For the first two weeks of class I despised both you and the class. It was as if you were going out of your way to make life difficult for your students. I had difficulty in taking even rudimentary notes, because I had absolutely no idea of what was important or even relevant. Then, some time around the third week I had my first initial flash of clarity, a moment when everything became clear and I started to realize how legal concepts were related to both each other and to society at large. From that point on, it was all uphill and contracts quickly went from something I dreaded to my most enjoyable and interesting class. I (as do my classmates) appreciate the challenge that you provided for us on a daily basis. By allowing the class to come to the correct answers by ourselves (albeit with a little prodding) rather than just lay it out for us was indeed a breath of fresh air that I have encountered far too infrequently at Harvard thus far. That is what I imagined law school would be like and is indeed the reason I chose to go here. The rumor mill is always churning, and the grapevines have produced information that Yale has become a more intellectual place, in the pursuit of the law, whereas HLS is moving more towards teaching law as a trade. Rumor also has it that the administration here has been moving away from caring about student concerns. I know that these are issues that you care about and at first glance may point towards one choice. However, in your class, I learned of the importance of a good challenge, a value that I am sure you know all too well. If Harvard really is changing for the worse then I believe that is all the more reason to stay.

I hope to have the opportunity to fight my peers (via the lottery of course) for the opportunity to take some of your upper level courses. No matter what you choose, though, I am grateful for at least this one opportunity to learn from a true scholar.

-- Anonymous, December 16, 1998