Boalt 1Ls taking questions Forum

[patentlitigatrix]

Throwing it back because I have a very similar question to Missouri Misery's original post. Any advice on if its a bad idea to live in SF as a 1L, if your SO (live together) is going to be working there?

It'd be fine if you don't mind the commute. You can take BART from the city and the bus to the law school. Gotta figure out how to get to BART from wherever you live.

I did this for similar reasons, but I drove to school since BART + bus can (1) take a long time and not be reliable and (2) BART is not convenient from most places in the city. If you have to take a bus to BART and then bus to law school, that would take forever.

[Kronk]

If you live next to a BART station you'd be able to get to Boalt in 45 mins, so if you can get to BART in 15 from wherever you live in the city it would be okay.

[bamb00zled]

Throwing it back because I have a very similar question to Missouri Misery's original post. Any advice on if its a bad idea to live in SF as a 1L, if your SO (live together) is going to be working there?

It'd be fine if you don't mind the commute. You can take BART from the city and the bus to the law school. Gotta figure out how to get to BART from wherever you live.

I did this for similar reasons, but I drove to school since BART + bus can (1) take a long time and not be reliable and (2) BART is not convenient from most places in the city. If you have to take a bus to BART and then bus to law school, that would take forever.

Thank you! Good to know others do it and its fine. I'll have a car, so I was thinking that leaving SF early before traffic and coming back in post-rush hour would make the drive (and tolls) tolerable.

[bamb00zled]

Throwing it back because I have a very similar question to Missouri Misery's original post. Any advice on if its a bad idea to live in SF as a 1L, if your SO (live together) is going to be working there?

It'd be fine if you don't mind the commute. You can take BART from the city and the bus to the law school. Gotta figure out how to get to BART from wherever you live.

Do you think it would interfere with events/studying/having new friends?

Maybe. To the extent you let it. If you think a ~1hr commute each way is going to make you hesitate to go to events or make new friends, then yes, it will probably interfere with it. Fuck it, though, I'd rather live in the city and if you have a good excuse (SO has a job) and a good person to be there with (assuming you like your SO) I would do that in a second.

I was never the best about making a ton of Boaltie friends, though. They were great people, but I had a crew in SF/Berkeley already that I was pretty content with. One of my bigger regrets. I lived in Oakland most of the time. I am also not the type to study in the school, though. Rather do it at home with Netflix.

Thanks for chiming in! Its helpful to know this isn't uncommon or a big barrier to work/involvement.

[DreamShake]

Throwing it back because I have a very similar question to Missouri Misery's original post. Any advice on if its a bad idea to live in SF as a 1L, if your SO (live together) is going to be working there?

It'd be fine if you don't mind the commute. You can take BART from the city and the bus to the law school. Gotta figure out how to get to BART from wherever you live.

Do you think it would interfere with events/studying/having new friends?

Maybe. To the extent you let it. If you think a ~1hr commute each way is going to make you hesitate to go to events or make new friends, then yes, it will probably interfere with it. Fuck it, though, I'd rather live in the city and if you have a good excuse (SO has a job) and a good person to be there with (assuming you like your SO) I would do that in a second.

I was never the best about making a ton of Boaltie friends, though. They were great people, but I had a crew in SF/Berkeley already that I was pretty content with. One of my bigger regrets. I lived in Oakland most of the time. I am also not the type to study in the school, though. Rather do it at home with Netflix.

Thanks for chiming in! Its helpful to know this isn't uncommon or a big barrier to work/involvement.

Worth mentioning that BART shuts down at roughly midnight

[Duggiiee]

Throwing it back because I have a very similar question to Missouri Misery's original post. Any advice on if its a bad idea to live in SF as a 1L, if your SO (live together) is going to be working there?

It'd be fine if you don't mind the commute. You can take BART from the city and the bus to the law school. Gotta figure out how to get to BART from wherever you live.

Do you think it would interfere with events/studying/having new friends?

Maybe. To the extent you let it. If you think a ~1hr commute each way is going to make you hesitate to go to events or make new friends, then yes, it will probably interfere with it. Fuck it, though, I'd rather live in the city and if you have a good excuse (SO has a job) and a good person to be there with (assuming you like your SO) I would do that in a second.

I was never the best about making a ton of Boaltie friends, though. They were great people, but I had a crew in SF/Berkeley already that I was pretty content with. One of my bigger regrets. I lived in Oakland most of the time. I am also not the type to study in the school, though. Rather do it at home with Netflix.

Thanks for chiming in! Its helpful to know this isn't uncommon or a big barrier to work/involvement.

Not sure if you're coming from the Bay Area or elsewhere. But housing in SF is $$$$$$$$ and you'll be at BART's whim (got stuck on it for an hour for last night from some crazy on the tracks). Go to Oakland or Berkeley.

[wellreallynow]

Did anyone here choose Berkeley over HYS? I'm pretty torn right now-- I got into both Berkeley and Harvard, and I plan on doing PI long-term. Berkeley seems like a way better fit personality-wise and for personal reasons-- it's california, people seem way happier, and my long-term partner is currently a med student in SF. But I'm worried that especially for prestigious PI, I'll regret turning down H-- one because of the name value, two because their LRAP program isn't linked to the fed program, which I appreciate. I currently work at the ACLU and it seems like 90% of the people hired soon after law school were HYS. FWIW, I'm 99% sure I won't be getting significant aid, so I don't think that makes much of a difference-- my parents are really well off and dont plan on contributing to LS at all, so any PSLF/LRAP is a huge help.

I'd love insight from anyone who made a similar decision.

[hlsperson123]

Did anyone here choose Berkeley over HYS? I'm pretty torn right now-- I got into both Berkeley and Harvard, and I plan on doing PI long-term. Berkeley seems like a way better fit personality-wise and for personal reasons-- it's california, people seem way happier, and my long-term partner is currently a med student in SF. But I'm worried that especially for prestigious PI, I'll regret turning down H-- one because of the name value, two because their LRAP program isn't linked to the fed program, which I appreciate. I currently work at the ACLU and it seems like 90% of the people hired soon after law school were HYS. FWIW, I'm 99% sure I won't be getting significant aid, so I don't think that makes much of a difference-- my parents are really well off and dont plan on contributing to LS at all, so any PSLF/LRAP is a huge help.

I'd love insight from anyone who made a similar decision.

I had the same choice last year and I picked Harvard. I'm from the Bay Area, have a lot of friends there, and loved ASW at Cal. However, Harvard is the best school for me to achieve the goals I have, such as clerking. I'd say the same is true for you. There is a big distinction to be made between "regular" PI and "prestigious" PI. Prestigious PI tends to care about things like grades and clerkships and school rank much more. ACLU and organizations like it that do impact litigation tend to be prestigious PI. But don't take my word for it, ask the attorneys at the ACLU what they look for in new attorney hires; I think they'll agree.

And FWIW, as a native Californian, you can be happy at HLS. The students here are nice, many of them are successfully LDRs, and Cambridge is a good substitute for Berkeley (in some ways even better). And if you decide you want to be back ASAP, you can do the Berkeley exchange program for 3L.

[worldtraveler]

I'm probably biased as a Berkeley grad but I think your personal reasons are enough to merit picking Berkeley over Harvard. Berkeley places really well into elite PI and even if Harvard has the edge in a few areas, not enough to merit leaving a serious SO in my opinion.

Before making a decision though I would get in touch with Berkeley career services and ask if they can help you find alums in the kind of places you want to work. See what they say. You should also just ask your coworkers and bosses now.

[Kronk]

I chose Berkeley over HLS at sticker @ both. No regrets except that I do think the H Bomb carries more weight with colleagues.

I think if I had gotten into HLS initially I probably wouldn't have turned it down but I got in off the waitlist and I was kind of unreasonably miffed that they didn't accept me originally.

[wellreallynow]

I'm probably biased as a Berkeley grad but I think your personal reasons are enough to merit picking Berkeley over Harvard. Berkeley places really well into elite PI and even if Harvard has the edge in a few areas, not enough to merit leaving a serious SO in my opinion.

Before making a decision though I would get in touch with Berkeley career services and ask if they can help you find alums in the kind of places you want to work. See what they say. You should also just ask your coworkers and bosses now.

this is really great advice, thanks. i've talked to people here and the general consensus is that an above-average H applicant would get about the same regard as an outstanding B applicant, so to consider where I'm likely to fall on the law-school-rank spectrum.

[Kronk]

I'm probably biased as a Berkeley grad but I think your personal reasons are enough to merit picking Berkeley over Harvard. Berkeley places really well into elite PI and even if Harvard has the edge in a few areas, not enough to merit leaving a serious SO in my opinion.

Before making a decision though I would get in touch with Berkeley career services and ask if they can help you find alums in the kind of places you want to work. See what they say. You should also just ask your coworkers and bosses now.

this is really great advice, thanks. i've talked to people here and the general consensus is that an above-average H applicant would get about the same regard as an outstanding B applicant, so to consider where I'm likely to fall on the law-school-rank spectrum.

best way to do this analysis when you're talking about two great schools, IMO, is to assume you will at the same part of the class regardless of where you go. it's more true than you'd think.

[worldtraveler]

I'm probably biased as a Berkeley grad but I think your personal reasons are enough to merit picking Berkeley over Harvard. Berkeley places really well into elite PI and even if Harvard has the edge in a few areas, not enough to merit leaving a serious SO in my opinion.

Before making a decision though I would get in touch with Berkeley career services and ask if they can help you find alums in the kind of places you want to work. See what they say. You should also just ask your coworkers and bosses now.

this is really great advice, thanks. i've talked to people here and the general consensus is that an above-average H applicant would get about the same regard as an outstanding B applicant, so to consider where I'm likely to fall on the law-school-rank spectrum.

best way to do this analysis when you're talking about two great schools, IMO, is to assume you will at the same part of the class regardless of where you go. it's more true than you'd think.

They might also be referring to stuff outside of grades, too. In PI it's not just about grades but about relevant experiences, languages, and all kinds of other stuff.

[arose928]

Throwing it back because I have a very similar question to Missouri Misery's original post. Any advice on if its a bad idea to live in SF as a 1L, if your SO (live together) is going to be working there?

It'd be fine if you don't mind the commute. You can take BART from the city and the bus to the law school. Gotta figure out how to get to BART from wherever you live.

Do you think it would interfere with events/studying/having new friends?

Maybe. To the extent you let it. If you think a ~1hr commute each way is going to make you hesitate to go to events or make new friends, then yes, it will probably interfere with it. Fuck it, though, I'd rather live in the city and if you have a good excuse (SO has a job) and a good person to be there with (assuming you like your SO) I would do that in a second.

I was never the best about making a ton of Boaltie friends, though. They were great people, but I had a crew in SF/Berkeley already that I was pretty content with. One of my bigger regrets. I lived in Oakland most of the time. I am also not the type to study in the school, though. Rather do it at home with Netflix.

Yeah I think it depends on your style. Some people do it and make it work, and even like it. Before law school I had the reverse commute (live in Berkeley and commute to SF) and I found it to be a pain and am happy my commute is now 10 minutes. And I would probably do less stuff now if I lived in the city, but that's because I'm more of a homebody. But some people are just here to do their work and not be really social and so if that's you, then it can be fine. Just be mindful that campus isn't that close to BART - its a 15 minute (slightly uphill) walk, or you can catch a bus, and BART doesn't run that late (last train around midnight).

[wellreallynow]

hi everyone, thanks for all your great advice. one more question: did anyone here get a matching scholarship from berkeley and if so, what was your strategy? my issue is that although i've gotten in a bunch of the t-14 schools that qualify, the only school i've gotten an offer from is michigan, and while their offer is def generous (100k+) I don't know if I should submit that or wait to see if other schools might come in down the line with more money-- especially since it seems like the program is rolling. Should I go ahead and apply for the Berkeley matching program with the offer I have (even though there are other schools I’d go to over Michigan) or do I wait to hear back from other places and risk matching funds running out?

[hlsperson123]

hi everyone, thanks for all your great advice. one more question: did anyone here get a matching scholarship from berkeley and if so, what was your strategy? my issue is that although i've gotten in a bunch of the t-14 schools that qualify, the only school i've gotten an offer from is michigan, and while their offer is def generous (100k+) I don't know if I should submit that or wait to see if other schools might come in down the line with more money-- especially since it seems like the program is rolling. Should I go ahead and apply for the Berkeley matching program with the offer I have (even though there are other schools I’d go to over Michigan) or do I wait to hear back from other places and risk matching funds running out?

I was in a similar situation last year, and used my Michigan offer for matching since it was the biggest I had. Cal went up from 0 (my initial offer) to matching half of it. It's just one data point, but HTH.

[KiltedKicker]

.

[wellreallynow]

hi everyone, thanks for all your great advice. one more question: did anyone here get a matching scholarship from berkeley and if so, what was your strategy? my issue is that although i've gotten in a bunch of the t-14 schools that qualify, the only school i've gotten an offer from is michigan, and while their offer is def generous (100k+) I don't know if I should submit that or wait to see if other schools might come in down the line with more money-- especially since it seems like the program is rolling. Should I go ahead and apply for the Berkeley matching program with the offer I have (even though there are other schools I’d go to over Michigan) or do I wait to hear back from other places and risk matching funds running out?

I was in a similar situation last year, and used my Michigan offer for matching since it was the biggest I had. Cal went up from 0 (my initial offer) to matching half of it. It's just one data point, but HTH.

hi everyone, thanks for all your great advice. one more question: did anyone here get a matching scholarship from berkeley and if so, what was your strategy? my issue is that although i've gotten in a bunch of the t-14 schools that qualify, the only school i've gotten an offer from is michigan, and while their offer is def generous (100k+) I don't know if I should submit that or wait to see if other schools might come in down the line with more money-- especially since it seems like the program is rolling. Should I go ahead and apply for the Berkeley matching program with the offer I have (even though there are other schools I’d go to over Michigan) or do I wait to hear back from other places and risk matching funds running out?

I was in the exact same situation, decided to submit my Michigan offer earlier this week. You are going to have the option when you submit of submitting a 'Why is Berkeley where you want to attend' essay and I would recommend writing one and including in that letter that you are considering offers from a number of t14 schools. Ultimately I think Cal is going to make an offer they think will get you to attend, and will know that you are also going to be considering other offers from higher ranked schools (especially if your numbers are well above median, which I imagine they are if you got that offer from UM). I'm sure I'm going to get other offers but I doubt any are for more than Michigan offered, so I think any drop in prestige will be made up for by submitting earlier than other applicants and by a larger offer. I talked to several current Boalt students who urged me to submit the Michigan offer.

Then again, I'm competing with you for aid, so my actual suggestion is that you should tell Boalt you're not interested and they should instead give me whatever they would've given you

Thanks everyone, this is super helpful. I'm going to just aim to submit this week-- thinking about it realistically, I really doubt I'm going to get more merit aid than I got from Mich anywhere else, and I definitely don't qualify for need-based aid anywhere. I really appreciate all the help as always!

(and kilted-- I'll keep my fingers crossed for full matches for both of us, how's that?)

[KiltedKicker]

hi everyone, thanks for all your great advice. one more question: did anyone here get a matching scholarship from berkeley and if so, what was your strategy? my issue is that although i've gotten in a bunch of the t-14 schools that qualify, the only school i've gotten an offer from is michigan, and while their offer is def generous (100k+) I don't know if I should submit that or wait to see if other schools might come in down the line with more money-- especially since it seems like the program is rolling. Should I go ahead and apply for the Berkeley matching program with the offer I have (even though there are other schools I’d go to over Michigan) or do I wait to hear back from other places and risk matching funds running out?

I was in a similar situation last year, and used my Michigan offer for matching since it was the biggest I had. Cal went up from 0 (my initial offer) to matching half of it. It's just one data point, but HTH.

hi everyone, thanks for all your great advice. one more question: did anyone here get a matching scholarship from berkeley and if so, what was your strategy? my issue is that although i've gotten in a bunch of the t-14 schools that qualify, the only school i've gotten an offer from is michigan, and while their offer is def generous (100k+) I don't know if I should submit that or wait to see if other schools might come in down the line with more money-- especially since it seems like the program is rolling. Should I go ahead and apply for the Berkeley matching program with the offer I have (even though there are other schools I’d go to over Michigan) or do I wait to hear back from other places and risk matching funds running out?

I was in the exact same situation, decided to submit my Michigan offer earlier this week. You are going to have the option when you submit of submitting a 'Why is Berkeley where you want to attend' essay and I would recommend writing one and including in that letter that you are considering offers from a number of t14 schools. Ultimately I think Cal is going to make an offer they think will get you to attend, and will know that you are also going to be considering other offers from higher ranked schools (especially if your numbers are well above median, which I imagine they are if you got that offer from UM). I'm sure I'm going to get other offers but I doubt any are for more than Michigan offered, so I think any drop in prestige will be made up for by submitting earlier than other applicants and by a larger offer. I talked to several current Boalt students who urged me to submit the Michigan offer.

Then again, I'm competing with you for aid, so my actual suggestion is that you should tell Boalt you're not interested and they should instead give me whatever they would've given you

Thanks everyone, this is super helpful. I'm going to just aim to submit this week-- thinking about it realistically, I really doubt I'm going to get more merit aid than I got from Mich anywhere else, and I definitely don't qualify for need-based aid anywhere. I really appreciate all the help as always!

(and kilted-- I'll keep my fingers crossed for full matches for both of us, how's that?)

That's a very Boalt attitude to take, I'm on board with that

[KiltedKicker]

Can someone speak to the facilities at Boalt? Specifically I'm curious about the classrooms and the library. Also, how are the on-campus eating options?

Also, in an unrelated question, can anyone speak to how Boalt compares to schools like NYU and Chicago in terms of placement at Biglaw tech firms in the Bay Area? I'm from Palo Alto and am interested in IP law and entrepreneurship, so I'm trying to figure out how much the strength of Boalt's IP focuses balances out their slightly lesser prestige. While I'm confident I will do well in law school, I want to prepare for the possibility that I'm in the lower portion of the class, and I worry that I will have less appeal to a firm I want to work for if I'm in the 33rd percentile at Cal than at one of the higher ranked schools I'm considering. Thanks for the help

[hlsperson123]

Can someone speak to the facilities at Boalt? Specifically I'm curious about the classrooms and the library. Also, how are the on-campus eating options?

The on and near campus eating options at Cal are easily better than any other T10, except perhaps tied with NYU.

Also, in an unrelated question, can anyone speak to how Boalt compares to schools like NYU and Chicago in terms of placement at Biglaw tech firms in the Bay Area? I'm from Palo Alto and am interested in IP law and entrepreneurship, so I'm trying to figure out how much the strength of Boalt's IP focuses balances out their slightly lesser prestige. While I'm confident I will do well in law school, I want to prepare for the possibility that I'm in the lower portion of the class, and I worry that I will have less appeal to a firm I want to work for if I'm in the 33rd percentile at Cal than at one of the higher ranked schools I'm considering. Thanks for the help

Full disclosure, I don't go to Boalt, but I have good reasons to know about this stuff. In my experience, Boalt places better into the Silicon Valley/San Francisco entrepreneurship scene than either NYU or Chicago. There are a few reasons for this.

First, the geographic proximity makes a huge difference. ALL of the good IP/entrepreneurship firms go to Boalt EIW, or otherwise list their jobs on Boalt's system. That includes the big firms like MoFo, WSGR, Cooley, etc., but also the small ones you've never heard of. And some of the small ones are quite good. The biggest Bay Area firms will go to NYU/Chicago, but there will be a lot of competition for those slots, and the smaller ones won't go at all.

Second, and a lot of people don't believe this, but Boalt in SF/SV is not on a worse tier than CCN. If anything, it's regarded slightly better. Keker, which is probably the most selective firm in SF, only recruits from HYSB. Your grades will not get any appreciable bump in SF/SV from going to Chicago over Berkeley.

Third, Bay Area firms are surprisingly ties-conscious. While you won't get auto-dinged for going to an out of state school, you will need to have a compelling "why SF." Though being from Palo Alto is probably enough to spin into a good answer.

While I'm confident I will do well in law school,

I just had to single this out. Don't be. That being said, I'd still pick Berkeley over anything but HYS for your goals.

[Tanicius]

Can someone speak to the facilities at Boalt? Specifically I'm curious about the classrooms and the library. Also, how are the on-campus eating options?

Also, in an unrelated question, can anyone speak to how Boalt compares to schools like NYU and Chicago in terms of placement at Biglaw tech firms in the Bay Area? I'm from Palo Alto and am interested in IP law and entrepreneurship, so I'm trying to figure out how much the strength of Boalt's IP focuses balances out their slightly lesser prestige. While I'm confident I will do well in law school, I want to prepare for the possibility that I'm in the lower portion of the class, and I worry that I will have less appeal to a firm I want to work for if I'm in the 33rd percentile at Cal than at one of the higher ranked schools I'm considering. Thanks for the help

As HLSperson123 says, Boalt is supreme with its IP and startup focuses. Being in the bottom third would really hurt, no doubt about it, but if you have a business specialty you will likely land something in SV. Compared to your other prospects, I'm not sure that bottom third from NYU or Chicago would have pretty much any advantage over someone in the same boat at Boalt, at least as far as SV goes.

The facilities are... I don't know what you would call them. Chic-modern? Lots of stone and soft wood, craftsman style. The classrooms are all modernized with expensive tech and furniture. I liked it.

[Jordan Catalano]

Are there any Boalt 1L parents in this thread?

I am wondering what public/private high schools located around BLS (within 30-ish minutes) that you would recommended. I have made a list by Googling, but it would be great to get some recommendations!

How long is the wait-list for family housing?

I've read for single 1L's you get housing the first year, then you have to find housing elsewhere. Is this true for the family housing?

Any other parent-related tips or advice? Thanks!

[Tanicius]

Are there any Boalt 1L parents in this thread?

I am wondering what public/private high schools located around BLS (within 30-ish minutes) that you would recommended. I have made a list by Googling, but it would be great to get some recommendations!

How long is the wait-list for family housing?

I've read for single 1L's you get housing the first year, then you have to find housing elsewhere. Is this true for the family housing?

Any other parent-related tips or advice? Thanks!

My wife is a private tutor in East Bay for high school students all over the area. If you PM me I can give you her email and she could answer that question about high schools and private schools. She's more aware than most people about how much they cost and how competitive they are to get into.

[KiltedKicker]

As HLSperson123 says, Boalt is supreme with its IP and startup focuses. Being in the bottom third would really hurt, no doubt about it, but if you have a business specialty you will likely land something in SV. Compared to your other prospects, I'm not sure that bottom third from NYU or Chicago would have pretty much any advantage over someone in the same boat at Boalt, at least as far as SV goes.

The facilities are... I don't know what you would call them. Chic-modern? Lots of stone and soft wood, craftsman style. The classrooms are all modernized with expensive tech and furniture. I liked it.

Thank you both! Appreciate the help. The more I learn the more I lean toward Boalt