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I am AGONIZING over this decision, and I even though I know that this has been debated before, I've been wondering what other cross-admits have been doing/thinking in order to work things out.

More info req'd

I was just sort of wondering what people are thinking in general.

For me:

I grew up and want to practice in northern New England. (Big point for Harvard.)

However, I went to a small liberal arts college and know what the advantages are of going to a small school with small class sizes (Point for Stanford)

I really want to clerk or possibly go into academia (Slight edge to Stanford.)

I think would enjoy Palo Alto to Cambridge, though I'll reserve judgment until after asw.

I currently live in Boston, so Harvard is the "safe" option, but if I'm going to spend my life in New England, it might be nice to experience something else for a few years. Then again, the Harvard alumni network is going to be far larger than the practically non-existent Stanford network in New England.

YLS?

Bahzing! wrote:I grew up and want to practice in northern New England. (Big point for Harvard.)

What do you want to do in northern New England? It isn't like there's a lot of jobs north of Boston (though probably a handful in DE). Not to mention that these kinds of jobs don't pay salaries that can cover sticker price at HLS/SLS very easily (assuming you're paying sticker).

So how badly do you want northern New England? Is a certain kind of job more important to you than that location?

bk187 wrote:

Bahzing! wrote:I grew up and want to practice in northern New England. (Big point for Harvard.)

What do you want to do in northern New England? It isn't like there's a lot of jobs north of Boston (though probably a handful in DE). Not to mention that these kinds of jobs don't pay salaries that can cover sticker price at HLS/SLS very easily (assuming you're paying sticker).

So how badly do you want northern New England? Is a certain kind of job more important to you than that location?

Harvard's LRAP covers low private sector pay, so even /w 250k in loans taking a 60k job in Burlington isn't an issue.

PMan99 wrote:Harvard's LRAP covers low private sector pay, so even /w 250k in loans taking a 60k job in Burlington isn't an issue.

Good point. I had thought only YLS's did that.

I've actually received very generous need-based aid packages from both schools (rivaling, though not quite as generous as a full-Darrow from Michigan or full-ride from UMaine).

I'm more than 90% sure that I want to be in greater Portland, but would consider going somewhere else if clerking or academia took me elsewhere.

(Part of me is afraid that if I went to SLS, I would get swept up in some cutting edge silicon valley position. But I'm not sure if it is truly "fear" or possibly "hope"?)

Honestly, I think it is coming down to being happy over the next three years vs. putting myself in the best possible position to work in a location that is meaningful to me. (While I think SLS would be fine in New England, there is definitely still something to be said for being able to drop the "H-Bomb".)

Regarding LRAP comparisons...

http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/tui ... ap.jpg.pdf

Stanford is a school that is really on the rise. Harvard is a school that has been falling in the rankings.

bdole2 wrote:Stanford is a school that is really on the rise. Harvard is a school that has been falling in the rankings.

lololololol

Bahzing! wrote:Honestly, I think it is coming down to being happy over the next three years vs. putting myself in the best possible position to work in a location that is meaningful to me.

So are you saying that you wouldn't be happy at Harvard? I feel like if you'd be fine at Harvard and want to work in NE then Harvard is the way to go. Obviously Stanford would be a perfectly reasonable decision as well though. I would visit both and decide from there.

Bahzing! wrote:I've actually received very generous need-based aid packages from both schools (rivaling, though not quite as generous as a full-Darrow from Michigan or full-ride from UMaine).

I'm more than 90% sure that I want to be in greater Portland, but would consider going somewhere else if clerking or academia took me elsewhere.

(Part of me is afraid that if I went to SLS, I would get swept up in some cutting edge silicon valley position. But I'm not sure if it is truly "fear" or possibly "hope"?)

Honestly, I think it is coming down to being happy over the next three years vs. putting myself in the best possible position to work in a location that is meaningful to me. (While I think SLS would be fine in New England, there is definitely still something to be said for being able to drop the "H-Bomb".)

OP: feel free to PM me if you want to discuss HLS vs. SLS as I'm in a similar situation and also have yet to make up my mind. Don't think you can go wrong here, though (obviously).

bdole2 wrote:Stanford is a school that is really on the rise. Harvard is a school that has been falling in the rankings.

EDIT to actually be useful to OP: Keep in mind that HLS is exactly the same size as a small liberal arts school. About 1800 students, which is a bit more than Amherst, a bit less than Williams, and around the size of Bowdoin. And my guess is that your actual class sizes won't be terribly different. You need to ask some SLS 2Ls and 3Ls how big their bread-and-butter classes (Corporations or Evidence whatever) are; my guess is that there won't be much of a difference in size. 80 people at SLS vs. 100 people at HLS, or something similar. I'm not saying there *isn't* a difference, because I honestly don't know, but you should look into it before assuming SLS = smaller classes in a way that will make a meaningful difference in your legal education.

There are definitely more smaller classes at Stanford, even though Harvard is a bigger school (and keep in mind you only have a finite time at law school so its more important for a school to have the classes you like than a million classes you don't). Another difference between the two is SLS is on quarter and HLS is on semester. So many differences! Data from LSAC...

Stanford

# of upper division courses, excluding seminars, with an enrollment

Under 25 = 168
25–49 = 33
50–74 = 15
75–99 = 4
100+ = 1

Harvard

# of upper division courses, excluding seminars, with an enrollment

Under 25 = 104
25–49 = 67
50–74 = 32
75–99 = 19
100+ = 21


https://officialguide.lsac.org/release/ ... fault.aspx

tagged.

Bahzing! wrote:Honestly, I think it is coming down to being happy over the next three years vs. putting myself in the best possible position to work in a location that is meaningful to me. (While I think SLS would be fine in New England, there is definitely still something to be said for being able to drop the "H-Bomb".)

You want to go to Stanford. You're fine. Go to Stanford.

I don't think your career prospects will be hurt at all. Geographical connections only matter for the first biglaw job out of school. After that, it's all about networking in your position for the lateral. If you do Stanford, plus Fed. clerkship, you'll get biglaw on the east coast without a problem. Even if you don't get a clerkship, you shouldn't have any problem.

Also, Stanford did much better with clerkships last year (28% to H's 17%) and a tad better in academia placement.

Edit- Didn't see that this was necro'ed. Goddamnit, Geneva, stop humblebragging all over this site.

Doorkeeper wrote: Edit- Didn't see that this was necro'ed. Goddamnit, Geneva, stop humblebragging all over this site.

LOLOLOLOLOLOL.

+1000

.

stillwater wrote:Geneva is TLS cancer.

Seriously.

top30man wrote:

stillwater wrote:Geneva is TLS cancer.

Seriously.

You all are just being negative/jealous/resentful/discouraging/etc. YOU WANT WHAT SHE HAS

Birdnals wrote:

top30man wrote:

stillwater wrote:Geneva is TLS cancer.

Seriously.

You all are just being negative/jealous/resentful/discouraging/etc. YOU WANT WHAT SHE HAS

haters gonna hate?

haha, i actually wanted to get more opinions re:HLS vs. SLS. Maybe if some of you spent more time trying and less time bashing other people on the internet, you would have better options than riding the waitlist at UNC (Stillwater). Just saying.

Geneva wrote:haha, i actually wanted to get more opinions re:HLS vs. SLS. Maybe if some of you spent more time trying and less time bashing other people on the internet, you would have better options than riding the waitlist at UNC (Stillwater). Just saying.

...

Geneva wrote:haha, i actually wanted to get more opinions re:HLS vs. SLS. Maybe if some of you spent more time trying and less time bashing other people on the internet, you would have better options than riding the waitlist at UNC (Stillwater). Just saying.

You are an insufferable human being.