Harvard Class of 2017 Forum

[oxie]

In addition to the link posted by politics89, I also found this page pretty helpful in figuring out grant eligibility: http://www.law.harvard.edu/current/sfs/ ... ytype.html

[Howl]

In addition to the link posted by politics89, I also found this page pretty helpful in figuring out grant eligibility: http://www.law.harvard.edu/current/sfs/ ... ytype.html

That indeed is helpful. Thanks!

[paglababa]

I thought at ASW they said 43kish was the base loan, and that 34k was the max aid?

Sorry, yes you are right but with the budget change this year it was 81k budget, they said 43k in loans, 2.5k in required student contribution and then the difference (~35k) possible in aid. I got those mixed-up. Thanks for the correction.

Yes, this is my impression too. Note, if you're doing a big law SA, expect that grant amount to come down to ~20K/year if you're currently maxed out.

[baloneydanza]

In addition to the link posted by politics89, I also found this page pretty helpful in figuring out grant eligibility: http://www.law.harvard.edu/current/sfs/ ... ytype.html

Oh god. I was already pretty sure I wasn't going to get much money, but now I'm near certain that Harvard won't give me shit.

[lastsamurai]

I thought at ASW they said 43kish was the base loan, and that 34k was the max aid?

Sorry, yes you are right but with the budget change this year it was 81k budget, they said 43k in loans, 2.5k in required student contribution and then the difference (~35k) possible in aid. I got those mixed-up. Thanks for the correction.

Yes, this is my impression too. Note, if you're doing a big law SA, expect that grant amount to come down to ~20K/year if you're currently maxed out.

This is hard for me to wrap my head around. Doesn't this penalize you for working? It just doesn't make much sense to me. Where's my incentive to go after a 1L SA if it's just going to bring my grant money down?

[paglababa]

I thought at ASW they said 43kish was the base loan, and that 34k was the max aid?

Sorry, yes you are right but with the budget change this year it was 81k budget, they said 43k in loans, 2.5k in required student contribution and then the difference (~35k) possible in aid. I got those mixed-up. Thanks for the correction.

Yes, this is my impression too. Note, if you're doing a big law SA, expect that grant amount to come down to ~20K/year if you're currently maxed out.

This is hard for me to wrap my head around. Doesn't this penalize you for working? It just doesn't make much sense to me. Where's my incentive to go after a 1L SA if it's just going to bring my grant money down?

Not necessarily, you still come out ahead (atleast by 7k) because of your 30k internship salary, they deduct tax and a ~7k living deduction, and your contribution is 90% of this final amount. So pretty much if you don't work, the minimum contribution amount is 2.5k or something. But everyone has to work over the summer the officer told me, even if its some PI gig. If you did a market rate summer internship, your contribution would be about 15 k. The difference between that and the minimum contribution is going to reduce your grant.

[oxie]

On the topic of SA positions and whatnot, HLS has a calculator for determining how much of your summer earnings they expect you to put toward school: http://www.law.harvard.edu/apps/sfs/cal ... alculator/

And they have some other useful financial aid-related tools here: http://www.law.harvard.edu/current/sfs/ ... index.html

[lastsamurai]

Thanks Oxie

Paglababa - so in this scenario, wouldn't you be given the incentive to only make 7k after taxes that summer so that your grant wouldn't be reduced? Something just isn't clicking for me here.

"Come here so you can work at a high paying job all summer and then contribute 90% of that toward your education because we're going to take that out of your financial aid!"

[malleus discentium]

Thanks Oxie

Paglababa - so in this scenario, wouldn't you be given the incentive to only make 7k after taxes that summer so that your grant wouldn't be reduced? Something just isn't clicking for me here.

"Come here so you can work at a high paying job all summer and then contribute 90% of that toward your education because we're going to take that out of your financial aid!"

Isn't the point of a SA more to get a job than the money? I mean it sucks that you would make a bunch and not get to take much of it home, but that's what biglaw will look like anyway for a while for people with big loans. But you'd probably be getting that biglaw job out of it.

[hdunlop]

I think Harvard would say that taking money from kids who are poor but are about to become rich in their third year allows the school to give more money to 3Ls doing PI who will remain poor and incoming 1Ls who are poor and won't be rich for two years.

[TheMostDangerousLG]

I think Harvard would say that taking money from kids who are poor but are about to become rich in their third year allows the school to give more money to 3Ls doing PI who will remain poor and incoming 1Ls who are poor and won't be rich for two years.

So what happens to the kids who are poor and want to do PI? They just get to become destitute?

[hdunlop]

Uh, they'll do PI in the summer using the $5,000 PI grant and then they'll get their full grant for 3L, which the school is able to afford more easily because the kids, poor and otherwise, doing SA work that summer get their grant reduced.

[TheMostDangerousLG]

Uh, they'll do PI in the summer using the $5,000 PI grant and then they'll get their full grant for 3L, which the school is able to afford more easily because the kids, poor and otherwise, doing SA work that summer get their grant reduced.

I just really don't buy that the school needs to rely on reduced grant aid to be able to fund these programs. Especially when they keep jacking up tuition further and further each year.

[hdunlop]

Oh me neither, but I do think it's what Harvard would say.

[wtrc]

HLS was more generous than I expected they would be for my aid. I didn't get near the max 34k, but I got something. Seems like they do read the "special circumstances" section.

[wtrc]

Also, has everyone here received a book by now (other than me)?

[politics89]

Also, has everyone here received a book by now (other than me)?

I haven't

[bbkk]

Also, has everyone here received a book by now (other than me)?

I haven't

+1

[Nonconsecutive]

For those of you who received a stipend for the March ASW, do you just keep your receipts and turn them in while you are there, or do you mail them in later?

[The-Specs]

For those of you who received a stipend for the March ASW, do you just keep your receipts and turn them in while you are there, or do you mail them in later?

I turned mine in at the ASW check-in.

[wtrc]

The Harvard Law Class of 2016 thread is 2 pages long.
The Harvard Law Class of 2015 is a whopping 3 pages long.
It's not even April and we're at 64 pages.

[Nonconsecutive]

For those of you who received a stipend for the March ASW, do you just keep your receipts and turn them in while you are there, or do you mail them in later?

I turned mine in at the ASW check-in.

Gotcha, thanks!

[baloneydanza]

The Harvard Law Class of 2016 thread is 2 pages long.
The Harvard Law Class of 2015 is a whopping 3 pages long.
It's not even April and we're at 64 pages.

how did this happen

[splat232]

.

[CyanIdes Of March]

The Harvard Law Class of 2016 thread is 2 pages long.
The Harvard Law Class of 2015 is a whopping 3 pages long.
It's not even April and we're at 64 pages.

I was really surprised to see that the last 2 years were so dead.

When I first saw that I made sure to let a few waiters know where the we went and the more active posters did the rest .