10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS Forum

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by $1.99 » Mon Oct 25, 2010 4:36 pm

lol d-rocca, you are one of the biggest clowns i have seen on this board. i hope you do get into harvard so i can find you and make you my bitch at orientation next year. i will be your boss for the next three years. we will see how tough you are when you are not hiding behind your computer.

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by Kretzy » Mon Oct 25, 2010 4:37 pm

rooster wrote:So I was attempting to refill my coffee cup in Pound today and was troubled to find that, of the four coffee dispensers there, every one was empty. Thus, the one reason why anyone should go to HLS evaporated.
I really wish SLS had free coffee. The administration needs to stop dilly-dallying on this.

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by Stanford4Me » Mon Oct 25, 2010 4:45 pm

I hope D-Rocca gets rejected @ Harvard.

Come to NYU, all. Flag football and diminishing school rankings for all!

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by casper13 » Mon Oct 25, 2010 5:48 pm

Stanford4Me wrote:I hope D-Rocca gets rejected @ Harvard.

Come to NYU, all. Flag football and diminishing school rankings for all!
The NFL is now at NYU?

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by worldtraveler » Mon Oct 25, 2010 6:13 pm

Every time I get frustrated with Berkeley I'm going to come read the OP's post.

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by Na_Swatch » Mon Oct 25, 2010 6:48 pm

So anyways the OP seems more like a rant than anything else... in my opinion he makes some salient points and others just sound kind of bizarre... Anyways here's my take on things:
(Oh and everybody knows Coffee runs out in Pound very, very quickly... Lewis and Langdell have permanent free coffee supplies)

1. I don't know about this point... I can see how some people can become like this but on the whole the 2Ls and 3Ls I've met are pretty relaxed and easygoing... some do seem to overload on activities while others aren't "disconnected" but just taking things a little easier.

And I don't really feel like HLS is transforming people into a worse version of themselves at all in my experience... everybody is decently friendly and gunnerish tendencies are frowned upon if expressed openly

2. Here I agree with the fact that LRW teachers are perhaps not the best "teachers" and more like aspiring academics... On the whole they seem very brilliant but some perhaps are not very experienced at teaching classes.

I completely disagree with the BSA comment though, most of the BSA's I've met are extremely friendly and genuinely helpful... I've never felt the dynamic that the OP expressed

3. This point is just pure rant, teachers on the whole are at least as good as any other law school.. and you'll encounter the same problem at every single school... Some people have great teachers, some don't... some like the teaching style of one, other's dislike it.

4. "Grading" Has been an issue... definitely seemed weird with all the changes for awhile. Its finally been settled though, so now its just a wait and see to what the actual effects are.

5. I have one username and one password (since I just set it up that way myself)... pretty simple if you think ahead. Never had a problem with printing/ IT.

6. When you compare to other schools, HLS is at least as good as any.

7. All law schools mandate majority of 1L classes... In fact I wish Harvard would spread out some of the 1L BLL classes a bit more, I mean we have all of 2L and 3L year to branch out, there's no need to cram every single course into one semester and take 4 at a time.

8. Don't know too much about this, but doesn't really affect me.

10. Gropius is definitely ugly... Pound is actually quite nice in my opinion... Langdell Library is very nice too... Overall I really enjoy the law school campus though, its decently set up and I like having a sizable campus just for the law school.

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by rooster » Mon Oct 25, 2010 7:03 pm

Na_Swatch wrote:So anyways the OP seems more like a rant than anything else... in my opinion he makes some salient points and others just sound kind of bizarre... Anyways here's my take on things:
(Oh and everybody knows Coffee runs out in Pound very, very quickly... Lewis and Langdell have permanent free coffee supplies)

1. I don't know about this point... I can see how some people can become like this but on the whole the 2Ls and 3Ls I've met are pretty relaxed and easygoing... some do seem to overload on activities while others aren't "disconnected" but just taking things a little easier.

And I don't really feel like HLS is transforming people into a worse version of themselves at all in my experience... everybody is decently friendly and gunnerish tendencies are frowned upon if expressed openly

2. Here I agree with the fact that LRW teachers are perhaps not the best "teachers" and more like aspiring academics... On the whole they seem very brilliant but some perhaps are not very experienced at teaching classes.

I completely disagree with the BSA comment though, most of the BSA's I've met are extremely friendly and genuinely helpful... I've never felt the dynamic that the OP expressed

3. This point is just pure rant, teachers on the whole are at least as good as any other law school.. and you'll encounter the same problem at every single school... Some people have great teachers, some don't... some like the teaching style of one, other's dislike it.

4. "Grading" Has been an issue... definitely seemed weird with all the changes for awhile. Its finally been settled though, so now its just a wait and see to what the actual effects are.

5. I have one username and one password (since I just set it up that way myself)... pretty simple if you think ahead. Never had a problem with printing/ IT.

6. When you compare to other schools, HLS is at least as good as any.

7. All law schools mandate majority of 1L classes... In fact I wish Harvard would spread out some of the 1L BLL classes a bit more, I mean we have all of 2L and 3L year to branch out, there's no need to cram every single course into one semester and take 4 at a time.

8. Don't know too much about this, but doesn't really affect me.

10. Gropius is definitely ugly... Pound is actually quite nice in my opinion... Langdell Library is very nice too... Overall I really enjoy the law school campus though, its decently set up and I like having a sizable campus just for the law school.
Unless you transferred in from some other school, I doubt anything that rests on comparison. It is hard to argue about perceptions of culture, but my crew of friends would definitely think that you have some rose-colored glasses on. Also, over the summer I worked at a place that had a very large number of HLS alums. Every single one of them hated it with a passion, and they were never so animated as when they were discussing exactly why they hated it.

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by Nicholasnickynic » Mon Oct 25, 2010 7:03 pm

3. This point is just pure rant, teachers on the whole are at least as good as any other law school.. and you'll encounter the same problem at every single school... Some people have great teachers, some don't... some like the teaching style of one, other's dislike it.
False. It is an objectively true fact that every teacher at wake forest is awesome. All of my teachers are very good, and none of them have been hiding the ball.

Transfer to wake!

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by cavebat2000 » Mon Oct 25, 2010 7:06 pm

Desert Fox wrote:Still though, you got the same LSAT as a retard like me. That is a huge fail, I can't even read.
the rest of the 99% idiots? lol

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by bk1 » Mon Oct 25, 2010 7:10 pm

2 Reasons Why You Should Go to HLS

1. Models

2. Bottles

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by IAFG » Mon Oct 25, 2010 7:14 pm

Nicholasnickynic wrote:
3. This point is just pure rant, teachers on the whole are at least as good as any other law school.. and you'll encounter the same problem at every single school... Some people have great teachers, some don't... some like the teaching style of one, other's dislike it.
False. It is an objectively true fact that every teacher at wake forest is awesome. All of my teachers are very good, and none of them have been hiding the ball.

Transfer to wake!
Whatever complaints one might have about NU administration, 3/4 of my doctrinal profs are objectively amazing and the 4th is just pretty awesome.

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by Stanford4Me » Mon Oct 25, 2010 7:29 pm

casper13 wrote:
Stanford4Me wrote:I hope D-Rocca gets rejected @ Harvard.

Come to NYU, all. Flag football and diminishing school rankings for all!
The NFL is Dallas Cowboys are now at NYU?
FTFMeandmysportsdepression

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by Na_Swatch » Mon Oct 25, 2010 7:33 pm

rooster wrote:
Na_Swatch wrote:So anyways the OP seems more like a rant than anything else... in my opinion he makes some salient points and others just sound kind of bizarre... Anyways here's my take on things:
(Oh and everybody knows Coffee runs out in Pound very, very quickly... Lewis and Langdell have permanent free coffee supplies)
Unless you transferred in from some other school, I doubt anything that rests on comparison. It is hard to argue about perceptions of culture, but my crew of friends would definitely think that you have some rose-colored glasses on. Also, over the summer I worked at a place that had a very large number of HLS alums. Every single one of them hated it with a passion, and they were never so animated as when they were discussing exactly why they hated it.
hmm i'm curious, so do you have concrete examples of people/ events/ BSAs/ etc. that show the concealed viciousness you claim?

perhaps its also because i'm a generally laidback type of person, but I haven't really seen many examples of that at all.

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by DukeCornell » Mon Oct 25, 2010 8:21 pm

Ever notice how, as soon as anyone from HLS becomes prominent, professors immediately crawl out of the woodwork to proclaim them the "Best student they ever taught at HLS"? Like a person suffering from Tourette's, HLS seemingly cannot help but fall back into its old habit of measuring everyone against everyone else. Every time someone from HLS becomes prominent, I bet every member of the faculty at HLS pours through his class list from past years to see whether the person was ever in his class. Then, if the professor finds that the person was in his class, though he does not remember him at all (because he is a typical HLS prof), he immediately proclaims that student "the best he ever taught"!
Ha! This sounds like a few of my undergrad professors. :lol:

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by DoubleChecks » Mon Oct 25, 2010 8:40 pm

rooster wrote:
Na_Swatch wrote:So anyways the OP seems more like a rant than anything else... in my opinion he makes some salient points and others just sound kind of bizarre... Anyways here's my take on things:
(Oh and everybody knows Coffee runs out in Pound very, very quickly... Lewis and Langdell have permanent free coffee supplies)

1. I don't know about this point... I can see how some people can become like this but on the whole the 2Ls and 3Ls I've met are pretty relaxed and easygoing... some do seem to overload on activities while others aren't "disconnected" but just taking things a little easier.

And I don't really feel like HLS is transforming people into a worse version of themselves at all in my experience... everybody is decently friendly and gunnerish tendencies are frowned upon if expressed openly

2. Here I agree with the fact that LRW teachers are perhaps not the best "teachers" and more like aspiring academics... On the whole they seem very brilliant but some perhaps are not very experienced at teaching classes.

I completely disagree with the BSA comment though, most of the BSA's I've met are extremely friendly and genuinely helpful... I've never felt the dynamic that the OP expressed

3. This point is just pure rant, teachers on the whole are at least as good as any other law school.. and you'll encounter the same problem at every single school... Some people have great teachers, some don't... some like the teaching style of one, other's dislike it.

4. "Grading" Has been an issue... definitely seemed weird with all the changes for awhile. Its finally been settled though, so now its just a wait and see to what the actual effects are.

5. I have one username and one password (since I just set it up that way myself)... pretty simple if you think ahead. Never had a problem with printing/ IT.

6. When you compare to other schools, HLS is at least as good as any.

7. All law schools mandate majority of 1L classes... In fact I wish Harvard would spread out some of the 1L BLL classes a bit more, I mean we have all of 2L and 3L year to branch out, there's no need to cram every single course into one semester and take 4 at a time.

8. Don't know too much about this, but doesn't really affect me.

10. Gropius is definitely ugly... Pound is actually quite nice in my opinion... Langdell Library is very nice too... Overall I really enjoy the law school campus though, its decently set up and I like having a sizable campus just for the law school.
Unless you transferred in from some other school, I doubt anything that rests on comparison. It is hard to argue about perceptions of culture, but my crew of friends would definitely think that you have some rose-colored glasses on. Also, over the summer I worked at a place that had a very large number of HLS alums. Every single one of them hated it with a passion, and they were never so animated as when they were discussing exactly why they hated it.
Most of your points...are kind of just opinions. I am thoroughly enjoying my time here at HLS and most of my friends would agree w/ me. Are there some ppl that are more gunnerish than others? Sure...but most are pretty cool and down to earth. Most of the 2Ls and 3Ls I know are extremely relaxed lol...maybe it's the people you hang out with? I'm sure certain types clump.

The point on ITS being lame w/ all the pws and usernames = true. Ugly buildings? Double true. LRW class being quite bleh? True as well, but maybe that is just LRW. I don't know. The grading issues are annoying, but still a much less stressful system than the +/- of virtually all other law schools. All my other experiences, however, have been the opposite of yours and much more in line w/ Na Switch's. Some of my profs are amazing...not just their pedigree, but their teaching ability as well. Others aren't that great, but by no means below average in teaching ability.

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by DoubleChecks » Mon Oct 25, 2010 8:41 pm

Na_Swatch wrote:
rooster wrote:
Na_Swatch wrote:So anyways the OP seems more like a rant than anything else... in my opinion he makes some salient points and others just sound kind of bizarre... Anyways here's my take on things:
(Oh and everybody knows Coffee runs out in Pound very, very quickly... Lewis and Langdell have permanent free coffee supplies)
Unless you transferred in from some other school, I doubt anything that rests on comparison. It is hard to argue about perceptions of culture, but my crew of friends would definitely think that you have some rose-colored glasses on. Also, over the summer I worked at a place that had a very large number of HLS alums. Every single one of them hated it with a passion, and they were never so animated as when they were discussing exactly why they hated it.
hmm i'm curious, so do you have concrete examples of people/ events/ BSAs/ etc. that show the concealed viciousness you claim?

perhaps its also because i'm a generally laidback type of person, but I haven't really seen many examples of that at all.
Same here. My BSA is ridiculously nice, and I'd say most of the people I've met are either laid back or genuinely helpful (or a combination of both haha).

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by rundoxierun » Mon Oct 25, 2010 8:48 pm

Actually.. talking to JR and hearing how chill he was and some of the reasons he decided to attend HLS really put Harvard toward the top of my list. It cant be that bad with chief admissions officer like that.. can it??

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by Kobe_Teeth » Mon Oct 25, 2010 8:49 pm

Its my favorite TLS game...
"Flame or Douche?"

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by $1.99 » Mon Oct 25, 2010 10:37 pm

i vote for douche

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by D-ROCCA » Mon Oct 25, 2010 10:48 pm

You would

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by Chupavida » Mon Oct 25, 2010 11:00 pm

.
Last edited by Chupavida on Tue Jul 19, 2011 10:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by D. H2Oman » Mon Oct 25, 2010 11:04 pm

$1.99 wrote:lol d-rocca, you are one of the biggest clowns i have seen on this board. i hope you do get into harvard so i can find you and make you my bitch at orientation next year. i will be your boss for the next three years. we will see how tough you are when you are not hiding behind your computer.

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by miamiman » Mon Oct 25, 2010 11:10 pm

this dood is coming to UChi? fantastic.

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by DoubleChecks » Mon Oct 25, 2010 11:28 pm

rooster wrote: While I admire a person with confidence, try not to get ahead of yourself.

But as to the real substance of what you are saying: If you peruse my post, you will find that I do not doubt the HLS helps one get a job, or generally provides "opportunity." But--and I realize this may be a radical view--I do think a law school should provide more than good branding. I think that it is a problem if a large percentage of students at a school feel intellectually disconnected from the school, and my experience at HLS suggests that a large percentage of students feel this way. In general, they did not come in intellectually alienated, and many end up doing quite well at law school and going on to prominent careers. Yet they hate their time at HLS. I think this is a problem. If you do not, then fine--go to HLS. But for 0Ls who want a law school that is more than a brand name, and that have other options similar to HLS, I would suggest that they carefully explore those other options.

I admit that my complaints about printing may seem trivial, and I would not care if the substantive education HLS provided was good. But it is not, and the printing and other bureaucratic issues are simply symptomatic of a deeper administrative disregard of students.
Sorry if I am a bit skeptical that your views represent the opinions of a "large percentage of students" at HLS. But who knows, maybe my friends and I are in the minority. What do you exactly mean by "intellectually disconnected"?

And rooster, while some of your points are valid, and I do not doubt the authenticity of your HLS experiences, much of what you have to say is both anecdotal and misleading. While I realize you were clever enough to not over-commit yourself, your original post paints a picture of HLS that, upon closer inspection of your subsequent comments, is not what you actually meant. Most 0Ls are probably not that discerning.

But your post has made me curious about one thing: pm me the profs you had that were bad? Maybe I'll know which to avoid :P I'm sorry your HLS experience didn't turn out quite the way you had hoped.

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Re: 10 Reasons Why You Should Not Go to HLS

Post by invisiblesun » Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:16 am

DoubleChecks wrote:
rooster wrote: While I admire a person with confidence, try not to get ahead of yourself.

But as to the real substance of what you are saying: If you peruse my post, you will find that I do not doubt the HLS helps one get a job, or generally provides "opportunity." But--and I realize this may be a radical view--I do think a law school should provide more than good branding. I think that it is a problem if a large percentage of students at a school feel intellectually disconnected from the school, and my experience at HLS suggests that a large percentage of students feel this way. In general, they did not come in intellectually alienated, and many end up doing quite well at law school and going on to prominent careers. Yet they hate their time at HLS. I think this is a problem. If you do not, then fine--go to HLS. But for 0Ls who want a law school that is more than a brand name, and that have other options similar to HLS, I would suggest that they carefully explore those other options.

I admit that my complaints about printing may seem trivial, and I would not care if the substantive education HLS provided was good. But it is not, and the printing and other bureaucratic issues are simply symptomatic of a deeper administrative disregard of students.
Sorry if I am a bit skeptical that your views represent the opinions of a "large percentage of students" at HLS. But who knows, maybe my friends and I are in the minority. What do you exactly mean by "intellectually disconnected"?

And rooster, while some of your points are valid, and I do not doubt the authenticity of your HLS experiences, much of what you have to say is both anecdotal and misleading. While I realize you were clever enough to not over-commit yourself, your original post paints a picture of HLS that, upon closer inspection of your subsequent comments, is not what you actually meant. Most 0Ls are probably not that discerning.

But your post has made me curious about one thing: pm me the profs you had that were bad? Maybe I'll know which to avoid :P I'm sorry your HLS experience didn't turn out quite the way you had hoped.
I'm an undiscerning 0L, and I'm wondering if any current or former HLS students perusing this thread can elaborate more on some of the claims made by OP. I'm currently deferred at HLS and although I was absolutely ecstatic to get in, the more recent TLS talk of an unstable grading system, 0-offered students at OCI, and increasing bitterness at the school is a tad concerning. To make matters worse, I can't really bring these concerns up with anyone IRL because then I'm looked at like a pretentious douche who is unappreciative of his Harvard acceptance.

Since I'm deferred, it is unlikely that my plans would change, as it would require me to withdraw my deferral and reapply (and potentially risk losing the HLS acceptance). Moreover, I'm still pretty excited about going- just with a few concerns, and I'd like to know what to expect. Any help you guys can give is appreciated.

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