Berkeley Haters Forum

[los blancos]

In spite of all the trolling in this thread...
Despite the fact that even most Midwesterners don't know what Chicago is, I would choose Chicago over Berkeley at equal cost because I do think it's a better law school.

You're entitled to that opinion, and I think most people would agree with you.

[PDaddy]

PDaddy, have you lived in Chicago long? There is no nightlife on Michigan Avenue, just tourist bars. Chicago is an awesome city and NW Law is in in a great location, but not because of nightlife. You need to to get past clark and division before the nightlife becomes worth a damn.

Fair enough. But it's close to what you need. But everything else I said is true. NULaw is in an awsome location. And what isn't right on the doorstep is not too far away. It also depends on what you consider nightlife. I don't just go to bars. Rush Street is cool, and that's where the bars are. The hotels on or near Michigan Ave always have something going on. The bar scene really isn't my thing. I like "lounges", as in hotel lounges, where you meet really young, rich, beautiful yuppie women who aren't falling all over themselves drunk and letting random guys bang on them. Michigan Ave is where you meet those types. But you're right, the real bar and club scene isn't necessarily "on" Michigan Ave.

And let's not forget Lincoln Park, which is one of the hippest areas for nightlife in the city and easy to get to from downtown. But again, that's the bar and pub scene. I have to be in the modd for that.

[Dignan]

In spite of all the trolling in this thread...
Despite the fact that even most Midwesterners don't know what Chicago is, I would choose Chicago over Berkeley at equal cost because I do think it's a better law school.

You're entitled to that opinion, and I think most people would agree with you.

I'm not sure most people would agree. Berkeley's yield's rate is 34%; Chicago's yield rate is 25%. And, though Chicago tends to put a little more emphasis on LSAT score while Berkeley prefers GPA, there is a lot of overlap between the acceptance pools of the two schools.

If you start flipping through LSN profiles of past years, you'll see a lot of applicants choosing Berkeley over Chicago. In fact, the founder of this site chose Berkeley over Chicago after visiting the latter and learning that it's "where fun goes to die."

I'm not positive that most people would choose Berkeley over Chicago if given the chance, but I think the question is at least close.

[los blancos]

In spite of all the trolling in this thread...
Despite the fact that even most Midwesterners don't know what Chicago is, I would choose Chicago over Berkeley at equal cost because I do think it's a better law school.

You're entitled to that opinion, and I think most people would agree with you.

I'm not sure most people would agree. Berkeley's yield's rate is 34%; Chicago's yield rate is 25%. And, though Chicago tends to put a little more emphasis on LSAT score while Berkeley prefers GPA, there is a lot of overlap between the acceptance pools of the two schools.

If you start flipping through LSN profiles of past years, you'll see a lot of applicants choosing Berkeley over Chicago. In fact, the founder of this site chose Berkeley over Chicago after visiting the latter and learning that it's "where fun goes to die."

I'm not positive that most people would choose Berkeley over Chicago if given the chance, but I think the question is at least close.

Don't get me wrong, if I had to make this choice it would be Berkeley a million times over, but that's due to a lot of personal factors. I think Chicago's big law/academia/clerkship placement is too good to justify choosing Berkeley, ceteris paribus.

[Dignan]

In spite of all the trolling in this thread...
Despite the fact that even most Midwesterners don't know what Chicago is, I would choose Chicago over Berkeley at equal cost because I do think it's a better law school.

You're entitled to that opinion, and I think most people would agree with you.

I'm not sure most people would agree. Berkeley's yield's rate is 34%; Chicago's yield rate is 25%. And, though Chicago tends to put a little more emphasis on LSAT score while Berkeley prefers GPA, there is a lot of overlap between the acceptance pools of the two schools.

If you start flipping through LSN profiles of past years, you'll see a lot of applicants choosing Berkeley over Chicago. In fact, the founder of this site chose Berkeley over Chicago after visiting the latter and learning that it's "where fun goes to die."

I'm not positive that most people would choose Berkeley over Chicago if given the chance, but I think the question is at least close.

Don't get me wrong, if I had to make this choice it would be Berkeley a million times over, but that's due to a lot of personal factors. I think Chicago's big law/academia/clerkship placement is too good to justify choosing Berkeley, ceteris paribus.

There's definitely something to that argument. Depending on one's interests, many people (possibly including me, incidentally) should choose Chicago over Berkeley. I was just doubting the claim that most people would choose Chicago over Berkeley. I don't think the evidence supports it.

[fortissimo]

In spite of all the trolling in this thread...
Despite the fact that even most Midwesterners don't know what Chicago is, I would choose Chicago over Berkeley at equal cost because I do think it's a better law school.

You're entitled to that opinion, and I think most people would agree with you.

Probably, at least just judging based off the interquartile ranges.

I don't think there are that many cross-admits to really base anything off yield though. Chicago probably just accepts a different group of applicants (i.e. more that get into HYS). Berkeley's median GPA is 168 and its 25th 164, while last year and before its median was 167 or less. Most of the other top 14s probably would NOT accept a significant proportion of Berkeley admits, since their LSAT medians and 25ths (all except Cornell) are higher. If there are many cross-admits between Chicago and Berkeley, it would seem most of the high LSATers choose Chicago.

The site creator chose Berkeley 15 years ago, when it was much, much cheaper to attend for people in-state. Tuition back then was only around 8k per year. I think that was the primary differentiating factor, because he has said he would have chosen UCLA over Columbia and Chicago back then because of the cheap in-state tuition. Besides Chicago having better job prospects, Berkeley now costs more for OOS and CA has a higher COL than Chicago.

[bilbobaggins]

I'm not saying Berkeley sucks, I'm just saying its overhyped and oversold. Berkeley's pretty nice, but not hands down the best place ever. At the end of the day, there are great things to be said about living in NY, Chicago, DC, and Boston. There are great things to be said about schools located in San Francisco, which Berkeley is not. But for certain people, it isn't even a question worth exploring: Could there be some value in leaving your nest in California and living in another major metropolitan city for a couple years? It is as if berkeley lovers have joined some kind of cult and can't be reasoned with. ITT, for example, 2/3 of berkeley's favorable arguments go like this: <3 [end rationale].

No, of course Berkeley isn't the greatest place ever, but - putting aside law schools - I'd rather live in Berkeley than New Haven, Cambridge, Palo Alto, Hyde Park, Ann Arbor, Charlottesville or Philly. Really, Berkeley is in the coolest town of any T10 law school except NYU and Columbia.

Berkeley is way closer to SF than Yale is to New York, closer to SF than UofC/Northwestern are to cool parts of Chicago, just as close to SF as Harvard is to Boston, etc.

Wrong on the bolded part. NULaw is right by Michigan Avenue and the heart of downtown Chicago, right off Lake Michigan. The best stores are there, as are clubs, bars, restaurants, swanky hotels, shops, galleries, and basically anything else you would want/need. NU's location is about as ideal as you can get. And it's just blocks away from Loyola Law, near parks, ideal for transit...everything.

It's not wrong if you take into account there are no "cool" parts of Chicago.

[los blancos]

It's not wrong if you take into account there are no "cool" parts of Chicago.

DFTT

[ranovr32]

In regards to Chicago vs Berkeley disregarding the advantage Chicago has with career prospects, what would you rather do:
Live in picturesque setting with great weather all year= Berk
OR
The frozen tundra for 6 months out of the year which happens to be> Chicago

As far as just living goes everyone (most) would rather go to Cal, especially when they are ranked similarly. If you want a fat cat job outside of California or anywhere actually Chicago is your choice.

[kittenmittons]

boalt's 25th LSAT next year will be 0.

[Kronk]

boalt's 25th LSAT next year will be 0.

Flame.

[gymboree]

boalt's 25th LSAT next year will be 0.

Kittenmittons, why must you be so mean?

Boalt has 33% minorities in the class of 2012 . That they have the 25/75% numbers they do, while at the same time celebrating, encouraging, and educating a diverse population is testimony to their commitment to a holistic approach. To get those 25/75% numbers, considering the score gap for minorities, is actually phenomenal achievement. (You're not to infer that only URM admits have lower numbers - hey, just look at mine.

[Kronk]

Boalt's record speaks for itself. Nearly as many tenure-track professors placed into academia as Harvard when adjusted for class size.

[kittenmittons]

boalt's 25th LSAT next year will be 0.

Kittenmittons, why must you be so mean?

Boalt has 33% minorities in the class of 2012 . That they have the 25/75% numbers they do, while at the same time celebrating, encouraging, and educating a diverse population is testimony to their commitment to a holistic approach. To get those 25/75% numbers, considering the score gap for minorities, is actually phenomenal achievement. (You're not to infer that only URM admits have lower numbers - hey, just look at mine.

To be honest, you should take the Kronk route and not dignify my trolling with this level of response.

hth

[im_blue]

boalt's 25th LSAT next year will be 0.

Kittenmittons, why must you be so mean?

Boalt has 33% minorities in the class of 2012 . That they have the 25/75% numbers they do, while at the same time celebrating, encouraging, and educating a diverse population is testimony to their commitment to a holistic approach. To get those 25/75% numbers, considering the score gap for minorities, is actually phenomenal achievement. (You're not to infer that only URM admits have lower numbers - hey, just look at mine.

The relevant number is 22% URMs. Asians are minorities but so what?

[jms1987]

I'd really like to go to Berkeley, but I don' think my GPA will be high enough

[gymboree]

To be honest, you should take the Kronk route and not dignify my trolling with this level of response.

hth

See? And then there you go and you're super-nice again!

[irishman86]

boalt's 25th LSAT next year will be 0.

Kittenmittons, why must you be so mean?

Boalt has 33% minorities in the class of 2012 . That they have the 25/75% numbers they do, while at the same time celebrating, encouraging, and educating a diverse population is testimony to their commitment to a holistic approach. To get those 25/75% numbers, considering the score gap for minorities, is actually phenomenal achievement. (You're not to infer that only URM admits have lower numbers - hey, just look at mine.

The relevant number is 22% URMs. Asians are minorities but so what?

Boalt celebrates, encourages, and educates low testing whites from the Bayou.

[Legacy316]

Add me to the list of those choosing Berkeley over Chicago.

[gymboree]

Add me to the list of those choosing Berkeley over Chicago.

Excellent! You're going to need those sunglasses! (Ok, I know, it's not sunny all the time... fog abounds).

[crackberry]

Add me to the list of those choosing Berkeley over Chicago.

Excellent! You're going to need those sunglasses! (Ok, I know, it's not sunny all the time... fog abounds).

Not a whole lot of fog as far east as Berkeley. Lots and lots of rain this year though.