Berkeley 1Ls taking Qs... Forum

[lsatbobby]

Would anyone happen to know if berkeley ever grants extensions to its June 1st (I believe) commitment deadline?

[Son of Cicero]

I haven't heard of anyone getting an extension. I don't know if they allow any excuses at all, but I'm sure your reason would have to be more sufficient than anything that could be construed as an attempt to postpone while you wait to hear back on a scholarship negotiation or for a decision from a higher-ranked school.

[lsatbobby]

thanks SOC. I figured as much but was hoping they might cut some slack for a legit reason.

[Son of Cicero]

I know the school is lenient with spouse/family issues in other contexts (e.g. 3L transfer applicants tend only to be admitted when there are strong family reasons for moving to the area). Similar circumstances might help your case in this situation as well, and the administrators seem too friendly to shut the door on anyone who needs to hold off on committing until the results of a biopsy come in, but Dean Tom acted as if he planned to be unbending with the deadline policy when he talked about it at the ASW last April.

[doomswitched]

Just an FYI:

According to an email from Dean Tom, there were over 7900 applications this year, new record.

[Go_Cardinals]

How bad is the construction? Does it really get in the way of everyday life?

[Jay Obee]

Is it true that in-state at UCB is set to go to 36k next year and to 40k the following year?

[doomswitched]

How bad is the construction? Does it really get in the way of everyday life?

Not that bad. The new student center looks great (IMHO). I wouldn't say it gets in the way, but it is a part of everyday life.

Is it true that in-state at UCB is set to go to 36k next year and to 40k the following year?

I'm not aware of this, but my awareness is limited.

[dresden doll]

Would anyone that got in through the FaComm last year please tell me what date the email stated would be the day you receive your decision? This year's notification stated a decision would come 'on or about Feb 20' and someone said that last year's emails promised a decision in mid-Feb. Is that correct?

[southernlady]

bump. just hoping to hear more about people's experiences at berkeley. i recently visited the campus, and it seems like a great place to have a relatively less stressful law school experience. do current students find this to be the case?

[doyleoil]

are y'all excited that your women's swim team won ncaa's? do you know how big a deal that is?

[doomswitched]

bump. just hoping to hear more about people's experiences at berkeley. i recently visited the campus, and it seems like a great place to have a relatively less stressful law school experience. do current students find this to be the case?

I find it to be not all that stressful, but quite a few people were really stressed come finals last semester. The general atmosphere around here has tensed up a bit since firms started rescinding offers and postponing start dates, but it's still a fairly enjoyable place to be. The rains are subsiding and the sun is coming out more and more, so I think everyone's mood will pick up a few notches.

are y'all excited that your women's swim team won ncaa's? do you know how big a deal that is?

I wasn't aware of this until your post, so that should answer both questions.

[Jay Obee]

bump. just hoping to hear more about people's experiences at berkeley. i recently visited the campus, and it seems like a great place to have a relatively less stressful law school experience. do current students find this to be the case?

I find it to be not all that stressful, but quite a few people were really stressed come finals last semester. The general atmosphere around here has tensed up a bit since firms started rescinding offers and postponing start dates, but it's still a fairly enjoyable place to be. The rains are subsiding and the sun is coming out more and more, so I think everyone's mood will pick up a few notches.

are y'all excited that your women's swim team won ncaa's? do you know how big a deal that is?

I wasn't aware of this until your post, so that should answer both questions.

Okay. Not aware of tuition and not aware of sports? Are all berkeley students this unaware of what is happening there, or have you just been particularly stressed out with the job market and all? I mean, this is your tuition, and a pretty major achievement for Berkeley sports. You sound like you've been stuck in a brain fog lately or something.

[worldtraveler]

bump. just hoping to hear more about people's experiences at berkeley. i recently visited the campus, and it seems like a great place to have a relatively less stressful law school experience. do current students find this to be the case?

I find it to be not all that stressful, but quite a few people were really stressed come finals last semester. The general atmosphere around here has tensed up a bit since firms started rescinding offers and postponing start dates, but it's still a fairly enjoyable place to be. The rains are subsiding and the sun is coming out more and more, so I think everyone's mood will pick up a few notches.

are y'all excited that your women's swim team won ncaa's? do you know how big a deal that is?

I wasn't aware of this until your post, so that should answer both questions.

Okay. Not aware of tuition and not aware of sports? Are all berkeley students this unaware of what is happening there, or have you just been particularly stressed out with the job market and all? I mean, this is your tuition, and a pretty major achievement for Berkeley sports. You sound like you've been stuck in a brain fog lately or something.

I think a lot of students either aren't aware or don't really care how their school's sports teams do. I went to Minnesota and I didn't even know we had a good hockey team until people were burning cars during a riot for winning the championship. If it's not something you're into, you might not pay attention.

[doomswitched]

Okay. Not aware of tuition and not aware of sports? Are all berkeley students this unaware of what is happening there, or have you just been particularly stressed out with the job market and all? I mean, this is your tuition, and a pretty major achievement for Berkeley sports. You sound like you've been stuck in a brain fog lately or something.

I think you draw the wrong inference. I can't do anything about a tuition hike; I lack veto power. If it goes up, so will my student budget and the loans I take out. Not much changes from my perspective. If you want to ask about how to get residency, I can answer those questions to some extent. I don't care about swimming. Ask about football instead--it's the only sport I have time to follow. I am aware, however, that Cal shot incredibly poorly in their loss to Maryland. There just isn't enough time to worry about things I can't do anything about or sports I never cared about.

[southernlady]

Sorry if this has already been asked, but how are the professors at Berkeley? Are you super impressed with the quality? Do you feel that they know your name and have gotten the chance to know you? I do not know if Berkeley has any events that foster friendly teacher-student relations, such as the small group lunches at Penn.

Do you find Berkeley to be a low-stress environment?

Does the construction inhibit unity in the school? Do people not hang around the building as much? This may be difficult to answer if you have no reference point.

[doomswitched]

Sorry if this has already been asked, but how are the professors at Berkeley? Are you super impressed with the quality? Do you feel that they know your name and have gotten the chance to know you? I do not know if Berkeley has any events that foster friendly teacher-student relations, such as the small group lunches at Penn.

Do you find Berkeley to be a low-stress environment?

Does the construction inhibit unity in the school? Do people not hang around the building as much? This may be difficult to answer if you have no reference point.

I really hope other current Boalties will reply to this post, as different viewpoints will be helpful.

1. Evaluating professors depends highly on one's own background. My background is an undergrad education at a liberal arts college where professors make tenure if and only if they are good teachers (sans the business school). I find the professors here to be generally decent. Chances that I would have found them to be generally good are slightly above 0%. All of them have made attempts to learn the names of students. Some through lunches/coffee hours, others simply through classroom discussion, but all have made it a point to try to learn names. As an example, my mod prof organized and paid for a bowling night.

2. answered above

3. Not at all. I've noticed no change from pre-construction times in terms of people being at the law school. But people hang out in different areas, in particular the new student center is usually heavily populated.

[southernlady]

Do you find Berkeley to be a low-stress environment?

2. answered above

Yikes. Sorry about my direct repeat! And thanks so much for your perspective on the other ones. Any input from other Berkeley-goers?

[Formerbruin]

Sorry if this has already been asked, but how are the professors at Berkeley? Are you super impressed with the quality? Do you feel that they know your name and have gotten the chance to know you? I do not know if Berkeley has any events that foster friendly teacher-student relations, such as the small group lunches at Penn.

Do you find Berkeley to be a low-stress environment?

Does the construction inhibit unity in the school? Do people not hang around the building as much? This may be difficult to answer if you have no reference point.

1. So far I've had 17 different professors. I'd say

8 have been truly amazing (I've taken two of these professors twice)
7 have been Okay to decent
2 have been bad (one should have retired 20 years ago, and the other was a visiting prof, and the students made clear we don't want him back.)

3. The construction really hasn't affected me in any significant way. The new student space is very nice, though.

[southernlady]

Sorry if this has already been asked, but how are the professors at Berkeley? Are you super impressed with the quality? Do you feel that they know your name and have gotten the chance to know you? I do not know if Berkeley has any events that foster friendly teacher-student relations, such as the small group lunches at Penn.

Do you find Berkeley to be a low-stress environment?

Does the construction inhibit unity in the school? Do people not hang around the building as much? This may be difficult to answer if you have no reference point.

1. So far I've had 17 different professors. I'd say

8 have been truly amazing (I've taken two of these professors twice)
7 have been Okay to decent
2 have been bad (one should have retired 20 years ago, and the other was a visiting prof, and the students made clear we don't want him back.)

3. The construction really hasn't affected me in any significant way. The new student space is very nice, though.

I appreciate the honesty about the professors. Would you say that the poor professors had a significant effect on your law school education? Is this feeling towards professors common for law school students? Or do you feel that Berkeley students are being a bit cheated relative to peer schools? I do not know if you even know students at peer schools, but just checking. And sorry if this post is too blunt. I really like Berkeley, and I really want to know more about this issue. Thanks so much!

[Jay Obee]

What do you think of Jonathan Yoo and the whole torture memo/criminal indictment in spain thing?

[Formerbruin]

Sorry if this has already been asked, but how are the professors at Berkeley? Are you super impressed with the quality? Do you feel that they know your name and have gotten the chance to know you? I do not know if Berkeley has any events that foster friendly teacher-student relations, such as the small group lunches at Penn.

Do you find Berkeley to be a low-stress environment?

Does the construction inhibit unity in the school? Do people not hang around the building as much? This may be difficult to answer if you have no reference point.

1. So far I've had 17 different professors. I'd say

8 have been truly amazing (I've taken two of these professors twice)
7 have been Okay to decent
2 have been bad (one should have retired 20 years ago, and the other was a visiting prof, and the students made clear we don't want him back.)

3. The construction really hasn't affected me in any significant way. The new student space is very nice, though.

I appreciate the honesty about the professors. Would you say that the poor professors had a significant effect on your law school education? Is this feeling towards professors common for law school students? Or do you feel that Berkeley students are being a bit cheated relative to peer schools? I do not know if you even know students at peer schools, but just checking. And sorry if this post is too blunt. I really like Berkeley, and I really want to know more about this issue. Thanks so much!

Well, "bad" is relative. Both were brilliant in their own way but prof 1 was mumblemumblemumblerule12b6mumble and prof 2 just had so little respect from the class because he thought he was super funny that everyone would pass whenever called upon. However, both have written extensively and are considered "leaders" in their respective fields. I get the same sense when talking about profs with students at other T14 schools (in particular, Michigan, UVa, Duke, and GTown). Some will be very good, some will be competent, and a few will care a lot more about publishing than teaching.

To be fair, though, Prof 1 was an emeritus professor who has been teaching at Boalt for over 40 years (and one of my interviewers at OCI said he was good when he had the same prof 20 years ago), and I don't think anyone in the administration has the guts to tell him it's time to call it a career. Taking any visiting prof is a crapshoot.

[southernlady]

Great to know! I especially appreciate the insight into Berkeley's peers.

[Go_Cardinals]

I right now am in the process of choosing between Columbia and Berkeley, and to be honest, its comments like the one made by the poster before me that concern me. Who is it does Berkeley consider to be their peer schools? Are we talking the likes of Columbia/NYU/Stanford/Chicago or are we talking Duke/Georgetown/Penn/UVA? I like CAL, always have, but I would hate to go to a school who self-defines itself as inferior to a school like columbia.

[southernlady]

I specifically meant UVA and Michigan, but that might still concern you.