Berkeley Class of 2013 Forum

[heyyitskatie]

Has anyone received a confirmation e-mail for financial aid information? I'm sure they are swamped and I don't want to bother them if receiving nothing is the norm, but I'll definitely send them a letter if I'm the only one who hasn't received notice.

[manu4ever882001]

...

[Khasekhemwy]

Has anyone received a confirmation e-mail for financial aid information? I'm sure they are swamped and I don't want to bother them if receiving nothing is the norm, but I'll definitely send them a letter if I'm the only one who hasn't received notice.

Only notices I have received are e-mails from FAFSA/NeedAccess saying that the information will become available to the schools selected. Haven't received anything from the Berkeley confirming they have received the information.

+1 I also never heard anything from UCB directly only from FAFSA/Needaccess. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

[86revolt]

Has anyone received a confirmation e-mail for financial aid information? I'm sure they are swamped and I don't want to bother them if receiving nothing is the norm, but I'll definitely send them a letter if I'm the only one who hasn't received notice.

my first post on this thread, so super excited! got in via FR yesterday. i just called the finaid office and they said their goal is to get need-based awards out a week before ASW, so beginning of april i'm guessing.

as for how the need-based is calculated: they take the student budget. subtract a base loan amount of 46k. subtract your student contribution. subtract parent contribution (if you're under 30). the rest is your need-based amount.

so excited to meet the rest of you folks at ASW! boalt was#1 choice and a dream come true. i also went to cal as an undergrad and currently live in SF, so if anyone has any questions about the campus and city in general, i'd be glad to help if i can.

[MahaloMontana]

Hi all --
Just got admitted yesterday and so excited. I was wondering if anyone could give me a brief idea of the schedule for ASW? I live in SF, but I had planned to be at a conference in Denver that week and my current return flight is for Sunday April 11. Obviously I want to change it to come for ASW, but I'm wondering if Friday is the big day to be there or Saturday? I'd prefer to fly home Friday night (best friend lives in Denver and want to spend quality time with her) and just attend on Saturday, but if there's a lot going on Friday then I don't wanna miss it. Can anyone help me out?

[sandiecohen47]

I'm joining the newly admitted group from FR. It is awesome that I can finally post in this thread. I will definitely try to make ASW and l look forward to meeting all of you. But, as MahaloMontana asked, is it on Friday or Saturday? I have a ten miler run on Sunday back on the East Coast... and I was wondering if I have to cancel.

[dudester]

Hi all --
Just got admitted yesterday and so excited. I was wondering if anyone could give me a brief idea of the schedule for ASW? I live in SF, but I had planned to be at a conference in Denver that week and my current return flight is for Sunday April 11. Obviously I want to change it to come for ASW, but I'm wondering if Friday is the big day to be there or Saturday? I'd prefer to fly home Friday night (best friend lives in Denver and want to spend quality time with her) and just attend on Saturday, but if there's a lot going on Friday then I don't wanna miss it. Can anyone help me out?

From the admitted students website:

"We especially hope you will be able to attend our Admitted Students Weekend on April 8-10, 2010. We will begin with with a reception honoring diverse admits on Thursday evening, April 8, 2010. An official program will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, April 9. Substantive and social activities are planned, including a mock class and sessions on various aspects of student life. These will include presentations by the students, faculty, and the Financial Aid Office. You will also get a chance to meet members of the student organizations and journals and hear about of our clinical and curricular concentration programs. Lunch will be provided. The day will conclude with a reception that will end by 5:00 p.m.

Additional informal events will be held on Saturday. In past years, these have included a hike in the Berkeley hills sponsored by the Ecology Law Quarterly and an excursion to San Francisco sponsored by the Queer Caucus. We will post more details about the weekend activities in the spring. Attire for all events will be casual."

[gymboree]

Congrats 86revolt and Mahalo!

[MahaloMontana]

Hi all --
Just got admitted yesterday and so excited. I was wondering if anyone could give me a brief idea of the schedule for ASW? I live in SF, but I had planned to be at a conference in Denver that week and my current return flight is for Sunday April 11. Obviously I want to change it to come for ASW, but I'm wondering if Friday is the big day to be there or Saturday? I'd prefer to fly home Friday night (best friend lives in Denver and want to spend quality time with her) and just attend on Saturday, but if there's a lot going on Friday then I don't wanna miss it. Can anyone help me out?

From the admitted students website:

"We especially hope you will be able to attend our Admitted Students Weekend on April 8-10, 2010. We will begin with with a reception honoring diverse admits on Thursday evening, April 8, 2010. An official program will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, April 9. Substantive and social activities are planned, including a mock class and sessions on various aspects of student life. These will include presentations by the students, faculty, and the Financial Aid Office. You will also get a chance to meet members of the student organizations and journals and hear about of our clinical and curricular concentration programs. Lunch will be provided. The day will conclude with a reception that will end by 5:00 p.m.

Additional informal events will be held on Saturday. In past years, these have included a hike in the Berkeley hills sponsored by the Ecology Law Quarterly and an excursion to San Francisco sponsored by the Queer Caucus. We will post more details about the weekend activities in the spring. Attire for all events will be casual."

Thank you so much. Looks like I'm cutting my trip to Denver quite short. Oh well. Thanks for the congrats everybody! See you at ASW.

[sandiecohen47]

Thanks, dudester! I really appreciate it. I look forward to meeting you all in a few weeks!

[CoutureChiq]

Has anyone submitted the "definately planning to attend" form via the berkeley admitted students website yet? Did you get any sort of email confirmation? What did the email say?

Is there a paper version somewhere I can fax in?

[86revolt]

has anyone read or is anyone planning on reading anything from the suggested reading list posted on the admitted students website? i don't wanna spend my last summer of freedom reading about law but i may have time for one book. does anyone have any suggestions from that list? (length is a consideration.)

Edit: took out the list

[gymboree]

has anyone read or is anyone planning on reading anything from the suggested reading list posted on the admitted students website? i don't wanna spend my last summer of freedom reading about law but i may have time for one book. does anyone have any suggestions from that list? (length is a consideration.)

Edit: took out the list

general consensus is that "Getting to Maybe" is a must read.

edit: I know it's not on the list... but seems to be recommended by every law student.
edit #2: If I'm picking just one book from the list, I'm going with:
Berring and Edinger, The Legal Research Survival Manual (2002)
This book is written to prepare the first-year law student for the first semester. It is short, flip and written by a Boalt professor and a Boalt reference librarian. It is no substitute for a course in legal research, but if you are coming to law school without any legal background, it is designed for you.

[manu4ever882001]

...

[Kronk]

So I'm committed. Still waiting on HYS but think I would only drop Boalt for YS at this point. Excited to meet you all in a couple weeks! Go Bears.

[dudester]

You're in at NYU too, right?

So I'm committed. Still waiting on HYS but think I would only drop Boalt for YS at this point. Excited to meet you all in a couple weeks! Go Bears.

You'd be flipping Dean Tom off the second you got a JR2.

[Kronk]

You're in at NYU too, right?

So I'm committed. Still waiting on HYS but think I would only drop Boalt for YS at this point. Excited to meet you all in a couple weeks! Go Bears.

You'd be flipping Dean Tom off the second you got a JR2.

In but withdrew from NYU. Only considering UofC w/ $$ over Boalt but I tentatively committed to Boalt and assuming they give me any sort of aid that might make the two costs similar I will go.

And I really don't have a desire to attend a school as big as Harvard, so I actually think I'm pretty serious about that one.

[smov_operator]

For me it's basically came down to Berkeley/Stanford. Either way I'm happy to be able to stay on the best coast.

[dudester]

You're in at NYU too, right?

So I'm committed. Still waiting on HYS but think I would only drop Boalt for YS at this point. Excited to meet you all in a couple weeks! Go Bears.

You'd be flipping Dean Tom off the second you got a JR2.

In but withdrew from NYU. Only considering UofC w/ $$ over Boalt but I tentatively committed to Boalt and assuming they give me any sort of aid that might make the two costs similar I will go.

I don't know what your career goals are, but I'd find it hard to turn down Chicago, even if Boalt offered me competing aid.

And I really don't have a desire to attend a school as big as Harvard, so I actually think I'm pretty serious about that one.

Interesting, interesting. Are you straight from undergrad?

[Kronk]

I don't know what your career goals are, but I'd find it hard to turn down Chicago, even if Boalt offered me competing aid.

And I really don't have a desire to attend a school as big as Harvard, so I actually think I'm pretty serious about that one.

Interesting, interesting. Are you straight from undergrad?

As for Chicago, the scholarship is $75,000, which makes the total COA there like $130,000, which is still a ton. Berkeley has a much better LRAP and both integrate with the federal LRAP at this point. Also, only really interested in PI and want to live in the Bay Area so there's that.

[worldtraveler]

has anyone read or is anyone planning on reading anything from the suggested reading list posted on the admitted students website? i don't wanna spend my last summer of freedom reading about law but i may have time for one book. does anyone have any suggestions from that list? (length is a consideration.)

Edit: took out the list

general consensus is that "Getting to Maybe" is a must read.

edit: I know it's not on the list... but seems to be recommended by every law student.
edit #2: If I'm picking just one book from the list, I'm going with:
Berring and Edinger, The Legal Research Survival Manual (2002)
This book is written to prepare the first-year law student for the first semester. It is short, flip and written by a Boalt professor and a Boalt reference librarian. It is no substitute for a course in legal research, but if you are coming to law school without any legal background, it is designed for you.

You have to read that for LRW anyway, and most people don't read it because it isn't all that useful. Don't think about law school before you get here. Go relax and enjoy yourself.

[86revolt]

has anyone read or is anyone planning on reading anything from the suggested reading list posted on the admitted students website? i don't wanna spend my last summer of freedom reading about law but i may have time for one book. does anyone have any suggestions from that list? (length is a consideration.)

Edit: took out the list

general consensus is that "Getting to Maybe" is a must read.

edit: I know it's not on the list... but seems to be recommended by every law student.
edit #2: If I'm picking just one book from the list, I'm going with:
Berring and Edinger, The Legal Research Survival Manual (2002)
This book is written to prepare the first-year law student for the first semester. It is short, flip and written by a Boalt professor and a Boalt reference librarian. It is no substitute for a course in legal research, but if you are coming to law school without any legal background, it is designed for you.

You have to read that for LRW anyway, and most people don't read it because it isn't all that useful. Don't think about law school before you get here. Go relax and enjoy yourself.

Thanks for the advice. I don't really want to concern myself with law school related stuff this summer. But I do enjoy (light) reading and was wondering if any of the books listed on the website can be categorized as "fun". Alternatively, I'll just read books that I've been putting off for a while...Confederacy of Dunces, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Human Stain, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius...

[heyyitskatie]

Thanks for the advice. I don't really want to concern myself with law school related stuff this summer. But I do enjoy (light) reading and was wondering if any of the books listed on the website can be categorized as "fun". Alternatively, I'll just read books that I've been putting off for a while...Confederacy of Dunces, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Human Stain, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius...

Definitely read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It's very light reading and hilarious.

[Kronk]

Everyone should read East of Eden before they die.

[gymboree]

If you want light but still slightly law related, there's Supreme Courtship. Funny.
http://www.amazon.com/Supreme-Courtship ... 672&sr=8-1