Harvard Student(s) Answering Your Questions Forum

[delusional]

I'm not sure if this was asked. (I couldn't find an answer by searching this thread.)

Do you enjoy law school generally? Is the general feeling somewhat like being in college? (but of course with more intense exams)

Is there a lot of homework? Are they important or is grading just about exams?

I enjoy it, but I think that it depends what you were doing before. IMHO it is much more constant and intense than college. You can't just take a day off. You can't just cram at the end of the semester/when project is due. You need to do the homework just to understand what is going on in class, and even then you might not understand it until you review it. It's not just that the exams are more intense, but that they are everything, and that they are curved, and that they cover not only what you learned, but the context in which you learned it.

[roranoa]

I'm not sure if this was asked. (I couldn't find an answer by searching this thread.)

Do you enjoy law school generally? Is the general feeling somewhat like being in college? (but of course with more intense exams)

Is there a lot of homework? Are they important or is grading just about exams?

I enjoy it, but I think that it depends what you were doing before. IMHO it is much more constant and intense than college. You can't just take a day off. You can't just cram at the end of the semester/when project is due. You need to do the homework just to understand what is going on in class, and even then you might not understand it until you review it. It's not just that the exams are more intense, but that they are everything, and that they are curved, and that they cover not only what you learned, but the context in which you learned it.

Thanks for the response. But what do you mean by " it depends what you were doing before"?

[delusional]

I'm not sure if this was asked. (I couldn't find an answer by searching this thread.)

Do you enjoy law school generally? Is the general feeling somewhat like being in college? (but of course with more intense exams)

Is there a lot of homework? Are they important or is grading just about exams?

I enjoy it, but I think that it depends what you were doing before. IMHO it is much more constant and intense than college. You can't just take a day off. You can't just cram at the end of the semester/when project is due. You need to do the homework just to understand what is going on in class, and even then you might not understand it until you review it. It's not just that the exams are more intense, but that they are everything, and that they are curved, and that they cover not only what you learned, but the context in which you learned it.

Thanks for the response. But what do you mean by " it depends what you were doing before"?

It is very different if you were working 16 hour shifts in a hot kitchen to barely pay the rent, or if you were working on one last paper for a year on your own schedule while living at home with your very permissive parents.

[094320]

..

[tomwatts]

It reminds me a lot of my math and science classes in undergrad, but without the problem sets that (in principle are supposed to) help you understand the material as you go along. You learn topics and are tested on applications in big exams at the end. This was very different from the classes in the humanities that I took in undergrad. I think a good rule of thumb is that if you took classes in undergrad that had problem sets, you'll find law school somewhat familiar (once you get past the initial "what the hell is this?" that I think everyone goes through for the first month of law school — I think at this point I could explain in about half an hour what you need to understand about how law works in order to understand what you're learning from the beginning of law school, but I don't think anyone ever quite does this).

I do find it strange how differently everyone goes about studying. I assiduously read every case, took notes on each one, copied down every major point my professors made in class, and didn't look at past exams or hornbooks until the week before exams. I had friends who stopped reading the cases and started reading supplements/hornbooks and working through previous exams in October; these were typically the same friends whose attendance in class became spotty and who were on Facebook or working on their memos during class as much as not. Somehow I expected to have a better understanding of everything than they did, but it doesn't quite work out that way. We ended up being about equal. This does mean, though, that people's experiences of the first semester vary widely, in terms of what they're actually doing.

Regardless, I enjoyed first semester a lot.

[ben4847]

Anyone know when grades come out?

[roranoa]

I'm not sure if this was asked. (I couldn't find an answer by searching this thread.)

Do you enjoy law school generally? Is the general feeling somewhat like being in college? (but of course with more intense exams)

Is there a lot of homework? Are they important or is grading just about exams?

I enjoy it, but I think that it depends what you were doing before. IMHO it is much more constant and intense than college. You can't just take a day off. You can't just cram at the end of the semester/when project is due. You need to do the homework just to understand what is going on in class, and even then you might not understand it until you review it. It's not just that the exams are more intense, but that they are everything, and that they are curved, and that they cover not only what you learned, but the context in which you learned it.

Thanks for the response. But what do you mean by " it depends what you were doing before"?

It is very different if you were working 16 hour shifts in a hot kitchen to barely pay the rent, or if you were working on one last paper for a year on your own schedule while living at home with your very permissive parents.

This is a silly question but, so, do you mean that one would enjoy law school more if one had a more intense/busy experience before matriculating? (like the former example?)

I heard that people who used to work before going to law school enjoy the new academic environment more than those who come straight from undergrad or graduate school so...

[094320]

..

[kulshan]

Okay, this is a dumb question, but you all have been really helpful. Will I have to worry about cockroaches in Cambridge/Boston? I've never lived in a big, old city, so I'm not really sure what to except.

edit: For that matter, tell me what I need to know about living on the East Coast. I'm a Kansas girl. I went to DC/NYC once on a Girl Scout trip, and that's about it. Yes, I'm a stereotype.

[delusional]

Okay, this is a dumb question, but you all have been really helpful. Will I have to worry about cockroaches in Cambridge/Boston? I've never lived in a big, old city, so I'm not really sure what to except.

I did not have problems with cockroaches, but I did have problems with mice, as did some classmates. I suspect that it's worst in the fall, since many apartments have been vacant and mice are looking for a warm place before the weather gets cold. I got traps and "hypersonic transmitters" or something, and after I caught a couple mice, I have not seen any in two months.

[kulshan]

Okay, this is a dumb question, but you all have been really helpful. Will I have to worry about cockroaches in Cambridge/Boston? I've never lived in a big, old city, so I'm not really sure what to except.

I did not have problems with cockroaches, but I did have problems with mice, as did some classmates. I suspect that it's worst in the fall, since many apartments have been vacant and mice are looking for a warm place before the weather gets cold. I got traps and "hypersonic transmitters" or something, and after I caught a couple mice, I have not seen any in two months.

Okay, cool. Mice would be bearable.

[splbagel]

Okay, this is a dumb question, but you all have been really helpful. Will I have to worry about cockroaches in Cambridge/Boston? I've never lived in a big, old city, so I'm not really sure what to except.

I did not have problems with cockroaches, but I did have problems with mice, as did some classmates. I suspect that it's worst in the fall, since many apartments have been vacant and mice are looking for a warm place before the weather gets cold. I got traps and "hypersonic transmitters" or something, and after I caught a couple mice, I have not seen any in two months.

Okay, cool. Mice would be bearable.

I've never dealt with mice so perhaps this is an extraordinarily dumb question but... having a cat would pretty much make this a non-issue, right? Or am I going to come home to a mouse on my pillow as an offering?

[094320]

..

[englawyer]

Okay, this is a dumb question, but you all have been really helpful. Will I have to worry about cockroaches in Cambridge/Boston? I've never lived in a big, old city, so I'm not really sure what to except.

edit: For that matter, tell me what I need to know about living on the East Coast. I'm a Kansas girl. I went to DC/NYC once on a Girl Scout trip, and that's about it. Yes, I'm a stereotype.

buy a good winter jacket

[kulshan]

Okay, this is a dumb question, but you all have been really helpful. Will I have to worry about cockroaches in Cambridge/Boston? I've never lived in a big, old city, so I'm not really sure what to except.

edit: For that matter, tell me what I need to know about living on the East Coast. I'm a Kansas girl. I went to DC/NYC once on a Girl Scout trip, and that's about it. Yes, I'm a stereotype.

buy a good winter jacket

Ha, thanks. It gets pretty cold in Kansas (and Colorado, where I am now), so I should be set.

I had a huge mouse infestation problem that ruined my life during finals(it didn't impact my exams or anything, but I'm sure the stress shortened my lifespan). We're talking mouse poop in my sheets, *all over* my frying pan, etc. I'd gladly go through the stress of finals again rather than deal with my mouse problem.

My apt. doesn't allow pets.

Yikes, that's messed up.

[roranoa]

This is something I noticed in other threads and people talking.
Why do you guys call dating in law school "incest"?
How is it different from dating someone in your class or social club when you were in undergrad?

[094320]

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[tomwatts]

I'm told that most sections end up with a couple who get married. Intrasection dating is (apparently) common, as (I assume) is intersection dating.

A fair number of students (I can name maybe four or five in my section off the top of my head) come into law school already married, though. (Usually not to a fellow law student.)

[englawyer]

This is something I noticed in other threads and people talking.
Why do you guys call dating in law school "incest"?
How is it different from dating someone in your class or social club when you were in undergrad?

A sizable minority of people are either married/in serious relationships (guesstimating 45%). And most of those relationships are with non-law students...there aren't many LS/LS relationships. Dating someone in your section is acceptable but somewhat rare in my experience (maybe 3-4 couples in the section).

[Curious1]

Not sure if this has been asked already, but I had some questions about the dorms. Basically, is it "worth it" to pay the extra money for Hastings or north (or even a bigger room in Gropius)?

[ignatiusr]

Anybody play/know people who play HLS-specific intramural sports? I'm interested in basketball and tennis. I found websites for both sports, but the basketball site stopped updating last spring, and the tennis page hasn't been updated since 2005. I'm wondering if these leagues even exist anymore.

[tomwatts]

Not sure if this has been asked already, but I had some questions about the dorms. Basically, is it "worth it" to pay the extra money for Hastings or north (or even a bigger room in Gropius)?

If you want suites, rather than regular dorm singles, then it's worth it to pay for Hastings. If you want your own bathroom and a somewhat quieter, less social environment, it's worth it to pay for North. If you want extra space, grab one of the bigger rooms in Gropius (somewhat hard to do; there aren't many). I quite like my small room in Gropius, though. It just depends on what you want.

Anybody play/know people who play HLS-specific intramural sports? I'm interested in basketball and tennis. I found websites for both sports, but the basketball site stopped updating last spring, and the tennis page hasn't been updated since 2005. I'm wondering if these leagues even exist anymore.

I know a few people who play intramural soccer, and a bunch of people who play various pickup sports (including lots of basketball). Not sure about intramural basketball and tennis specifically, though.

I was generally surprised at how fit everyone at the school stays. I've been studying too much to get a great deal of formal exercise, but a lot of people in my dorm go to the gym often, play sports, or otherwise keep active. Makes me feel like a slob.

[roranoa]

I here that there's a lot of socially awkward people at law school. Is it the same at Harvard? In what way are these people awkward? I've known some people who were, so to speak, "shy" in college but what do you law school students mean when you say someone is socially awkward?

[094320]

..

[roranoa]

I here that there's a lot of socially awkward people at law school. Is it the same at Harvard? In what way are these people awkward? I've known some people who were, so to speak, "shy" in college but what do you law school students mean when you say someone is socially awkward?

You've never interacted with a socially awkward person before? Ever?

I don't really know how to describe it--I view it as a "I know it when I see it" thing. It really depends I think on personal tastes though. I don't mind social awkwardness. I find there to be something nicely genuine about it. I'm sure we have an average share compared to other law schools.

Ha ha, maybe I have but I didn't realize it. Maybe those people I didn't like in the past were the ones that people normally label "socially awkward"

But usually when I look at people I really don't care what they are like as long as they don't insult me or anything. I'm pretty tolerant with "weird" people.

I'm just asking if I might fit into a certain category where it is considered to be socially awkward.