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I don't know if this is redundant, but I'm willing to answer questions if anyone has them.

Ok, I'll bite. Where do you live and what's the housing situation like? Is it necessary/advisable to have a car? What should I expect if I want an apt-type place w/ my own kitchen/bathroom that's hopefully within walking distance to the school?

Given class sizes, do you find it difficult to build personal relationships with professors?

Have they renovated the seating in Pound Hall, or do you still need to be sub 180 lbs to fit into in the chairs that are mounted into the floor?

kazu wrote:Ok, I'll bite. Where do you live and what's the housing situation like? Is it necessary/advisable to have a car? What should I expect if I want an apt-type place w/ my own kitchen/bathroom that's hopefully within walking distance to the school?

I was at the University for a January term course (Extension School, working on a Masters in IT), during that time I sublet a place from a Teaching Fellow who was spending January on an internship in DC. The place was about a 15 minute walk from the Law School campus. It was two blocks from the Radcliffe Quad, which means that the Harvard Shuttle buses were readily available if you did not feel like making the walk, the shuttle is free for those affiliated with the University. Generally speaking I would strongly advise against having a car, as parking in Cambridge and near campus is a real pain, the T stops right off of Harvard Yard, which is adjacent to the Law Campus.

The place was fairly basic, it had its own bathroom, but not a full kitchen (there was a microwave, toaster oven, rice cooker, sink, and a small refrigerator. The place was carved out of a single family home, it had its own entrance and there was no direct connection to the rest of the home from inside of the apartment. The place came with access to a washer and dryer that was shared with a second apartment that was carved out of the main house as well. As I understand it she was paying about $900/month for this place.

Full fledged apartments (e.g. in apartment buildings, with full kitchens, and the like) will like start at around $1400-1500, with the possibility of spending much much more.

pride09 wrote:Given class sizes, do you find it difficult to build personal relationships with professors?

I wouldn't say difficult, but you aren't going to just stumble into good reccs like you would at Y or S. We had a panel on how to get to know professors (no, I'm not kidding) and their advice I have found to be true. Figure out an area of law you are passionate about and really get to know professor(s) in that realm. Take multiple classes/seminars/independent papers with them. On the whole, profs here do enjoy sharing their academic passions with a student but they aren't going to look for students to work with. True, every once in a while, you will just click w/ a prof independent of their discipline, but I think having a common passion will really do wonders.

haus wrote:Have they renovated the seating in Pound Hall, or do you still need to be sub 180 lbs to fit into in the chairs that are mounted into the floor?

They have not now not will they ever renovate Pound. Those chairs will be bolted to the floor until the rapture.

kazu wrote:Ok, I'll bite. Where do you live and what's the housing situation like? Is it necessary/advisable to have a car? What should I expect if I want an apt-type place w/ my own kitchen/bathroom that's hopefully within walking distance to the school?

I live in a house very near to campus with a few other Harvard graduate students. I'd be willing to talk price/pros and cons by PM if you want.

Unless you are one of those people who must drive everywhere or you have a SO and/or kids who need to get places, I would not bother with a car. It is expensive to get a pass to park even on the street and you can get most places by mass transit. Granted, I am a huge pro-mass transit guy, but I haven't found it that inconvenient at all and I think the savings in money and hassle of having a car far outweighs any minor annoyance of walking to the store in the snow.

iagolives wrote:

kazu wrote:Ok, I'll bite. Where do you live and what's the housing situation like? Is it necessary/advisable to have a car? What should I expect if I want an apt-type place w/ my own kitchen/bathroom that's hopefully within walking distance to the school?

I live in a house very near to campus with a few other Harvard graduate students. I'd be willing to talk price/pros and cons by PM if you want.

Unless you are one of those people who must drive everywhere or you have a SO and/or kids who need to get places, I would not bother with a car. It is expensive to get a pass to park even on the street and you can get most places by mass transit. Granted, I am a huge pro-mass transit guy, but I haven't found it that inconvenient at all and I think the savings in money and hassle of having a car far outweighs any minor annoyance of walking to the store in the snow.

Thanks! PM-ed.

- How big are average 2L and 3L classes?
- Did you do a reading group 1L? What was that like?

thanks

How easy or difficult has it been for you to get to know professors and/or do research? What extracurriculars do you do or what are your plans post-Harvard?

pride09 wrote:- How big are average 2L and 3L classes?
- Did you do a reading group 1L? What was that like?

thanks

2L and 3L classes vary from 80-100 (like 1L section classes) to seminars of like 8-10. It really varies.

1L reading groups are a funny thing. As a 1L, everyone scrambles to do one with the most prestigious prof they can think of. In truth, they are a huge waste of time. I have never heard anyone who said that 1L reading group affected their experience positively. If you are really interested in a topic, take it, but don't jump on the groupthink bandwagon of "if I don't take a 1L reading group I will be behind my peers and not get a CoA clerkship." (You think I'm kidding...)

mildlyironic wrote:How easy or difficult has it been for you to get to know professors and/or do research? What extracurriculars do you do or what are your plans post-Harvard?

I would say that it really varies among professors. Some are very open to students and excited about teaching. Many others see students as an unfortunate burden necessary to write articles and go to conferences. It really depends. I have gotten to know/work with a few profs here and the key in my opinion is figuring out a small discipline or disciplines that you are very passionate about and really seek out profs who share your niche concerns. They are much more likely to reach out and help you if you share their passion. I know some people who gun to "get to know" the prestigious profs and it rarely works. Going in and saying "Prof. X, I really think con law is interesting" or "I'm very passionate about international law and issues" isn't really going to cut it.

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I checked your profile but couldn't see your numbers--mind sharing? I'm also interested in your softs if you feel comfortable.

Thanks.

How hard is it to get on Law Review and what's the process like?