Harvard Student(s) Answering Your Questions Forum

[brownpride]

0L here choosing between Gropius and North. A couple of questions:
- Is Gropius as shitty as they say it is? I want as cheap as possible, but are the tiny/cheapest rooms terrible?
- Are the Gropius dorms loud, with a lot of partying? I prefer a quiet atmosphere where I can work and sleep without much noise.
- How are the Gropius bathrooms?
- How far of a walk is North from the law school campus?

Thanks.

[ph14]

0L here choosing between Gropius and North. A couple of questions:
- Is Gropius as shitty as they say it is? I want as cheap as possible, but are the tiny/cheapest rooms terrible?
- Are the Gropius dorms loud, with a lot of partying? I prefer a quiet atmosphere where I can work and sleep without much noise.
- How are the Gropius bathrooms?
- How far of a walk is North from the law school campus?

Thanks.

I would pick North. The walk is not far, a few blocks, maybe 5 minutes north of campus.

[BelugaWhale]

0L here choosing between Gropius and North. A couple of questions:
- Is Gropius as shitty as they say it is? I want as cheap as possible, but are the tiny/cheapest rooms terrible?
- Are the Gropius dorms loud, with a lot of partying? I prefer a quiet atmosphere where I can work and sleep without much noise.
- How are the Gropius bathrooms?
- How far of a walk is North from the law school campus?

Thanks.

I would pick North. The walk is not far, a few blocks, maybe 5 minutes north of campus.

If youre gonna go for North might as well try to get an apartment (either HLS Terry terrace or garden st) or 1600 Mass ave right across the street.

A little shorter and probably around the same cost. Most of the HLS apartments go for around 1100 per person with all utlities included. I think thats in the range of North.

[tomwatts]

0L here choosing between Gropius and North. A couple of questions:
- Is Gropius as shitty as they say it is? I want as cheap as possible, but are the tiny/cheapest rooms terrible?
- Are the Gropius dorms loud, with a lot of partying? I prefer a quiet atmosphere where I can work and sleep without much noise.
- How are the Gropius bathrooms?
- How far of a walk is North from the law school campus?

Thanks.

You can find a lot of this on the last couple of pages.

The first question is absolutely impossible to answer without knowing what you're looking for. I love my room in Gropius. It's pretty small, but it fits my computer, my books, and my clothes. I don't have tons of stuff; I moved cross-country to get here. There's no peeling paint or bugs or anything. The desk is a little scratched up, but it's perfectly serviceable. They refurbished half of Gropius last year and are refurbishing the other half (the part that I live in) this year, so the rooms will probably look better next year than my room does.

If you're next to a lounge, the Gropius dorms can be loud, but otherwise usually not. And I mean literally next to it; if you're down the hall, you can hear some but not very much unless something really loud is going on, and there are quiet hours, so you can shut people up if it's too loud at night. This is not usually a problem. Also, some lounges are much busier than others; Ames 1 tends to be a main gathering place. I'm on Ames 4, and I never hear much of any lounge noise from our floor, though that may vary from year to year. If you're on a floor without a lounge (Dane 1 and 2, Holmes 2 and 3), it's pretty quiet unless something unusual is going on or unless the person next to you is particularly loud (and again, you can remind people of quiet hours if necessary).

The bathrooms are dorm bathrooms. The janitorial staff cleans them every day, so they're in pretty good shape. So think of well maintained dorm bathrooms, and you've got the picture.

North is not far from campus. It's a couple of blocks.

Law dorms are, in general, tamer than undergrad dorms.

[Yukos]

Law dorms are, in general, tamer than undergrad dorms.

[bernaldiaz]

With regards to housing, would you guys rather live in a nice condo half a mile to a mile from the law school or live in the student housing and have the conveniences that offers?

[ph14]

With regards to housing, would you guys rather live in a nice condo half a mile to a mile from the law school or live in the student housing and have the conveniences that offers?

Nice condo.

[bernaldiaz]

With regards to housing, would you guys rather live in a nice condo half a mile to a mile from the law school or live in the student housing and have the conveniences that offers?

Nice condo.

Even as a 1L? You don't think you'd feel like you were missing something?

[094320]

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[bernaldiaz]

With regards to housing, would you guys rather live in a nice condo half a mile to a mile from the law school or live in the student housing and have the conveniences that offers?

Neither. It's cold and I'd prefer to live closeby, and I'm pretty tired of dorm life. It's nice to have my own kitchen and my own fridge and I eat more healthily that way. I opted for nearby apartment. In response to your second question, I don't really understand what one could possibly be "missing" that you're referring to. Sure, you probably meet more people outside your section more easily in the dorms, but if you're social, then you're social, and if you're antisocial, you can still just hole up in your room.

Great points. Are there a lot of options close to the law school? How much do people who don't live in campus housing usually spend?

[englawyer]

With regards to housing, would you guys rather live in a nice condo half a mile to a mile from the law school or live in the student housing and have the conveniences that offers?

Neither. It's cold and I'd prefer to live closeby, and I'm pretty tired of dorm life. It's nice to have my own kitchen and my own fridge and I eat more healthily that way. I opted for nearby apartment. In response to your second question, I don't really understand what one could possibly be "missing" that you're referring to. Sure, you probably meet more people outside your section more easily in the dorms, but if you're social, then you're social, and if you're antisocial, you can still just hole up in your room.

in defense of dorms:

(1) lower cost. as low as $700/mo depending on what you can tolerate vs $1000-2000 off-campus (depending on roommates and quality). The off campus places right near campus are like $1500 for a 1BR.

(2) no subletting and moving. dont need to worry about buying furniture or finding someone to creepily live in your place over the summer.

(3) roll out of bed factor. you can literally walk to classes w/o a jacket on and its super close.

(4) heat. new england heating costs can get out of control, and when you are off-campus there is a bit of financial pressure to keep the heat as low as you can tolerate to avoid excessive heating bills. heat is included in the cost of the dorm and you can thus remain quite comfortable.

that said, the rooms are TINY and its remarkably hard to eat. grocery stores are kinda far away (porter sq or maybe beacon star market) and the off-campus selection in immediate proximity is limited. however, there are free lunches on campus almost every day so you can live that way.

I would also point out that the quality of life in the dorm varies pretty strongly with your room's location. if you are right near a kitchen, you are more likely to actually use it for cooking and whatnot; the walk down the hall can be annoying. same thing for bathroom.

i'd also add that certain rooms (ie facing wasserstein) have more ambient noise than others. so the value you get for your dorm room can change quite a bit. I am not sure how room select for 1L's works, but you might want to hold off a decision until you see what room you would get.

[Yukos]

Does the increased class size make it more difficult to make law review (flagship journal) than it would be at SLS/YLS. Obviously not assuming I would make it anywhere, just wondering how that works.

[ph14]

Does the increased class size make it more difficult to make law review (flagship journal) than it would be at SLS/YLS. Obviously not assuming I would make it anywhere, just wondering how that works.

Yes, undoubtedly.

[Doorkeeper]

Does the increased class size make it more difficult to make law review (flagship journal) than it would be at SLS/YLS. Obviously not assuming I would make it anywhere, just wondering how that works.

Yes, undoubtedly.

This is probably, in my 1L opinion, the biggest drawback to H in relation to S (unless you want CA biglaw or something really narrow). At Stanford you have 25% of the total class getting on law review, and many students self-select out anyway, so the number is higher. At Harvard it's like 8% of the total class size (and I don't know how many self-select out).

[thelawschoolproject]

Does the increased class size make it more difficult to make law review (flagship journal) than it would be at SLS/YLS. Obviously not assuming I would make it anywhere, just wondering how that works.

Yes, undoubtedly.

This is probably, in my 1L opinion, the biggest drawback to H in relation to S (unless you want CA biglaw or something really narrow). At Stanford you have 25% of the total class getting on law review, and many students self-select out anyway, so the number is higher. At Harvard it's like 8% of the total class size (and I don't know how many self-select out).

Supposedly 220-260 1Ls end up completing the law review competition (more pick up the packet but don't turn it in), and there are 44 spots. So...yeah.

[ph14]

Does the increased class size make it more difficult to make law review (flagship journal) than it would be at SLS/YLS. Obviously not assuming I would make it anywhere, just wondering how that works.

Yes, undoubtedly.

This is probably, in my 1L opinion, the biggest drawback to H in relation to S (unless you want CA biglaw or something really narrow). At Stanford you have 25% of the total class getting on law review, and many students self-select out anyway, so the number is higher. At Harvard it's like 8% of the total class size (and I don't know how many self-select out).

Supposedly 220-260 1Ls end up completing the law review competition (more pick up the packet but don't turn it in), and there are 44 spots. So...yeah.

46 slots for current 1Ls now (plus deferrals but that evens out year to year).

[Yukos]

Thanks for all the responses, really helpful. As someone who plans on gunning for a COA clerkship (until I get back straight Ps 1L) this is actually something for me to consider.

[ph14]

Thanks for all the responses, really helpful. As someone who plans on gunning for a COA clerkship (until I get back straight Ps 1L) this is actually something for me to consider.

It's something to consider, but just think about how much you want to weigh it. Plenty of HLS people (the majority, I would assume) of people who get CoA clerkships are not on HLR. Also, HYS each have different write-ons and different grade-on structures.

[Yukos]

Thanks for all the responses, really helpful. As someone who plans on gunning for a COA clerkship (until I get back straight Ps 1L) this is actually something for me to consider.

It's something to consider, but just think about how much you want to weigh it. Plenty of HLS people (the majority, I would assume) of people who get CoA clerkships are not on HLR. Also, HYS each have different write-ons and different grade-on structures.

True dat. Thanks a bunch.

[brownpride]

Another question about housing: If you live in the Gropius dorms, are you allowed to keep a mini fridge in your room?

[thelawschoolproject]

Another question about housing: If you live in the Gropius dorms, are you allowed to keep a mini fridge in your room?

Yes.

[brownpride]

Another question about housing: If you live in the Gropius dorms, are you allowed to keep a mini fridge in your room?

Yes.

Thank you!

[az21833]

what do students use to find off campus housing?

[094320]

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[19871987]

Does anyone know how heavily grades are weighed (versus writing competition) in determining law review selection? i.e. is it the kind of thing where you probably shouldn't waste your time doing the competition if you got any P's fall semester?