Top Law Schools

edit

I would get a summer internship in your field of study while studying in the evenings.

jimmierock wrote:just suck it up and do it.

leaving a good impression won't matter if your LSAT score isn't up to par

edit

FantasticMrFox wrote:

jimmierock wrote:just suck it up and do it.

leaving a good impression won't matter if your LSAT score isn't up to par

haha I was hoping this wasnt the answer, but I knew this was probably the truth.

jimmierock wrote:

cinephile wrote:I would get a summer internship in your field of study while studying in the evenings.

How would I find such internship? Besides google lolz.
Major : Psychology.

I was a psych major. Our department had a giant bulletin board listing various summer jobs including summer research assistantships, being a camp counselor for kids with behavioral problems, working at juvenile detention centers counseling the kids, working/volunteering at hospitals. Also, if you ask a professor you're close with, perhaps they could help you find a lead.

Here's a start, and it's the first thing that came up on google: http://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/ ... -opps.aspx

Or if you don't want to do an internship in psych, just see what you can find in your hometown at this point. I think work experience is always a good thing.

cinephile wrote:

jimmierock wrote:

cinephile wrote:I would get a summer internship in your field of study while studying in the evenings.

How would I find such internship? Besides google lolz.
Major : Psychology.

I was a psych major. Our department had a giant bulletin board listing various summer jobs including summer research assistantships, being a camp counselor for kids with behavioral problems, working at juvenile detention centers counseling the kids, working/volunteering at hospitals. Also, if you ask a professor you're close with, perhaps they could help you find a lead.

Here's a start, and it's the first thing that came up on google: http://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/ ... -opps.aspx

Or if you don't want to do an internship in psych, just see what you can find in your hometown at this point. I think work experience is always a good thing.

ahh, I thought you meant I should find an internship at Harvard while I am there .>.>
I did a summer internship/federal research grant last year at my university, so I didnt bother applying this year. I doubt I can find anything now, being so late.

To be honest, the Harvard summer school thing is a waste of money. But if you have nothing better to do for the summer and don't care about the cost, why not.

cinephile wrote:To be honest, the Harvard summer school thing is a waste of money. But if you have nothing better to do for the summer and don't care about the cost, why not.

Can you elaborate more please?

I am seriously debating on whether going or not.

jimmierock wrote:

cinephile wrote:To be honest, the Harvard summer school thing is a waste of money. But if you have nothing better to do for the summer and don't care about the cost, why not.

Can you elaborate more please?

I am seriously debating on whether going or not.

Well, it's not particularly selective and I'm not sure what a person gets out of it other than saying they spend the summer at Harvard. If you just wanted to get more credits out of the way, there's probably a state school or community college near you that could do it for cheaper.

But if you want to spend the summer in Boston and have some fun and meet some new people and money isn't an issue, then go for it.

Study for the LSAT. The VAST majority of H SS professors are visiting professors from other universities. In terms of extra curricular, they are going to be predominantly social in nature. You won't land any RA positions etc.

Assuming that this is for college undergraduate credits, why not do the real thing and apply to Dartmouth for a summer term ?

P.S. Harvard runs a large summer program for high school sophomores, juniors & seniors that may affect the atmosphere.

edit

It's best to let H be whatever it is in your imagination. Don't let the real thing ruin it for you

And yes, the SSP program does render campus even more lame than it otherwise would be.

I am currently planning to attend Harvard Summer school, not to get an extra line on my resume, but to see what a real ivy league school is like, and maybe meet a few people (I am quite social, and I am pretty good at meeting people randomly and leaving a good impression).

You can see what a "real ivy league school" is like by visiting for a few days. The people you meet will all leave at the end of the summer anyway. You should find something productive to do for the summer: internship/research/volunteering, where you will meet people with real passions and interests. That'll give you lots more inspirations for your personal statement than summer school: every single applicant has taken courses at a university, so summer school is not a unique/interesting experience to an adcom. I don't think namedropping Harvard in your personal statement will do much good. Volunteering in Boston (or Botswana) would be a cheaper, more effective way to experience the area while getting good PS material. And a good LSAT score trumps any personal statement.

Not that summer school is inherently bad or anything: the trouble is it's expensive and it's the same as what you do in undergrad otherwise.

edit

jimmierock wrote:Aaha, I was just hoping to have a revelating experience at Harvard I suppose. But I guess what you guys said make sense, better focus on reality, AKA LSAT.

I think I am going full time studying my LSAT/Prepping for my application/Honors' Thesis instead of taking another internship/job, it makes more sense from what I have read so far. (Damn is stressful to think that the difference between scholarship/acceptance/denial is 3 questions)

And what sort of experience would a "relevating" one be?

Definitely do not recommend it at all:

1) it's ridiculously expensive, if you count room and board as well. IIRC, it's over 8K for the summer.
2) Vast majority (as in 85-90%) of classes are taught by professors from other institutions. Actually, you're lucky if you get a "professor" from other schools. A significant number of classes are taught by PhD students from other schools.
3) Few regular term students stay for HSS. The only class I can think of that may have substantial number of regular term students would be organic chemistry. If you want to see what a "real Ivy League school" is like as you said in your original post, HSS is not the place to be.
4) There are a LOT of high school students in the program. This may sway your decision one way or the other, but I see it as a negative.

stillwater wrote:

jimmierock wrote:Aaha, I was just hoping to have a revelating experience at Harvard I suppose. But I guess what you guys said make sense, better focus on reality, AKA LSAT.

I think I am going full time studying my LSAT/Prepping for my application/Honors' Thesis instead of taking another internship/job, it makes more sense from what I have read so far. (Damn is stressful to think that the difference between scholarship/acceptance/denial is 3 questions)

And what sort of experience would a "relevating" one be?

haha that I dont know, okay. Thanks for making up my mind, I most likely will not attend. Looks I need the extra time for my LSAT anyways.

Cambridge & Boston are wonderful places as is Harvard. But, due to the D-Plan at Dartmouth, almost 100% of the summer students are regular Dartmouth undergraduates, all of whom are required to spend at least one full summer on campus. Also, it's a beautiful New Hampshire campus within a reasonable commute to Boston & Martha's Vineyard. But admission is not easy.

As a sidenote: Stanford, although not technically an Ivy League member, is an open campus during summers.

jimmierock wrote:

cinephile wrote:I would get a summer internship in your field of study while studying in the evenings.

How would I find such internship? Besides google lolz.
Major : Psychology.

Go to your schools resource center or check your state gov site.