Harvard Student(s) Answering Your Questions Forum

[tomwatts]

I got a pretty awful lottery number for the dorms, but I managed to get exactly what I wanted (a cheap room in Gropius). I don't think any of the special (big) rooms in Gropius were still available at that point, and Hastings and North had very little left, but Gropius had enough.

[roranoa]

Do you know anyone who went into finance after graduation? Or an alumni who went into finance after a few years of corporate law? I just wanna know how many people do that.

It's not enormously common, but definitely at least a few people each year do it. Last semester, this guy came to talk to the Harvard Association of Law and Business, many of whom want to do the same sort of thing as he did (go to Goldman Sachs after HLS). I think the current President of HALB, among others, will be going straight into finance after law school.

Do you know whether if those who are going straight into finance had relevant WE? After I found out that such route is possible I carried the thought of working in finance someday after law school. But I don't understand how that's possible straight out of law school. Just curious.

[tomwatts]

Do you know anyone who went into finance after graduation? Or an alumni who went into finance after a few years of corporate law? I just wanna know how many people do that.

It's not enormously common, but definitely at least a few people each year do it. Last semester, this guy came to talk to the Harvard Association of Law and Business, many of whom want to do the same sort of thing as he did (go to Goldman Sachs after HLS). I think the current President of HALB, among others, will be going straight into finance after law school.

Do you know whether if those who are going straight into finance had relevant WE? After I found out that such route is possible I carried the thought of working in finance someday after law school. But I don't understand how that's possible straight out of law school. Just curious.

You know, I think most of them did, but if you take the right classes in law school, I think you can manage it even without, as long as you get the right internships and things over the summers, especially the second summer (which will take some effort, but is, again, possible). Like I said, you can take finance, accounting, econ, etc., by cross-registering, and if you have relevant summer work experience, I think that's probably enough. Still, I'm largely speculating at this point, based on impressions I've gotten from the handful of people I've talked to who are going into that sort of thing.

[DoubleChecks]

No employer will ask what you did during your summer before 1L year of law school, unless you happened to have done something super interesting that is actually on your resume. I agree with the others -- just relax and have fun. Employers will have more than enough "fun" asking you about SPOs and especially your 1L summer job.

I actually had an interviewer ask me about my summer internship prior to 1L. I don't think it was all that interesting, either. Note, this was for applying for 1L SA jobs. I did something over the summer prior to 1L, but it was relatively low-stress and I was trying to compensate for being a K-JD.

I apologize. Let me rephrase. If you did nothing over the summer before your 1L year (assuming you're going straight through), no employer will care or notice. If you did something, it is obviously another talking point. How interesting that is depends on the interviewer, and it'd be treated like any other thing on the resume in that sense. In other words, work prior to 1L year (in that summer) is not expected, so will not feel 'amiss' when not accounted for.

also, ATL, did TLS change? lol i cant see the usual feed of recent posted threads on the front page anymore...

[englawyer]

Do you know anyone who went into finance after graduation? Or an alumni who went into finance after a few years of corporate law? I just wanna know how many people do that.

It's not enormously common, but definitely at least a few people each year do it. Last semester, this guy came to talk to the Harvard Association of Law and Business, many of whom want to do the same sort of thing as he did (go to Goldman Sachs after HLS). I think the current President of HALB, among others, will be going straight into finance after law school.

Do you know whether if those who are going straight into finance had relevant WE? After I found out that such route is possible I carried the thought of working in finance someday after law school. But I don't understand how that's possible straight out of law school. Just curious.

You know, I think most of them did, but if you take the right classes in law school, I think you can manage it even without, as long as you get the right internships and things over the summers, especially the second summer (which will take some effort, but is, again, possible). Like I said, you can take finance, accounting, econ, etc., by cross-registering, and if you have relevant summer work experience, I think that's probably enough. Still, I'm largely speculating at this point, based on impressions I've gotten from the handful of people I've talked to who are going into that sort of thing.

It is possible but I don't think this response really captures how to do it. No one in that field cares that you gained the technical business knowledge through coursework..that is why they hire harvard ba in english. They just care that you are smart, personable and willing to work insane hours. The recruiting is much more networking than law firm jobs. There are plenty of "business" speakers that come to campus and you can go and try to talk with them/ask how they broke into the field after their talks. Also, cross-registering at the b-school can help because you will meet b-school students who can help get your application looked at etc. Finally, there are some direct recruiting events on campus where the financial firms ask you to do problem solving and stuff..i believe an email went around about a CT hedge fund doing that and I think Morgan Stanley has info sessions in the fall.

[094320]

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[ph14]

I apologize. Let me rephrase. If you did nothing over the summer before your 1L year (assuming you're going straight through), no employer will care or notice. If you did something, it is obviously another talking point. How interesting that is depends on the interviewer, and it'd be treated like any other thing on the resume in that sense. In other words, work prior to 1L year (in that summer) is not expected, so will not feel 'amiss' when not accounted for.

also, ATL, did TLS change? lol i cant see the usual feed of recent posted threads on the front page anymore...

I advise against doing something intense the summer before 1L, but for people going straight through, I don't think it hurts to try for something legal-related. I'm doing fairly decently in the 1L SA job search, esp. for a K-JD with no IP background, and it's been helpful to be able to talk about the legal experience I had (using westlaw, writing memos, etc.) over the summer.

+1. Agree completely with this advice. It's probably worthwhile to do something, but don't do anything intense.

[Blessedassurance]

Is there a gym open 24 hours anywhere around the Law School?

Has anyone played intramural soccer? I heard Sir Alex Ferguson visited once...

http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/collegeadm ... -football/

[delusional]

Is there any way to keep the lights on in the new study rooms other than sitting in front of the door and waving your arms?

[nametaken]

Does anyone here feel like they would have traded their acceptance at HLS for $$ at Columbia? I received the Butler (half tuition), but also got accepted to Harvard. I live in NYC and want to work here after law school, but I'm definitely having a hard time deciding between the two. Any advice would be appreciated!

[delusional]

Does anyone here feel like they would have traded their acceptance at HLS for $$ at Columbia? I received the Butler (half tuition), but also got accepted to Harvard. I live in NYC and want to work here after law school, but I'm definitely having a hard time deciding between the two. Any advice would be appreciated!

I can only speak for myself but I would not have gone to Columbia. It is probably cheaper to live in Boston/Cambridge, the job prospects are better, loan repayment is better, and the grades are a big difference. Maybe for the Hamilton, but for the Butler, I would still go to Harvard.

[nametaken]

Does anyone here feel like they would have traded their acceptance at HLS for $$ at Columbia? I received the Butler (half tuition), but also got accepted to Harvard. I live in NYC and want to work here after law school, but I'm definitely having a hard time deciding between the two. Any advice would be appreciated!

I can only speak for myself but I would not have gone to Columbia. It is probably cheaper to live in Boston/Cambridge, the job prospects are better, loan repayment is better, and the grades are a big difference. Maybe for the Hamilton, but for the Butler, I would still go to Harvard.

What do you mean the grades are a big difference?

[delusional]

Does anyone here feel like they would have traded their acceptance at HLS for $$ at Columbia? I received the Butler (half tuition), but also got accepted to Harvard. I live in NYC and want to work here after law school, but I'm definitely having a hard time deciding between the two. Any advice would be appreciated!

I can only speak for myself but I would not have gone to Columbia. It is probably cheaper to live in Boston/Cambridge, the job prospects are better, loan repayment is better, and the grades are a big difference. Maybe for the Hamilton, but for the Butler, I would still go to Harvard.

What do you mean the grades are a big difference?

There are fewer real grades, so you don't have to be quite as anxious as you would be at Columbia.

[jbs017]

Is there a gym open 24 hours anywhere around the Law School?

Definitely not Harvard gyms. The Hemenway gym, which is on the law school campus, doesn't open before 6am or stay open past 11pm. (See http://recreation.gocrimson.com/recreation/hours)

There are a few gyms in Porter Sq with similar hours.

Not a current HLS student, so I can't speak to whether any dorms or university-owned apartments have gyms. I doubt any of the former do, and few of the latter.

[The Gentleman]

Any pro-tips for selling back fall textbooks/supplements/E&E's etc? The Coop said that they stopped buying used books in December. And Amazon is literally offering me $1 for my torts book. That's flat-out insulting . . .

[094320]

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[DoubleChecks]

Does anyone here feel like they would have traded their acceptance at HLS for $$ at Columbia? I received the Butler (half tuition), but also got accepted to Harvard. I live in NYC and want to work here after law school, but I'm definitely having a hard time deciding between the two. Any advice would be appreciated!

I can only speak for myself but I would not have gone to Columbia. It is probably cheaper to live in Boston/Cambridge, the job prospects are better, loan repayment is better, and the grades are a big difference. Maybe for the Hamilton, but for the Butler, I would still go to Harvard.

What do you mean the grades are a big difference?

There are fewer real grades, so you don't have to be quite as anxious as you would be at Columbia.

And even with the few grades we have, most biglaw employers are still confused (or apathetic?) enough about them that definitely below median (think 1 H) and definitely above median (think 5 Hs) are treated the same (as far as grades are concerned; there are other ways of distinguishing applicants). At least that is what I have seen from speaking to a large number of ppl after this past EIP. Exceptionally bad/good grades or particularly selective firms/jobs still stand a bit apart.

[jbs017]

Can someone comment on TF-ing undergrad classes? How common is it? Is it a pretty easy job to get? What classes do people most frequently TF? Etc....

[concurrent fork]

So is it a reasonable strategy to hope for a good view time, and initiate serious craigslist hunting only if HRES doesn't work out? Or should I start looking for apartments now and hope to visit them over March ASW?

It depends how picky you are re: apts and location. If you're less picky, you can probably afford to wait for the view times. I wouldn't necessarily start now. One major frustration I had was finding the time to visit. I did my apt. searching over Spring Break--I stayed with friends in Boston. However, I had a hard time getting realtors to actually show me apartments. It's a renter's market, and a lot seemed uninterested in talking to me once they realized that I was from out of town and had narrow time demands. I don't know if I just ran into unusually rude renters, but it was very frustrating.

The agents we've dealt with have been pretty rude too. I guess there's so much demand that customer service skills aren't really necessary.

To poster above: A lot of the nicer apartments near campus rent over the March and April ASW. There are definitely options left afterward, but the selection is more limited.

[splbagel]

So is it a reasonable strategy to hope for a good view time, and initiate serious craigslist hunting only if HRES doesn't work out? Or should I start looking for apartments now and hope to visit them over March ASW?

It depends how picky you are re: apts and location. If you're less picky, you can probably afford to wait for the view times. I wouldn't necessarily start now. One major frustration I had was finding the time to visit. I did my apt. searching over Spring Break--I stayed with friends in Boston. However, I had a hard time getting realtors to actually show me apartments. It's a renter's market, and a lot seemed uninterested in talking to me once they realized that I was from out of town and had narrow time demands. I don't know if I just ran into unusually rude renters, but it was very frustrating.

The agents we've dealt with have been pretty rude too. I guess there's so much demand that customer service skills aren't really necessary.

To poster above: A lot of the nicer apartments near campus rent over the March and April ASW. There are definitely options left afterward, but the selection is more limited.

Does "rent over the March and April ASW" mean I have to be willing to sign a lease on the spot if I like something I see on March 3?

[concurrent fork]

So is it a reasonable strategy to hope for a good view time, and initiate serious craigslist hunting only if HRES doesn't work out? Or should I start looking for apartments now and hope to visit them over March ASW?

It depends how picky you are re: apts and location. If you're less picky, you can probably afford to wait for the view times. I wouldn't necessarily start now. One major frustration I had was finding the time to visit. I did my apt. searching over Spring Break--I stayed with friends in Boston. However, I had a hard time getting realtors to actually show me apartments. It's a renter's market, and a lot seemed uninterested in talking to me once they realized that I was from out of town and had narrow time demands. I don't know if I just ran into unusually rude renters, but it was very frustrating.

The agents we've dealt with have been pretty rude too. I guess there's so much demand that customer service skills aren't really necessary.

To poster above: A lot of the nicer apartments near campus rent over the March and April ASW. There are definitely options left afterward, but the selection is more limited.

Does "rent over the March and April ASW" mean I have to be willing to sign a lease on the spot if I like something I see on March 3?

You probably won't sign on the spot, since it takes a few days to do a credit check and to get paperwork from your guarantor (if required). But yes, if you see something you like you should move on it relatively fast. When I was a 0L I decided I wanted to sign on a place 2 days after I viewed it - and when I called it had already rented.

[LaCumparsita]

Which dorm is the best? North seems ideal since it's newer than the others (right?) and you can have your own bathroom, but are the smaller rooms in North really small? Are the rooms in Gropius and Hastings really old? What is the social scene like in each of the dorms? Thanks!

[englawyer]

gropius: small rooms, cheap, similar to college dorms, most social

hastings: very large, comfortable, expensive, medium social

north: never been there but impressions: kind of far, closest to "your own" place (you don't even have to venture out to meet people on way to bathroom), least social

[CincinnatusND]

Did any of you come from a large public university that wasn't academically challenging?

[094320]

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