UC Berkeley (Boalt Hall) Law Class of 2018 Forum

[LoganCouture]

180kickflip,

I took it to mean that the total award will remain constant year over year. The need aid portion of it may become bigger or smaller but that won't change the overall award amount. Basically I think they just say that to clarify that the fellowship and need aid don't "stack" (giving you more $) but rather that need aid is subsumed as part of the fellowship.

[hannahp38]

So I have a scholarship deadline of April 20 from NYU (not the one I used for matching) and I'm guessing the matching hold wont be done by then. NYU just informed me that my request for more time was declined, so if I want their money I need to deposit by Monday. The stressful thing is that Berkeley hasn't responded one way or another to my request for a quicker decision. If I call them they ask me to e-mail, and when I e-mail they don't respond.

I'm in the same boat over here. Really stressing out

[Blue0613]

I am an idiot. Please delete.I am an idiot. Please delete.I am an idiot. Please delete.I am an idiot. Please delete.I am an idiot. Please delete.

[Fareslols]

0L here, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt. Still, quality of life was one consideration among many for me, so I dug a little deeper.

I sort of got a negative vibe, too, from other schools. When I visited Columbia, the negativity was muted, but it was definitely there. At Berkeley, however, I was told universally positive stories. And I didn't just limit myself to tour guides and people on Admissions' payroll. I walked around and found several random people and asked them about their student experiences.

The bottom like is that the life of a 1L is hard no matter where you go. But it's not so hard that students come away with a bad taste in their mouths, at least at Berkeley. Many said that their time at Berkeley has been the best years of their life so far -- and I was inclined to believe it. The cultural landscape was awesome, with tons of diversity and a really lovely and lively student culture. Plus, there are perks to being a short train ride from a huge cultural center (SF).

So, life as a 1L is going to be obnoxious, dominated by minutia, and generally overwhelming. But that's law school, and it seems like Berkeley is better than most as far as livability is concerned.

Hope this helps!

[Comma.Split]

0L here, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt. Still, quality of life was one consideration among many for me, so I dug a little deeper.

I sort of got a negative vibe, too, from other schools. When I visited Columbia, the negativity was muted, but it was definitely there. At Berkeley, however, I was told universally positive stories. And I didn't just limit myself to tour guides and people on Admissions' payroll. I walked around and found several random people and asked them about their student experiences.

The bottom like is that the life of a 1L is hard no matter where you go. But it's not so hard that students come away with a bad taste in their mouths, at least at Berkeley. Many said that their time at Berkeley has been the best years of their life so far -- and I was inclined to believe it. The cultural landscape was awesome, with tons of diversity and a really lovely and lively student culture. Plus, there are perks to being a short train ride from a huge cultural center (SF).

So, life as a 1L is going to be obnoxious, dominated by minutia, and generally overwhelming. But that's law school, and it seems like Berkeley is better than most as far as livability is concerned.

Hope this helps!

0L here too, but I have good friends at Berkeley Law and Columbia Law (2Ls and 3Ls). Columbia students keep telling me how much they hated the culture and the cold-hearted competitiveness there. Unless you are a complete sociopath who doesn't care about anything but being the #1 associate at the #1 BigLaw at any cost, you will have a hard time adjusting to Columbia culture. At Berkeley, there is a mix of sociopaths and social butterflies. So, you can always find your niche. Generally, my Berkeley friends had a positive experience, and my Columbia friends had 3 years of depression. The question is whether whatever Columbia has to offer over Berkeley is worth the 3 years of misery to you personally.

Edit: Of course, we are talking in relative terms. Being a 1L at any school is a miserable experience. In my opinion, the difference is whether you will have a chat and a drink with classmates once every month or once every semester.

[app25]

Hey everyone,

Not sure if there is another blog talking about this, but has anyone started thinking about housing?

Is the norm to do on campus housing? My concern with on campus housing is that it's a 12 month lease and I was told you cannot sublet, so what if you want to be somewhere else during the summer?

Any information on housing would be great...Basically I want to be able to find reasonably priced housing and reasonable quality that is on a month-to-month basis.

[Blue0613]

I am an idiot. Please delete.I am an idiot. Please delete.I am an idiot. Please delete.I am an idiot. Please delete.

[NutellaDipity]

When I visited in March most people I met were paying around $1000-1400 monthly, living either in a nicer place in Oakland or smaller and more dated etc in berkeley not too far from the school.

[breadcarp]

Has anyone been held on matching past the deadline for the scholarship they sent in?

[BlueLaw11]

Is anyone else still waiting on administration to respond to an email? Been over a week and a half now, wondering if I should call or if this is normal

[trynalaw123]

Is anyone else still waiting on administration to respond to an email? Been over a week and a half now, wondering if I should call or if this is normal

I emailed them late March and never got a response.

[sheishkabob]

Is anyone else still waiting on administration to respond to an email? Been over a week and a half now, wondering if I should call or if this is normal

Yep, I've sent several emails in the last week to like 3 different email addresses with no response

[BlueLaw11]

Is anyone else still waiting on administration to respond to an email? Been over a week and a half now, wondering if I should call or if this is normal

Yep, I've sent several emails in the last week to like 3 different email addresses with no response

Well shoot. That's lame

Edit: at least I'm not alone?

[breadcarp]

The email that just went out is such salt. "Our websites down, email us about important stuff" ... really lol.

[Atmosphere]

The email that just went out is such salt. "Our websites down, email us about important stuff" ... really lol.

Probably a response to the saltiness in this thread haha

[bingo90]

Did anyone's deadline pass on the school that you used for the matching app? I'm wondering if they at least will tell us we've been denied before the other school's deadline.

[lilith66]

Did anyone's deadline pass on the school that you used for the matching app? I'm wondering if they at least will tell us we've been denied before the other school's deadline.

My other school's deadline is Friday. I keep emailing Berkeley asking them to let me know before then, but still nothing.

[bingo90]

Did anyone's deadline pass on the school that you used for the matching app? I'm wondering if they at least will tell us we've been denied before the other school's deadline.

My other school's deadline is Friday. I keep emailing Berkeley asking them to let me know before then, but still nothing.

Same. I was still holding out hope, but that hope is basically gone at this point.

[breadcarp]

Update for anyone still waiting: The deadline I used for matching is Friday and I was given a partial matching a few minutes ago. I used a Cornell offer. My email did reference my upcoming deadline.

Good luck to everyone else!

[lilith66]

Just heard back about my Matching. Combined with my need-based, they offered me more than the other school. So happy!

[sheishkabob]

Were you guys in the held wave?

[lilith66]

Were you guys in the held wave?

Yep, I was. Got the held email last Tuesday and heard back today after emailing them a bunch of times with a reminder of my deadline.

[hannahp38]

I called and they told me anyone with a 4/24 deadline will hear today, but I still haven't gotten an email..

[sheishkabob]

Were you guys in the held wave?

Yep, I was. Got the held email last Tuesday and heard back today after emailing them a bunch of times with a reminder of my deadline.

Congrats!!!! I am so, so jealous.

Officially giving up hope now, this is heartbreaking to say the least. My matching request was for Cornell as well (this Friday deadline) and I've sent several emails too...didn't hear anything today

[sehunter]

Hey Guys!

Long time lurker here. Just wanted to let you know that I just got my matching today and it was in my spam folder. You might want to check yours!