In contrast, he says, Yale Law School garners a reputation of a "college-like environment" that is more theoretical and friendly than HLS.

"It's like there's an ethos at Harvard that this isn't supposed to be a pleasant experience--and it doesn't have to be this way," Nesson says.

Professor of Law Lani Guinier, a recent addition to the ranks of tenured faculty at the law school, agrees that HLS' reputation for its quality of life is regarded as less than outstanding.

"Both Yale and Stanford, I am told, are considerable more `student friendly' with better faculty/student ratios and more opportunities for student interaction with faculty both in and out of the classroom," Guinier writes in an e-mail message.

And while praising many aspects of the academic opportunities at the school, some students still acknowledge the prevailing sense that HLS trails other top schools in the realm of quality of life.

"HLS is very much a place where you have to make your own happiness," says one third-year law student who asked not to be identified. Although she herself is happy at the school, the student says a similar sense of contentedness is "almost definitely not the norm" among her law school colleagues.

Another current third-year law student says much of the ill will toward the school comes from the almost hands-off way that HLS approaches it students.

"Whereas Yale [Law School] has this all embracing language in their welcoming speeches...you don't necessarily get that from the HLS administration," the student says.

Moreover, the student cites a culture in which grades are "overemphasized," contributing largely to a sense of resentment among many of the school's approximately 550-student population.

But most agree that the reputation of HLS that is derived from these complaints is somewhat exaggerated, in part because students especially enjoy the chance to complain.

"It's a lot like going into the Navy SEALs," says Hamilton Chan '95, who recently completed his third year at HLS. "Students want to feel like they're having a difficult time or otherwise they feel gypped."

According to Amy J. Oliver, a second-year law student, the lore about HLS has turned out to be largely untrue in her own experience.

"The school's not anything like it was described," she says.

And many students accept the fact that Harvard is both a blessing and a curse.

"People trade off prestige and reputation for quality of life," one of the students says.