from T4 to Boalt transfer, taking questions Forum

[Geneva]

only 16 transfers? any reason for the cut?

iirc, they usually accept around 50-60 transfers

I think 19 or 20 were actually accepted, but a few dipped out to go to Harvard instead. I only know of rumors as to why the cut in numbers. What I have heard revolves around jobs. Berkeley wants to stay up in the rankings, and Berkeley wants to make sure ALL of their students get jobs. So, less jobs makes accepting less students sound like a good idea. There has been talk about decreasing the incoming 1L class (presumably for this reason as well)

Hope this helps

does this mean berkeley doesn't pay their own students to do unpaid legal work in order to boost their ranking? thank goodness! uva's "fellowship" program (which employed legit 11% or so of the class of 2011 grads) and michigan and gulc's similar programs made me really wary about attending law school. i really hope boalt kids r getting real jobs:) also, is it true that pretty much anyone at boalt that REALLY wants a firm job can get one? i know that wasn't the case at uva last year and since they r technically tied in the rankings (despite how silly rankings r), i'm slightly concerned. thanks!

[amarie2013]

only 16 transfers? any reason for the cut?

iirc, they usually accept around 50-60 transfers

I think 19 or 20 were actually accepted, but a few dipped out to go to Harvard instead. I only know of rumors as to why the cut in numbers. What I have heard revolves around jobs. Berkeley wants to stay up in the rankings, and Berkeley wants to make sure ALL of their students get jobs. So, less jobs makes accepting less students sound like a good idea. There has been talk about decreasing the incoming 1L class (presumably for this reason as well)

Hope this helps

does this mean berkeley doesn't pay their own students to do unpaid legal work in order to boost their ranking? thank goodness! uva's "fellowship" program (which employed legit 11% or so of the class of 2011 grads) and michigan and gulc's similar programs made me really wary about attending law school. i really hope boalt kids r getting real jobs:) also, is it true that pretty much anyone at boalt that REALLY wants a firm job can get one? i know that wasn't the case at uva last year and since they r technically tied in the rankings (despite how silly rankings r), i'm slightly concerned. thanks!

Berkeley does have something called a "bridge fellow" program that lets grads work for free with a living stipend for a limited period of time. My understanding of this program is that only a handful of individuals use it, (like 3 or 4 out of over 300 graduates), and usually because they are waiting for a spouse to finish a graduate program or something before moving to start their career. In this sense, the bridge fellow program is more of a relocation assistance program than anything. And there's no way Berkeley uses this to "employ" 11% of their grads, maybe 1-2% for less than one year.

Boalt kids are getting real jobs, but they do seem to be taking a little longer to secure. Instead of having something lined up a month after OCI, for many it's taking two or three months post OCI to have something set stone. I'm not so sure anyone at any top law school can get a firm job just because they "really want it" and go to a good school. You still have to have social skills and act like a person these firm recruiters would want to be around for 60 hours a week. If you really want a big firm job, make sure you to go a school in the T14, apply to firms where you have strong geographical ties (so they trust they will be able to enslave you for more than a few years ), and strike the right balance between appearing likeable, competent, hardworking, etc. At OCI, RESEARCH your interviewers! Find out who they are, where they come from, what their career path has been. People LOVE to talk about themselves, and are more likely to hire those they make a personal connection with (they want to be mentors!).

[IsTheFatLadySinging]

When you say "applying early," do you mean sending your application in (minus your spring grades) as soon as possible. Or waiting until spring grades come out, then applying "early." I am confused how it works, thanks for the help!

[LazinessPerSe]

Just wanted to say congrats OP - Berkeley is a great school.

[Geneva]

Do ppl associated w/ Dean Tom decide on need based offers or is need based distributed on a blind basis (strictly according to the numbers, w/o knowledge of the information that qualifies a person for need?)

Thanks! Very curious as to how the mysterious aid process works.

[Lawl Shcool]

When you say "applying early," do you mean sending your application in (minus your spring grades) as soon as possible. Or waiting until spring grades come out, then applying "early." I am confused how it works, thanks for the help!

Applying early = sending app first day it is available, emailing grades to the school the day they come out, sending your official transcripts when they are available.

[amarie2013]

Do ppl associated w/ Dean Tom decide on need based offers or is need based distributed on a blind basis (strictly according to the numbers, w/o knowledge of the information that qualifies a person for need?)

Thanks! Very curious as to how the mysterious aid process works.

For the most part it's numbers based. Here is the link to Need Based Grants & Eligibility: http://www.law.berkeley.edu/192.htm#eligibility

If you have special circumstances, the FinAid office will help you look for other grants and scholarships that are likely to pertain to you and your personal situation. Every so often we all get emails from financial aid listing random scholarships. In my experience, the financial aid office has been extremely accessible and helpful. It's easy to get someone on the phone, and my emails have always been returned within 24 hours.

Hope this helps!

[thepete]

You said you had a meeting with the dean. How did you manage to schedule a meeting and what did you say your reasons were? Is it just Berkeley where they allow prospective transfer students to have a meeting with the dean or will I be able to schedule an appointment with other schools' deans as well?

[amarie2013]

You said you had a meeting with the dean. How did you manage to schedule a meeting and what did you say your reasons were? Is it just Berkeley where they allow prospective transfer students to have a meeting with the dean or will I be able to schedule an appointment with other schools' deans as well?

I called Berkeley in January after I received my grades and asked to set up an appointment with an admissions officer. They set me up an appointment for March during my spring break. I asked if I would be able to meet the Dean of Admissions personally, and they said something to the effect of "it's too far out to plan that, if he's available when you stop by you can surely meet him." So I emailed the Dean a week before my visit to let him know who I was and why I was coming, and left it with "I hope I get the chance to meet you, even if it's brief." The Dean was out of the office that week so he didn't respond to my email. When I showed up for my scheduled visit, I decided to be a little bold, and I said "I have an appointment with Dean Tom." And they led me back to his office.

So, I'm not quite sure if I just got lucky with this one, or if meeting the Dean is a common occurrence. My guess is, if you can present yourself as (1) an attractive transfer candidate, (2) making a big effort to visit - I drove 6 hours and stayed in a hotel overnight-, and (3) offer some compelling reasons why you are targeting that school specifically, I'd guess your chances of meeting the Dean would be pretty good. (Dean of Berkeley or another school)

I really think meeting with the Dean was a vital part of my acceptance to Berkeley. I didn't go to an Ivy for undergrad, I came from a T4 toilet law school, and I needed something to make the Dean really look at my application and not just toss it into the "no thanks" pile before giving it careful review. I also sent him a thank you note for meeting with me, and called him on April first to let him know I submitted my application online- Dean Tom actually said at the end of our visit that he enjoyed meeting me, was excited to read my personal statement, and he gave me his card and said to contact him once I submit my application.

Hope this helps!

[ashleydaniel23]

Did you need any letter of recs from your WSU professors for the transfer process to any of the T1 schools you applied to? If so, how did you go about asking your professors/dean for them?

[amarie2013]

Did you need any letter of recs from your WSU professors for the transfer process to any of the T1 schools you applied to? If so, how did you go about asking your professors/dean for them?

Yes, I needed two letters of rec from 1st year law professors. This was by far the hardest and most uncomfortable part of the transfer process for me, particularly because WSU is a for-profit school that does NOT like losing their top students. Luckily, one of my professors was a transfer himself- he went from a T4 to Yale. I got him to write me a letter of rec with no problem. Choosing the second professor was tough, I had to think of "valid reasons" to explain why I wanted to transfer. I used geographical location as my scapegoat. If you can explain that you "don't really want to transfer" but that you "need to" because of ________ <-- insert compelling reason here-- then hopefully you will encounter less resistance. Some people blame it on a spouse having to move for work, ailing family members, or other extenuating circumstances. It's very important that you don't show a bad attitude towards the school you are trying to transfer out of. No matter how much you feel like slapping people in the face, just smile and nod

[thepete]

I had a question about what kind of questions to ask the dean or counselor when I meet them.. I sent you a PM please check! Thanks!