Ask a Harvard 1L Questions Forum

[riccardo426]

omg it's pinktiki. I used to think you were an auto-bot for LSN or something. Everyone who got into a t14 last year got a congratulatory post from you!

Anyway, how's the dating scene at Harvard?

[yme16]

...

[PinkTiki]

PinkTiki, If you dont mind, could you please discribe your daily schedule, include study time ,thank you.
Also how many pages do they give you to read/outline for each class?
What is the lowest gpa can a urm have?

I really don't know about URMs' GPAs - no one here really talks about their college grades, I think you'd be better off looking at LSN or something.

I probably have about 20 - 30 pages each day for every class, but sometimes it is less.

Usually I spend 10-5 in classes or studying, the rest of the time I'm doing whatever I want to.

omg it's pinktiki. I used to think you were an auto-bot for LSN or something. Everyone who got into a t14 last year got a congratulatory post from you!

Anyway, how's the dating scene at Harvard?

It could be better, but luckily there are some attractive people.

[Fake_ID]

.....Being 26 will not be noticeable in any kind of negative way. Most people spent a year or two out, but we all seem to mix together without age being an issue. As long as you're old enough to go to a bar and don't look like my grandfather, I think you will be as accepted as anyone.

Uhmm, about that. I'd love to attend Harvard next year but I'm not 21 and won't be 21 until after my first year of law school. How do you think this will impact my ability to attend mixers (social & firm related) as well as my acceptance within the class as a whole.

[nahumya]

.....Being 26 will not be noticeable in any kind of negative way. Most people spent a year or two out, but we all seem to mix together without age being an issue. As long as you're old enough to go to a bar and don't look like my grandfather, I think you will be as accepted as anyone.

Uhmm, about that. I'd love to attend Harvard next year but I'm not 21 and won't be 21 until after my first year of law school. How do you think this will impact my ability to attend mixers (social & firm related) as well as my acceptance within the class as a whole.

Judging by your nick, going to socials is going to be fine, formality-wise. As for talking to people... I have no idea how old most students are. It's really hard to feel left out here. There's enough people to go around.

[nahumya]

How's the "big school" atmosphere? Does it feel like there are too many other students with the large class size?

Are the gunners as bad as in the "The Paper Chase"?

I actually feel like the law school is really small - maybe it's because I went to a big college and a big high school, but it seems so tiny. I can't imagine a class size of only 200 or 300 people - that would be way too small for me, but I guess it depends on what you like. Besides, it's not like you're in class with 550 people at once - you're in class with the same 80 people all the time.

There aren't really too many gunners here. Things are more relaxed than I thought they'd be - a lot of people skip certain classes.

I'm most interested in the "lived experience." How do you spend your time throughout the week? When do you get up? How many hours do you study in a given day? Is most of it done at the library, or at home? What's your living situation? How do people socialize? How old are most of the students? Have you noticed many around my age (26)?

Is there anything you wish you'd known before you matriculated?

Finally, what would be one good question to ask on the phone interview?

Thanks for helping us out.

I get up about 7:30 or so everyday. I try to get most of my studying done in between classes, which usually works. Maybe like 2-3 hours a day, not counting things like memos for LRW, but some days I don't study at all. I'm not really a library person, I'd rather study at home with my dog, but sometimes if I'm at school I'll study outside or whatever.

I live off campus in a house. I like it a lot. A lot of people live in the dorms but I don't think I could do that again. People socialize here pretty much like they do everywhere else. Bars, parties, etc.

There'd be a lot of people around your age here. I'm 21 and I think I'm the youngest person in my section. A lot of people seem to be a couple years out of college, so I don't think you'd feel out of place being 26.

My question for the phone interview was what was it like living in Boston/Cambridge. I'd suggest not to ask about the new grading system because probably everyone is going to be doing it. If you have a particular interest in something I'd ask about that, but if not, try to think of something relaxed and conversational that will let you just talk rather than seem nervous.

I will weigh in to agree with (nearly) all of this.

I guess if I looked around, I could find more work to do. I get everything finished that I need to do with the 2-3 hour break that I have every day. It is normally about 50 pages of reading a day, which isn't unreasonable at all. I have not felt stressed out yet at all. I have all night free pretty much every night in order to work on journals, join student organizations, eat and drink all of the free food and beer Harvard provides, hang out with my classmates (I have watched all of weeds and arrested development since I got here), etc.

I live in the dorms and I love it. To be honest, they are not physically beautiful places. It took me a minute to warm up to them, but the rooms are big enough and the kitchens and big HD flatscreen TVs on every floor are nice. It has also been a great way to meet people that I probably never would have met if I lived off campus. If you're at all interested in being social and saving some money, I would say it is a good option.

Being 26 will not be noticeable in any kind of negative way. Most people spent a year or two out, but we all seem to mix together without age being an issue. As long as you're old enough to go to a bar and don't look like my grandfather, I think you will be as accepted as anyone.

I love the large class size. To be honest, I would be happy if it were even bigger. I do not know everyone yet, but I feel like I am already starting to recognize most people. This is especially true for the people who are socially oriented. I think I would feel trapped if the school were to be smaller than it is.

And finally - gunners... They are not at all what I expected. I do not have anyone in my section who will argue with teachers or try to insult other students. I have a few people who come across as know-it-alls, but that is to be expected. Overall, the classroom environment is great. The teachers are incredibly friendly - they don't get super-angry Socratic if you miss something. They mostly just coach you toward what they believe the answer to be. I am pretty sure this contributes to the anti-gunner environment.

seconded.. all of it.

[PinkTiki]

.....Being 26 will not be noticeable in any kind of negative way. Most people spent a year or two out, but we all seem to mix together without age being an issue. As long as you're old enough to go to a bar and don't look like my grandfather, I think you will be as accepted as anyone.

Uhmm, about that. I'd love to attend Harvard next year but I'm not 21 and won't be 21 until after my first year of law school. How do you think this will impact my ability to attend mixers (social & firm related) as well as my acceptance within the class as a whole.

I'd think not being 21 would make things harder, but I'm sure you could find people to hang out with. I don't think most people would treat you weird or anything, but you might miss out on some stuff.

[Fake_ID]

Thanks for the responses.

Nahumya, although the thought has crossed my mind, I actually don't have a fake ID and most likely won't be getting one.
PinkTiki, could you elaborate a bit on why things might be harder for me? Also, in case it matters, I'm female and have seriously been mistaken for a 13-16yr old on numerous occasions.

Are just about all/the vast majority of the mixers and bar review nights held at 21 and over places?
What is the social scene like in regards to sports and activities such as dancing?
How decent is the male population and what's dating like?
Are there really RA (as in Resident Assistant) positions available in the graduate dorms?
Is it at all possible to take a business course as a 1L elective.

Thanks in advance.

[brokendowncar]

Thanks for the responses.

Nahumya, although the thought has crossed my mind, I actually don't have a fake ID and most likely won't be getting one.
PinkTiki, could you elaborate a bit on why things might be harder for me? Also, in case it matters, I'm female and have seriously been mistaken for a 13-16yr old on numerous occasions.

Are just about all/the vast majority of the mixers and bar review nights held at 21 and over places?
What is the social scene like in regards to sports and activities such as dancing?
How decent is the male population and what's dating like?
Are there really RA (as in Resident Assistant) positions available in the graduate dorms?
Is it at all possible to take a business course as a 1L elective.

Thanks in advance.

Are just about all/the vast majority of the mixers and bar review nights held at 21 and over places?

All of the bar reviews and mixers are at 21 and up places. There are tons of social things to do that do not involve getting carded at the door though. One of my favorite weekly events is the happy hour thrown by the Student government every week. It is in the student center, so no carding. There are also tons of clubs that have different events on campus where you won't need an ID. Additionally, there is a pre-party or real party at someone's house every night of the weekend. You will miss out on some things, but you'll be more than fine.

What is the social scene like in regards to sports and activities such as dancing?

There was a big salsa party hosted on campus a few weeks ago. There are also a few intramural sports. People play volleyball every day too. I guess this just depends on what you're into.

How decent is the male population and what's dating like?

I am a guy, so I am probably not a whole lot of help on this one. I have some cool friends though.

Are there really RA (as in Resident Assistant) positions available in the graduate dorms?

Probably not for 1Ls, but I know my RA is a 2L and there are other 2 and 3Ls who are RAs for the undergrad dorms too.

Is it at all possible to take a business course as a 1L elective.

I don't think so, but I am not an expert.

[PinkTiki]

Thanks for the responses.

Nahumya, although the thought has crossed my mind, I actually don't have a fake ID and most likely won't be getting one.
PinkTiki, could you elaborate a bit on why things might be harder for me? Also, in case it matters, I'm female and have seriously been mistaken for a 13-16yr old on numerous occasions.

Are just about all/the vast majority of the mixers and bar review nights held at 21 and over places?
What is the social scene like in regards to sports and activities such as dancing?
How decent is the male population and what's dating like?
Are there really RA (as in Resident Assistant) positions available in the graduate dorms?
Is it at all possible to take a business course as a 1L elective.

Thanks in advance.

Things could be harder for you because a lot of people like to go out for drinks. That might be kinda weird for you being under 21.
Bar review and stuff is at 21+ places but like Brokendowncar said there are lots of other things to do.
A lot of people play flag football and volleyball.
The male population is not much different from anywhere else except for being smarter and a lot more people who are "political". There are some trolls, a lot of average guys, and some hot guys. There are guys who are jocks, and guys who are bookworms, with a class of 550 there's a lot of variety.

[brokendowncar]

I'll bump this because I am bored and sitting around in an airport. If you have any questions that you want quick answers to, now is the time.

[yme16]

Is a 3.5-3.7 GPA, good for a URM?

[yme16]

...

[brokendowncar]

Sorry, I didn't respond because it is a tough question to answer. Is it good (as in auto-admit)? No, not really. Is it good enough to get you in? Possibly. It depends on what else you pair with it and where exactly in that range it falls. There is a huge difference between 3.52 and 3.78.

[yme16]

How hard is it to meet upperclassmans(2L&3L)?
How open are people here as for friendships?

[brokendowncar]

2Ls and 3Ls are great. Many will offer up advice, old outlines, and old books pretty liberally. The clubs and journals seem to be an easy way to get to know them.

As far as friendships in general go, it is pretty must the same here as anywhere else. If you want to make tons of friends, you will easily be able to. If you want to keep totally to yourself for some reason, I guess you could probably accomplish that.

[yme16]

Is there any black women in the law review?

[bilbobaggins]

How are you dealing with Kingsfield in Contracts? I hear he's pretty tough.

[brokendowncar]

Is there any black women in the law review?

I would assume so, but I have never specifically looked. (The law review selects 15 people based on grades + writing, 20 based on writing alone, and leaves 7-8 spots as discretionary spots to select based on whatever metric they see fit, just fyi)

How are you dealing with Kingsfield in Contracts? I hear he's pretty tough.

I have Frug, so I can't comment.

[PinkTiki]

Is there any black women in the law review?

I'm not 100% sure, but I would think yes. The Law Review has an affirmative action policy, so I would imagine minorities are represented. --LinkRemoved--

How are you dealing with Kingsfield in Contracts? I hear he's pretty tough.

Hahaha.

How hard is it to meet upperclassmans(2L&3L)?
How open are people here as for friendships?

It is not very hard to meet people. As far as friendliness goes, some people are friendly and some aren't. It really isn't all that different then anyone else.

[underdawg]

Is there any black women in the law review?

lol

[littleboyblue]

not sure if you guys all talk about your application experience - but should i consider myself rejected if i have not received an email from TS but applied early in the cycle?

[brokendowncar]

Nope. The timing is varied. Don't stress out over it.

[littleboyblue]

Nope. The timing is varied. Don't stress out over it.

thanks. this board can make you freak out about stuff like that. hope you are enjoying yourself. i've heard such mix things about the hls experience (esp. in comparison to yale) but i've also heard that the administration is really trying to make things better for the students. anyway, lots of luck to you...maybe i'll see you next year.

[yme16]

Are there any tips you would give to imcoming students?
Are there any sociology majors there?