Its first-year class of 550 students is nearly three times larger than entering classes at Yale or the University of Chicago, and twice as large as the University of Pennsylvania's. We're not a small, intimate law school. That's our competitive advantage. Rebecca Chang, a first-year student, will see major changes kick in at the nation s oldest law school next year. They envision the colleges as the center of students' intellectual and social life, hosting everything from mock-trial competitions and informal seminars to softball games and parties.
Some alumni lament the school's turn from tradition.
Unfortunately, the characteristics that make the Harvard Law School what it is don't sell well anymore. But some traditions, graduates say, are better abandoned. Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary J. Mullarkey, a 1968 Harvard Law graduate, remembers when certain professors would only recognize women students on ladies' day and students whispered about secret societies where a select few connected with faculty. Harvard Law officials promise the changes won't make the experience any less challenging. Nor is the school likely to become more laid back, alumni predict.