The revised survey questionnaire was then sent out to the student body, and a slightly amended version was mailed to alumni from the Classes of 1985, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998, according to Warren.

The Data

While a thorough analysis of the survey results has not yet become available, by most accounts, the students aired complaints related to the law school's huge size. HLS currently has about 550 students.

Charlotte P. Armstrong '49, an HLS alumna who sits on an advisory visiting committee and who is outgoing president of the Harvard Board of Overseers, calls the size of the school its greatest virtue and its greatest curse.

Warren says that McKinsey's preliminary data reveals "class size, student-faculty feedback and faculty advising" are the major areas for improvement.

Her colleague Meltzer suggests that these three concerns are actually connected.

"The complaint about lack of feedback in legal education is, unfortunately, a perennial one," Meltzer says. "It's linked, in a way, to the class-size problem."

"How realistic is it to expect a faculty member teaching a class of 150 students [a typical course enrollment figure at HLS] to give a lot of detailed feedback to each of his or her students?" Meltzer asks.

In addition to demanding more contact with their professors, students who answered the surveys expressed a desire for HLS to go on a hiring campaign.

Oliver, who has just completed her second year at the law school, says she appreciates the resources HLS has to offer. For her, the school's large size requires it to provide extra facilities and faculty breadth.

"I came to Harvard because it offered me the most opportunities," Oliver says.

Cash and Charge?

In addition to their size-related concerns, students also aired grievances about HLS's facilities and its largesse. According to both Warren and Meltzer, the sub-par quality of the Hemenway Gym came up frequently in student responses to McKinsey's inquiries.

Oliver suggests that by allocating funds to refurbish Hemenway, the administration could dramatically boost students' quality of life.

"Part of the reason the McKinsey study was undertaken was for a fundraising campaign," Oliver suggests. "There's virtually nothing you can do [to improve HLS] that doesn't require money."