Harvard Student(s) Answering Your Questions Forum

[Mr. Elshal]

What's the process of challenging a seminar grade like/has anyone here ever done it?

Almost did but gave up because I had no idea what the process was and didn't want to piss off the prof. Depending on why you're challenging, maybe talk to Registrar or DOS. If it's because of personal issues with the prof, DOS might be more appropriate. If it's just a mistaken grade, probably Registrar.

[a.sleepyhead]

Potentially dumb question but how do they have 3L but not 2L grades available - don't they have to fit them to a curve? Wouldn't that require knowing all the grades?

[wwwcol]

Notable data point for future years: missed cum laude with a 3.61

How do we find our GPA? Is it listed somewhere in Helios or are these manual calculations?

[tomwatts]

In the interests of . . . healthy paranoia, do you know if the registrar notified your friend of that possibility before grades were generally released?

No, the Registrar did not. Suffice it to say that it was a very unusual situation involving a higher-than-expected level of errors on all sides, and the position of the person who should have caught the problem had recently become vacant. It was pretty screwy and I wouldn't expect it to happen again.

[Dukenukem21]

Notable data point for future years: missed cum laude with a 3.61

How do we find our GPA? Is it listed somewhere in Helios or are these manual calculations?

Manual. DS is 5, H is 4, P is 3, LP is 2. Figure out annual GPA (so weighted per course for your 1L, 2L, and 3L independently). Your graduating GPA is the average of the 3 (even though your course weights will be higher in 1L).

[Mr. Elshal]

Potentially dumb question but how do they have 3L but not 2L grades available - don't they have to fit them to a curve? Wouldn't that require knowing all the grades?

I think relatively few 2L/3L classes have a mandatory curve. The ones that do probably already have submitted 2L grades but the school just doesn't publish them yet

[a.sleepyhead]

Potentially dumb question but how do they have 3L but not 2L grades available - don't they have to fit them to a curve? Wouldn't that require knowing all the grades?

I think relatively few 2L/3L classes have a mandatory curve. The ones that do probably already have submitted 2L grades but the school just doesn't publish them yet

I feel like there are a lot of multisections with 2Ls and 3Ls. Tax, corporations, fed courts, admin, all the con laws - these all have mandatory curves and a good number of 2L/3Ls.

[Mr. Elshal]

Potentially dumb question but how do they have 3L but not 2L grades available - don't they have to fit them to a curve? Wouldn't that require knowing all the grades?

I think relatively few 2L/3L classes have a mandatory curve. The ones that do probably already have submitted 2L grades but the school just doesn't publish them yet

I feel like there are a lot of multisections with 2Ls and 3Ls. Tax, corporations, fed courts, admin, all the con laws - these all have mandatory curves and a good number of 2L/3Ls.

I don't know the proportion of those to seminars, reading groups, and small courses (my impression is that there are many more small classes than multi-sections), but like I said, I think the professors for those courses have probably submitted grades already. The delay probably tends to be from seminars. I had one seminar last year that didn't return grades until the end of July, although all my other grades came up and they left that one blank, so maybe there's a cutoff date by which grades get posted one way or another.

[aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

New student here! Excited to be attending this August.

What type of technology do you all use? I'm considering at XPS 13 laptop, but was unsure if I should get something with a larger screen for in-class assessments.

Another question:

How often do you find yourself using real, bound books from the library? Or do you typically study using materials available from Westlaw/Lexis?

Thanks!

[despina]

New student here! Excited to be attending this August.

What type of technology do you all use? I'm considering at XPS 13 laptop, but was unsure if I should get something with a larger screen for in-class assessments.

Another question:

How often do you find yourself using real, bound books from the library? Or do you typically study using materials available from Westlaw/Lexis?

Thanks!

Almost everyone uses a Macbook Air, which is not really necessary because anything with a word processor and browser will do.

Bound books from the library: exactly never (unless you're maaaybe taking an obscure or interdisciplinary seminar, or if you don't want to buy your textbooks and just read them all in the library). . Westlaw has everything you will need since student accounts also have unlimited access to secondary sources.

[foxes]

New student here! Excited to be attending this August.

What type of technology do you all use? I'm considering at XPS 13 laptop, but was unsure if I should get something with a larger screen for in-class assessments.

Another question:

How often do you find yourself using real, bound books from the library? Or do you typically study using materials available from Westlaw/Lexis?

Thanks!

i use exactly the laptop you're considering and love it to death. you def dont need something as nice for law school, but in terms of just getting a great laptop, i highly rec. it's super compact but the bevel-less screen is still as big as a regular 13 inch laptop.

you're going to be using casebooks, coursepacks, and westlaw/lexis. i never touched a library book except for subcites the whole year.

[malleus discentium]

Notable data point for future years: missed cum laude with a 3.61

Further data points from 3Ls would be very appreciated!

[aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

New student here! Excited to be attending this August.

What type of technology do you all use? I'm considering at XPS 13 laptop, but was unsure if I should get something with a larger screen for in-class assessments.

Another question:

How often do you find yourself using real, bound books from the library? Or do you typically study using materials available from Westlaw/Lexis?

Thanks!

i use exactly the laptop you're considering and love it to death. you def dont need something as nice for law school, but in terms of just getting a great laptop, i highly rec. it's super compact but the bevel-less screen is still as big as a regular 13 inch laptop.

you're going to be using casebooks, coursepacks, and westlaw/lexis. i never touched a library book except for subcites the whole year.

Cool! Thanks for the input!

And that's what I had been hoping for re using internet sources. I was worried I should get a larger screen if I have to write in the library a lot, but if I don't need real books I can just have an external monitor in the dorm.

[Pneumonia]

I think 13" is the standard size, and that's what I'd recommend. Lots of people have 11" MacBook Airs, Chromebooks, or Netbooks. 15" is pretty big.

[rathgra]

I think 13" is the standard size, and that's what I'd recommend. Lots of people have 11" MacBook Airs, Chromebooks, or Netbooks. 15" is pretty big.

I had a 15" until the beginning of 3L, and then very, very happily traded it in for a 13". You wouldn't think it would make that much of a difference, but the 13" is so much easier to carry around and it didn't feel like a big change in screen size.

[datapoint]

Notable data point for future years: missed cum laude with a 3.61

Further data points from 3Ls would be very appreciated!

Made cum laude with a 3.674

[Mr. Elshal]

I think 13" is the standard size, and that's what I'd recommend. Lots of people have 11" MacBook Airs, Chromebooks, or Netbooks. 15" is pretty big.

I had a 15" until the beginning of 3L, and then very, very happily traded it in for a 13". You wouldn't think it would make that much of a difference, but the 13" is so much easier to carry around and it didn't feel like a big change in screen size.

Same here

[lsat_hopeful]

HLS students who were admitted off the wait-list: any advice for currently wait-listed students? Anything you did that helped your case?

Thanks and congrats for finishing the year/graduating/etc.

[nothingtosee]

I think giving a personal reason as to "this is why you can 100% sure that if I get in, I'll come here" helps.

[eleemosynary2]

I've probably messed up a calculation, but 3.93X made magna.

[nothingtosee]

Are there any 3L's who have not received all their grades? I don't get how a 120 person black letter law course could have grades for some but not all students

[Mack.Hambleton]

Is it safe to schedule stuff the weekend after EIP? HLS website says callbacks don't start until Monday after but idk if that's accurate

[TripTrip]

Is it safe to schedule stuff the weekend after EIP? HLS website says callbacks don't start until Monday after but idk if that's accurate

No one is calling you in for a callback on the Saturday of EIP week if that's what you mean.

[Pneumonia]

Is it safe to schedule stuff the weekend after EIP? HLS website says callbacks don't start until Monday after but idk if that's accurate

Callbacks do not occur on weekends, if that's what you mean. However, they do start on Monday morning after the EIP week. So if you're doing one in another city, that means you may need/want to fly out of Boston on Sunday night. Depending on flight availability and where you're going, that flight could depart at practically anytime on Sunday (though the most likely times would be between 12:00 noon and 6:00pm, depending on where you're going).

EIP is very draining (and I like interviews, a lot), so even if your stuff is technically a logistical possibility, you should think hard about how you want to spend that weekend. Obviously this depends on what your event is though. Callbacks and travel are also a pain and pretty exhausting. Given the choice, I'd spend that weekend resting.

[Single-Malt-Liquor]

Is it safe to schedule stuff the weekend after EIP? HLS website says callbacks don't start until Monday after but idk if that's accurate

Callbacks do not occur on weekends, if that's what you mean. However, they do start on Monday morning after the EIP week. So if you're doing one in another city, that means you may need/want to fly out of Boston on Sunday night. Depending on flight availability and where you're going, that flight could depart at practically anytime on Sunday (though the most likely times would be between 12:00 noon and 6:00pm, depending on where you're going).

EIP is very draining (and I like interviews, a lot), so even if your stuff is technically a logistical possibility, you should think hard about how you want to spend that weekend. Obviously this depends on what your event is though. Callbacks and travel are also a pain and pretty exhausting. Given the choice, I'd spend that weekend resting.

I agree with all of this, including the enjoying interview part. You're going to finish EIP and be like "I'm glad that's over" only to realize that a callback is pretty much just more of the same.