Harvard Student(s) Answering Your Questions Forum

[Nom Sawyer]

Hey! I need to apply for my cash advance and I am having trouble logging into helios (https://helios.law.harvard.edu/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f). When I tried to log into Helios, I got the response: "There was an error. Please contact the help desk." I just returned from travel overseas and am panicking because I cannot seem to remember the correct username and password. Is there any way I can retrieve my helios username or apply for a new username? Thank you so much!

Yes your helios username and password is your HLS Login. That's the login you use for your email address, so changing that one will change your helios login.

[Now]

Thank you!

[PKozi]

Hey! I need to apply for my cash advance and I am having trouble logging into helios (https://helios.law.harvard.edu/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f). When I tried to log into Helios, I got the response: "There was an error. Please contact the help desk." I just returned from travel overseas and am panicking because I cannot seem to remember the correct username and password. Is there any way I can retrieve my helios username or apply for a new username? Thank you so much!

If I'm not mistaken, the HELIOS username/password combo should be the same as your email login. (e.g., John Smith would use jsmith.jd15 and whatever password he chose)

[manofjustice]

Is Harvard worth sticker?

[englawyer]

Is Harvard worth sticker?

you would have a very good shot at biglaw and thus would be able to pay down debt. also, depending on your age, it might not actually turn out to be sticker. once you hit mid 20's your parents expected contribution will decrease and you may qualify for grant aid.

all of this depends on your alternatives. if you are talking about $$$ only and are considering leaving wall st, it might not be worth it as your salary would probably be the same or higher than biglaw in three years and you would have way more debt. on the other hand, if you are a starbucks barista, its probably well worth it.

assume sticker is 230k, and you want a 10 year repayment plan. your monthly payment will be roughly 2500 while your starting take home is around 8000, so very feasible to pay it off.

[Now]

Is Harvard worth sticker?

you would have a very good shot at biglaw and thus would be able to pay down debt. also, depending on your age, it might not actually turn out to be sticker. once you hit mid 20's your parents expected contribution will decrease and you may qualify for grant aid.

all of this depends on your alternatives. if you are talking about $$$ only and are considering leaving wall st, it might not be worth it as your salary would probably be the same or higher than biglaw in three years and you would have way more debt. on the other hand, if you are a starbucks barista, its probably well worth it.

assume sticker is 230k, and you want a 10 year repayment plan. your monthly payment will be roughly 2500 while your starting take home is around 8000, so very feasible to pay it off.

Even if you don't get biglaw, low income protection plan makes it worth it IMHO. you have the freedom to take any low paying full time job in the public sector and have hls help pay off your debt. the ability to venture outside of the legal field through LIPP was a major selling point to me.

[unc0mm0n1]

Is Harvard worth sticker?

I refused to go anywhere for sticker or anywhere near sticker. That's just the way I am though, I don't want to be shackled with debt and have to work in a particular field. But if there is a place I would have paid for it would have been Harvard. The opportunities I've had here, the experiences and the alumni network is second to none. I know Yale and Stanford are great law schools and the job opportunities are great as well but to be able to go to the Kennedy School or HBS or the special relationship Harvard has with Cambridge University, the international opportunities.... It was just the right place for me (not at sticker though).

[The Greyest Goose]

.

[Jambalaya]

Anyone know anything about these professors?

1) Legislation and Regulation with Mark Tushnet
2) Contracts with Todd Rakoff
3) Torts with Richard Lazarus
4) Civil Procedure with Thomas Lee (Visiting Professor)

[Confused7]

Hey! I need to apply for my cash advance and I am having trouble logging into helios (https://helios.law.harvard.edu/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f). When I tried to log into Helios, I got the response: "There was an error. Please contact the help desk." I just returned from travel overseas and am panicking because I cannot seem to remember the correct username and password. Is there any way I can retrieve my helios username or apply for a new username? Thank you so much!

I thought cash advance was an automatic process that SFS periodically reviews and gives out. Are you signing up for direct deposit? Just want to make sure I'm not missing an important step!

[AllTheLawz]

Is Harvard worth sticker?

I don't think any school is worth sticker. I am here at half price and I still question my decision to turn down full scholarships in the top 10. Biglaw is a very short career for most of us and tuition is insane. I am currently on track for $140-150K in debt at graduation and plan on getting it paid down in 5 years. That translates to about $2900/month. Perfectly feasible if I can hold on to biglaw for a significant amount of that time period. At $240K (sticker cost over 3 years, assuming no pay down) you are betting on having either a $150K+ income or a very low income for the entirety of the 10 year period and life after big law

[Lovely Ludwig Van]

Is Harvard worth sticker?

I don't think any school is worth sticker. I am here at half price and I still question my decision to turn down full scholarships in the top 10. Biglaw is a very short career for most of us and tuition is insane. I am currently on track for $140-150K in debt at graduation and plan on getting it paid down in 5 years. That translates to about $2900/month. Perfectly feasible if I can hold on to biglaw for a significant amount of that time period. At $240K (sticker cost over 3 years, assuming no pay down) you are betting on having either a $150K+ income or a very low income for the entirety of the 10 year period and life after big law

So you don't think Harvard is worth sticker even with LIPP?

[manofjustice]

Is Harvard worth sticker?

I don't think any school is worth sticker. I am here at half price and I still question my decision to turn down full scholarships in the top 10. Biglaw is a very short career for most of us and tuition is insane. I am currently on track for $140-150K in debt at graduation and plan on getting it paid down in 5 years. That translates to about $2900/month. Perfectly feasible if I can hold on to biglaw for a significant amount of that time period. At $240K (sticker cost over 3 years, assuming no pay down) you are betting on having either a $150K+ income or a very low income for the entirety of the 10 year period and life after big law

People at Harvard going sticker, do you worry about limited career choices? T10 with money would be great...do people turn down T10s with money to go to Harvard all the time?

[AllTheLawz]

Is Harvard worth sticker?

I don't think any school is worth sticker. I am here at half price and I still question my decision to turn down full scholarships in the top 10. Biglaw is a very short career for most of us and tuition is insane. I am currently on track for $140-150K in debt at graduation and plan on getting it paid down in 5 years. That translates to about $2900/month. Perfectly feasible if I can hold on to biglaw for a significant amount of that time period. At $240K (sticker cost over 3 years, assuming no pay down) you are betting on having either a $150K+ income or a very low income for the entirety of the 10 year period and life after big law

So you don't think Harvard is worth sticker even with LIPP?

If you are 100% certain you want to be on LIPP and have thought out all the implications of that decision then cost doesnt really matter. Hell, you could argue that HLS would be worth it at a cost of $10,000,000 if your effective cost is going to be zero anyway. At that point, your decision should be more dependent on the intricacies of the school's LRAP/LIPP program and whatever consequences for a higher actual debt load that creates.

People at Harvard going sticker, do you worry about limited career choices? T10 with money would be great...do people turn down T10s with money to go to Harvard all the time?

The debt does limit some options. For instance, if I got offered a job with a smaller but growing company at say $90K early on in my career it would be somewhat difficult to accept that job, service debt and still live comfortably. LIPP helps people take sub-$60K jobs but there is a $90K-$120K donut hole where LIPP doesnt help much, if at all, and it would be difficult to service a high debt load.

People turn down T10 with money all the time to attend HLS. I got offered full scholarships at multiple T10s and took Harvard at around half-price. Many others did the same.

[Doorkeeper]

Is Harvard worth sticker?

I don't think any school is worth sticker. I am here at half price and I still question my decision to turn down full scholarships in the top 10. Biglaw is a very short career for most of us and tuition is insane. I am currently on track for $140-150K in debt at graduation and plan on getting it paid down in 5 years. That translates to about $2900/month. Perfectly feasible if I can hold on to biglaw for a significant amount of that time period. At $240K (sticker cost over 3 years, assuming no pay down) you are betting on having either a $150K+ income or a very low income for the entirety of the 10 year period and life after big law

So you don't think Harvard is worth sticker even with LIPP?

Remember that not everyone qualifies for LIPP, even if you go into public service.

[delusional]

Is Harvard worth sticker?

I don't think any school is worth sticker. I am here at half price and I still question my decision to turn down full scholarships in the top 10. Biglaw is a very short career for most of us and tuition is insane. I am currently on track for $140-150K in debt at graduation and plan on getting it paid down in 5 years. That translates to about $2900/month. Perfectly feasible if I can hold on to biglaw for a significant amount of that time period. At $240K (sticker cost over 3 years, assuming no pay down) you are betting on having either a $150K+ income or a very low income for the entirety of the 10 year period and life after big law

So you don't think Harvard is worth sticker even with LIPP?

Remember that not everyone qualifies for LIPP, even if you go into public service.

Elaborate please

[Doorkeeper]

So you don't think Harvard is worth sticker even with LIPP?

Remember that not everyone qualifies for LIPP, even if you go into public service.

Elaborate please

You have to qualify for the program. A friend of mine going to Harvard with me found out the hard way. He looked at his loans that were eligible for LIPP, and it was $0. Now, his family had a house as an asset, which apparently really counts against you, but his family isn't bringing in a huge income (maybe under/around $100k per year).

If you went through the financial aid process already, this should've been spelled out in your aid/loan award.

I can't say I know too much more about the program. I would call Harvard's Financial Aid office if you have questions.

[delusional]

So you don't think Harvard is worth sticker even with LIPP?

Remember that not everyone qualifies for LIPP, even if you go into public service.

Elaborate please

You have to qualify for the program. A friend of mine going to Harvard with me found out the hard way. He looked at his loans that were eligible for LIPP, and it was $0. Now, his family had a house as an asset, which apparently really counts against you, but his family isn't bringing in a huge income (maybe under/around $100k per year).

If you went through the financial aid process already, this should've been spelled out in your aid/loan award.

I can't say I know too much more about the program. I would call Harvard's Financial Aid office if you have questions.

Yeah, OK. I have a certain amount that is not LIPP eligible, but if that's all you meant, I should be cool.

[Doorkeeper]

Remember that not everyone qualifies for LIPP, even if you go into public service.

Elaborate please

You have to qualify for the program. A friend of mine going to Harvard with me found out the hard way. He looked at his loans that were eligible for LIPP, and it was $0. Now, his family had a house as an asset, which apparently really counts against you, but his family isn't bringing in a huge income (maybe under/around $100k per year).

If you went through the financial aid process already, this should've been spelled out in your aid/loan award.

I can't say I know too much more about the program. I would call Harvard's Financial Aid office if you have questions.

Yeah, OK. I have a certain amount that is not LIPP eligible, but if that's all you meant, I should be cool.

Yea, that's all I meant. I just wanted to point out that you don't automatically qualify for LIPP.

[Lovely Ludwig Van]

So you don't think Harvard is worth sticker even with LIPP?

If you are 100% certain you want to be on LIPP and have thought out all the implications of that decision then cost doesnt really matter. Hell, you could argue that HLS would be worth it at a cost of $10,000,000 if your effective cost is going to be zero anyway. At that point, your decision should be more dependent on the intricacies of the school's LRAP/LIPP program and whatever consequences for a higher actual debt load that creates.

Yeah, my impression was that as long as you have a law-related job, no matter the income, you should be fine. So say you graduate with $150K in debt, work big law for 2-3 years, only get 1/3 of that paid down, and have to find another legal job. As long as you do find another legal job, even with significantly less pay, you can just enter LIPP and they'll have you covered. There isn't the 10-year consecutive requirement that other school's LRAPs hold you to where if you drop out of the program at some point before 10 years, all your loan payments are 'unforgiven.'

I don't see how there's any way you lose by attending HLS, no matter your debt level, unless you are one of the few people who fall between that no-man's-land of not making enough to comfortably make your loan payments but enough to not qualify for LIPP assistance.

[094320]

..

[wik557]

Is Harvard worth sticker?

I don't think any school is worth sticker. I am here at half price and I still question my decision to turn down full scholarships in the top 10. Biglaw is a very short career for most of us and tuition is insane. I am currently on track for $140-150K in debt at graduation and plan on getting it paid down in 5 years. That translates to about $2900/month. Perfectly feasible if I can hold on to biglaw for a significant amount of that time period. At $240K (sticker cost over 3 years, assuming no pay down) you are betting on having either a $150K+ income or a very low income for the entirety of the 10 year period and life after big law

So you don't think Harvard is worth sticker even with LIPP?

If you are 100% certain you want to be on LIPP and have thought out all the implications of that decision then cost doesnt really matter. Hell, you could argue that HLS would be worth it at a cost of $10,000,000 if your effective cost is going to be zero anyway. At that point, your decision should be more dependent on the intricacies of the school's LRAP/LIPP program and whatever consequences for a higher actual debt load that creates.

People at Harvard going sticker, do you worry about limited career choices? T10 with money would be great...do people turn down T10s with money to go to Harvard all the time?

The debt does limit some options. For instance, if I got offered a job with a smaller but growing company at say $90K early on in my career it would be somewhat difficult to accept that job, service debt and still live comfortably. LIPP helps people take sub-$60K jobs but there is a $90K-$120K donut hole where LIPP doesnt help much, if at all, and it would be difficult to service a high debt load.

People turn down T10 with money all the time to attend HLS. I got offered full scholarships at multiple T10s and took Harvard at around half-price. Many others did the same.

Seconded. I had full scholarships at multiple T10s, took Harvard at full price, and have never had any regrets about it. I had a much better experience at OCI than my friends at non-HYS schools did, and, had I not gone the big law route, I would have been happy with LIPP. You are right about the $90k-$120k gap, but everyone I've known here has been looking for a job either below or above that range anyway.

[Now]

Although the imputed "student contribution" for tuition isn't covered under LIPP, I'm pretty sure the vast majority of your loans for HLS should be covered. I was impressed with the wide range of jobs covered by LIPP--academia, Peace Corps, self-employment (depending on what you are doing), working for any non-profit, 5 years of a PHD program (after 2 years of loan deferral). I had to decide between SLS and HLS and the flexibility afforded by LIPP definitely factored heavily into my final decision.

If you discover you hate working as an attorney, LIPP will allow you to use your HLS degree to do so many other things.

[Doorkeeper]

I did a quick search of this thread and couldn't find anything, so I apologize if I'm repeating, but does anyone know a way to have your Harvard email automatically sent to Gmail, and for you to be able to respond via Gmail as your Harvard email?

[tomwatts]

If you discover you hate working as an attorney, LIPP will allow you to use your HLS degree to do so many other things.

Within reason. You still have to do something "law-related," though that seems to be defined somewhat broadly.