Students have criticized HLS's use of a consulting firm to collect information that some feel the school could have gathered by simply talking to students themselves.

"The general feeling about the McKinsey report is that students have been saying these things for years," said Susan Lee '96, a first-year student at HLS. "The issues raised in the report aren't new things, but because of the report maybe now there is a better chance that [HLS] is going to do something about them."

The grading policy is one that has received particular criticism by students. While many other law schools use a pass/fail system, especially in the first year, HLS still uses letter grades, a move which some students say garners added pressure and competition.

"Grading on pass/fail would relieve stress and not really detriment the learning process in any way," Lee said.

Hanna L. Stotland '99, also a first year student at HLS, said that although HLS says that letter grades allow firms to better distinguish between students, the negatives of the grading policy far outweigh the positives.

"I don't think that firms would stop hiring Harvard students just because it is harder to distinguish us," Stotland said.

"The school has an insecurity complex," said Daniel J. Levin, a third-year student at HLS. "There has to be that 'wheat from the chaff' crap."