Harvard Student(s) Answering Your Questions Forum

[Mr. Elshal]

Incoming 1L here trying to do a housing search remotely. Assuming a lot of law students live in the building right across from Wasserstein (1600 Mass Ave). Anyone know if living right there is noisy given that it's facing Mass Ave? Is that a noisy road to live next to?

Mass Ave can get noisy late at night on the weekends (drunk people tend to sing very loudly as they walk down the street). I didn't mind it, though. I would just go to the window and tell them to shut up. Most of the time they did. If you could get an apartment facing the back, though, that would definitely be much quieter.

Also, I don't know if it was just this year (maybe they got it out of their system), but there was a ton of street work being done on Mass Ave, and they only do work after 10pm. So that noise was typically unbearable and would go until around 4am. There was a solid month-long period of that in the beginning of the school-year, and more than a few follow-ups throughout the year. Like I said, though, facing the back might make a big difference.

Thanks for the info! I was expecting cars/sirens to be the issue. The odd drunk person here and there sounds manageable.

Sirens really weren't bad. Every now and then the police would pull someone over, but some blackout shades will block the flashing lights and they typically don't run the siren for very long at all. In fact, I think they frequently just don't use the siren, and just flip on the lights or use a megaphone to shout at the driver they're pulling over.

All in all, I lived on Mass. Ave for 2 years and had many restful nights. The only problem was street work, and I doubt they'll rip up a fresh street now anyway.

[Orion311]

As you go down your bid list, how fast do your chances of getting an interview drop?

Hypothetically, if someone's bid list was entirely the most bid-on firms, at which bid number would there no longer be a 100% chance of getting an interview (I'm assuming you essentially always get your top few bids, but I could be wrong), and at what point down the list would you hit ~75%/50%?

[ph14]

I don't post much on TLS anymore, but I'm HLS class of 2014 and I clerked on a federal court of appeals after graduation. If anyone needs some clerkship advising, feel free to PM me. Any personal information is kept strictly confidential.

[TripTrip]

As you go down your bid list, how fast do your chances of getting an interview drop?

Hypothetically, if someone's bid list was entirely the most bid-on firms, at which bid number would there no longer be a 100% chance of getting an interview (I'm assuming you essentially always get your top few bids, but I could be wrong), and at what point down the list would you hit ~75%/50%?

Your intuition is correct that you'll get most of your top bids. You'll get two-thirds of all your bids. Generally, your first ten are pretty safe. After that it depends on which firms you're talking about, what markets they're in, and what other firms you've bid on. It's not that you'll get your first twenty and not your last ten.

If I had to stick a number to it, I think the overall LD-50 of bids is around #21. That is, before bid 21 you have a greater than 50% chance of getting the interview and after bid 21 you have a less than 50% chance of getting the interview. But again, that's a net statistical mean across all ~460 students bidding. It will matter far more how popular the firm you bid on is and what the rest of your list looks like.

Here's one of the things that muddies the waters when trying to determine how bid # affects results. This is taken from someone's current draft bid list:


It's impossible to do thirteen interviews in a day. It's already unlikely that the cards will fall in place and arrange your interviews so you could do more than seven, but thirteen is impossible because each day only contains twenty interview slots* and you can't be signed up for back-to-back interviews. Thus, this student will be skipped over for at least a few of, and probably half of, her Monday bids.

Now, that doesn't mean that this bid list is poor. Perhaps all the firms this student wants are coming on Monday. It totally depends on their goals and realistic desires. But it still has a significant bearing on how many interviews she will be doing.

*The system is more complicated, as there are technically more than 20 slots in a day, but you're still not doing 13 interviews.

[thegoat2019]

Is there anyone from California who was able to waive Harvard’s student health insurance program using their Covered California/Blue Shield plan?

[MyNameIsFlynn!]

Is there anyone from California who was able to waive Harvard’s student health insurance program using their Covered California/Blue Shield plan?

I can't speak specifically to that plan, but my impression is that they will let you waive with basically any policy. I once looked at the waiver requirements and remembered thinking my plan was woefully inadequate, but they never gave me any trouble when waiving the Harvard plan.

[boslaw56]

I know its (very) early, but does anyone have any insight on 1L SA opportunities for HLS students? When do people typically start looking? Is it something OCS will help you with, or are you pretty much on your own? I'm just trying to get an idea of what I can expect to earn/do for work next summer so I can plan finances accordingly. FWIW, I'd most likely be shooting for an IP position in Boston (have reg. # and 2 years patent prosecution exp.).

[Orion311]

I know its (very) early, but does anyone have any insight on 1L SA opportunities for HLS students? When do people typically start looking? Is it something OCS will help you with, or are you pretty much on your own? I'm just trying to get an idea of what I can expect to earn/do for work next summer so I can plan finances accordingly. FWIW, I'd most likely be shooting for an IP position in Boston (have reg. # and 2 years patent prosecution exp.).

Especially for people who aren't K-JD and have meaningful experience and a science background to apply with, I believe many people start applying as soon as you're allowed to (December 1st). A lot of IP focused firms who are looking for science-y people come to the Spring Interview Program in late January/early Feb. Certainly some stuff remains open through February. OCS will absolutely help you and you'll be able to meet with them starting in mid-October which is plenty of time to get ready to apply.

For what it's worth, everyone I know who was looking for IP-related SA positions in Boston and had done something science-y after undergrad or if they were K-JD, with a highly technical undergrad degree like engineering from a prestigious school, got something - most of them even before grades came out in late January.. However, given the giant discrepancy between firm compensation and non-firm compensation I would advise against planning finances as if you're definitely going to get one.

[a corsair]

I know its (very) early, but does anyone have any insight on 1L SA opportunities for HLS students? When do people typically start looking? Is it something OCS will help you with, or are you pretty much on your own? I'm just trying to get an idea of what I can expect to earn/do for work next summer so I can plan finances accordingly. FWIW, I'd most likely be shooting for an IP position in Boston (have reg. # and 2 years patent prosecution exp.).

I started really applying to IP focused jobs right after finals (with maybe ~5 sent between 12/1 and end of finals). I don't have a reg # and have less pros experience than you but I had 4 offers by the end of January (before grades came out). 3 were (market paying) SAs and 1 was in-house. Several more interview offers trickled in after that, but I found the bulk of my SA action happening around late Jan-early Feb.

I found OCS helpful in the sense that pretty much everything I applied to was in the OCS-run job bank, but that's the extent to which I used OCS for my job search.

Anecdata, but the three other IP-eligible people that I know of (that were also shooting for IP 1L summer) all landed market paying 1L SAs (1 in Boston, 1 in TX, 1 in CA).

[ChemEng1642]

I know its (very) early, but does anyone have any insight on 1L SA opportunities for HLS students? When do people typically start looking? Is it something OCS will help you with, or are you pretty much on your own? I'm just trying to get an idea of what I can expect to earn/do for work next summer so I can plan finances accordingly. FWIW, I'd most likely be shooting for an IP position in Boston (have reg. # and 2 years patent prosecution exp.).

I started really applying to IP focused jobs right after finals (with maybe ~5 sent between 12/1 and end of finals). I don't have a reg # and have less pros experience than you but I had 4 offers by the end of January (before grades came out). 3 were (market paying) SAs and 1 was in-house. Several more interview offers trickled in after that, but I found the bulk of my SA action happening around late Jan-early Feb.

I found OCS helpful in the sense that pretty much everything I applied to was in the OCS-run job bank, but that's the extent to which I used OCS for my job search.

Anecdata, but the three other IP-eligible people that I know of (that were also shooting for IP 1L summer) all landed market paying 1L SAs (1 in Boston, 1 in TX, 1 in CA).

Another data point - applied to an IP-eligible position in Boston mid-January and had an offer by mid-February. I gave them my not-so-great grades and it didn't seem to matter at all.

[gamerish]

As you go down your bid list, how fast do your chances of getting an interview drop?

Hypothetically, if someone's bid list was entirely the most bid-on firms, at which bid number would there no longer be a 100% chance of getting an interview (I'm assuming you essentially always get your top few bids, but I could be wrong), and at what point down the list would you hit ~75%/50%?

Your intuition is correct that you'll get most of your top bids. You'll get two-thirds of all your bids. Generally, your first ten are pretty safe.

Does the same hold true if you have a small bidlist of ~10 firms or is it an issue of proportionality?

[unfinishedthough]

Any transfers to H from top of class at T14 have thoughts/opinions/advice/regrets?

[TripTrip]

As you go down your bid list, how fast do your chances of getting an interview drop?

Hypothetically, if someone's bid list was entirely the most bid-on firms, at which bid number would there no longer be a 100% chance of getting an interview (I'm assuming you essentially always get your top few bids, but I could be wrong), and at what point down the list would you hit ~75%/50%?

Your intuition is correct that you'll get most of your top bids. You'll get two-thirds of all your bids. Generally, your first ten are pretty safe.

Does the same hold true if you have a small bidlist of ~10 firms or is it an issue of proportionality?

Your first ten bids are equally safe regardless of whether you have other bids. That doesn't mean they're safe in absolute terms, just that it's more likely than not that you'll get interviews with them.

[gamerish]

As you go down your bid list, how fast do your chances of getting an interview drop?

Hypothetically, if someone's bid list was entirely the most bid-on firms, at which bid number would there no longer be a 100% chance of getting an interview (I'm assuming you essentially always get your top few bids, but I could be wrong), and at what point down the list would you hit ~75%/50%?

Your intuition is correct that you'll get most of your top bids. You'll get two-thirds of all your bids. Generally, your first ten are pretty safe.

Does the same hold true if you have a small bidlist of ~10 firms or is it an issue of proportionality?

Your first ten bids are equally safe regardless of whether you have other bids. That doesn't mean they're safe in absolute terms, just that it's more likely than not that you'll get interviews with them.

Great, thanks!

[Shosh233]

Anybody have any info on the BSA waitlist timeline? Does it move, how much, and when?

[ValeVale]

Anybody have any info on the BSA waitlist timeline? Does it move, how much, and when?

Has there been movement yet?

[Indy16]

Anybody have any info on the BSA waitlist timeline? Does it move, how much, and when?

Has there been movement yet?

I just got on it yesterday, so assuming no movement yet. Presumably, movement will come following release of HLR results which should be 7/18.

[ValeVale]

Anybody have any info on the BSA waitlist timeline? Does it move, how much, and when?

Has there been movement yet?

I just got on it yesterday, so assuming no movement yet. Presumably, movement will come following release of HLR results which should be 7/18.

Ah. But acceptances have gone out too then? So if we applied but didn't hear anything does that mean we likely didn't get it?

[Indy16]

Anybody have any info on the BSA waitlist timeline? Does it move, how much, and when?

Has there been movement yet?

I just got on it yesterday, so assuming no movement yet. Presumably, movement will come following release of HLR results which should be 7/18.

Ah. But acceptances have gone out too then? So if we applied but didn't hear anything does that mean we likely didn't get it?

I have not personally heard of any acceptances. That isn't to say that they are not happening, but just to say silence may not mean anything at this point. Good luck!

[Orion311]

Anybody have any info on the BSA waitlist timeline? Does it move, how much, and when?

Has there been movement yet?

I just got on it yesterday, so assuming no movement yet. Presumably, movement will come following release of HLR results which should be 7/18.

Ah. But acceptances have gone out too then? So if we applied but didn't hear anything does that mean we likely didn't get it?

I have not personally heard of any acceptances. That isn't to say that they are not happening, but just to say silence may not mean anything at this point. Good luck!

Isn't it safe to assume that if they sent out waitlists yesterday that the first wave of acceptances already happened? Anyone know more about how this works from past years?

[Indifference]

Some acceptances for BSA have gone out, at least.

[ValeVale]

Some acceptances for BSA have gone out, at least.

So no news is bad news I assume? Any 3L/BSA with insight would be great.

[Dcc617]

I searched this thread and didn't see the info I was looking for about the gym.

1) How are the gym facilities at Harvard for a somewhat serious lifter?

2) When does the gym become available for us? I get to town around the middle of August. Will I be able to use it right away?

[jrf12886]

This site has a list of the equipment that the HLS gym (Hemenway) has: http://recreation.gocrimson.com/recreat ... s/Hemenway

It had everything I needed. Unless you're a competitive lifter, I think it should be more than adequate.

[heythatslife]

I searched this thread and didn't see the info I was looking for about the gym.

1) How are the gym facilities at Harvard for a somewhat serious lifter?

2) When does the gym become available for us? I get to town around the middle of August. Will I be able to use it right away?

1) Hemenway, which is the gym right by the law school, is decent but there may be a line for certain equipment at times during busier hours. MAC is larger and has more equipment but further away from the rest of law school.

2) You can pick up your Harvard ID during orientation, so that's when you'll be able to start using Harvard facilities.