Re: Boalt 1Ls taking questions
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 9:37 pm
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https://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=130044
Thanks drmguy - good info.drmguy wrote:
Something the averages above don't reveal--the winter rain tends to be of the steady, days-at-a-time variety, not the torrential downpour kind. Those 5" in January are probably spread out over at least a week on average. It can be a bit dreary, but the bright sides are obviously no rain in the summer and no thunderstorms (i.e., the rain won't stop you from getting where you need to go, even if walking, so long as you've got an umbrella and maybe a little rain gear).matrim wrote:Tanicius wrote:The truth is honestly that there are four climates:matrim wrote:So what is the rundown on weather for Berk? I have heard people say its always sunny and nice, others have told me its not regular "cali" weather (that its often cloudy etc)...i understand its nor cal..but whats the truth on weather?
1.) Night (always cold, 40's-50's depending; take a jacket or sweatshirt with you whenever you're going to be out past sundown)
2.) Day + sunny (60's-70's depending)
3.) Day + cloudy (high 50's)
4.) Day + rainy (40's-50's depending; always carry an umbrella in whatever backpack you use, cause it can be unpredictable)
All in all, if you've ever experienced a real winter, Berkeley is awesome. The only thing that makes it seem cold is that there is almost never any humidity, so once the sun goes down it seems to get cold cold. I've learned to do a lot of silly things to avoid the temperature changes. For example, when I walk uphill, I try to walk in the shade so as not to get sweaty by the time I get to the law school, and when I bike downhill in the shade/at night I almost always to be wearing gloves. More generally I try to always have a long-sleeved shirt and an umbrella in my backpack no matter what time of day it is and no matter what the forecast is.
Thanks - I really appreciate it. Not to keep the thread "weather" focused, but how often is it rainy there? Not that this really affects my decision to go to Boalt or not - but I'd really like to know.
twinkletoes16 wrote:I'm looking at Craigslist for apartments now just to get a sense of prices/what's available. What neighborhoods should I be looking in for 1L? I'm guessing just exclusively Berkeley and Berkeley Hills/north Berkeley? Is it true we need to probably move in May/June since come August things are sparse?
SemperLegal wrote:twinkletoes16 wrote:I'm looking at Craigslist for apartments now just to get a sense of prices/what's available. What neighborhoods should I be looking in for 1L? I'm guessing just exclusively Berkeley and Berkeley Hills/north Berkeley? Is it true we need to probably move in May/June since come August things are sparse?
I moved in in the middle of June, it didnt seem like any later was possible.
1Ls live in Oakland, Emeryville, the Hills, and Albany. There are a lot of nice apartments at around MLK (the only nice on in the country) and University (Near the Trader Joe's). The go in price from a couple grand (the ones above the TJ) to ~800 a few blocks away.
My vehicle situation is... unorthodox...but the people who live near TJ all take the bus with no problem. Its also within a decent walking distance if the buses don't run. There are few people who drive to class and either buy permit or feed the meter, but it would be dumb to if you lived at TJ.twinkletoes16 wrote:SemperLegal wrote:twinkletoes16 wrote:I'm looking at Craigslist for apartments now just to get a sense of prices/what's available. What neighborhoods should I be looking in for 1L? I'm guessing just exclusively Berkeley and Berkeley Hills/north Berkeley? Is it true we need to probably move in May/June since come August things are sparse?
I moved in in the middle of June, it didnt seem like any later was possible.
1Ls live in Oakland, Emeryville, the Hills, and Albany. There are a lot of nice apartments at around MLK (the only nice on in the country) and University (Near the Trader Joe's). The go in price from a couple grand (the ones above the TJ) to ~800 a few blocks away.
if i lived directly above a TJ's i'm pretty sure that would be the ultimate life goal achieved. those chocolate-covered peanut butter pretzels...
i have a car but the street parking/campus parking sounds pretty shitty. is public transport from the places you said easy? i'm used to BART having lived in east bay but am not accustomed to using BART/buses exclusively. ideally i'd spend 1k/month on rent for a studio but i know i will have to move fast.
drmguy wrote:These are the trader joe's apartments. They are pretty much the most expensive in Berkeley.
SemperLegal wrote:drmguy wrote:These are the trader joe's apartments. They are pretty much the most expensive in Berkeley.
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ETA, well that didn't work: for a baseline the TJ apartments, which in my mind are perfect for a 1L are:
One Bedrooms: $1,725 to $2,120, Two Bedrooms: $1,950 to $3,200.
At least one apartment in a complex about 4 block away was 800 a month. If you don't have a lot of time to explore the area, or to visit apartments, its a pretty safe bet that if you are in that area you will be: safe, BART/School accessible, and close enough to stagger home drunk/\.
I use a resident permit to park on the street. It's very easy to get the sticker through the city of Berkeley. It costs less than $40 for the year. BUT on and within 1 block of Shattuck, it is all metered parking so the permit doesn't help there. As long as you're willing to be a bit flexible, street parking works well.SemperLegal wrote: As for car storage, a lot of apartments in that area rent spaces or have a garage. You can also get a resident permit and park nearby, not sure how it works.
djwjddl wrote:any thoughts on northside/north vs southside/elmwood? seems like northside/north is quieter but it's a bit more of a hike? can you find places more to the west in southside that are pretty quiet too? which one of the areas has the nicest studios?
also, do a lot of law students live in downtown berkeley? seems like housing can be pricey there, but how's the noise level?
When you say North - just North Berkeley or more albany? Is North Berkeley have nice suburb type homes? Or is that more the hills?SemperLegal wrote:djwjddl wrote:any thoughts on northside/north vs southside/elmwood? seems like northside/north is quieter but it's a bit more of a hike? can you find places more to the west in southside that are pretty quiet too? which one of the areas has the nicest studios?
also, do a lot of law students live in downtown berkeley? seems like housing can be pricey there, but how's the noise level?
I live up North and its quiet and there are no thefts, buts its a uphill hike of a few miles to get home.
Plenty of people live in downtown. The bars close fairly early, so I can't imagine sleep is much of a problem. One guy lives by People Park, however, and the homeless keep him up.
East Bay Neighborhoodsmatrim wrote:When you say North - just North Berkeley or more albany? Is North Berkeley have nice suburb type homes? Or is that more the hills?SemperLegal wrote:djwjddl wrote:any thoughts on northside/north vs southside/elmwood? seems like northside/north is quieter but it's a bit more of a hike? can you find places more to the west in southside that are pretty quiet too? which one of the areas has the nicest studios?
also, do a lot of law students live in downtown berkeley? seems like housing can be pricey there, but how's the noise level?
I live up North and its quiet and there are no thefts, buts its a uphill hike of a few miles to get home.
Plenty of people live in downtown. The bars close fairly early, so I can't imagine sleep is much of a problem. One guy lives by People Park, however, and the homeless keep him up.
I live in the Hills, which is a nice suburb community. I like it, but its kind of far and a little boring.matrim wrote:When you say North - just North Berkeley or more albany? Is North Berkeley have nice suburb type homes? Or is that more the hills?SemperLegal wrote:djwjddl wrote:any thoughts on northside/north vs southside/elmwood? seems like northside/north is quieter but it's a bit more of a hike? can you find places more to the west in southside that are pretty quiet too? which one of the areas has the nicest studios?
also, do a lot of law students live in downtown berkeley? seems like housing can be pricey there, but how's the noise level?
I live up North and its quiet and there are no thefts, buts its a uphill hike of a few miles to get home.
Plenty of people live in downtown. The bars close fairly early, so I can't imagine sleep is much of a problem. One guy lives by People Park, however, and the homeless keep him up.
On Southside past Dwight, the neighborhood looks a lot like Northside but flatter. The difference is the five blocks until there, which are basically the same as the Shattuck downtown area, whereas Northside has at most one block of high-traffic commercial stuff.djwjddl wrote:any thoughts on northside/north vs southside/elmwood? seems like northside/north is quieter but it's a bit more of a hike? can you find places more to the west in southside that are pretty quiet too? which one of the areas has the nicest studios?
I think many of your questions (CA market, NY prospects, grading system) have been previously addressed in this thread, so I'll try just to tackle new questions.5965 wrote:Can someone please tell me the truth about how bad the economy is in California? Also, I am curious about working outside California (say NY) as a Boalt graduate. Is it that difficult as some people say? Or as some other people say, is it actually less competitive to find a job in NY as a Berkeley alum because fewer people work there?
I have so many questions! haha I would also like to know classes in Berkeley (what classes you take in your 1L 1st sem and 1L 2nd sem) and faculty in Berkeley (how approachable or helpful they are). And do you think Berkeley's grading system harm students in any way?
Finally, what are some aspects you don't like (or wish had changed) about Berkeley?
Thanks DreamShake!DreamShake wrote:I think many of your questions (CA market, NY prospects, grading system) have been previously addressed in this thread, so I'll try just to tackle new questions.5965 wrote:Can someone please tell me the truth about how bad the economy is in California? Also, I am curious about working outside California (say NY) as a Boalt graduate. Is it that difficult as some people say? Or as some other people say, is it actually less competitive to find a job in NY as a Berkeley alum because fewer people work there?
I have so many questions! haha I would also like to know classes in Berkeley (what classes you take in your 1L 1st sem and 1L 2nd sem) and faculty in Berkeley (how approachable or helpful they are). And do you think Berkeley's grading system harm students in any way?
Finally, what are some aspects you don't like (or wish had changed) about Berkeley?
For first semester of 1L, the school will automatically enroll you in legal research & writing as well as some combination of doctrinal classes (three of contracts, civ pro, crim, torts, property). In second semester, you're assigned only written oral advocacy and the remaining two doctrinal classes; this only covers 10 credit units, so you can sign up for one or two electives. Many 1L's take con law (4 units) during second semester because it's required for graduation, but you can definitely take something else.
Professors here run the gamut, and it's hard to refine any discussion of them beyond generalities. Some have open-door policies and always seem willing to help or (briefly) chat, while others are generally unavailable except during office hours. However, even all the reclusive profs I've encountered are pretty good with email. Also, I've never been unable to meet with a prof when I made the effort to reach out, and I haven't had a prof who didn't honor his/her office hours commitments. I also know classmates who were able to basically cold call/email professors whom they didn't know but with whom they shared research interests. Also, like most (all?) T10s, you'll have a small class during your first semester, so you can get to know that professor pretty well. There's also a fundraising auction every year in which you can bid on opportunities to hang out with profs who volunteer to cook you dinner/take you wine tasting/take you to a ballgame/etc. As far as recommendations for jobs, clerkships, etc., I haven't met any profs who were unwilling, though I'm sure some exist. FWIW, I have definitely had a professor reach out to personal contacts on my behalf. Lastly, in my two years, I've had only one professor whom I truly disliked, and that was an uncommon sentiment among classmates.
Most of what I wish I could change concerns Berkeley itself and not the law school--cost of living, overabundance of bums, population density, etc. With respect to the law school, it would be nice to have a CDO that is not constantly behind the curve, but that's a complaint common to virtually every law school (and I think ours is probably above average within the T14, and they do put in real effort--they just aren't on the cutting edge of things). Overall, the school + beautiful location are well worth it to me. There's no law school at which I'd rather be.
Berkeley has really strengthened its business offerings in the last 5 years or so. It created the Business Law certificate program and has brought in a great line up of young, talented profs and expanded the course offerings.5965 wrote:Can you (or any body who sees this) tell me a bit about corporate law at Berkeley? Do many Berkeley students go into that area and do you think Berkeley prepares you well in the field of corporate law?