Harvard Student(s) Answering Your Questions Forum

[Indifference]

Just wanna say thank you to tomwatts, triptrip, and all other current students/grads who have been around for a while. I started from pg 150 or something (a desperate measure to not write my senior thesis) and it's so sweet to find that you guys are still here answering questions. Hopefully I'll be able to meet some of you guys next semester.

One softball question: any chance that we're getting a new hls shield?

I think shield is planned for next year. Others may know more details.

[Nonconsecutive]

Just wanna say thank you to tomwatts, triptrip, and all other current students/grads who have been around for a while. I started from pg 150 or something (a desperate measure to not write my senior thesis) and it's so sweet to find that you guys are still here answering questions. Hopefully I'll be able to meet some of you guys next semester.

One softball question: any chance that we're getting a new hls shield?

I think shield is planned for next year. Others may know more details.

It was originally supposed to be prepared for graduation, but last I heard the above is correct - it's now something on a more long term (next year?) agenda. I've heard lots of of mixed things ranging from they have a concept already, to considering not adopting a new shield at all and just using the "HARVARD LAW" logo - but I'm only basing this on some passing conversations with the marshals and am not involved substantively in the process.

[Kinch08]

Can anyone give me an idea of how uncool it is to live in housing as a 1L? The convenience and cheaper price (it is cheaper than most off-campus options, even with roommates, right?) of Gropius make it attractive to me, but I don't want to do it if it's looked down on.

When I was in UG, anyone who stayed in the dorms past their second year was kind of a weirdo, but the dorms at my UG were much more expensive than living off-campus, so that probably had something to do with it. It would feel a little weird to go back to dorm life as (nominally, at least) a grown man, but I'm kind of leaning towards not caring about that.

[radio1nowhere]

Can anyone give me an idea of how uncool it is to live in housing as a 1L? The convenience and cheaper price (it is cheaper than most off-campus options, even with roommates, right?) of Gropius make it attractive to me, but I don't want to do it if it's looked down on.

When I was in UG, anyone who stayed in the dorms past their second year was kind of a weirdo, but the dorms at my UG were much more expensive than living off-campus, so that probably had something to do with it. It would feel a little weird to go back to dorm life as (nominally, at least) a grown man, but I'm kind of leaning towards not caring about that.

In my experience, law students generally care much less about cool indicators than UG students, but — as a Gropius dweller — maybe I'm just biased against a finding that I'm viewed as a weirdo.

In general, I think the only factors you need to worry about are convenience and cost savings vs. tiny jail cell and communal bathrooms. If you like to spend a ton of time in your room and/or plan on having friends over, Gropius is not very good. But if you just want to use it as a place to sleep and store stuff, it's a great deal.

[Kinch08]

In my experience, law students generally care much less about cool indicators than UG students, but — as a Gropius dweller — maybe I'm just biased against a finding that I'm viewed as a weirdo.

In general, I think the only factors you need to worry about are convenience and cost savings vs. tiny jail cell and communal bathrooms. If you like to spend a ton of time in your room and/or plan on having friends over, Gropius is not very good. But if you just want to use it as a place to sleep and store stuff, it's a great deal.

Thanks. I do spend a lot of time in my room, but I rarely move/look up from my laptop, so I don't so much mind the prison-cell aspect.

JK. Kind of.

[jrf12886]

Can anyone give me an idea of how uncool it is to live in housing as a 1L? The convenience and cheaper price (it is cheaper than most off-campus options, even with roommates, right?) of Gropius make it attractive to me, but I don't want to do it if it's looked down on.

When I was in UG, anyone who stayed in the dorms past their second year was kind of a weirdo, but the dorms at my UG were much more expensive than living off-campus, so that probably had something to do with it. It would feel a little weird to go back to dorm life as (nominally, at least) a grown man, but I'm kind of leaning towards not caring about that.

I never heard anyone express the opinion that living in Gropius is uncool. I had several friends who lived there and I never thought anything of it. I will say that I consider it a pretty bad value. The rooms are tiny, the buildings are old, and you share a bathroom with everyone on the hall. For the price of Gropius, you can rent a room in a 2 or 3 BR house a few stops away on the T (think Central Square, DaviS Square, etc., maybe even Kendall or Porter). I paid $700/mo for a spacious room about 10 minutes walk from Davis Square. As a 20-something year old, I just wasn't willing to pay that much to live like I did when I was 18. I always figured Gropius was a good option for students from other countries who couldn't make an apartment-hunting trip or who wanted to avoid the hassle of finding an apartment.

[Kinch08]

I never heard anyone express the opinion that living in Gropius is uncool. I had several friends who lived there and I never thought anything of it. I will say that I consider it a pretty bad value. The rooms are tiny, the buildings are old, and you share a bathroom with everyone on the hall. For the price of Gropius, you can rent a room in a 2 or 3 BR house a few stops away on the T (think Central Square, DaviS Square, etc., maybe even Kendall or Porter). I paid $700/mo for a spacious room about 10 minutes walk from Davis Square. As a 20-something year old, I just wasn't willing to pay that much to live like I did when I was 18. I always figured Gropius was a good option for students from other countries who couldn't make an apartment-hunting trip or who wanted to avoid the hassle of finding an apartment.

Thanks, that's hella useful.

Does proximity to the dining halls factor in here at all? I don't mind cooking, but I don't mind abundant low-quality food either and not having to cook/wash dishes would save me some time. How terrible is the value of a meal plan, compared to groceries?

[jrf12886]

I never heard anyone express the opinion that living in Gropius is uncool. I had several friends who lived there and I never thought anything of it. I will say that I consider it a pretty bad value. The rooms are tiny, the buildings are old, and you share a bathroom with everyone on the hall. For the price of Gropius, you can rent a room in a 2 or 3 BR house a few stops away on the T (think Central Square, DaviS Square, etc., maybe even Kendall or Porter). I paid $700/mo for a spacious room about 10 minutes walk from Davis Square. As a 20-something year old, I just wasn't willing to pay that much to live like I did when I was 18. I always figured Gropius was a good option for students from other countries who couldn't make an apartment-hunting trip or who wanted to avoid the hassle of finding an apartment.

Thanks, that's hella useful.

Does proximity to the dining halls factor in here at all? I don't mind cooking, but I don't mind abundant low-quality food either and not having to cook/wash dishes would save me some time. How terrible is the value of a meal plan, compared to groceries?

I didn't have a meal plan so I'll let someone else chime in on that issue. The cafeteria at HLS is generally pricey, and I tried to avoid it as much as possible. That's another issue with Gropius: not being able to store a lot of food. There are communal kitchens where you can cook, but for me that would just be too much of a pain in the ass. Since I lived in a house, I was able to buy groceries and cook (or...heat up) meals. Granted, I think most students end up eating out a lot or ordering delivery just because of the lifestyle of law school, so not sure how much this should really factor into your decision.

[Goldie]

Just wanna say thank you to tomwatts, triptrip, and all other current students/grads who have been around for a while. I started from pg 150 or something (a desperate measure to not write my senior thesis) and it's so sweet to find that you guys are still here answering questions. Hopefully I'll be able to meet some of you guys next semester.

One softball question: any chance that we're getting a new hls shield?

I think shield is planned for next year. Others may know more details.

It was originally supposed to be prepared for graduation, but last I heard the above is correct - it's now something on a more long term (next year?) agenda. I've heard lots of of mixed things ranging from they have a concept already, to considering not adopting a new shield at all and just using the "HARVARD LAW" logo - but I'm only basing this on some passing conversations with the marshals and am not involved substantively in the process.

For what it's worth, in an on-campus discussion with some alumni two weeks ago, the Dean said something about being just fine without a shield. That doesn't mean they won't create a new one, but she seemed to indicate that the school didn't think it was necessary to do that.

[tomwatts]

Can anyone give me an idea of how uncool it is to live in housing as a 1L? The convenience and cheaper price (it is cheaper than most off-campus options, even with roommates, right?) of Gropius make it attractive to me, but I don't want to do it if it's looked down on.

When I was in UG, anyone who stayed in the dorms past their second year was kind of a weirdo, but the dorms at my UG were much more expensive than living off-campus, so that probably had something to do with it. It would feel a little weird to go back to dorm life as (nominally, at least) a grown man, but I'm kind of leaning towards not caring about that.

I lived in Gropius for three years. I've posted about it before, but it was a good way to meet people who weren't in my section as a 1L. There was a little social network that developed — there are still people I know who I think of as "the Gropius people," because that's how I met them.

I had a mini-fridge for two of the three years, and I highly recommend it if you're going to be in Gropius. There is some food theft from the communal fridge, and the fridge is just inconvenient anyway. You can store cans on your shelves. You can cook using the pots and pans in the kitchens, and if you one or two of your own bowls, plates, forks, etc., you can just bring your food back to your room and eat there. (I always did this.)

Bathrooms are shared, but they're pretty clean for shared bathrooms. I never had a problem with them.

And the location can't be beat, at least for 1L. You're as close to your classes as you possibly can be. Off-campus housing is either a good deal farther away or a good deal pricier. It's probably less important for 2L and 3L for most people, but for 1L, being close is nice.

But the rooms are tiny. And you don't have much control over them.

[radio1nowhere]

I'll be kinda sad if we don't get a new shield.

Also we look dumb without one: http://www.harvard.edu/schools

[Nonconsecutive]

I'll be kinda sad if we don't get a new shield.

Also we look dumb without one: http://www.harvard.edu/schools

I remember during a lot of the debate over the crest it was uncovered that way back when the school - at least in some places - used a pretty standard crest featuring the scales of justice. Not super related, but the lack of crest on that page just reminded of that for some reason.

I'm curious what the arguments for not having a shield are, beyond just "Meh don't really need one" which is a fair argument but not super persuasive for me.

[lawlorbust]

Can anyone give me an idea of how uncool it is to live in housing as a 1L? The convenience and cheaper price (it is cheaper than most off-campus options, even with roommates, right?) of Gropius make it attractive to me, but I don't want to do it if it's looked down on.

When I was in UG, anyone who stayed in the dorms past their second year was kind of a weirdo, but the dorms at my UG were much more expensive than living off-campus, so that probably had something to do with it. It would feel a little weird to go back to dorm life as (nominally, at least) a grown man, but I'm kind of leaning towards not caring about that.

I lived in Gropius for three years. I've posted about it before, but it was a good way to meet people who weren't in my section as a 1L. There was a little social network that developed — there are still people I know who I think of as "the Gropius people," because that's how I met them.

I had a mini-fridge for two of the three years, and I highly recommend it if you're going to be in Gropius. There is some food theft from the communal fridge, and the fridge is just inconvenient anyway. You can store cans on your shelves. You can cook using the pots and pans in the kitchens, and if you one or two of your own bowls, plates, forks, etc., you can just bring your food back to your room and eat there. (I always did this.)

Bathrooms are shared, but they're pretty clean for shared bathrooms. I never had a problem with them.

And the location can't be beat, at least for 1L. You're as close to your classes as you possibly can be. Off-campus housing is either a good deal farther away or a good deal pricier. It's probably less important for 2L and 3L for most people, but for 1L, being close is nice.

But the rooms are tiny. And you don't have much control over them.

Worst part about living in Gropius is that you have to look at Gropius every day.

[CenterFringe]

Looking to buy a condo in the next couple months, but ASW will be the only chance I have to see the city. How do the different neighborhoods compare, especially for someone who is more social? I can see places that are near the T or campus, but I have no clue how a place like Porter Square compares to Mid Cambridge. Where do Law Students tend to congregate on evenings/weekends?

[Dcc617]

Looking to buy a condo in the next couple months, but ASW will be the only chance I have to see the city. How do the different neighborhoods compare, especially for someone who is more social? I can see places that are near the T or campus, but I have no clue how a place like Porter Square compares to Mid Cambridge. Where do Law Students tend to congregate on evenings/weekends?

Porter square is maybe a ten minute walk to the law school.

ETA my point is that central, Harvard, and porter square are all super close. Most stuff is. You'll be able to walk to the social scene.

[smieclux]

any opinions on fried for corporations?

[heythatslife]

I have to differ about Gropius being bad value. It sucks in many regards, but it's still the cheapest form of housing you can find within reasonable walking distance of the school. Hastings, on the other hand, is poor value because you still have to share bathroom & kitchen yet pay 1.5 to 2 times as much.

Even with multiple roommates, you're going to be hard-pressed to find apartments near the school where the rent per person gets under $1000, and that's not factoring into account broker's fee, utilities, etc. Yeah, you could go further afield to seek cheaper housing (rent in Cambridge area is pretty much inversely proportional to distance to Harvard) but obviously it comes down to how much you value your time and convenience.

[malleus discentium]

Looking to buy a condo in the next couple months, but ASW will be the only chance I have to see the city. How do the different neighborhoods compare, especially for someone who is more social? I can see places that are near the T or campus, but I have no clue how a place like Porter Square compares to Mid Cambridge. Where do Law Students tend to congregate on evenings/weekends?

I don't know how representative my experiences were, but my advice to incoming 1Ls is to prioritize closeness to the law school very highly. If you have even a little trouble making friends in new places, living far is probably going to harm your social life quite a bit. A lot of my social interactions 1L were ad hoc plans that happened quickly, and always centered around the law school area. If you are far away, you are less likely to be able or willing to trek back to the law school at nights to hang out with people. Making good friends will make 1L a lot more bearable, and if you miss out on that because you have to walk 30 minutes to get to campus is it really worth the money you are saving? To be concrete, I would have been very sad as 1L if I had lived in Davis or Central.

Add to this that living far is just a pain, particularly in the winter.

[agnes_bean]

Looking to buy a condo in the next couple months, but ASW will be the only chance I have to see the city. How do the different neighborhoods compare, especially for someone who is more social? I can see places that are near the T or campus, but I have no clue how a place like Porter Square compares to Mid Cambridge. Where do Law Students tend to congregate on evenings/weekends?

I don't know how representative my experiences were, but my advice to incoming 1Ls is to prioritize closeness to the law school very highly. If you have even a little trouble making friends in new places, living far is probably going to harm your social life quite a bit. A lot of my social interactions 1L were ad hoc plans that happened quickly, and always centered around the law school area. If you are far away, you are less likely to be able or willing to trek back to the law school at nights to hang out with people. Making good friends will make 1L a lot more bearable, and if you miss out on that because you have to walk 30 minutes to get to campus is it really worth the money you are saving? To be concrete, I would have been very sad as 1L if I had lived in Davis or Central.

Add to this that living far is just a pain, particularly in the winter.

To counter this -- I lived in Davis as a 1L and loved it. That said, I don't think any of malleus discentium's points are wrong, as much as it comes down to knowing yourself and your habits and what will make you happiest. I was on the older side when I came to law school, so I knew living off campus/in a real apartment was important to me, and I really liked having some mental separation between my home life and my school life. It was really great to be able to unplug as I walked home every day.

However, I was coming from a large city where my commute to work was about an hour, so a) the 25 minute walk to campus didn't seem like a lot of time to me, and b) I was used to being away from home for most of the day, including how to navigate the inconveniences that come with that. So for me, both hanging out at the school studying so I could do things with my friends later at night AND going back to campus/Harvard Square to meet up with people later if I had gone home just wasn't a big deal. I don't feel like I ever really missed out on anything because of where I lived. But I can easily see how someone might -- it's a matter of knowing if you're actually going to be willing to leave your house after you get back home, etc.

Also, to answer the original question: At least in my experience, 1Ls mostly hung out around campus and in Harvard Square. So if you live further away, the main key will be easy T access so you can get to Harvard Square.

[acz26]

Can anyone give me a picture of a sample 1L schedule in terms of class times/breakdowns? I was told they are randomly assigned based on section

[theconsigliere]

Can anyone give me a picture of a sample 1L schedule in terms of class times/breakdowns? I was told they are randomly assigned based on section

e.g.

MT 10-12 property
MT 1-3 legislation & regulation
WR 1-3 civ pro
RF 9:50-11:50 torts
T 3:00-5:00 LRW

[bearspac12champs]

Does anyone have experience living in Harvard subsidized apartments?

http://huhousing.harvard.edu/our-properties

It looks like living in a two-bedroom or three-bedroom with housemates is a really good deal with plenty of options less than a 10minute walk to the school.

[Nonconsecutive]

Does anyone have experience living in Harvard subsidized apartments?

http://huhousing.harvard.edu/our-properties

It looks like living in a two-bedroom or three-bedroom with housemates is a really good deal with plenty of options less than a 10minute walk to the school.

I've had a good experience with HUH insofar as facilities and administration are concerned, and I've lived within them all three years. That said, their rent has been going up quite a bit in the past two years. At my property for instance, this year it went up by $2700 (annually), whereas the first year it went up by $216 (annually). I am honestly not sure I'd remain with HUH if I was going to be here much longer, since at least for the property I'm in I don't feel like the building is worth the price they are now charging in comparison to other similarly situated properties.

[crescentstars]

Does anyone have experience living in Harvard subsidized apartments?

http://huhousing.harvard.edu/our-properties

It looks like living in a two-bedroom or three-bedroom with housemates is a really good deal with plenty of options less than a 10minute walk to the school.

Like above, I don't have any complaints with HUH. I agree re: the rent going up a bit though -- there are definitely cheaper places in Somerville in particular. Personally, if I were now looking for housing for the next 3 years I'd look elsewhere first to see if I can find something cheaper. That said, I really like my apt and had a pretty good experience this year, so I plan to stay next year/maybe until I graduate.

[heythatslife]

HUH is not really subsidized. The rent is pretty much on par with market. That said, the management is reliable and not paying for broker's fee and utilities does mean that the real rent is about 10% cheaper than living in a non-Harvard property of same nominal rent.

On the other hand, your ability to sublet will be limited because you can only sublet to other Harvard affiliates, and I've had friends who were forced to let their apartments sit empty during the summer for this reason, so that's something to consider.