Harvard 1L will take some questions about Harvard. Forum

[Lmao Zedong]

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FTFY

i read this thread until this point, and still LOLing. probably best TLS post i've ever seen

seriously, yale kids do a great job coming off as tremendous dbags ITT

[curiousnyc]

No grades yet. I'll bump when I get them on the 24th or 25th.

How is the atmosphere among 1Ls with grades presumably in?

Does the grading system [HP, P, LP] reduce stress looking forward?
[1st semester must be high stress across the board; everyone there has always had A/A- grades and now most don't, right?]

Hope you did well/ok - and not asking: that's your business.

[jrs12]

I don't know that it reduces stress that much for a lot of people. I think a lot felt more stressed than they otherwise would have, because they looked at success as a binary proposition. Personally, I felt significantly less stressed, because of where the curve was drawn. I felt like I could do enough work and be fairly sure of getting into the top 1/3, but that if it were a top 1/10, it would always require luck (except for people much smarter and more diligent than I). The new system makes me indistinguishable from people who would have had better transcripts under the old system.

There was definitely a little madness right around the grade release day. I heard one person weeping into their cell phone about 20 minutes after grades were posted. (I suppose it could have been for something unrelated.) It was a tense moment, but for most people it passed quickly While it's true that most of the students here are used to doing very well, I think that most of them are reconciled to the fact that we're a sharp group and we can't all get Hs. Some students also came from significantly less competitive undergrad institutions, and their goal was to be an average student here. Some of that might be posturing, but some of my close friends have said as much to me.

In class, there are a few obvious reversals in behavior that suggest how people did. Some people who used to talk all the time have basically shut up. Others who were much more hesitant have turned into veritable gunners. In general, I think everyone is just relieved to know. Now we know where we stand and can go forward. It was a little bit weird to have been working like a maniac for months, but not to have credit for any of it yet. I can't personally tell if the new system reduces stress looking forward, but the 2Ls and 3Ls certainly seem to suggest that it does. Once one has a job, I guess the system makes it easier to maintain a transcript that looks OK.

[curiousnyc]

How many 3Ls are not finding jobs (as reported by "anonymous" in article in Harvard Law Record)?

Are 1Ls freaking out?

Also, what was January session like?

[scubagirl]

I am a 1l and am also willing to answer questions.

[Zara]

sorry i have nothing of value to say right now, just want to tag this thread.

[lz06]

Not sure if you still check this thread, but serious question here. Any chance I can sneak my cat in HRES housing? Lol I'm wondering if they come into the apartments etc

[APimpNamedSlickback]

to what extent is living in the dorms a viable option for 1ls that want a decent qol while still saving a bit of cash?

is gropius truly the dungeon that it is made out to be here?

thanks.

[sfdreaming09]

tag

[PDaddy]

Ask me anything.

How does it feel to be able to drop H-Bombs and know that, no matter what you do, many people will consider you a genius?

[j2733]

Not sure if you still check this thread, but serious question here. Any chance I can sneak my cat in HRES housing? Lol I'm wondering if they come into the apartments etc

i live in one of the prescott st apartments, and i don't know if this is true (probably not) for the rest of hres housing, but they come in more often than i expected (usually when i'm not in, they slip notices under the door to alert you of when they're coming) to do maintenance checks. it might have been exacerbated by the fact that they just installed a new fire alarm system in the building. my friend on garden street told me there's some sort of annual apartment check there. i don't know how draconian they are if they do see a pet in your apartment, but you might be better off going with a non harvard residence (the prices aren't that much better from hres, it's just less of a hassle because utilities and whatnot are included).

[j2733]

Also, what was January session like?

waste of time. assigned to 4-5 person groups and worked on "real-life" problems, class in the morning and the rest of the day for group work. my section had to write several page memos for each situation, usually due by the end of the day, and give presentations on it the next day. we had memos due almost every day, but i heard other sections weren't assigned as many. it would've been nice to have had those weeks to travel somewhere before spring semester.

[Herb Watchfell]

Where will you be working this summer?

[laurathenerd]

Also, what was January session like?

I actually liked the problem solving workshop. Yeah, there were some things that need to be tweaked, and my professor tended to um...be very long-winded. But I loved getting a small taste of the different sorts of things lawyers do, especially since I didn't have any work experience before law school. Some people thought it was a waste of time, but I liked it. If anyone has any questions, you can send me a pm.

[Herb Watchfell]

Also, what was January session like?

I actually liked the problem solving workshop. Yeah, there were some things that need to be tweaked, and my professor tended to um...be very long-winded. But I loved getting a small taste of the different sorts of things lawyers do, especially since I didn't have any work experience before law school. Some people thought it was a waste of time, but I liked it. If anyone has any questions, you can send me a pm.

Hey laura,

I'm trying to get a sense of HLS 1L employment opportunities. Mind sharing where you will be working this summer?

[BlueCivic]

Hi HLSers!

Can you guys talk about how accessible the profs are at HLS?

[fwaam]

Hi, I don't know if any of you are still here, but just in case...

I'll be looking for a 1br or decent-sized studio. What should I expect to pay? I'll be looking to save money and willing to live slightly further out as long as the area is safe. Do most people get year-long leases and then sublet during the summer?

There's been a lot of talk about OCS vs OPIA--do students have to choose early on? What about those of us who aren't sure yet what we want to do?

Also, competition has been mentioned a lot. How competitive are people really? Is it like the article Mallard posted said (lip service paid to cooperation and nobody's tearing pages out of books, but people won't go out of their way to help someone who might come in ahead of them)? How much does placement in the class matter as far as job opportunities?

To what extent does the social scene revolve around drinking?

[jpaul09]

Hi, I don't know if any of you are still here, but just in case...

I'll be looking for a 1br or decent-sized studio. What should I expect to pay? I'll be looking to save money and willing to live slightly further out as long as the area is safe. Do most people get year-long leases and then sublet during the summer?

There's been a lot of talk about OCS vs OPIA--do students have to choose early on? What about those of us who aren't sure yet what we want to do?

Also, competition has been mentioned a lot. How competitive are people really? Is it like the article Mallard posted said (lip service paid to cooperation and nobody's tearing pages out of books, but people won't go out of their way to help someone who might come in ahead of them)? How much does placement in the class matter as far as job opportunities?

To what extent does the social scene revolve around drinking?

Expect to pay 1700 and up for a 1 bed that's relatively close to campus. I've seen studios for 1300-1600. Think twice about living further out, especially if you want to be near the social scene on weekends. Yes, most people try to sublet during the summer or just suck it up and eat the cost of summer rent.

No one really chooses -- I've used both offices and applied for private sector and non-profit jobs for 1L year.

I don't think people are that competitive, but I have a really close-knit sections. People give notes to people who miss class and sent out reminders when we were in a different classroom for one of our finals. Honestly, most people are friendly, and the ones who aren't, well, people notice that and it's mentioned.

[expat]

I've tried asking this in a new thread but didn't get any responses...hopefully one of the current HLS students viewing this thread has some insight.

My understanding is that Harvard will sometimes make adjustments to grant amounts based on higher need assessments from Yale/Stanford/NYU, etc. Can anyone who has successfully done this shed some light on the process? What is the threshold in terms of discrepancy between awards (does it need to exceed their offer by 5/10/15k...)? Is there any sort of strategy to going about making this request?

Thanks.

[creatinganalt]

Bumping this thread as it was incredibly useful but also to ask a question if any HLS students are still around:

First term budget for books - can you give an estimate?

Also, if I live off campus, probably in Somerville with non law students, will this limit how much a part of the social scene I can be involved in?

In fact, what is the social scene like at HLS? What do people do? Is it a bar or a pub scene? Is it trendy? Nerdy? Fratty? Posh? Preppy? It;s obviously a generalization but I'd love some insight.

[excelsiorcaelo]

We're all in the middle of exams, so I should be chastising you for thinking that anyone would answer this thread... but here I am, so I guess I can't do that!

Books will cost a lot, but it really depends on what classes you have. Think in the vicinity of $900--that seems to be about standard for first semester. Second semester, two of my classes were entirely based on course packets, which are provided free of charge by the school's copy center.

I am of the opinion that your level of involvement with the social scene is up to you. There are regular events at bars every week. Sometimes there are apartment parties. And the dorms can get up to some rowdy stuff before the noise complaints start coming in, but it really depends on the people in each hall. I'd say there's an obvious baseline level of preppiness, but that's largely because law students are more professionally oriented than undergraduates. However, there are all kinds of people at a school as large as HLS, and your mileage may vary.

Living in Somerville with non law students just means that you will have to make more of a conscious effort to go out there and socialize. You won't have the convenience of living in a dorm, and you'll probably be drawn to non-law-school socializing by your roommates, but you will still see your law school friends all the time, and it won't be too hard to plan your partying if you make that one of your goals.

[creatinganalt]

Thanks and sorry for taking you away from exams!

[mallard]

I see my good friends did a good job in my absence. I'm now done with a year (sans the current undertaking) and am happy to reflect more on the experience while I try and figure out who the other HLS kids in this thread are.

[sayan]

Hi Mallard. Thanks for taking out the time to educate some naive 0Ls .

Some questions:

What was the biggest surprise you had about the law school experience at HLS in your first semester?
Have you found the overall competition to be about what you expected?
What is something you wish you knew about studying law at HLS in particular as an arriving 1L but didn't find out until later?
Any tips for incoming 1Ls about doing well at HLS?
Has the "black box" exam experience been a salient feature at HLS considering how close the curve would probably be, even for H/P? In your experience, is a LP a real threat to those working hard?
Has the LRW been as huge an undertaking as people make it out to be? Any tips on doing well? I heard it has a very tough curve since everyone does so objectively well. Is that true?

[20121109]

Hi Mallard!!!

You may not remember this, but thanks for the LSAT tips you gave me!! Come September, I'll probably be able to thank you in person

Just a quick question...Though I'm sociable, I'm very used to studying alone. Do you recommend I maintain this study habit or do you suggest study groups? Of course, this may vary depending on the person, but do you think there are some classes that are well-suited for study groups, rather than independent study??

Thanks again <3