consideration next to Harvard grads.

I would guess that the latter is almost certainly true. I'd be curious to know more about the campus visits situation, though.

[sarahh]

Unless we are talking about Thanksgiving or other peak travel times, then yes, I do think that getting to NYC/DC from Boston is something you could do on whim. Amtrak runs several trains a day from Boston to DC. And it is a lot cheaper than flying. I would think PI firms don’t cover your travel costs. Also, I personally feel very drained after taking a cross-country flight.

This is only one factor. If someone feels Stanford has more to offer, than, sure, go to Stanford and deal with the inconvenience of the job search.

[sarahh]

I think the bigger concerns are whether East Coast PI groups come to Stanford's campus to recruit, and whether East Coast PI groups are "familiar" enough with Stanford grads to give them equal consideration next to Harvard grads.

I would guess that the latter is almost certainly true. I'd be curious to know more about the campus visits situation, though.

I know that there is a big public interest fair at NYU, but I wonder how much on campus public interest recruiting is done in general.

[CrashingTheGate]

Wow. This is a very helpful thread. I am in a similar situation - East Coast guy, lookin' to move back after school to work in government or PI - and I appreciate the help justifying my gut feeling. At the very least, we can be assured that if we all go to Stanford there will be people in a similar situation - we can start a little club.

As for travel time - Amtrak takes like 7 hours for Boston to DC and costs about $200 - $300+ anyway. My flight from NYC out to Stanford ASW costs just over $300 and is going to be just over 6 hours. I know flying is different than a train and there is time not built into the equation (security, checking in, transportation) but if you are used to flying, it's certainly manageable and comparable.

[pride09]

we can start a little club.

This might make me choose Stanford.

[tgir]

we can start a little club.

This might make me choose Stanford.

We can call it SSWWPWWGPIECBPSA (Stanford Students Who Will Probably Want to Work in Government or PI on the East Coast But Preferred Stanford Anyway).

[dubs]

we can start a little club.

This might make me choose Stanford.

We can call it SSWWPWWGPIECBPSA (Stanford Students Who Will Probably Want to Work in Government or PI on the East Coast But Preferred Stanford Anyway).

Hahaha if we end up at SLS, I'm in

[CrashingTheGate]

we can start a little club.

This might make me choose Stanford.

We can call it SSWWPWWGPIECBPSA (Stanford Students Who Will Probably Want to Work in Government or PI on the East Coast But Preferred Stanford Anyway).

Hahaha if we end up at SLS, I'm in

We can get jackets made.

Also, what with the alphabet soup of government acronyms, it will actually be good practice.

[mrsanderson210]

I want to join that club!

Here's my question though: do people's opinions change at all if I know I want to be in Boston/New England after graduation? Then does it make more sense to go with Harvard?

[legends159]

I want to join that club!

Here's my question though: do people's opinions change at all if I know I want to be in Boston/New England after graduation? Then does it make more sense to go with Harvard?

yes. Like if you wanted to end up in California you should go to SLS.

Main reason: Many more Boston firms will go to OCI at harvard.

[pride09]

Now that we've all had another month to think it over, I'm curious if the other 0Ls have made any progress in coming to a decision.

I think I've found the perfect solution: the joint degree program between SLS and the Harvard Kennedy School.
1. I'm interested in public policy (dream job: policy director for a congressional office), so the masters degree will be a useful credential.
2. For law school, the quality of life seems much better at Stanford. The most attractive part of Harvard is its lay prestige, large alumni network, and pipeline of placing grads in govt. The joint degree provides both--2.5 years in Palo Alto for the relatively more rigorous law school part, and only one winter in Boston, but with all the advantages of having "Harvard" on a resume.

[tgir]

Now that we've all had another month to think it over, I'm curious if the other 0Ls have made any progress in coming to a decision.

I think I've found the perfect solution: the joint degree program between SLS and the Harvard Kennedy School.
1. I'm interested in public policy (dream job: policy director for a congressional office), so the masters degree will be a useful credential.
2. For law school, the quality of life seems much better at Stanford. The most attractive part of Harvard is its lay prestige, large alumni network, and pipeline of placing grads in govt. The joint degree provides both--2.5 years in Palo Alto for the relatively more rigorous law school part, and only one winter in Boston, but with all the advantages of having "Harvard" on a resume.

So were you interested in a joint JD/MPP before and you just hadn't considered the SLS/HKS program? Or do you view the MPP as a means to an end (i.e. getting connected to East Coast networks)? If the latter, I'm not sure it's the best idea to use a HKS degree as a quick way to throw Harvard onto your resume, given the time+money+travel investment involved. A JD/MPP combo can't hurt if working on Capitol Hill is your goal, but I doubt it'll make a huge difference as compared to a plain old JD. Additionally, I think a lot of people at HKS have already worked in government for a little while and then essentially gone to HKS to share experiences and network. If you got an SLS JD and worked for a few years and then wanted to strengthen your DC network, you'd still have the option of getting the MPP at that point, but you might also have discovered a valuable piece of information in the meantime: whether or not you even need the MPP at all.

As for me, I'm still leaning towards SLS but waiting until after ASW to make a decision. Essentially, it's Stanford's game to lose, but nothing is set in stone in my mind yet.

[pride09]

I was initially considering the "in-house" joint degrees--SLS/Stanford MPP or HLS/HKS. When I found out there was a joint program between SLS and HKS, it seemed like the perfect solution.

As for time, money and travel, I think the joint degree is less riskier than JD-->Work Experience-->HKS since a) the joint degree will shave a year off what it would take to complete the degrees separately, b) the joint degree is covered by LRAP, and c) it will probably be easier to move around now than after I try to get settled with a family/career.

But I see your point--I really don't know how much of a difference it will make during the job-hunt, and there are costs involved.

[tgir]

I was initially considering the "in-house" joint degrees--SLS/Stanford MPP or HLS/HKS. When I found out there was a joint program between SLS and HKS, it seemed like the perfect solution.

As for time, money and travel, I think the joint degree is less riskier than JD-->Work Experience-->HKS since a) the joint degree will shave a year off what it would take to complete the degrees separately, b) the joint degree is covered by LRAP, and c) it will probably be easier to move around now than after I try to get settled with a family/career.

But I see your point--I really don't know how much of a difference it will make during the job-hunt, and there are costs involved.

Oh, I hadn't considered that the LRAP would cover the MPP portion of the joint degree--that's obviously an important factor. It sounds like you're pretty set on doing a joint JD/MPP, in which case the SLS/HKS combo is a totally reasonable choice.

[mildlyironic]

Tag because I'm in this exact situation too. Personal factors are pushing me toward Harvard - a long distance relationship that is infinitely easier if I'm on the West coast - not to mention I already had sent in my tuition deposit to H because I assumed I wouldn't get into Stanford. Still, its good (if disconcerting given the thread direction) to hear how the two stack up against each other for PI or clerkships.

[Now]

What did everyone decide? How do you feel about your decisions 1 year later?

[pride09]

This:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/g ... ne#slide26

[soj]

This:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/g ... ne#slide26

lol