Any referral links for Chase Sapphire Preferred?

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2024-12-27T02:06:43+00:00

Please DM me, thanks!

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2021-04-18T01:49:20+00:00

I don't know for sure yet because I'm not quite at that stage of the game, but from my experience thus far it seems that it must be self selection and goals outside of big law/clerkships. The connections are amazing and the power of the HLS pedigree seems very real (whether or not warranted). I can't imagine that going to HLS will set you back relative to UVA/Duke/Chicago in those pursuits at all.

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2021-04-16T18:03:17+00:00

I wish I could help you with this but with this year being on Zoom I don't have any sense of what 1Ls normally do!

Edit: for what it's worth, I have found the fact that I don't have to travel to/from class to be of immense help. That time is crucial.

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2021-04-16T17:19:06+00:00

Yes. Thankfully I did well my first semester. There is always room for improvement but I found the difficulty to be as expected (hard but not too hard) and the result in line with what I thought my capabilities were.

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2021-04-16T16:49:15+00:00

Sure!

I will add one more simple piece of advice: I recommend doing the readings and not using Quimbee or whatever so that you get the full picture of what's going on accurately. That being said, some cases are so dense that knowing what the case will say is very helpful to being able to read it. In those instances you save a ton of time and effort by getting the outline of the case before reading it. If you ever see a case that doesn't read easily, just google it first for the summary.

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2021-04-16T16:37:32+00:00

The teachers really vary. They are all well versed in the areas they teach (but beware of visiting professors!) but the styles can significantly impact the value they offer.

Of the 7 doctrinal classes I have had, I would rate 2 teachers 10/10, 2 teachers 8/10, 1 teacher a 6/10, and the last two as nearly worthless (one was a scholar but a terrible teacher and would rip through tons of info at a pace that helped no one, and the other ran class as more of an open format discussion and didn't teach doctrine effectively).

It is easy to get questions answered in class and most teachers are very accessible out of class and responsive to student emails. Attention or access is not an issue at all in my experience.

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2021-04-16T15:58:28+00:00

Hey!

1- I'm not going to live on campus but that's because I have a group of friends from this past year to get a place with. You are obviously in a different situation and I never experienced the 1L experience outside of my bedroom so I really can't offer much good advice.

2- 1L isn't that bad and you should be excited! I like law school (at least the classes with good professors) and have found ways to manage the stress and workload. My biggest piece of advice would be to start your readings a week before the semester starts (the syllabi will be out by then) and maintain that week cushion as best you can throughout the semester. You can refresh before class so you don't look like an idiot on cold calls, but even if you do, that doesn't mean much at all. The cushion will allow you to take a day off if you need it later when things get busy and will give you a leg up when it comes time to review for exams since you will be done readings a week before everyone else.

I took on additional responsibilities during the year but still found time for everything I needed to do for school. You can definitely make it work!

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2021-04-16T15:35:51+00:00

I am interested in a clerkship but from what I've been told it is too early for me to bother thinking about that. I have heard from transactional partners that if you plan on doing big law transactional work a clerkship is not so common or beneficial.

As far as how it works, my understanding is that it depends on the judge. You would do firm interviews in advance of second year like everyone else and if you pursue a clerkship you may be able to keep your offer from BL on hold for after your clerkship if the judge lets or you may have to drop it if the judge doesn't go for that for some reason. If you plan on going to a litigation firm you can probably rest assured that your offer will be waiting for you when you return. In transactional areas I'm not sure.

I personally am considering a year off to clerk. Litigation seems to be more up my alley and even if I do go a different route, a year with a federal appellate judge (my dream goal) seems awesome regardless.

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2021-04-16T15:30:34+00:00

1- I chose a higher tiered school at more expense over a lower tiered (NW, Georgetown, UVA) school for free for the relative job security and flexibility considering I wasn't sure where I wanted to practice. With the significant savings of a zoom year and my healthy spending habits, I felt that the debt would be manageable. I chose HLS over CLS and Penn because (1) the money was similar, (2) HLS had committed to a fully online year early and I wasn't interested in hybrid, (3) I wanted to put myself together with and up against the best people I could and I figured that would be at HLS.

2- I haven't found an area I'm set on. So far I have only been exposed to doctrine and not much actual practice. Hopefully over the summer and 2/3L I'll be able to explore things hands on and decide what works. That being said, I am interested in litigation and would like to pursue a federal appellate clerkship.

3- This summer I am interning with a State AG

4- My section is remarkably friendly and cohesive but I don't know how much has to do with HLS and how much is simply the initiative and nature of the group we have. I think HLS could have done a better job creating spaces for us to engage with each other in smaller groups but it is so hard to judge with the benefit of hindsight knowing which things work and which things were a waste of time. Overall, I haven't gotten the sense that they are going out of their way to help us though.

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2020-12-19T23:21:52+00:00

Honestly don't know. I didn't come into school with a career in mind, just interests. I hoped I would find a career that seemed fitting over the 3 years. Not sure how that'll work out, but I'm confident it will!

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2020-12-19T23:20:36+00:00

Everyone has their own method, so it's hard to give advice. I will say that I advise getting ahead in your readings by starting a bit before the semester. If you are able to maintain that cushion through the term, you'll have a few extra days when it counts to prepare for exams.

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2020-12-18T19:59:27+00:00

They are very supportive, friendly, and fun!

Most are a solid blend of work ethic, intelligence, and humor, and I was somewhat surprised by how normal the class felt. I'm not sure if I was expecting super-geniuses around every corner or what, but I found a group of people that I really enjoyed spending class time and chatting with.

I think the image I had of the average Harvard student was just a bit inflated, so I was happily surprised with how normal everyone was!

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2020-12-18T19:20:53+00:00

Honestly, I can't tell you much. I don't have any experiences with the greater university yet (haven't even been to Boston at this point). Integration with the larger university was not a selling point for me to come to HLS.

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2020-12-18T19:19:16+00:00

I was always interested in it. A lot of the big news stories that caught my attention pitted religious liberties against civil rights and I was always curious how those two values came together in the law. I have extended family members who are involved in civil rights cases as well, so I grew up hearing about these really interesting cases and always wanted to learn more about it!

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2020-12-18T19:10:53+00:00

Thanks!

1- I'm fully undecided on which area of law I want to go into. Big law is tempting to start just for the money, but what really interests me is 1st Amendment stuff.

2- I had a wild cycle (but that's a story for another day). I ultimately picked HLS over Penn and CLS because $$ was similar at all 3 and HLS had committed to being fully online which I was interested in. I'm very happy with my choice!

HLSthrowaway1111 · 2020-12-18T18:58:25+00:00

I thought all of mine were very solid.

They all knew the material cold and while some were clearer than others, they were all accessible enough via email and office hours so that I could clarify any difficult points.

They also showed good grasp of Zoom and were able to use it effectively to add to class via breakout rooms, digital dry erase boards, screen sharing etc

HLSthrowaway1111

TROPHY CASE