Harvard Student(s) Answering Your Questions Forum

[thederangedwang]

can anybody recommend a competent tailor in the harvard area? all i need is to get some sleeves for a suit shortened...so i dont need an amazing guy although that works as well

[smittytron3k]

Bostonian Tailoring (in the Downtown Crossing area) is bar none the best tailor I have ever used. It's quite expensive and it looks like a total hole in the wall, but it's incredible. Jack's (near Porter) is also supposed to be quite good.

[larsoner]

Thanks guys, this is all really helpful.

I don't think this question has been addressed yet in this thread (but point me to the right page if I'm wrong.) How hard/competitive is it to stay in Boston 1L and 2L summers? I'm not from Boston and have no previous ties there, but my fiance is moving out there with me and will have to be there at least 1L summer and probably 2L summer (she's going into a 2 year grad program and will probably try to get a job in Boston when she's finished so that she'll be there as I finish up law school.) I imagine there are a lot of Harvard people who want to stick around for similar reasons and a lot of them might be older with families, job experience, etc. Will I be at a big disadvantage in Boston as a K-JD?

Ropes & Gray and WilmerHale tend to take a lot of HLS students, and I know they don't all have strong Boston ties other than going to school at HLS. Getting a public interest summer job in Boston shouldn't be too hard, and then once you have that + your fiance wanting to stay here, your ties should be fairly convincing.

Yeah there are at least like 60 of us here in Boston for 1L summer.. Ropes & Gray and WilmerHale are two of the three big guns (with Goodwin being the third) but WilmerHale is pretty selective in terms of both grades and personality/background, and Ropes & Gray definitely isn't a good fit for all personality types. There are a fair amount of firms in Boston that are fairly large sized but not gigantic that pay $145k+. Coming from Harvard, Ive been told that extra ties are not really a necessity but it is important to understand the type of legal practices that are big in Boston. Regardless, it shouldn't be that huge of a deal as long as grades arent completely terrible and you arent super awkward.

What do you mean Ropes & Gray isn't a good fit for all personality types? Just curious.

[AllTheLawz]

Thanks guys, this is all really helpful.

I don't think this question has been addressed yet in this thread (but point me to the right page if I'm wrong.) How hard/competitive is it to stay in Boston 1L and 2L summers? I'm not from Boston and have no previous ties there, but my fiance is moving out there with me and will have to be there at least 1L summer and probably 2L summer (she's going into a 2 year grad program and will probably try to get a job in Boston when she's finished so that she'll be there as I finish up law school.) I imagine there are a lot of Harvard people who want to stick around for similar reasons and a lot of them might be older with families, job experience, etc. Will I be at a big disadvantage in Boston as a K-JD?

Ropes & Gray and WilmerHale tend to take a lot of HLS students, and I know they don't all have strong Boston ties other than going to school at HLS. Getting a public interest summer job in Boston shouldn't be too hard, and then once you have that + your fiance wanting to stay here, your ties should be fairly convincing.

Yeah there are at least like 60 of us here in Boston for 1L summer.. Ropes & Gray and WilmerHale are two of the three big guns (with Goodwin being the third) but WilmerHale is pretty selective in terms of both grades and personality/background, and Ropes & Gray definitely isn't a good fit for all personality types. There are a fair amount of firms in Boston that are fairly large sized but not gigantic that pay $145k+. Coming from Harvard, Ive been told that extra ties are not really a necessity but it is important to understand the type of legal practices that are big in Boston. Regardless, it shouldn't be that huge of a deal as long as grades arent completely terrible and you arent super awkward.

What do you mean Ropes & Gray isn't a good fit for all personality types? Just curious.

It is not at all intended to be a shot at Ropes. Ropes is one of the most respected firms in New England and on par with the top firms in the country. Just know that some firms have cognizable cultures and it may or may not be for you. This is especially so in a place like Boston where people arent as obsessed with the Vault rankings as they are in NYC. If you plan on being in Boston and are geared towards a certain kind of culture (e.g. family-oriented, intense, etc.) you really should try to contact alumni and go to events to get a feel for what the firm is like.

[thederangedwang]

Should you be a RA for a professor your 1L year? As in, is it worth it or will you already be stretched enough timewise so probably not smart?

[094320]

..

[GeePee]

Should you be a RA for a professor your 1L year? As in, is it worth it or will you already be stretched enough timewise so probably not smart?

Save it for 2L. It won't matter much for OCI and you won't need clerkship recs until 3L year, plus you'll have more time and less grade pressure. Unless you really, really *want* to do it, I wouldn't.

[fatduck]

is there anywhere to find past grade distributions for courses or anything like that?

edit: also, what's a typical winter term schedule? 1 class? 1 clinic?

[howlery]

Would it be appropriate to ask H for a student's contact information? My UG rarely sends anyone to the T14 but I recently noticed it on the list of schools represented by last year's incoming class. My prelaw advisor did not know the student(s) .

I'd just like to speak with them, see how I measure up, etc. Do or don't do?

Also, how has the Harvard community reacted to Stanford's recent actions re: clerkships?

[ph14]

is there anywhere to find past grade distributions for courses or anything like that?

edit: also, what's a typical winter term schedule? 1 class? 1 clinic?

I don't believe so. HLS keeps info on grade distributions very close to the chest. They won't even tell us the suggested curve. Typical winter term is 1 class, an externship at a government or public interest organization, or study abroad.

Would it be appropriate to ask H for a student's contact information? My UG rarely sends anyone to the T14 but I recently noticed it on the list of schools represented by last year's incoming class. My prelaw advisor did not know the student(s) .

I'd just like to speak with them, see how I measure up, etc. Do or don't do?

Also, how has the Harvard community reacted to Stanford's recent actions re: clerkships?

Are you an 0L? There might be some sort of law against releasing a student's contact information without their permission, but it isn't a big deal to send an email I don't think.

Not sure what SLS did re: clerkships, so I guess it's not a huge deal, but then again I won't be applying for a year so I haven't been following closely.

[fatduck]

is there anywhere to find past grade distributions for courses or anything like that?

edit: also, what's a typical winter term schedule? 1 class? 1 clinic?

I don't believe so. HLS keeps info on grade distributions very close to the chest. They won't even tell us the suggested curve. Typical winter term is 1 class, an externship at a government or public interest organization, or study abroad.

ah. in that case, any known gunner classes to avoid, other than the usual suspects like fed courts/admin? or profs to avoid?

[Doorkeeper]

Also, how has the Harvard community reacted to Stanford's recent actions re: clerkships?

Not sure what SLS did re: clerkships, so I guess it's not a huge deal, but then again I won't be applying for a year so I haven't been following closely.

I assume he's referencing this:
http://abovethelaw.com/2012/07/a-top-la ... -about-it/

[ph14]

is there anywhere to find past grade distributions for courses or anything like that?

edit: also, what's a typical winter term schedule? 1 class? 1 clinic?

I don't believe so. HLS keeps info on grade distributions very close to the chest. They won't even tell us the suggested curve. Typical winter term is 1 class, an externship at a government or public interest organization, or study abroad.

ah. in that case, any known gunner classes to avoid, other than the usual suspects like fed courts/admin? or profs to avoid?

Shoot me a pm with some specifics and I can try and help out.

[caminante]

Would it be appropriate to ask H for a student's contact information? My UG rarely sends anyone to the T14 but I recently noticed it on the list of schools represented by last year's incoming class. My prelaw advisor did not know the student(s) .

I'd just like to speak with them, see how I measure up, etc. Do or don't do?

I'm a 0L and I asked the admissions office to have someone from my UG contact me. This was after I was already accepted, but they were very helpful. I ended up having a great conversation with the woman who called me. If they aren't willing to do this for you, try searching LinkedIn.

[thederangedwang]

I know this belongs in the fashion thread (i did already ask there but I want a HLS perspective and only got 1 reply)

But could somebody tell me if this NAVY is dark enough for an OCI interview suit? Im not saying im gonna buy this suit, but just using it as a reference point for how dark the navy needs to be

http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/tomm ... ND%3DTommy Hilfiger%26sp%3D1%26spc%3D22%26ruleId%3D66%26slotId%3D11

It says deep blue navy..but honestly, it looks considerably lighter than the navy from BB and other places..kinda need an idea how dark it needs to be

[Doorkeeper]

You think Harvard EIC is going to have a different navy/blue suit acceptability ratio than schools with other OCIs? Dude.

[094320]

..

[sharktankdean]

So a sizeable percentage of Harvard grads work in the business industry. I was wondering do these companies come to OCI? Or do you have to apply on your own? If they do come to OCI can someone list a few. Was just wondering

[ph14]

So a sizeable percentage of Harvard grads work in the business industry. I was wondering do these companies come to OCI? Or do you have to apply on your own? If they do come to OCI can someone list a few. Was just wondering

[tomwatts]

So a sizeable percentage of Harvard grads work in the business industry. I was wondering do these companies come to OCI? Or do you have to apply on your own? If they do come to OCI can someone list a few. Was just wondering

If by "the business industry" you mean consulting, then there are a couple of consulting firms that come to EIP ("OCI" everywhere other than Harvard). McKinsey & Co. is one. There are not many, though, and if you really want to do consulting coming from HLS, you have to look a little more on your own, too.

There are people in OCS who know about doing this, so you can get good advice about it here.

[delusional]

Would it be appropriate to ask H for a student's contact information? My UG rarely sends anyone to the T14 but I recently noticed it on the list of schools represented by last year's incoming class. My prelaw advisor did not know the student(s) .

I'd just like to speak with them, see how I measure up, etc. Do or don't do?

I'm a 0L and I asked the admissions office to have someone from my UG contact me. This was after I was already accepted, but they were very helpful. I ended up having a great conversation with the woman who called me. If they aren't willing to do this for you, try searching LinkedIn.

Also the standard e-mail format is

first.last@jd##.law.harvard.edu
##= expected grad year when you started.
so this person is probably first.law@jd14.law.harvard.edu

To give a clearer example, John Smith who is in the class of 2014 would be JSmith@jd14.law.harvard.edu.

[thederangedwang]

so took a look at the grocery stores near HLS and all of them appear to have mixed reviews (people complaining about high prices etc)...wheres a good place to get groceries...like a major chain preferably so they wont jack up prices

wouldnt mind going a bit farther out as long as its near a t stop

If you buy a lot of groceries at a time the answer is grocery delivery. There are many options better than Peapod that a lot of people use and it usually has a fair amount of coupons for free delivery.

what are these companies?

[sharktankdean]

So a sizeable percentage of Harvard grads work in the business industry. I was wondering do these companies come to OCI? Or do you have to apply on your own? If they do come to OCI can someone list a few. Was just wondering

If by "the business industry" you mean consulting, then there are a couple of consulting firms that come to EIP ("OCI" everywhere other than Harvard). McKinsey & Co. is one. There are not many, though, and if you really want to do consulting coming from HLS, you have to look a little more on your own, too.

There are people in OCS who know about doing this, so you can get good advice about it here.

Thanks!!!

[GeePee]

Would it be appropriate to ask H for a student's contact information? My UG rarely sends anyone to the T14 but I recently noticed it on the list of schools represented by last year's incoming class. My prelaw advisor did not know the student(s) .

I'd just like to speak with them, see how I measure up, etc. Do or don't do?

I'm a 0L and I asked the admissions office to have someone from my UG contact me. This was after I was already accepted, but they were very helpful. I ended up having a great conversation with the woman who called me. If they aren't willing to do this for you, try searching LinkedIn.

Also the standard e-mail format is

first.last@jd##.law.harvard.edu
##= expected grad year when you started.
so this person is probably first.last@jd14.law.harvard.edu

Meh? When did they start doing first.last instead of last initial appended to first name?

[Now]

I was planning to attend SLS but recently got off Harvard's wait list. I am in Cambridge visiting through tomorrow and would greatly appreciate feedback on how to best spend my time. Do you think there is any way to connect with current students/profs with such short notice? Do you have any recommendations on how to make this important life decision (SLS vs HLS)? (I have seen the TLS threads, but am completely torn.) Thanks!