Harvard Student(s) Answering Your Questions Forum

[concurrent fork]

So it looks like I'm going to have to commute to Harvard. Living 10 minutes from campus is just not going to be realistic. What time limit would you put on a commute for 1L? 30 minutes? 40 minutes? How much is this going to affect my studies and being part of the Harvard culture?

FWIW, the redline is fast/frequent enough that anyone who lives near a red line stop will get to Harvard in < 30 min (unless you are extremely far south in Quincy or something). A transfer from the green line, however, will probably put you at or above 30 mins depending on which stop you're coming from. I agree with the above poster that said 30 mins is fine but should be your limit.

[splbagel]

How about commuting by bus? At ASW, 1L's and the housing folks basically said nobody lives in Arlington or Allston, that the bus (77?) would be unreliable and too much of a pain, and that I'd have no social life if I lived that far out. But the price is looking so tempting to me -- walking two miles or a 20 minute bus ride seems like no big deal if we can get a 1BR for $1200 instead of $1800.

[094320]

..

[concurrent fork]

How about commuting by bus? At ASW, 1L's and the housing folks basically said nobody lives in Arlington or Allston, that the bus (77?) would be unreliable and too much of a pain, and that I'd have no social life if I lived that far out. But the price is looking so tempting to me -- walking two miles or a 20 minute bus ride seems like no big deal if we can get a 1BR for $1200 instead of $1800.

I know people that commute by bus (granted, not 1Ls) and it seems to work out for them. Reliability will really depend on the time of day (even that part of Mass Ave is really congested from like 5-8pm). I can definitely see it being a pain getting to social events on days when you don't have class/late at night, but that's the price you pay for saving on rent.

Also, I don't recommend living in Allston unless you can crush beers on your forehead and you have a cat that eats cockroaches.

[sea15]

I stayed with a friend in Brighton for ASW. 10 minute bus ride on the 86. Easy peasy and a cute, quiet area. I am looking in the Medford/Melrose area. My husband is getting a job in topsfield, so he can drive up 95 and I can take the bus in to school. Much much cheaper than Cambridge or Somerville!!!

[kulshan]

How about commuting by bus? At ASW, 1L's and the housing folks basically said nobody lives in Arlington or Allston, that the bus (77?) would be unreliable and too much of a pain, and that I'd have no social life if I lived that far out. But the price is looking so tempting to me -- walking two miles or a 20 minute bus ride seems like no big deal if we can get a 1BR for $1200 instead of $1800.

I know people that commute by bus (granted, not 1Ls) and it seems to work out for them. Reliability will really depend on the time of day (even that part of Mass Ave is really congested from like 5-8pm). I can definitely see it being a pain getting to social events on days when you don't have class/late at night, but that's the price you pay for saving on rent.

Also, I don't recommend living in Allston unless you can crush beers on your forehead and you have a cat that eats cockroaches.

Eww. Are roaches a problem in Cambridge in general?

[concurrent fork]

How about commuting by bus? At ASW, 1L's and the housing folks basically said nobody lives in Arlington or Allston, that the bus (77?) would be unreliable and too much of a pain, and that I'd have no social life if I lived that far out. But the price is looking so tempting to me -- walking two miles or a 20 minute bus ride seems like no big deal if we can get a 1BR for $1200 instead of $1800.

I know people that commute by bus (granted, not 1Ls) and it seems to work out for them. Reliability will really depend on the time of day (even that part of Mass Ave is really congested from like 5-8pm). I can definitely see it being a pain getting to social events on days when you don't have class/late at night, but that's the price you pay for saving on rent.

Also, I don't recommend living in Allston unless you can crush beers on your forehead and you have a cat that eats cockroaches.

Eww. Are roaches a problem in Cambridge in general?

haha Allston isn't in Cambridge and I was mostly kidding anyway. Allston just has some of the more... bro-esque neighborhoods in Boston (reputation for hard-partying undergrads and somewhat cheaper housing).

[kulshan]

How about commuting by bus? At ASW, 1L's and the housing folks basically said nobody lives in Arlington or Allston, that the bus (77?) would be unreliable and too much of a pain, and that I'd have no social life if I lived that far out. But the price is looking so tempting to me -- walking two miles or a 20 minute bus ride seems like no big deal if we can get a 1BR for $1200 instead of $1800.

I know people that commute by bus (granted, not 1Ls) and it seems to work out for them. Reliability will really depend on the time of day (even that part of Mass Ave is really congested from like 5-8pm). I can definitely see it being a pain getting to social events on days when you don't have class/late at night, but that's the price you pay for saving on rent.

Also, I don't recommend living in Allston unless you can crush beers on your forehead and you have a cat that eats cockroaches.

Eww. Are roaches a problem in Cambridge in general?

haha Allston isn't in Cambridge and I was mostly kidding anyway. Allston just has some of the more... bro-esque neighborhoods in Boston (reputation for hard-partying undergrads and somewhat cheaper housing).

Phew, good to hear.

[cindypopper]

Can anyone please answer my question about the Harvard university housing? Any info would be helpful.

[094320]

..

[cindypopper]

Can anyone please answer my question about the Harvard university housing? Any info would be helpful.

Didn't ignore your question, just don't know much. I know maybe 2-3 people who had something at 29 Garden St., though I think with roommates or 1-beds, not studios, and know someone with a 1-bed in Terry Terrace. Not really going to go ask them about it atm since we're in the middle of finals and this is just a study break for me. I mean, if you get a later window, then there's really just a lot of luck from year to year on who is turning over and who is staying.

Thank you!

[englawyer]

How about commuting by bus? At ASW, 1L's and the housing folks basically said nobody lives in Arlington or Allston, that the bus (77?) would be unreliable and too much of a pain, and that I'd have no social life if I lived that far out. But the price is looking so tempting to me -- walking two miles or a 20 minute bus ride seems like no big deal if we can get a 1BR for $1200 instead of $1800.

arlington and/or allston would be a pain. #77 could work but you should aim for north cambridge, not arlington. fwiw, i have seen a correlation between attendance at social/academic events and how close you live to campus. if you go home at the end of the day to arlington around 6 pm, it is hard to justify getting back on the #77 for 45 minutes and back so you can have a few beers with peeps in your section.

[delusional]

How about commuting by bus? At ASW, 1L's and the housing folks basically said nobody lives in Arlington or Allston, that the bus (77?) would be unreliable and too much of a pain, and that I'd have no social life if I lived that far out. But the price is looking so tempting to me -- walking two miles or a 20 minute bus ride seems like no big deal if we can get a 1BR for $1200 instead of $1800.

I see that people have answered this already, but if you want a first person account... I commute from Brighton and it's really not a big deal. I mean, sure, it's less convenient, but in a "know thyself" light that someone alluded to above, it works better for me. I take the 86 and it's about a 25 min. ride average. It's also about a 25 minute bike ride when the weather is nice. It works for me because I feel like I have to get there an hour before class to be safe, and while I'm in school, I'm not tempted to go home where I might be distracted. Anyway, the point is that it's definitely doable, if you want to do it.

[adx]

Thanks for taking questions, everyone. In your experience, is there anything that noticeably distinguishes the top academic performers (the people who get most or nearly all H's) from those at the median? Do they work longer hours? Have different study habits?

What I guess I really want to know is - is there anything about their performance which is iterable?

[094320]

..

[adx]

Thanks for taking questions, everyone. In your experience, is there anything that noticeably distinguishes the top academic performers (the people who get most or nearly all H's) from those at the median? Do they work longer hours? Have different study habits?

What I guess I really want to know is - is there anything about their performance which is iterable?

A combination of skills/talent, effort, and luck, to varying degrees since talent isn't really within one's control. If you happen to have that requisite skill, then putting in the right amount of work should help, but there are plenty who work very hard hard only to get all Ps.

Thanks for the reply! Would you say that the 'requisite skill' is just plain intelligence, or is there a set of law-specific skills/talent that we won't know whether we have until we get there?

[094320]

..

[DoubleChecks]

Effort isn't as magical as people think, either. Plenty of people put in next to no effort to get the same sort of grades that people who put in a lot of effort do. I don't know anybody in the bottom 25% of effort who gets top 25% of grades, but I know of people at like median of effort getting really good grades, people def. above median in effort with below median grades(sometimes way above median in effort), and people in the bottom 25% of effort with above median grades.

Huh, I have had the exact same experience haha.

[abacus]

Effort isn't as magical as people think, either. Plenty of people put in next to no effort to get the same sort of grades that people who put in a lot of effort do. I don't know anybody in the bottom 25% of effort who gets top 25% of grades, but I know of people at like median of effort getting really good grades, people def. above median in effort with below median grades(sometimes way above median in effort), and people in the bottom 25% of effort with above median grades.

Huh, I have had the exact same experience haha.

For the students who have below-median grades, do they struggle to get top firm jobs or are they generally OK?

[abba12]

What were the most surprising things about the HLS experience that you hadn't expected coming in?

[englawyer]

Effort isn't as magical as people think, either. Plenty of people put in next to no effort to get the same sort of grades that people who put in a lot of effort do. I don't know anybody in the bottom 25% of effort who gets top 25% of grades, but I know of people at like median of effort getting really good grades, people def. above median in effort with below median grades(sometimes way above median in effort), and people in the bottom 25% of effort with above median grades.

Huh, I have had the exact same experience haha.

For the students who have below-median grades, do they struggle to get top firm jobs or are they generally OK?

depends on what you mean by top firm job. they are generally able to find something that pays 160k if thats what u mean. there are people that strike out at EIP but its not necessarily grades.

[094320]

..

[abacus]

Effort isn't as magical as people think, either. Plenty of people put in next to no effort to get the same sort of grades that people who put in a lot of effort do. I don't know anybody in the bottom 25% of effort who gets top 25% of grades, but I know of people at like median of effort getting really good grades, people def. above median in effort with below median grades(sometimes way above median in effort), and people in the bottom 25% of effort with above median grades.

Huh, I have had the exact same experience haha.

For the students who have below-median grades, do they struggle to get top firm jobs or are they generally OK?

Depends on the person. A lot adjust not to bid necessarily on the most competitive firms or markets. After that adjustment, success outside of the extremes tends to be based more on interview skills, ties, work experience, etc. For the current 3Ls, about 70-75% got a job out of EIP. Of the current 2Ls, about 80-85% got a job out of EIP.

Thanks. I know that this is a pretty arbitrary marker, but I'm curious about firms in the V50ish range. Could someone with some post-college work experience and just 1 H get a job at the NYC office of a firm like MoFo or Allen & Overy?

[englawyer]

Thanks. I know that this is a pretty arbitrary marker, but I'm curious about firms in the V50ish range. Could someone with some post-college work experience and just 1 H get a job at the NYC office of a firm like MoFo or Allen & Overy?

Where did said person go to undergrad? IMO, top undergrad is a sizable boost in the hiring process.

It would also help if they had something good for 1L summer: firm job, USAO/fed internship or prestigious PI.

Also, what is the work experience? If it were banking, consulting, accounting, engineering, etc. that will be another sizable boost.

A final factor: pre-LS blemishes might hurt your chances. resume gaps, criminal record, bad press on the web, etc.

On one extreme: harvard u-grad, worked two years at Goldman Sachs, got USAO @ EDNY/SDNY 1L summer. this person is going to be absolutely fine with 1H and would be in contention at the firms you mentioned. in fact, he/she would probably be able to get callbacks at many top-tier firms.

Other extreme: noname undergrad, worked at starbucks for a year, worked as an RA or other fallback job for 1L summer (not to insult 1L RA's, sorry all). V50ish firms might be out of reach. This person has low-ish grades AND nothing jumps out on his/her resume that could boost their chances.

EIP chances are more of a multi-factor standard rather than a hard-line rule.

[094320]

..