Harvard Class of 2017 Forum

[lawschool22]

Excited to report that I secured housing over the weekend. One thing off the list!

[jasper09]

Excited to report that I secured housing over the weekend. One thing off the list!

Between your spreadsheet magic and the ability to find housing so quickly, I'm beginning to wonder if there's anything you can't do!

But seriously on the housing thing...I feel like I need my HLS email so I can make this "Facebook official" and get in on the groups- pending requests in both the housing and grad market groups but I don't think I'm getting added till my says "Harvard" (exuberant "I got in!!!!" status update notwithstanding).

[wealtheow]

Anyone bringing a car? Trying to decide what I'm going to do with mine. General consensus is that having one is a huge pain in the arse.

[lawschool22]

Anyone bringing a car? Trying to decide what I'm going to do with mine. General consensus is that having one is a huge pain in the arse.

Nope I'm selling mine. I can't justify having a payment (mine's not yet paid off), insurance, gas, parking, etc. for the small amount of use it would get.

[codyoneill]

Anyone bringing a car? Trying to decide what I'm going to do with mine. General consensus is that having one is a huge pain in the arse.

I'm bringing a car. BUT my family lives in MA and is not on public transit, so it makes some sense for me.

How I'm making it work:

- I don't need to drive every day so I won't have the hassle of constantly needing to find parking. Driving to and parking around Harvard is not fun.
- I'm paying $25 a year (!) for a Cambridge Permit Parking pass, which, because of where I'll be living, means that I'll have convenient and available street parking right by my building. Street cleaning is only once a month, so I will rarely have to move it.
- I have an SO who will share car moving / snow clearing duties (that's the real pain).
- I'm used to driving in Northeast winter conditions.
- If the car is a pain to keep around at any point, I have family I can leave the car with for a while.

All things considered, you don't need a car to enjoy Cambridge or much of Boston. But if you have a car, your world really opens up. Want to grab a lobster roll on the North Shore? Go ahead.
Want to visit Walden Pond? Easy trip.
Skiing? Hiking? A day at the beach on Cape Cod? No problem.
How about just going to a grocery store that isn't going to rip you off because they know you're trapped into going there because of public transit? Or picking up something from IKEA? Or getting some country air?

All of my Boston friends who aren't students have cars. While Boston is public transit friendly, there is a lot (especially in the surrounding area) that becomes much more accessible and convenient with a car.

The biggest reasons not to have a car are the expense and the snow.
But if you already have a car, the value of the car is not counted against your financial aid (unless you sell it), so your real costs are insurance and gas. For me (and at least 20% of HLS students), it is worth it. That being said, if I didn't already have a car, I don't think I could justify the expense of buying a car. I think I'd just suck it up and bum rides for three years.

[lawschool22]

The only problem with all of that is I'm not sure how much time I will have during 1L to be doing all that. However I do think it would be nice to be able to. What is the zip car situation in Boston/Cambridge? Is that something I could do if I wanted to get away for a bit?

[jasper09]

Anyone bringing a car? Trying to decide what I'm going to do with mine. General consensus is that having one is a huge pain in the arse.

I'm bringing mine- it'll come in handy when my dog has vet appointments or when I'm driving home for breaks (I find flying with pets to be a hassle), and I like having the cargo space when I need to move things or pick stuff up. I don't plan on using it a lot, so gas won't be prohibitively expensive, but it's nice to have it when needed.

[codyoneill]

The only problem with all of that is I'm not sure how much time I will have during 1L to be doing all that. However I do think it would be nice to be able to. What is the zip car situation in Boston/Cambridge? Is that something I could do if I wanted to get away for a bit?

Plenty of Zipcars around. There are a few on the HLS campus itself, I think.

One warning about Zipcars: the insurance provided by Zipcar is the absolute bare minimum coverage allowable by law.

I don't like Zipcars, but many people do. I just would rather have the fixed cost of my car than an hourly charge. Again, though, for my situation I'm using my car primarily to visit family and friends (and go grocery shopping) so these are instances where I'd like a timing flexibility that Zipcar doesn't offer. And I'm not making car payments. If I were making car payments, it would be much harder to justify having the car. But my car is just a POS that gets me from Point A to Point B and I wouldn't want selling the car to affect my financial aid.

[wealtheow]

codyoneill, you are the first person i've spoken to who has positive things to say about having a car in cambridge, hehe. i'm definitely leaning toward keeping it - it is all paid off, but has 130k on it, so selling it wouldn't really land me much (and if opt to keep it, there are probably a few things i should get done on it before i leave my job...). my family is in the area, and i think i can keep it with them if it becomes a pain. if it weren't paid off, i would definitely be ditching it - wouldn't want to end up on operation repo.

that's great to know i can get a pass for only 25 a year! are those easy to obtain?

[OMAR_COMIN_YO]

Excited to report that I secured housing over the weekend. One thing off the list!

LS, if you don't mind me asking, how did you secure housing? Craigslist? Or are you living in HUH/HLS housing?

[lawschool22]

Excited to report that I secured housing over the weekend. One thing off the list!

LS, if you don't mind me asking, how did you secure housing? Craigslist? Or are you living in HUH/HLS housing?

Craigslist. I definitely had the most luck with that. Most are broker listings, which lead you to a broker, which leads you to a place. I realized nearly everything decent had a broker fee, so I gave up the fantasy of not paying that. Luckily the place I found was 1/2 fee which is nice. One thing I learned also is that brokers will sometimes be the exclusive agent for a place, so I would recommend calling a t least 3-4 brokers to see what they can show you, because one broker may not have access to everything there is.

[codyoneill]

codyoneill, you are the first person i've spoken to who has positive things to say about having a car in cambridge, hehe. i'm definitely leaning toward keeping it - it is all paid off, but has 130k on it, so selling it wouldn't really land me much (and if opt to keep it, there are probably a few things i should get done on it before i leave my job...). my family is in the area, and i think i can keep it with them if it becomes a pain. if it weren't paid off, i would definitely be ditching it - wouldn't want to end up on operation repo.

that's great to know i can get a pass for only 25 a year! are those easy to obtain?

Feelings w/r/t cars in Cambridge is probably more based on what one is used to than anything else.

I'm coming from New York City, so my reaction to driving around Cambridge a couple weeks ago was "Holy crap, the walgreens at the end of my street has a parking lot! I don't have to parallel park to go to Walgreens! This city is amazing! Check out that Dunkin' Donuts! It also has a parking lot! Everywhere there's a parking lot! I'm walking on the sidewalk from my parked car to my apartment and I can extend both arms horizontally without touching strangers. What is this, a national park?"

Obviously people coming from other areas of the country/world may find Cambridge more congested than I do, but I think it's miraculous that they've got these plants, I don't know what you call them, but they grow very tall here and have leaves and shade, they're like these thin cylindrical plant apartments for squirrels and they smell nice.

Cambridge Permit Parking is very easy to obtain.

You need to prove you have a Cambridge address and you need to register your car at your Cambridge address. That's it! And you also get a free Visitor Pass so if friends visit they can hang the visitor pass in their car and park on the street as well.

FWIW, Cambridge parking tends to be easier than Somerville parking, because there are less cars per person in Cambridge. While I haven't yet parked in Cambridge using permit parking, I have a friend who makes six figures and could easily afford a parking space with her building, but chooses permit parking because it is cheaper and convenient enough.

If you already have a paid-off car and are going to live in Cambridge, I'd suggest bringing it for first semester to see if it is worth it. At the very least, it will be helpful for picking up furniture and other items for your new place. If, after the first semester or after winter hits and things get ugly, you don't want the hassle of the car, you can sell it then.

Also, depending on what you're doing for internships for the next two years, having the option of keeping that car might wind up being convenient.

[Pneumonia]

Are parking permits for Somerville and other areas just as easy to get?

I don't intend to park on campus at all, my SO just needs the car for work.

[codyoneill]

Are parking permits for Somerville and other areas just as easy to get?

I don't intend to park on campus at all, my SO just needs the car for work.

Yes, it is the exact same process. Prove you live in Somerville and register your car there and you get a parking permit for $30 a year. You can do it all online, too.

[sjgonzalez3]

Are the health & immunization forms required even if you're waiving their health insurance? All of the forms seem to indicate that they are to benefit our care with their internal HUHS.

[koalacity]

Are the health & immunization forms required even if you're waiving their health insurance? All of the forms seem to indicate that they are to benefit our care with their internal HUHS.

Yes, unfortunately.

[sjgonzalez3]

Are the health & immunization forms required even if you're waiving their health insurance? All of the forms seem to indicate that they are to benefit our care with their internal HUHS.

Yes, unfortunately.

asdgtjasdklhjr.

Time to figure out where those immunization records are and get my balls touched. And how on EARTH am I going to remember when I had chicken pox...

[jingosaur]

asdgtjasdklhjr.

Time to figure out where those immunization records are and get my balls touched. And how on EARTH am I going to remember when I had chicken pox...

HLS is gonna get some pictures of me as a 4 year old in an oatmeal bath.

[codyoneill]

Are the health & immunization forms required even if you're waiving their health insurance? All of the forms seem to indicate that they are to benefit our care with their internal HUHS.

Yes, unfortunately.

asdgtjasdklhjr.

Time to figure out where those immunization records are and get my balls touched. And how on EARTH am I going to remember when I had chicken pox...

How do I find out about all these things HLS needs from me? I feel like I'm out of the loop. Did I miss an e-mail? Is there a checklist page?

[sjgonzalez3]

How do I find out about all these things HLS needs from me? I feel like I'm out of the loop. Did I miss an e-mail? Is there a checklist page?

Admitted student site > Admitted Student Checklist

[sjgonzalez3]

How do I find out about all these things HLS needs from me? I feel like I'm out of the loop. Did I miss an e-mail? Is there a checklist page?

Admitted student site > Admitted Student Checklist

You can also find a pretty detailed list and explanations of the same in the admissions packet you received by mail. It's in the grey booklet.

[koalacity]

How do I find out about all these things HLS needs from me? I feel like I'm out of the loop. Did I miss an e-mail? Is there a checklist page?

Admitted student site > Admitted Student Checklist

Just wanted to add that since you may be running up against the deadline of June 15, you can scan and email your physical/immunization/health history forms (vs. mailing or faxing), even though they don't list that as an option. Just call HUHS and they'll send you an email with the email addresses of the people in their office who will process your forms (it's by last name).

Also, if you haven't already, make sure to request your official transcripts (from all schools attended) and college certification from your degree-granting institution(s) ASAP-some schools are rather slow about sending those out.

[codyoneill]

How do I find out about all these things HLS needs from me? I feel like I'm out of the loop. Did I miss an e-mail? Is there a checklist page?

Admitted student site > Admitted Student Checklist

Just wanted to add that since you may be running up against the deadline of June 15, you can scan and email your physical/immunization/health history forms (vs. mailing or faxing), even though they don't list that as an option. Just call HUHS and they'll send you an email with the email addresses of the people in their office who will process your forms (it's by last name).

Also, if you haven't already, make sure to request your official transcripts (from all schools attended) and college certification from your degree-granting institution(s) ASAP-some schools are rather slow about sending those out.

Cool, looks like the health form is the only thing I hadn't paid attention to.

Their June 15 deadline seems pretty flexible.

You should plan to have each form sent to Health Services by June 15. Please keep in mind that these forms are required for registration, and the absence of the completed forms will prevent or delay your registration.

As long as everything is in before registration, I would imagine you should be fine.

[jingosaur]

Yeah, I doubt June 15th is a hard deadline and registration probably won't be delayed as long as you get some stuff in by that date and get the rest in by the end of the month.

[wealtheow]

hnngggh really hoping my annual physical always falling in august isn't going to screw me over.