Harvard Student(s) Answering Your Questions Forum

TripTrip · Post by **TripTrip** » Tue May 12, 2015 9:53 am

heythatslife wrote:
antiworldly wrote:I've also got a Terry Terrace question: my wife will need a car for work, and there doesn't seem to be much parking near Terry Terrace. Has anyone lived there with a car, and if so, what did you do for parking?
Isn't the Law School garage (Everett St.) right across the street from Terry Terrace? You will have to pay extra, though. Someone who actually drives probably knows the exact regs/prices.

You can't park there overnight: http://www.transportation.harvard.edu/p ... -locations

malleus discentium · Post by **malleus discentium** » Tue May 12, 2015 9:54 am

antiworldly wrote:I've also got a Terry Terrace question: my wife will need a car for work, and there doesn't seem to be much parking near Terry Terrace. Has anyone lived there with a car, and if so, what did you do for parking?

A lot of students have parking spaces near the law school but don't use them. You may be able to find someone willing to sell it.

Mr. Elshal · Post by **Mr. Elshal** » Tue May 12, 2015 11:37 am

TripTrip wrote:
heythatslife wrote:
antiworldly wrote:I've also got a Terry Terrace question: my wife will need a car for work, and there doesn't seem to be much parking near Terry Terrace. Has anyone lived there with a car, and if so, what did you do for parking?
Isn't the Law School garage (Everett St.) right across the street from Terry Terrace? You will have to pay extra, though. Someone who actually drives probably knows the exact regs/prices.
You can't park there overnight: http://www.transportation.harvard.edu/p ... -locations

Despite what the website says, I've left a car there overnight and had no trouble. Never tried over a weekend, though, or for any extended period of time. I don't really think it's a viable option but it's not too bad for short term.

ETA: Find people in 1580 Mass. Ave. I noticed a lot of them have spaces but no cars

antiworldly · Post by **antiworldly** » Tue May 12, 2015 1:36 pm

Thanks for all the advice!

TripTrip · Post by **TripTrip** » Tue May 12, 2015 2:09 pm

Mr. Elshal wrote:
TripTrip wrote:
heythatslife wrote:
antiworldly wrote:I've also got a Terry Terrace question: my wife will need a car for work, and there doesn't seem to be much parking near Terry Terrace. Has anyone lived there with a car, and if so, what did you do for parking?
Isn't the Law School garage (Everett St.) right across the street from Terry Terrace? You will have to pay extra, though. Someone who actually drives probably knows the exact regs/prices.
You can't park there overnight: http://www.transportation.harvard.edu/p ... -locations
Despite what the website says, I've left a car there overnight and had no trouble. Never tried over a weekend, though, or for any extended period of time. I don't really think it's a viable option but it's not too bad for short term.

ETA: Find people in 1580 Mass. Ave. I noticed a lot of them have spaces but no cars

I know they don't actually care about occasional overnight parking, but you couldn't park there all year.

Orion311 · Post by **Orion311** » Tue May 12, 2015 4:21 pm

If someone wanted to look through supplements/hornbooks over their 0L summer, are there any recommendations for Harvard students? I know Civ Pro happens in fall semester, so maybe the latest E&E for that?

I know there's a ton of info on supplements around the internet, but I'm wondering about Harvard student's opinions in particular - sorry if that doesn't really make a difference!

nothingtosee · Post by **nothingtosee** » Tue May 12, 2015 5:05 pm

Orion311 wrote:If someone wanted to look through supplements/hornbooks over their 0L summer, are there any recommendations for Harvard students? I know Civ Pro happens in fall semester, so maybe the latest E&E for that?

I know there's a ton of info on supplements around the internet, but I'm wondering about Harvard student's opinions in particular - sorry if that doesn't really make a difference!

There's just not a way this will help you.
1. Your prof might teach the material differently from the supplement
2. Your prof might not teach that material at all (this prof doesn't do issue preclusion, that prof doesn't do Erie, the other prof doesn't touch the Coates formula)
3. Supplements are meant to be reference materials, not meant to be read through straight
4. What you think is important now probably won't be what you focus on after you have some classes
5. ENJOY YOUR SUMMER

[Seriously, I am convinced it won't help. I guess if you want to really be on top of your game, read through some of these: http://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/vie ... ontext=mlr ]

eta: actually, reading through some of these could be useful as lenses to apply to what you hear in class

Single-Malt-Liquor · Post by **Single-Malt-Liquor** » Tue May 12, 2015 5:55 pm

3. Supplements are meant to be reference materials, not meant to be read through straight

...until 2L, at that point supplements might even replace your casebook.

But for srs, as a 1L, reading a supplement beforehand is like reading a cookbook before your first year of cooking school. Learning how to make the perfect steak is great...unless your prof is vegan.

While there are many problems with that analogy, I still stand by its overall point.

whosinthehousejc · Post by **whosinthehousejc** » Tue May 12, 2015 5:57 pm

As an incoming HLS student with 4 years WE as a freelance journalist, how hard do y'all think it might be to be accepted into the JD/MBA program? Is the bar lower for HLS JD students than for the average applicant?

Orion311 · Post by **Orion311** » Tue May 12, 2015 6:04 pm

Cool, thanks for the replies! I guess I'll just chill out for the summer.

tomwatts · Post by **tomwatts** » Tue May 12, 2015 9:18 pm

On the 0L reading thing, it's probably true that anything that you do before school starts won't help you on your 1L exams. However, I felt pretty disoriented during the first few weeks of 1L because I had wanted to get some basic background in, like, what law is before I started law school and decided, upon reading TLS, that I shouldn't. In hindsight, I would have been more comfortable had I ignored TLS on this — though, and I want to stress this, it would not have made any difference on my exams.

So if you really want to buy Glannon and read about Civ Pro before school starts, go ahead. You probably won't understand 50% of it, and you'll have to re-read it during the semester anyway, and it probably won't make any difference come exam time, but it might make the first couple of weeks a little less confusing. (Or possibly more confusing, but perhaps more confusing in a productive way — the prof is presenting something in a way that is not at all like the black-letter treatment in Glannon, which tells you something about what the prof cares about.)

And no, it makes absolutely zero difference whatsoever whether you're talking about HLS or some other law school. The above applies everywhere. And yes, I know that TLS conventional wisdom is that you shouldn't do anything during your 0L summer. If you'd prefer that, by all means. It won't make any difference in the long run.

whosinthehousejc wrote:As an incoming HLS student with 4 years WE as a freelance journalist, how hard do y'all think it might be to be accepted into the JD/MBA program? Is the bar lower for HLS JD students than for the average applicant?

Being accepted into the HLS JD program is a useful credential for the HBS MBA program — it does count in your favor — but it's not a sure thing by any means.

I'm genuinely curious: what do you want to do with a JD/MBA? Freelance journalism isn't exactly the usual profession feeding into that joint degree.

HorseThief · Post by **HorseThief** » Tue May 12, 2015 9:49 pm

tomwatts wrote:On the 0L reading thing, it's probably true that anything that you do before school starts won't help you on your 1L exams. However, I felt pretty disoriented during the first few weeks of 1L because I had wanted to get some basic background in, like, what law is before I started law school and decided, upon reading TLS, that I shouldn't. In hindsight, I would have been more comfortable had I ignored TLS on this — though, and I want to stress this, it would not have made any difference on my exams.

So if you really want to buy Glannon and read about Civ Pro before school starts, go ahead. You probably won't understand 50% of it, and you'll have to re-read it during the semester anyway, and it probably won't make any difference come exam time, but it might make the first couple of weeks a little less confusing. (Or possibly more confusing, but perhaps more confusing in a productive way — the prof is presenting something in a way that is not at all like the black-letter treatment in Glannon, which tells you something about what the prof cares about.)

And no, it makes absolutely zero difference whatsoever whether you're talking about HLS or some other law school. The above applies everywhere. And yes, I know that TLS conventional wisdom is that you shouldn't do anything during your 0L summer. If you'd prefer that, by all means. It won't make any difference in the long run.

+1. I might not read Glannon, but as someone with no poli sci or law background, I wish I had read something to teach me that fed courts are not the same thing as state courts.

lawlorbust · Post by **lawlorbust** » Tue May 12, 2015 9:57 pm

TripTrip · Post by **TripTrip** » Tue May 12, 2015 11:01 pm

Annnnnd just to give the TLS conventional wisdom side on this topic, to even it out: I was super confused during the first few weeks of 1L. But if I could go back, I still wouldn't read anything.

delusional · Post by **delusional** » Wed May 13, 2015 1:50 pm

nothingtosee wrote:
Orion311 wrote:If someone wanted to look through supplements/hornbooks over their 0L summer, are there any recommendations for Harvard students? I know Civ Pro happens in fall semester, so maybe the latest E&E for that?

I know there's a ton of info on supplements around the internet, but I'm wondering about Harvard student's opinions in particular - sorry if that doesn't really make a difference!
There's just not a way this will help you.
1. Your prof might teach the material differently from the supplement
2. Your prof might not teach that material at all (this prof doesn't do issue preclusion, that prof doesn't do Erie, the other prof doesn't touch the Coates formula)
3. Supplements are meant to be reference materials, not meant to be read through straight
4. What you think is important now probably won't be what you focus on after you have some classes
5. ENJOY YOUR SUMMER

[Seriously, I am convinced it won't help. I guess if you want to really be on top of your game, read through some of these: http://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/vie ... ontext=mlr ]

eta: actually, reading through some of these could be useful as lenses to apply to what you hear in class

I don't disagree that people should chill their last summer before school but WRT Civ Pro especially, it would absolutely be helpful to learn something about it beforehand. Many 1Ls don't even know the difference between federal and state laws and courts. Not every professor is going to focus on Erie or Issue Preclusion or the CAFA but every single professor will focus on diversity, removal, federal question, etc. If you can get a user-friendly (i.e. not legalese) guide to those things, you will definitely find it easier the first few weeks.

wonka · Post by **wonka** » Wed May 13, 2015 1:52 pm

Post removed.

HorseThief · Post by **HorseThief** » Wed May 13, 2015 2:04 pm

mwonka wrote:This is looking ahead, but anyone know how difficult it is to get the Negotiation workshop for a 1L elective?

After ASW I'd love to take it 1L, but it seems like it may be tough to get?

It's not terribly difficult (compared to getting in as a 2L/3L). You need to submit an application to get in as a 1L, so I suppose you could do something interesting over summer if you're worried.

antiworldly · Post by **antiworldly** » Wed May 13, 2015 2:20 pm

I'm looking at banks in the cambridge area. Does anyone have any experience with the local banks, either positive or negative, they'd like to share?

wonka · Post by **wonka** » Wed May 13, 2015 2:24 pm

Post removed.

malleus discentium · Post by **malleus discentium** » Wed May 13, 2015 2:26 pm

antiworldly wrote:I'm looking at banks in the cambridge area. Does anyone have any experience with the local banks, either positive or negative, they'd like to share?

I got a packet mailed to me from the post office when I changed my address that had a promotional offer from Citizens Bank that gave you $250 if you opened an account with them. I had already thrown all my eggs in the Bank of America basket, but I opened the account anyway for the money and I'll close it at some point. I have no idea if this promotion is still available.

jingosaur · Post by **jingosaur** » Wed May 13, 2015 2:29 pm

mwonka wrote:
HorseThief wrote:
mwonka wrote:This is looking ahead, but anyone know how difficult it is to get the Negotiation workshop for a 1L elective?

After ASW I'd love to take it 1L, but it seems like it may be tough to get?
It's not terribly difficult (compared to getting in as a 2L/3L). You need to submit an application to get in as a 1L, so I suppose you could do something interesting over summer if you're worried.
I already have a nice summer planned out and am not too interested in doing anything drastic to improve my odds, but do you have any idea what the application actually entails? Or what would even be helpful in that respect? Thanks!

From what I remember, you have to write an essay about why you want to do the workshop and more specifically why you need to do it as a 1L. It's really not that difficult to get in, but there are always a few people each year who want it but don't get it. You also don't have to use a bid when bidding for a spring elective so it's really easy to have a back-up option lined up.

Nonconsecutive · Post by **Nonconsecutive** » Wed May 13, 2015 2:29 pm

antiworldly wrote:I'm looking at banks in the cambridge area. Does anyone have any experience with the local banks, either positive or negative, they'd like to share?

As mentioned throughout this thread, a lot of people favor Bank of America. I decided to just stick with Capital One and haven't had any issues. There are ATMs near me that I can withdraw from for free, I deposit checks via my phone and I get lots of free coffee from Pete's. That said, if having a brick-and-mortar place is important for you, CO is definitely out.

jingosaur · Post by **jingosaur** » Wed May 13, 2015 2:34 pm

Nonconsecutive wrote:
antiworldly wrote:I'm looking at banks in the cambridge area. Does anyone have any experience with the local banks, either positive or negative, they'd like to share?
As mentioned throughout this thread, a lot of people favor Bank of America. I decided to just stick with Capital One and haven't had any issues. There are ATMs near me that I can withdraw from for free, I deposit checks via my phone and I get lots of free coffee from Pete's. That said, if having a brick-and-mortar place is important for you, CO is definitely out.

You could also get an account with a branchless bank like Ally that reimburses your ATM fees.

Mr. Elshal · Post by **Mr. Elshal** » Wed May 13, 2015 5:24 pm

antiworldly wrote:I'm looking at banks in the cambridge area. Does anyone have any experience with the local banks, either positive or negative, they'd like to share?

I really like TD Bank. There's one just south of Harvard Yard and I have an account with them that, if it has above a certain daily balance, they'll cover all fees for using other ATMs. So I use the BoA ATM in HLS indiscriminately and have no fees to pay for it. I also like their customer service although, if you want more options (particularly with regards to more sophisticated offerings) they might not have them. For basic checking and saving, I'd recommend them.

morimoto1991 · Post by **morimoto1991** » Thu May 14, 2015 8:16 am

hi guys!

i currently have an AT&T phone and was wondering how it is on campus. in particular i'll be living in gropius during 1L...are there any problems with reception? i have a contract expiring soon and would like to know. thanks!