Harvard Student(s) Answering Your Questions Forum

[JDflowergirl]

8 hour exams!!! what am I getting into

This might not be specific to Harvard, but does your 1L year actually prepare you for a summer associate position or is it something you learn when u arrive at a firm? What skills/tips should we be picking up as 1Ls in order to make sure we are good summer associates?

[ph14]

8 hour exams!!! what am I getting into

This might not be specific to Harvard, but does your 1L year actually prepare you for a summer associate position or is it something you learn when u arrive at a firm? What skills/tips should we be picking up as 1Ls in order to make sure we are good summer associates?

Not really, and you shouldn't worry about it at all. 1L summer associate positions are very scarce, and if you get one, they don't expect anything out of you. Focus on getting good grades, practical skills will come on the job. Civ pro helps a bit so you know what is going on, and LRW helps a lot if you are doing litigation work. If you are doing transactional/corporate work, your 1L classes won't help you at all (except perhaps if you take corporations as your 1L elective). Law school doesn't teach you practical skills.

8 hour exams are exhausting, for sure, but at least you can sit at home and be comfy (although some people prefer to take them in the library). Being under slightly less time pressure is also nice.

[Doorkeeper]

I'd make sure to practice or do whatever you need to. A law school exam is not the time to have to think about how to say a certain word or phrase.

So basically use past exams to guesstimate what questions the professor will be asking, then model your answers ahead of time and use the time allotted to just physically type your answers? Is this kinda what you're getting at?

No, that's not what I was getting at. Just commenting that if English is not your first language, you don't want to be sitting there trying to figure out how to phrase something. But yes, it's a very good idea to take practice exams, and something I would definitely recommend.

Oh, ok. I was concerned about how much forethought would be needed going into the exam, but you were just making a much more general point.

/nervousness

[ph14]

I'd make sure to practice or do whatever you need to. A law school exam is not the time to have to think about how to say a certain word or phrase.

So basically use past exams to guesstimate what questions the professor will be asking, then model your answers ahead of time and use the time allotted to just physically type your answers? Is this kinda what you're getting at?

No, that's not what I was getting at. Just commenting that if English is not your first language, you don't want to be sitting there trying to figure out how to phrase something. But yes, it's a very good idea to take practice exams, and something I would definitely recommend.

Oh, ok. I was concerned about how much forethought would be needed going into the exam, but you were just making a much more general point.

/nervousness

Yep. For now, glance at a law school exam and see what will be expected of you at the end of semester, but don't worry about it yet. Everything you described above will naturally be involved when you take practice exams later in the semester. I'd read the TLS guides for now just so you have direction to go when the semester starts, and the guide on how to write a law school exam (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=120673), and then relax until school starts.

[JDflowergirl]

8 hour exams!!! what am I getting into

This might not be specific to Harvard, but does your 1L year actually prepare you for a summer associate position or is it something you learn when u arrive at a firm? What skills/tips should we be picking up as 1Ls in order to make sure we are good summer associates?

Not really, and you shouldn't worry about it at all. 1L summer associate positions are very scarce, and if you get one, they don't expect anything out of you. Focus on getting good grades, practical skills will come on the job. Civ pro helps a bit so you know what is going on, and LRW helps a lot if you are doing litigation work. If you are doing transactional/corporate work, your 1L classes won't help you at all (except perhaps if you take corporations as your 1L elective). Law school doesn't teach you practical skills.

8 hour exams are exhausting, for sure, but at least you can sit at home and be comfy (although some people prefer to take them in the library). Being under slightly less time pressure is also nice.

Thanks. Im guessing its 2L that actually prepares you to be a summer associate.

[ph14]

8 hour exams!!! what am I getting into

This might not be specific to Harvard, but does your 1L year actually prepare you for a summer associate position or is it something you learn when u arrive at a firm? What skills/tips should we be picking up as 1Ls in order to make sure we are good summer associates?

Not really, and you shouldn't worry about it at all. 1L summer associate positions are very scarce, and if you get one, they don't expect anything out of you. Focus on getting good grades, practical skills will come on the job. Civ pro helps a bit so you know what is going on, and LRW helps a lot if you are doing litigation work. If you are doing transactional/corporate work, your 1L classes won't help you at all (except perhaps if you take corporations as your 1L elective). Law school doesn't teach you practical skills.

8 hour exams are exhausting, for sure, but at least you can sit at home and be comfy (although some people prefer to take them in the library). Being under slightly less time pressure is also nice.

Thanks. Im guessing its 2L that actually prepares you to be a summer associate.

Nope. Pretty much nothing in law school prepares you to work at a law firm.

[lastMinuteGuy]

If anyone's interested in local sourced food options (farm shares, co-ops, farmer's markets, etc.), I can also put up some information on those.

yes please

Realized I never came back to reply. Depends some on which neighborhood you live in, but I've listed some options below that I use a lot. If you have a car it really opens it up and gives you some more options:

Farmers' Markets (Pretty much one almost every day of the week not too far away, running from Memorial Day - November)
- Monday - Central Sq, not far from the T stop
- Tuesday - Harvard has one right next to the HLS campus in the afternoon
- Wednesday - Davis Sq, right next to the T stop
- Saturday - Nice farmers' market in Union Sq in Somerville, usually with a live band and some other stuff going on
- Sunday - One in Harvard Sq near the Charles Hotel

Farm Shares/CSA
My girlfriend and I get a small share from Enterprise farm and haven't really had any complaints. Lots of pickup locations around (including one about 3 blocks from the law school) and decent rotation of stuff each week. They also do an East Coast winter farm share that gets you a lot of fresh produce from Florida, Georgia, etc. throughout the winter and spring. Another one I've heard good things about is Boston Organics. Little more expensive, but they do home delivery. There are a number of other ones in the area, so with some searching and yelp reviews you can probably find some other good ones.

Local Stores
- Savenors - Really good local butcher not too far from the law school, also carries local produce and cheeses. Kind of expensive, but the meat is high quality and delicious.
- Harvest Co-op - Fully co-op grocery store in Central Sq if you're looking for a local alternative. Not the best produce, but good selection of bulk items and all the standard grocery staples.
- Dave's Fresh Pasta - Near Davis Sq, makes really good fresh pasta and sauces in the store and carries a selection of local produce and dairy, as well as gourmet cheeses and meats. Good wine and beer selection too.

There's always Whole Foods too, and there are 3 in Cambridge and another one right over the line in Medford that are close. The only one really accessible from the T though is in Central Sq, I'd recommend a car for the other 3.

[094320]

..

[Confused7]

Does the Harvard tech dept give out free/discounted software downloads to students? I'm thinking specifically Microsoft Office...My undergrad gave out downloads for free so I thought I'd ask since I recently bought a new computer. Thanks for all your help!

[ph14]

Does the Harvard tech dept give out free/discounted software downloads to students? I'm thinking specifically Microsoft Office...My undergrad gave out downloads for free so I thought I'd ask since I recently bought a new computer. Thanks for all your help!

Yes, they do. I think you can get Microsoft Office for free, but it is an old version, either 2003 or 2007.

[delusional]

Does the Harvard tech dept give out free/discounted software downloads to students? I'm thinking specifically Microsoft Office...My undergrad gave out downloads for free so I thought I'd ask since I recently bought a new computer. Thanks for all your help!

Yes, they do. I think you can get Microsoft Office for free, but it is an old version, either 2003 or 2007.

It's 2007. I had heard it was 2003, and so I put off getting it, and then I happened to ask, and it was actually 2007. I acquired it post-haste and have been enjoying it ever since.

[ph14]

Does the Harvard tech dept give out free/discounted software downloads to students? I'm thinking specifically Microsoft Office...My undergrad gave out downloads for free so I thought I'd ask since I recently bought a new computer. Thanks for all your help!

Yes, they do. I think you can get Microsoft Office for free, but it is an old version, either 2003 or 2007.

It's 2007. I had heard it was 2003, and so I put off getting it, and then I happened to ask, and it was actually 2007. I acquired it post-haste and have been enjoying it ever since.

You can also get 2010 or whichever is the newest version, student edition, for a discounted price through the undergrad tech store: http://huit.harvard.edu/technology_sales/. You have to log into your HLS account to view it, I think. If i'm reading correctly, you can get Office 2010 for $20.

Microsoft Software Titles Only $19.75 For Students Only

•Microsoft Office 2010 for Windows
•Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac
•Microsoft Windows 7
•Microsoft Visual Studio 2010
•Microsoft Visio 2010
•Microsoft Project 2010

[euskadi]

Do any of you know someone who has applied to do/is doing the joint program with Cambridge? I think I remember reading that only six students do this per year and was wondering how competitive it is. I know you've got to be accepted by Cambridge, which on its own shouldn't be a massive issue for me, if I've got decent grades at H (previous, good Oxbridge degree). But perhaps the program isn't all that popular, so the requirements (as to class rank at HLS) won't be that strict (top 10%/third/median?). Any insight is greatly appreciated!

[Confused7]

Thanks for your quick responses, delusional and ph14. I'm perfectly happy with 2007 and am not sure of the exact differences between MSO 2007 and MSO 2010 but will definitely check out that sweet deal if it is actually $20.

[delusional]

Thanks for your quick responses, delusional and ph14. I'm perfectly happy with 2007 and am not sure of the exact differences between MSO 2007 and MSO 2010 but will definitely check out that sweet deal if it is actually $20.

One difference that I noticed is that in 2010, a ctrl + f search in a word document creates a search panel on the side that displays a list of results throughout the document, whereas in 2007, you have to jump through the document result by result. Another difference is that in Word 2010, you can create a table of contents panel on the left side and click through the document heading by heading. However, once I got Office 2007, I just used OneNote anyway. I would have to think about buying the new one, though, if that's really the price.

[Ballislife]

lastMinuteGuy touched on local grocery stores like the Harvest Co-op, but I was wondering if anybody knows about some other cheap grocery stores close by?

[delusional]

lastMinuteGuy touched on local grocery stores like the Harvest Co-op, but I was wondering if anybody knows about some other cheap grocery stores close by?

Market Basket is by a huge margin the cheapest food store for miles around. I live in Boston, and I go out to Somerville to go to Market Basket because I save a hundred bucks a trip (although I am shopping for a family, so it's a lot of groceries.)

[Confused7]

Thanks for your quick responses, delusional and ph14. I'm perfectly happy with 2007 and am not sure of the exact differences between MSO 2007 and MSO 2010 but will definitely check out that sweet deal if it is actually $20.

One difference that I noticed is that in 2010, a ctrl + f search in a word document creates a search panel on the side that displays a list of results throughout the document, whereas in 2007, you have to jump through the document result by result. Another difference is that in Word 2010, you can create a table of contents panel on the left side and click through the document heading by heading. However, once I got Office 2007, I just used OneNote anyway. I would have to think about buying the new one, though, if that's really the price.

Much appreciated once again!!

[lastMinuteGuy]

lastMinuteGuy touched on local grocery stores like the Harvest Co-op, but I was wondering if anybody knows about some other cheap grocery stores close by?

Market Basket is by a huge margin the cheapest food store for miles around. I live in Boston, and I go out to Somerville to go to Market Basket because I save a hundred bucks a trip (although I am shopping for a family, so it's a lot of groceries.)

Johnnie's Foodmaster on Beacon St is also pretty cheap, and feels a little less like a war zone than Market Basket. Both are much cheaper than Shaws, which can be almost as expensive as Whole Foods when stuff you're buying isn't on sale. There are also a few Trader Joe's around, but they're not that easy to get to without a car.

[thederangedwang]

lastMinuteGuy touched on local grocery stores like the Harvest Co-op, but I was wondering if anybody knows about some other cheap grocery stores close by?

Market Basket is by a huge margin the cheapest food store for miles around. I live in Boston, and I go out to Somerville to go to Market Basket because I save a hundred bucks a trip (although I am shopping for a family, so it's a lot of groceries.)

Johnnie's Foodmaster on Beacon St is also pretty cheap, and feels a little less like a war zone than Market Basket. Both are much cheaper than Shaws, which can be almost as expensive as Whole Foods when stuff you're buying isn't on sale. There are also a few Trader Joe's around, but they're not that easy to get to without a car.

is there a bus route or t stop route that goes from hls to either one of these places?

seems hard a bit long without a car or transport

[lastMinuteGuy]

lastMinuteGuy touched on local grocery stores like the Harvest Co-op, but I was wondering if anybody knows about some other cheap grocery stores close by?

Market Basket is by a huge margin the cheapest food store for miles around. I live in Boston, and I go out to Somerville to go to Market Basket because I save a hundred bucks a trip (although I am shopping for a family, so it's a lot of groceries.)

Johnnie's Foodmaster on Beacon St is also pretty cheap, and feels a little less like a war zone than Market Basket. Both are much cheaper than Shaws, which can be almost as expensive as Whole Foods when stuff you're buying isn't on sale. There are also a few Trader Joe's around, but they're not that easy to get to without a car.

is there a bus route or t stop route that goes from hls to either one of these places?

seems hard a bit long without a car or transport

There are bus routes that go to each (87 to Market Basket, 83 to Foodmaster), but neither one goes right by the law school so you'd have to transfer or walk a bit to the 83/87. It's about a 20 min walk to either from campus, but depending where you live it could definitely be shorter or easier from your apartment.

[Lovely Ludwig Van]

In general, how does everyone feel about this upcoming EIP? Are people optimistic that things will be better this year than last? Do most people plan on bidding "conservatively"?

[GeePee]

In general, how does everyone feel about this upcoming EIP? Are people optimistic that things will be better this year than last? Do most people plan on bidding "conservatively"?

I'm not sure things will be better this year than last. I think, for a majority of firms, things will stay about the same. But I've also heard some rumblings of firms (including "good" firms, like v10 firms) that are slow and struggling, and I wouldn't be surprised if some firms hired less.

I wouldn't expect hiring numbers to jump up at very many firms, though.

[ph14]

In general, how does everyone feel about this upcoming EIP? Are people optimistic that things will be better this year than last? Do most people plan on bidding "conservatively"?

I'm not sure things will be better this year than last. I think, for a majority of firms, things will stay about the same. But I've also heard some rumblings of firms (including "good" firms, like v10 firms) that are slow and struggling, and I wouldn't be surprised if some firms hired less.

I wouldn't expect hiring numbers to jump up at very many firms, though.

OCS has a powerpoint, and one of the slides indicates a very slight increase in number of SA slots available, but not a huge change from last year. That's probably the new normal for biglaw hiring.

[AllTheLawz]

In general, how does everyone feel about this upcoming EIP? Are people optimistic that things will be better this year than last? Do most people plan on bidding "conservatively"?

I'm not sure things will be better this year than last. I think, for a majority of firms, things will stay about the same. But I've also heard some rumblings of firms (including "good" firms, like v10 firms) that are slow and struggling, and I wouldn't be surprised if some firms hired less.

I wouldn't expect hiring numbers to jump up at very many firms, though.

OCS has a powerpoint, and one of the slides indicates a very slight increase in number of SA slots available, but not a huge change from last year. That's probably the new normal for biglaw hiring.

Yep.. every single partner, recruiter, legal staffing consultant, etc. I have spoken to says to expect basically the same as last year. I have heard from a few specific firms (ones I know of are in the V50-100 range) that they are having severe slowdowns in their corporate practices.