Harvard Students and Grads Taking Questions

[Cannonballer]

Do a lot of Harvard law students grill their meals?

My husband and I grill any chance we can when the weather is nice. But we're lucky enough to have a little yard where we can keep a grill. Most people who live off-campus are in bigger apartment buildings where grilling is likely not possible. And as others have mentioned, the weather precludes grilling for much of the year.

[hls2022fella]

Currently looking at courses for 2L Fall. Is 4 classes a good number to take, roughly? In terms of credits, like 4+4+4+2.

[pneumonia]

Currently looking at courses for 2L Fall. Is 4 classes a good number to take, roughly? In terms of credits, like 4+4+4+2.

Depends on your goals, really. I think you still need to average 12 hours/semester for 2L and 3L to graduate on time, but other than that it is whether you want to slack, get magna, take lots of subjects, etc.

[hls2022fella]

Currently looking at courses for 2L Fall. Is 4 classes a good number to take, roughly? In terms of credits, like 4+4+4+2.

Depends on your goals, really. I think you still need to average 12 hours/semester for 2L and 3L to graduate on time, but other than that it is whether you want to slack, get magna, take lots of subjects, etc.

Follow up question, if you have a second. I'm currently registered for 15 credits for this coming semester. Is that unusual for a 2L? do you think January EIP might justify a slightly more intensive credit load?

[dcc617]

Keep in mind that Harvard calculates honors by adding your 1L GPA, 2L GPA, and 3L GPA and then dividing by 3. It doesn't matter so a 2L where you get the minimum number of graded credits impacts honors exactly as much as an overloaded 2L.

Which means, don't take a bunch of credits looking to bump up your honors calculation. I took the minimum I needed to graduate. You're definitely better off doing less than doing more and getting lower grades.

[heythatslife]

Why would a January EIP warrant a more intensive courseload? I don’t follow. If anything, I would do the opposite so that you’re adequately prepping for EIP starting in December.

[pneumonia]

Currently looking at courses for 2L Fall. Is 4 classes a good number to take, roughly? In terms of credits, like 4+4+4+2.

Depends on your goals, really. I think you still need to average 12 hours/semester for 2L and 3L to graduate on time, but other than that it is whether you want to slack, get magna, take lots of subjects, etc.

Follow up question, if you have a second. I'm currently registered for 15 credits for this coming semester. Is that unusual for a 2L? do you think January EIP might justify a slightly more intensive credit load?

First, no, it is not unusual to have a single semester of 15 hours, but I do think it would be unusual to have four of them. At that pace, you would graduate with 18 hours above the requirement--more depending on your winter schedules. You need 52 upper-level hours to graduate. That is an average of 12 per semester + 2 per winter session. I tended to have pretty full semesters, and I took several classes more than I needed to, but I was also not very grade conscious. My magna-focused classmates tended to take only the minimum number of hours required, and to take them at strategic intervals (i.e., no more than one or two black letter classes at a time).

Second, no. If anything, January EIP means you should take a more relaxed credit load. I you got straight Ps 1L fall, then I could see the appeal of trying to get an extra H or two next semester. But if you got average or really good grades, then I think you're best served (for EIP purposes) by aiming to get as many Hs as you can with as little effort as possible. Two four-hour multi-sections + one two-hour seminar + one two-hour clinic would be a good fit, I think. It probably does make sense to have at least four different courses on your transcript, though.

[gregoriomartinon]

When do you start to see movement on the waitlists? I'm a rising 2L ranked like #12 on the waitlist for a seminar I really want- is there hope?

[pozzo]

When do you start to see movement on the waitlists? I'm a rising 2L ranked like #12 on the waitlist for a seminar I really want- is there hope?

There’s not a ton of movement early in the summer, and then they pause until August. But once it picks up again, things tend to move a lot. #12 is a good position, even for a smaller seminar. If it’s a really popular professor or course, it’s not a lock that you’ll get in. But otherwise you have a good shot.

[gregoriomartinon]

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[heythatslife]

A clinic doesn’t really move the needle much for EIP. Personally I think it would suck to do a clinic this semester - the best part of doing one is the in-person discussions and client interaction. The vast majority of people will be in the same boat as you this year anyway with a truncated/online internship so I don’t think you should be concerned.

[gregoriomartinon]

Thanks!

[gregoriomartinon]

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[heythatslife]

Subciting is a pretty minimal time investment so there’s no downside to it, but by 2L fall most people involved with non-HLR journals will have graduated to being an editor of some sort or a submissions reader. So if it would make you feel better about checking off a box, sure by all means go ahead, but I doubt it will provide any meaningful boost for EIP. I wad a line editor for a secondary journal and it never got mentioned once during an interview, FWIW.

[dcc617]

I did not do any journals at all in law school (but had other activities). Did not come up a single time.

[gregoriomartinon]

Any opinions on Kraakman for Corporations or Murray for Evidence? These are the only two sections of those classes with seats available.

[dcc617]

Murray is fine for evidence. Not great, not terrible.

[gregoriomartinon]

I just want to confirm that I don't need a cover letter for EIP. Thanks.

[heythatslife]

This is true. Just show up with your resume and transcript.

[gregoriomartinon]

Thanks.