Yay!

Can't wait to meet everyone next year...has anyone else deferred?

No, but I would love to be joining you next year!

Best of luck to you...feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions

Hey there. I also deferred too. I can't wait to move back to the bay area!

Welcome to the thread I will be excited to move back to the Bay too, but the year's break will definitely be good for me. Enjoy your year deferred!

Ditto what Tangerine Gleam said. So excited...!

I've been tracking the waiting thread, but this is probably a better place to answer questions. It's finals now, so it may be a week before I get back to you, but if you have one, fire away.

I'm so excited! Got in today! Where are the best places to live and when do I need to start filing housing stuff?

Congrats.

Housing info will be in the packet. As to where is the best place to live depends on sooo many factors. (Too many to do justice without knowing your situation)

for your own planning purposes, though, Boalt is on the SE corner of the main campus across the street from the football stadium. I live in north Berk and it's less than a 2 mile bike ride. But it's all uphill in the morning. The ride home is a piece of cake though.

For university run options, you'll have the Manville Grad Student housing (I haven't seen nor do I know anyone there); the family housing area out in Albany (newish construction, look nice but no pets-- and a long way out); and the International House (aka I-House; a lob-wedge away from Boalt/Simon with cafe downstairs. I hear it can get loud sometimes).

I would recommend coming for the entire travel window at ASW and use the 2-3 days when there are only informal activities to walk neighborhoods and look at a few places just to get a feel for what the rental market is like in terms of quality and price.

i second everything that rotor said. i, too, live in north berkeley & i love it ... i much prefer it to the area around the law school. for one, it's closer to the bars & restaurants on shattuck, which are where a lot of social gatherings are held, & it makes it very easy to get home at night. second, interestingly enough given what i just said, it's much quieter & more removed from the "college" scene (think: undergrads) which is nice. getting to/from the school is no problem -- yes, it's uphill, but there's decent bus service and it's a pretty walk if you so choose.

manville ... i know some people who like it, you get a built-in community of grad students/1Ls so that's nice. but the rooms are tiny, tiny, tiny & they don't have ovens, which was an automatic disqualifier for me.

i know it runs counter to all of our type-A-law-student personalities but as far as berkeley goes, you really do need to wait until mid-summer to find housing. i flew out june 29-july 2 this year to find a lease starting august 1, and i was on the early side, as i ended up signing a lease beginning july 18 instead. you've got plenty of time to sit back and ruminate on your options... as desirous as it may be to get it all squared away ASAP.

Don't live in Manville! I don't even know where it is.

I'll throw my two cents in and say I wouldn't necessarily recommend International House, having lived there this past semester. I didn't find it noisy, but the rooms are pretty small, you're forced to buy a meal plan, and it's a VERY expensive per month (~$1500+) because of the meal plan. The social scene is also very "I'm studying abroad, let's go out 5 nights a week!" which doesn't fit too well to law/grad school demands... That said, the location couldn't be closer to the law school, and you definitely have the opportunity to have a social life outside of law school if you want it, which is a nice plus.

On the plus side, the Berkeley rental market is very fluid and things open up all the time. And the real good news? When it's sunny 9 days out of 10, walking to class ain't bad at all.

In last Wednesday via email. Then found out that I was in at UVA the following Friday.

I feel extremely fortunate, but a tough decision awaits.

It really shouldn't be that tough.

+1

I also live in ihouse and I LOVE it. The rooms are a standard dorm room size. If you don't have tons of stuff, it's fine. If you did the dorms in undergrad, you know what to expect. It is fairly expensive, but considering it covers all your food and you don't have to cook or clean, it's not terribly bad. I would probably spend the same if I lived on my own.

The law students who live here are all really close. It's like a mini family away from the law school. We go on trips together and usually have dinner every night. There are also a lot of other really cool grad students from other programs. It's nice to meet people outside the law school. A lot of people keep living here just for the social scene and the friendships they make.

My floor is very quiet. There are two larger floors that have almost all the Europeans here on study abroad for a semester that get pretty loud. Mine is full of nerdy grad students and it's very quiet.

I think the food is pretty good. It's definitely better than I had in undergrad in the dorms. I like about 9/10 meals they serve. Some people hate it and think it's terrible. If you're a picky eater it might not be for you. I also wouldn't recommend it for vegans, but for vegetarians it's fine.

Got in a week ago but totally forgot about this thread. I look forward to chatting with those who might be my future classmates! And thanks to the current students who are here answering questions.

For those who were admitted recently, how long did it take for your packet to arrive? Dean Tom called me on the 21st, but I have yet to receive anything in the mail.

Minus an acceptance to Stanford or Yale, I can't see a scenario where I wouldn't be attending Boalt. I want in on this thread.

highly likely i'll be going, but my situation depends mostly on the SO. if anyone, particularly current students, is deciding or did decide between Berk and NYU i'd love to hear your thoughts. set on enviro law. thanks

Hello all. What schools are you guys weighing Berkeley against? I'm in-state, in at a few including Berkeley and have a tough choice to make.

I was admitted to Boalt on 12/16. I am 99.9% sure I will be attending. I am currently a UCB undergrad and I am happy to be staying local. If anyone moving to the area with a family wants information on housing, childcare or public schools feel free to PM me I can be helpful in those areas.

I am glad I won't have to deal with moving and all the other logistical issues. But I would love advice from current students or incoming students on how to prepare for law school (ie. any recommended books, study techniques, or classes to take my last semester).

jackgrf,

I'm weighing Berkeley against UVA (w/ full ride), Michigan, and NYU. Awaiting word from Stanford and Harvard in regards to admission, and from everywhere outside of Virginia regarding scholarships. Love Berkeley, but I'm out-of-state, and the fiscal crisis in the state (particularly in regards to tuition) concerns me. Additionally, I want to work in DC in policy after graduation, and Harvard and UVA seem to have an edge there.

As much as I love Berkeley, if they don't offer you money, UVA is a non-brainer.

Just in case some current students revisit the thread:

Has anyone lived in SF as a 1L? I love the city and plan on living there for 2L and 3L, but is it too much of a hassle for 1L? What about Oakland? It seems like there are a lot of cute neighborhoods around the Rockridge district with some opportunity to get to know people outside of law school (not that I don't want to spend lots of time with my classmates, but I'm sure some balance will be nice).

If these options seem too far away/expensive/inconvenient, it will probably be between I-House and Northside for me

It will be tough for you to connect with the 1L social scene. If this isn't important to you then I don't think it's a bad idea (although you'll probably pay substantially more to be in a neighborhood close to a BART station than you would in a similarly nice place in Berkeley).

I know many people who live in Oakland and it is way more convenient than living in SF as long as you live within a few miles of Berkeley.