Harvard University - Harvard Law School

Simply put, Harvard Law School is “legal education nirvana.” The school’s “academic rigor,” “employment prospects” and “worldwide reputation” are virtually unmatched. Students here really value that they “have a lot of freedom to choose the types of courses and professors they want to take.” And many are also quite impressed with “the breadth of classes and clinics” available.

Unsurprisingly, Harvard Law professors tend to be “thought leaders in their field, and often in the wider political and intellectual discourse of the day.” As one third-year explains, “It is trippy to read your professors’ articles in the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, but it happens quite frequently here.” Thankfully, despite their success, the faculty is “nonetheless accessible and happy to use their (amazing) connections to help students out.” They obviously “care deeply about their students, and make a great deal of time to talk to them, even 1Ls.” And, as this grateful student highlights, they are “quick to respond to questions and emails!”

Harvard Law students are equally appreciative of the school’s administration. The staff is “supportive of students and tries to get feedback at every opportunity so that they can make a better law school experience for [everyone].” As this student gushes, “The Dean of Students Office is phenomenal. Whether you need help running your student group and navigating bureaucracy, have to take a medical leave, or just otherwise need support in law school (whether academic or personal), DOS has you covered.” All in all, the “school is run like clockwork.”

Additionally, Harvard’s “research facilities and resources are world-class. Not only do we have the largest law library in the world, but we are able to draw from the rest of the University's research resources.” And beyond the “great” research librarians, there’s “specialized staff who can help with empirical research and quantitative analyses, as well as programmers who work with students and professors on innovative projects such as perma.cc, H2O, and the Caselaw Access Project.”

Finally, HLS students happily declare that “opportunities post-graduation are unparalleled.” Indeed, “big law, clerkships, and public interest positions are all on offer and the real determining factor is what you want to do.” Moreover, students boast that “the alumni network and career services are insatiable when it comes to setting graduates up for success.”

Rest assured that, “despite the ‘Paper Chase’ stereotype, today’s HLS is quite collegial.” Sure, you’re bound to stumble upon some “‘gunners’ who...wait in line to kiss up to professors, or who...rais[e] their hand in class [non-stop] to provide their unsolicited opinions.” Fortunately, the vast majority of students are “the right balance of smart, driven, and easy to get along with.” One thankful individual elaborates, “In my experience, when I’d miss class, no one was hesitant to share notes – in fact, oftentimes people proactively reached out to me to see if I needed [anything].” A classmate attributes this to the fact that “everyone at Harvard who wants a high-paying firm job can get one.” This “does wonders for making the law school experience relatively stress-free and the student body incredibly cooperative…[people] are much more likely to be cheerleaders than rivals.” Additionally, given “the wide variety of student groups, most [everyone] find[s] ‘their people’.” And many champion “the section system [which provides] students [with] a built-in social circle from day one.” Finally, most everyone loves going to school in Cambridge since it’s “both a metropolis but not as bustling as a place like New York – so you can get away from campus, but you’re not overwhelmed with distractions.”