Hi! Personally Im in the good/bad situation of having to choose between HLS and SLS. Ive basically poured through tons of information about the schools but I still have one very relevant (for me at least) question that the official material cannot answer, the social life.

Ive noticed that many people on this board are very interested in rankings, career opportunities, etc. However, one of the main reasons Im doing an LL.M. is actually to have that one year as an exchange student I never had time for previously. Consequently, the law school social life is a very important criterion to me. Im also thinking that Im not the only one who sees social life as important.

Therefore I would be very thankful if the lads and ladettes, who have been at HLS or SLS, or anybody else in the knowing, could give us some information on what the social life is for LL.M. students at HLS and SLS? Is it all work and no play or do you have parties, extracurricular activities, etc.? If you are a social person, do you get to know some of the J.D.s or do you primarily only hang out with other LL.M. students? Do people go outside campus for dining, concerts, clubbing, etc.?

Thanks!

First of all, HLS and SLS are located in two very different cities, and it's really apples and oranges. It'd be impossible not to have fun in both, though, and I believe socializing is actually the most important thing about being an LLM.

For HLS, you can do whatever you want. The library is beautiful enough that you can choose to live there and hug all the shelves, but there's an endless array of things for you to do. It's not a bad idea to take the minimum required class load and leave afternoons open for all the talks, activities, parties, etc. every single day. There's now a website that lists all the activities in the undergrad and in all the grad schools.

One can also choose to interact with LLMs or JDs as one pleases. I enjoy the large HLS class size because there are so many people to meet, and meeting all the LLMs alone is a challenge, especially since there are people who don't go out very often because their families are here or because they are neck deep in research. Aside from your classes with JDs, there are a number of activities that are all open to LLMs, from ski trips to drama productions. There are also organizations certain LLMs will gravitate towards, such as the Asia, Latino, Black and European societies. Many LLMs are regulars at the Thursday bar nights with free drinks.

As for Boston, there's so much to do nearby that I don't even head out that often, but it's very easy to do so. Some bar nights are held outside Cambridge, and I've found myself with a group of tipsy JDs at 3 AM in Chinatown, certainly.

Also, I might add that the Boston winter is something fun to experience once, and you'll have fun trying the skating rink in front of the cafeteria.

Most of what Josepidal posted about Harvard applies to Stanford. It is up to each person to take the unlimited opportunities available outside the library.
I already posted several times about how Stanford campus is an amazingly pleasant place where to live and refer you to these previous indications.
I believe that the key difference with respect to social life is the size of the class. The adv degree class is very small (37persons counting LLM IP, LLM Corp Gvance, and SPILS this year). This means that you necessarily get to know the J.D.s. They invite us to their home parties and the J.D. Class 07 presidents include us in any email about events they organize for their about-to-graduate class, such as recently a ski trip to Tahoe and a week-end in Las Vegas. You also have regularly law school-wide or University-wide parties like the Law School Semi-Formal and Formal parties, the Law School Musical, the Public Interest Auction Night, the University Grad Formal party, etc. You also have plays, movies, conferences.
Stanford is also a great place to do sport, so you can make friends during your golf lessons or judo classes. Just like at Harvard, you also have the full range of intellectual interest societies that you can join.
For sure, it means also that you do not have 200 foreign LL.M. classmates or 5 of your national compatriots to potentially call to party on a Saturday night. Becoming friends with American J.D.s or a Norwegian gene scientist requires probably more efforts than getting close to LL.M. classmates, but I believe it is worth. In my case, I had no interest hanging out with dozens of Euro LLMs and wanted instead to learn more about the U.S. lifestyle and other interests than law.
All Stanford students, from the law school or not, are very driven and pursue high goals and admittedly, the promise of crazy partying is not the reason why they chose to come here. Stanford adv law degrees are very demanding programs and require a lot of studying.
Many of us still take part to the aforementioned activities. Some go to concerts in SF or art exhibits, most have visited the area (like the Napa valley, Big Sur, etc).
Last night, I was having drinks with 2 fellows in a local bar and today, I am studying under the sun in my garden; last week, there were 2 big spring break parties, one by a JD and one by a LLM. This is what you get at Stanford.
One final advice: try get in touch with other Stanford admits and determine if it is the kind of crowd you want to hang out with. I did that and it just strengthened my will to come here given how brillant and nice people my future classmates appeared to be.