| Harvard University's law school is the oldest in the United States: it was founded in a Harvard Yard farmhouse in 1817, and moved to its current location, just up Mass Ave from the Yard, in 1883. Unlike most law schools, Harvard's could be a college in its own right: it has its own dorms, gymnasium, student union, and cafeteria, as well as a 2 million-volume library. It has a faculty of 200 professors and lecturers, and 1,850 students. Some of the United States' biggest legal all-stars teach there, including Archibald Cox, Alan Dershowitz, and Richard Musgrave.
Three types of degrees are offered: the basic JD, as well as the LLM and SJD (which are mostly for aspiring legal scholars and visiting foreign lawyers). Joint degrees with the Kennedy School and business school are also available.
The average first-year student has a college GPA of 3.8, and an LSAT score of 170: admission rates hover around 12%.
Tuition is just shy of $30,000 a year. Add that to the rather high cost of living around Boston, and you have an absolutely ridiculous cost of attendance. It's an investment, but it pays off in the end, when you get to rule the country. | 
