HLS Class of 2011, even if you are just thinking about coming!

[QueenoftheCourt]

How big of a deal do you think grades really will be? I'm trying to choose right now,  and the grades thing is a critical factor. I have been told that pretty much everyone gets Bs at HLS, but I don't know what to think anymore. 

Any feedback by 4 PST (my deadline!) would be appreciated.

[caribelita]

How big of a deal do you think grades really will be? I'm trying to choose right now,  and the grades thing is a critical factor. I have been told that pretty much everyone gets Bs at HLS, but I don't know what to think anymore.

Any feedback by 4 PST (my deadline!) would be appreciated.

I think part of it is determined by your personality and own expectations for yourself.  For instance, if you've never gotten a B in your life and don't think you could 'handle' the nearly inevitability of receiving B's at Harvard, then maybe another system of grading will take off the edge/help you keep your sanity.  However, if you're fine with the idea of getting B's and can easily convince yourself to take comfort in the knowledge that a Harvard grad with lots of B's still gets amazing job offers, then I don't think the grade or non-grade thing should be a huge factor in deciding where to go. 

Even so, I still like the idea of no letter grades .  It just seems less intimidating and stressful.  But that's just me.

Good luck!

[Startin Up Soon!]

If you decide to get an off-campus apt, what do you do with it over the summer?

[caribelita]

Most landlords in the area don't allow subleasing in the summers, so you just have to foot the bill for the summer months.  You could also try to find a place that allows subleasing, though these are a bit hard to find.

[dashrashi]

I haven't heard that about not allowing subleasing. Could be true; just not something I heard people bitching about at the end of the year (and we bitched about a lot of *&^%).

[Startin Up Soon!]

Gosh, I'd prefer to lease an apt but if I'm not allowed to sublet, I don't really think I'd want to be adding more to the ol' student debt pile :-/

[dashrashi]

So nu, signed my lease today, and you're just required to get the landlord's permission to sublet. So there is my anecdotal and unrepresentative experience.

In other words: do not let this worry you. At least one stranger on the internet has contradicted another stranger on the internet on this very point.

[caribelita]

Like I said, some landlords let you sublease your unit, but you have to be careful to ask first.  For instance, when I was looking for apartments this past summer, I had decided on viewing 10 of them, and after speaking with the realtor about the whole subleasing thing, he narrowed down my list to 2 places (b/c the landlords of 8 of them didn't allow subleasing).  The realtor also told me that it was a good thing that I had asked about the subleasing policy b/c in general, many landlords in the area didn't allow it.

...So I guess the take-home message is: just ask about it before you sign a lease.  That way, you know what you're getting yourself into, and you won't have to worry about what to do next summer.

[dashrashi]

A note for after you get your section assignments: I almost feel bad spoiling the fun, but if you're an extremely anxious type who is LUCKY ENOUGH to get Hanson as your torts prof/section leader, he (+ coauthor) has an article on SSRN about his approach to tort law. Link: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1154164

Like I said, this might spoil the fun (yours and his), and it is only a draft, so it's not the most polished piece in the world. Actually, upon further reflection, I wouldn't recommend reading this 'til after the class is over (but before the final) unless you're really dying and have no idea what is going on, big-picture-wise. The beginning is kind of dense and I was in the class, so. But yes. Advance notice and explication of an unorthodox prof's theory of teaching your very class: may indeed come in handy.

Related: buy no commercial supplements for Hanson's Torts class. They will be laughably useless. I will be the one doing the laughing.

[indyguy7484]

A note for after you get your section assignments: I almost feel bad spoiling the fun, but if you're an extremely anxious type who is LUCKY ENOUGH to get Hanson as your torts prof/section leader, he (+ coauthor) has an article on SSRN about his approach to tort law. Link: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1154164

Like I said, this might spoil the fun (yours and his), and it is only a draft, so it's not the most polished piece in the world. Actually, upon further reflection, I wouldn't recommend reading this 'til after the class is over (but before the final) unless you're really dying and have no idea what is going on, big-picture-wise. The beginning is kind of dense and I was in the class, so. But yes. Advance notice and explication of an unorthodox prof's theory of teaching your very class: may indeed come in handy.

Related: buy no commercial supplements for Hanson's Torts class. They will be laughably useless. I will be the one doing the laughing.

Speaking of which, anyone know when we get our section assignments?