Harvard Student(s) Answering Your Questions Forum

[rundoxierun]

Is OCS closed during January or something?? I have e-mailed them data requests and been unable to get any response of any kind.. not even an acknowledgment.

[tgir]

Is OCS closed during January or something?? I have e-mailed them data requests and been unable to get any response of any kind.. not even an acknowledgment.

[rundoxierun]

Is OCS closed during January or something?? I have e-mailed them data requests and been unable to get any response of any kind.. not even an acknowledgment.

I emailed them to see if they would be willing to provide the specific data(employers/judges) behind the class of 2010 data they have on their site (I figured they wouldnt but it was at least worth a try).

[DoubleChecks]

should have been open for a week now

[jd20132013]

I'm sure I'll have more questions later but for people that did have cars...did you put them in storage or leave them at home?

[mildlyironic]

Thanks for fielding our questions!

How much (or little) do you see the size of HLS as a negative factor? I'm sure that overall people thin out into their respective interests, but is there a lot of competition for things like clinicals or Law Review? (More competition than one might see in a smaller, similarly ranked law school?)

[DoubleChecks]

Thanks for fielding our questions!

How much (or little) do you see the size of HLS as a negative factor? I'm sure that overall people thin out into their respective interests, but is there a lot of competition for things like clinicals or Law Review? (More competition than one might see in a smaller, similarly ranked law school?)

mm i dont see it as a negative factor really. for 1L, we're broken up into 80-people sections and you develop a close bond with your section. sure there is competition for clinicals and law review, but (okay maybe excluding law review, im not sure), there are a lot of options at a school as large as harvard. a lot of secondary journals, organizations, etc. so though there are more people, there are more specific interests you can find and entertain yourself with.

the LR competition, relative to similarly ranked schools...is a tough one for me to answer. honestly, i have no clue haha.

[vanwinkle]

You DO NOT want a car in Cambridge, especially if you don't have a driveway/garage to keep it. Getting the Cambridge parking permit (all local street parking requires a permit all days but Sunday) is not a trivial process, and in general the roads are not good for driving too much. Also, you won't have much opportunity to get too far away -- not enough to justify keeping insurance and such on the car.

to add to that, the T is really convenient too if you need to get around the cambridge/boston area. a car is by no means necessary.

I just want to second both of these things. There's no practical place to park near the law school, so you're not driving there or back at all. Plan on living somewhere near a convenient bus (i.e., one that actually goes to Harvard) or the T.

On top of that, my car spent the last few weeks buried in snow. There was no way I was driving anywhere. At this point I'm thinking I would've been better off getting rid of the car and spending the money on a place closer to campus.

[gatorgirl4life]

Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but do you have any advice for those of us wondering how to best prepare for a JR1? thanks!!

[DoubleChecks]

Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but do you have any advice for those of us wondering how to best prepare for a JR1? thanks!!

know why you want to go to law school. know why you want to go to Harvard law school. know your resume well as he'll probably ask what you've been up to or something on your resume he finds interesting. also, it'd be nice to have a good question to ask him as well.

know the answers in your head...but dont rehearse them to the point that it sounds robotic. dont put him on hold and feed your dog, i hear that is ill advised. gl.

[gatorgirl4life]

Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but do you have any advice for those of us wondering how to best prepare for a JR1? thanks!!

know why you want to go to law school. know why you want to go to Harvard law school. know your resume well as he'll probably ask what you've been up to or something on your resume he finds interesting. also, it'd be nice to have a good question to ask him as well.

know the answers in your head...but dont rehearse them to the point that it sounds robotic. dont put him on hold and feed your dog, i hear that is ill advised. gl.

haha ok thanks!!

[concurrent fork]

You DO NOT want a car in Cambridge, especially if you don't have a driveway/garage to keep it. Getting the Cambridge parking permit (all local street parking requires a permit all days but Sunday) is not a trivial process, and in general the roads are not good for driving too much. Also, you won't have much opportunity to get too far away -- not enough to justify keeping insurance and such on the car.

to add to that, the T is really convenient too if you need to get around the cambridge/boston area. a car is by no means necessary.

It will cost you about $150/mo for an uncovered parking spot. To be fair, this is about what you will pay no matter where you live in Boston. It adds up, but food shopping options are very limited around campus so it's worth it for some of us (I cook almost every night).

You also don't need MA plates to park on the street. You can get a guest pass for the year for really cheap - it has a few restrictions but it's basically a resident parking permit.

[20121109]

You DO NOT want a car in Cambridge, especially if you don't have a driveway/garage to keep it. Getting the Cambridge parking permit (all local street parking requires a permit all days but Sunday) is not a trivial process, and in general the roads are not good for driving too much. Also, you won't have much opportunity to get too far away -- not enough to justify keeping insurance and such on the car.

to add to that, the T is really convenient too if you need to get around the cambridge/boston area. a car is by no means necessary.

I just want to second both of these things. There's no practical place to park near the law school, so you're not driving there or back at all. Plan on living somewhere near a convenient bus (i.e., one that actually goes to Harvard) or the T.

On top of that, my car spent the last few weeks buried in snow. There was no way I was driving anywhere. At this point I'm thinking I would've been better off getting rid of the car and spending the money on a place closer to campus.

This is very true for most students.

But I live in HRES housing, and nabbed an apartment with underground parking. My car is protected from the elements and very secure. Also, because I have a resident parking permit, I can park in front of Langdell after 4pm on weekdays and throughout the weekends. Admittedly, I've parked there before 4pm on weekdays on multiple occasions and I've never been caught, lol...

I need my car; I like to drive home when I need to and prefer to go grocery shopping outside of Cambridge. It may be expensive, but if you need it, the benefits can definitely outweigh the costs.

[jonfen]

Hi guys,

Do you know if Harvard ever increases their grant offer if you try to negotiate with them? I received $90,000 from Chicago and Duke and am considering filling out NYU's scholarship application if Harvard considers these kinds of situations.

FYI, I will probably qualify for the highest amount of grant aid (which I read is a measly $13,000/year?) and definitely need all the aid I can get.

Thank you!

[vanwinkle]

Hi guys,

Do you know if Harvard ever increases their grant offer if you try to negotiate with them? I received $90,000 from Chicago and Duke and am considering filling out NYU's scholarship application if Harvard considers these kinds of situations.

FYI, I will probably qualify for the highest amount of grant aid (which I read is a measly $13,000/year?) and definitely need all the aid I can get.

Thank you!

I know for a fact the highest amount of grant aid is more than that. In fact I think it's around twice that, so maybe what you have is a per-semester limit?

In any case, the HLS aid policy is to focus aid funds on those who demonstrate need. Everyone else gets loans. Many still choose to come here because 1) it's Harvard and 2) the school is generous in other ways, such as the LIPP program which absorbs your loan payments for public or private work below an income threshold.

[eaa1537]

I don't really think I've seen this question asked yet, but could someone please talk about the grading system. It doesn't really seem much different than normal letter grades because of the HP/LP. Thanks!

[DoubleChecks]

I don't really think I've seen this question asked yet, but could someone please talk about the grading system. It doesn't really seem much different than normal letter grades because of the HP/LP. Thanks!

Currently (and this is an important word here since it likes to constantly change these last few yrs lol) it is generally HP/P/LP. There is a highly suggested curve for classes over 20? 25? students (so pretty much almost all your 1L classes) to have 37% HPs and the rest Ps, with discretionary LPs sprinkled in there. I don't think LPs would ever go above 8%, but it can also be as little as 0%. Furthermore, professors can also give the best of the best in their classes a Dean Scholars prize (DS)...which is like a super HP. Usually it's reserved to top 1-2% in a class.

So while technically there is DS/HP/P/LP (wow smells like A/B/C/D), in practice, assuming the usual curve, it is still quite different. It'd be 1-2% DS/37% HP/ ~55% P/ a few LPs sprinkled in.

Oh and I've heard that roughly 3 HPs out of your 10 classes for 1L yr (counting LRW) is ~median.

[DoubleChecks]

bumping this as finals just finished for me and i have some time off before 1L SA -- in case anyone was curious about 1L year at HLS! (or anything else if other HLS posters want to jump in)

[Moxie]

I was excited to come in here and answer questions since I'm not officially not a 1L anymore, but there clearly there isn't much demand

DoubleChecks, what region is your 1L SA in?

[hulahoop]

I have looked at past threads but this seems to be something that can change pretty quickly so I figured I would ask again, apologies if it has been covered already.

Is there a general consensus on what the best cell phone carrier is? Right now I have an iphone (unlocked) with a crappy but cheap TMobile plan, and am contemplating getting a new contract. I don't really want to be stuck dealing with it in the first few weeks of classes. I have heard many stories of people having zero reception in buildings on campus and in the dorms, but can't really figure out which provider is best. I will be living off campus, up above the law school on a map, if that makes any difference.

thanks in advance and congrats on finishing finals to all the current HLS students!

[Moxie]

I've had amazing service with Verizon, and I would highly recommend it if it's compatible with the phone you want.

[DoubleChecks]

I've had amazing service with Verizon, and I would highly recommend it if it's compatible with the phone you want.

yeah AT&T and T-mobile get bad reception around HLS campus

[DoubleChecks]

I was excited to come in here and answer questions since I'm not officially not a 1L anymore, but there clearly there isn't much demand

DoubleChecks, what region is your 1L SA in?

haha well i did JUST bump, and having finished finals, i feel maybe this is a good time (though honestly, after my semester grades come in might be a better/more qualified time )

im born and raised TX, so TX it's where i 100% plan to head to post-grad

[CryingMonkey]

so i'm planning on living on-campus in North but it's not quite too late to find other options...kind of interested on if any of y'all know if there's a glaring reason not to live there.

[DoubleChecks]

so i'm planning on living on-campus in North but it's not quite too late to find other options...kind of interested on if any of y'all know if there's a glaring reason not to live there.

not really, i would say the vast majority of 1Ls (not living in on campus dorms) live north of the law school campus..usually 5-10min walk from the law school.

edit: didnt see the capitalization of North haha, ignore my post and refer to moxie's