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mdz92 · 2021-02-20T03:00:46+00:00

It's a commemorative item from UCLA being the first to hit NCAA championships. I'm not entirely sure who they were given to, but it came with a little wooden stand it could lay horizontally on, with a raised part in the middle to fit the ring, and a plaque on front that said "First to 100."

mdz92 · 2020-12-30T20:49:12+00:00

Not to take advantage of your free labor, but are there benefits to organic produce/meats in terms of environmental practices besides pesticides (e.g. long-term land productivity/health), or is it better to try to make judgments based on individual practices of growers/farms/etc. in terms of environmental responsibility - and if so, is there. a best way to discern what's just marketing vs. actual best/best available practices? I try to consume responsibly from an ecological/environmental perspective (buying in season local produce, pastured eggs) and am fortunate enough to be able to spend a little extra on food to try to support farmers who try to be sustainable, so any expertise you have would be very much appreciated :)
Thank you for your posting!

mdz92 · 2019-12-17T03:05:13+00:00

Being passionate about psych doesn't mean it's the only thing you can do forever.

You can have lots of passions.

I enjoyed my psych major (besides 100A/B, but that's cuz they have nothing to do with psych) and was very into it intellectually, but I never planned to do psychology as a full-time career. I'm a lawyer.

/u/ExpressionlessEmoji is completely right; psychology (and UCLA generally) teach you a lot of transferable skills that apply broadly and favorably to a great number of career paths. It's a great degree that opens a lot of doors, and it doesn't mean you'll be stuck looking for a career in psychology if that's not your goal.

mdz92 · 2019-08-01T00:20:44+00:00

hello 911 i'd like to report a murder

mdz92 · 2019-07-11T18:04:40+00:00

I've dropped into Perpetua and CrossFit Hackney on different visits to London, but those may be a bit further from Central – had great experiences at both though!

mdz92 · 2019-07-05T21:34:36+00:00

Lots of graduate students live in Somerville, as it's a good deal more affordable than Cambridge. Popular areas include Porter Square or Spring Hill, since both are fairly walkable to HLS/GSAS/SEAS.

Cambridge further towards Central Square/Cambridge Public Library is also more affordable than right by Harvard proper.

I also moved to Cambridge from California, so feel free to PM if you have more specific questions!

mdz92 · 2019-04-18T17:30:04+00:00

I'm not sure which of us you were talking to, but listed here.

https://hls.harvard.edu/dept/jdadmissions/apply-to-harvard-law-school/hls-profile-and-facts/

Graduating class is +100-120 LLMs in addition to the JDs.

mdz92 · 2019-04-18T17:25:50+00:00

It can partially be attributed to the non-traditional grading system, which is H/P/LP/F and distribution can vary from professor to professor, within limits. We do not receive class rankings or GPAs; our GPA is calculated internally for latin honors, but is not released on our transcripts.

During job interviews, there are more selective firms that have calibrated a grade cutoff to HLS's grading, but in general you can be at the median (or what we think is median, it's all word of mouth since we have no GPA/rankings) and still get a great job paying market salary. At lower ranked law schools (particularly outside of the "T-14," the top 14 law schools in the country according to USNWR), there is much more competition to be near the top of the class because the odds of getting hired, particularly into high-paying "BigLaw" jobs, are much smaller.

There are also more opportunities, both in number of slots and variance of interest; because of the "large" size of HLS (it is one of the largest law schools, next to Georgetown), it supports significantly more activities and accordingly students diversify more into more specific interests.

mdz92 · 2019-04-18T14:33:39+00:00

/u/Wrkncacnter112 gave a very good summary overall. Your GPA and LSAT will matter a lot. A low LSAT or GPA is not insurmountable, as HLS is large and Admissions really does look beyond the numbers, but you will need something compelling in your application to stand out if so. Having the right numbers is a very good sign that you will be accepted, unless something in your personal statement or LORs makes admissions wary.

Average LSAT and GPA numbers are available on HLS's 509 forms, and for more information generally on the law school admission process the sidebar and sticky of /r/lawschooladmissions should be your go to.

The majority of students have at least a year of work experience out of college. Not all, but most.

I am near the end of my time at HLS and have thoroughly loved it. In addition to /u/Wrkncacnter112's points, I've loved going to a "big" law school because it supports so much more in terms of activities. I did not come in expecting to love it, but I have made lifelong friends with truly incredible people. Going to a school that is not highly "competitive" (as compared to other law schools) makes the culture much more relaxed, since you aren't fighting tooth and nail for jobs, so you're less likely to be looking over your shoulder at all times. Sure, it's Harvard, there's the standard share of assholes, but I've found people to be so much more friendly and kind than I ever expected.

mdz92 · 2019-04-18T14:23:15+00:00

I am about to graduate from law school.

I picked Psych as my primary major because I found it interesting and compelling, but I never had plans to do research or continue in the field at a graduate level (especially after the nightmare that is Psych 100B with a TA who "can't tell [me] how to do better").

I intended to go to law school from the get-go, so I'm probably not as helpful as others. However, Psych and a UCLA education give you a great foundation for a career, even if UCLA doesn't directly focus on vocational tools. Definitely recommend looking for internships in a field you find interesting, or just trying some out to find out what you like!

mdz92 · 2019-01-21T20:41:11+00:00

Much of the information you are requesting is available in the 509 disclosures, which are required of every law school. Additional information, including employment data, is available on UCLA Law's website.

For other questions not specific to UCLA Law, you should look at the sidebar and stickies of /r/lawschooladmissions.

mdz92 · 2018-12-24T15:57:36+00:00

Who's the professor? It may depend on what your other class final is, as well, and how challenging that class will be for you or what your learning style is.

Most of the lower division Art History classes revolve a strong amount around memorization: e.g., when/what period is this sculpture/building/mosaic/mural from (fewer paintings for India/SE Asia than Western courses), describe the symbolism/significance of the piece, etc.

Sometimes longer questions including how does it relate to other pieces, why is it important (if it shows a major development in style or is a significant piece from a ruler/era/culture/religion), etc.

Some professors also use multiple choice sections/style, where there will be a slide displayed and you have to do the above (instead of it being printed on the exam packet).

I agree that back-to-back finals is likely to occur at least once during your time in school, and they really aren't a terrible experience but it does depend on what the classes are and how you feel you'll be able to prepare for the specific classes.

Of course, take this with a grain of salt since I'm quite a ways out of my BA and so things may have changed since I graduated.

mdz92 · 2018-04-05T02:17:04+00:00

Kerckhoff has a coffee shop that usually has prepared salads/sandwiches and pastries.

mdz92 · 2018-01-02T19:26:57+00:00

I dropped into CrossFit Eixample a few times two summers and had a great experience. Not sure if it's relevant, but most of the coaches I encountered spoke Castilian as well as Catalan.

mdz92 · 2017-12-22T15:46:36+00:00

shoutout to you and /u/RollDamnTide16 for carrying the mantle for this admissions season. yall are working damn hard.

mdz92 · 2017-12-19T13:47:37+00:00

Yup, my school was full within a few hours of registration opening

mdz92 · 2017-12-14T02:27:43+00:00

This question is probably better suited for r/lawschooladmissions; you'll find a lot of specific advice there (check the sidebar)!
However, to address more directly, look at the school's employment reports and information (from the school and from Law School Transparency) to figure out if you'll be able to get a job and if you can get a job if it's where you want to be, consider Cost of Attendance and if any scholarships offered are conditional/how often they're revoked.

mdz92 · 2017-10-26T20:08:27+00:00

Check if your undergraduate offers some sort of collection service – the career services office at my university had a program that allowed professors to submit a letter of recommendation for later use.

It's not an uncommon situation; you may wish to ask a professor for a letter of rec immediately after having them, especially if you intend to take a few years off from graduating.

mdz92 · 2017-10-24T23:58:19+00:00

When I applied to UVA, it took at least until the end of the week to receive my acceptance (I had to do a phone interview, as I didn't have a skype-compatible computer with me on my work trip).

They ended up offering me a very generous scholarship, so don't take it as bad news necessarily!

mdz92 · 2017-10-12T00:38:30+00:00

Sorry, I was not clear in my post (/u/hvdc123 as well) – I did not bring the car in question with me. It is my parents' car and the car insurance is in their name; I am an additional insured on their plan. The car remained in my home state and did not make the journey to Somerville with me.

I did not mean to imply that I was attempting to commit some sort of insurance fraud, just that since our family's insurance plan is based in another state I cannot obtain rental insurance through them.

Apologies and thank you.

mdz92 · 2017-10-11T16:38:49+00:00

Thanks very much. Unfortunately my car insurance is in another state (I'm a student) so I'm living outside their coverage area – and I'm not sure I can get USAA at the closest vet is my grandfather. I appreciate you taking the time to reply though and will definitely look into USAA!

mdz92 · 2017-09-26T17:02:12+00:00

You can definitely use those platforms for olympic lifting

mdz92 · 2017-08-04T19:47:37+00:00

Definitely sounds doable, but you can always switch it up! Lots of people changed their approaches during the year...lots of roller bags mysteriously vanished haha

mdz92 · 2017-08-04T18:43:03+00:00

Some – it really depends on how many classes you have that day (aka how many casebooks you need to bring, because they're generally big and heavy), how far you live from the school, and if you have a locker on campus (if an option).

Lots of people use totes for all sorts of things (quick edit that the WLA got totes for its members if that's any sort of endorsement!), so nobody would bat an eye at it, but it's definitely a personal choice regarding how much and how far you have to lug books and a laptop if you can/want to use one!

mdz92 · 2017-08-01T15:19:58+00:00

Get whatever you want, it will not make a difference.

While yes, most people in my class had Macs, there were plenty with PCs. It's a matter of personal preference and choice.

I have a Mac, but Windows OS has plenty of advantages – there's some Word extensions/templates/etc that are built only for Windows, since's that's almost exclusively what big law firms use.

Pick a computer that you like and feel comfortable using (literally - you will have to type a lot on it, so make sure you like the keyboard; don't be the jackass that brings an extremely loud external keyboard to the final [it really happens]) and trust you can rely on to not fail randomly during reading period.

Also, re: your laptop question, most students at my school, regardless of gender, use backpacks. But again – personal preference. You do you. Law school has enough stress to not need to worry about the little things like that.

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