UC Berkeley (Boalt Hall) Law Class of 2019 Forum

[Seanasr]

There are signs everywhere that say "survivors' safety is more important than abusers' careers."

[lemonparty]

For those of you at ASW could you let us know what they say, if anything, about this? I was super excited about Berkeley, but then this news dropped...

Well they addressed it right away. So far, I think they've handled it well and been pretty up front and candid about it. Two student body resps promoted a petition to get him to resign from all duties at the university (he officially resigned as dean this morning.) I'm glad they didn't just pretend nothing happened.

[pterodactyls]

For those of you at ASW could you let us know what they say, if anything, about this? I was super excited about Berkeley, but then this news dropped...

Well they addressed it right away. So far, I think they've handled it well and been pretty up front and candid about it. Two student body resps promoted a petition to get him to resign from all duties at the university (he officially resigned as dean this morning.) I'm glad they didn't just pretend nothing happened.

That's good to hear!

I want to see a petition to have the provost resign for trying to sweep it under the rug.

[fra]

For those of you at ASW could you let us know what they say, if anything, about this? I was super excited about Berkeley, but then this news dropped...

Well they addressed it right away. So far, I think they've handled it well and been pretty up front and candid about it. Two student body resps promoted a petition to get him to resign from all duties at the university (he officially resigned as dean this morning.) I'm glad they didn't just pretend nothing happened.

That's good to hear!

I want to see a petition to have the provost resign for trying to sweep it under the rug.

Current Berkeley 1L here! Staying silent and pretending that nothing happened is definitely not happening with the student body, or the professors. This is a big deal to us and we are confronting it head on. Student groups have been meeting and have delivered a letter to to Provost outlining what we think next steps need to be in order to change the system and the administrative culture that allowed this to happen. If you are at ASW you can find the letter posted on any of the bulletin boards around the school. In addition if you have any questions about anything feel free to ask any of the students! We are all very friendly and would love to talk to you about our Berkeley experience.

[blueberryoatmeal]

https://mysafeberkeley.wordpress.com

[batman88]

If I have equal offers from Michigan and Duke, which one would be better to submit for matching scholly at Berkeley? Not sure since they just switched places in rankings...

[Iam3hunna]

I'll Be at ASW fairly soon. Can't wait!

[larsy91]

If I have equal offers from Michigan and Duke, which one would be better to submit for matching scholly at Berkeley? Not sure since they just switched places in rankings...

+1. Would love to hear some thoughts on this. My initial thoughts are to go with Duke...

[Lawcat11]

If I have equal offers from Michigan and Duke, which one would be better to submit for matching scholly at Berkeley? Not sure since they just switched places in rankings...

+1. Would love to hear some thoughts on this. My initial thoughts are to go with Duke...

Honestly, given what I have heard about the time it takes for Berkeley to respond, I would go with whomever has the closer deadline.

[bamb00zled]

Is there a facebook group yet?

[slippin_jimmy]

Update on the Dean situation for anyone who did not attend ASW (they sent a follow up e-mail to just attendees, I think):

"Also, in the event you have not yet heard, President Napolitano has directed Chancellor Dirks to bar Sujit Choudhry from the campus for the rest of the term and to institute disciplinary proceedings against him in the academic senate. She also announced that the University does not intend to defend nor indemnify Choudhry in court: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m ... story.html "

[Lawcat11]

Is there a facebook group yet?

On one of the tours at ASW, the guide said that students usually just make their own.

[crescentstars]

So what were people's thoughts on ASW? I was pretty impressed with how the school (and especially the students) handled everything this weekend, and I left feeling pretty great about Boalt.

[KiltedKicker]

I was impressed, the school seems like a perfect fit for me. The faculty seemed great, and students seemed smart and driven but also laid back and collegial. Downtown Berkeley is fun, and I would hate to leave the Bay. The grading system seems like it would make things a lot less stressful, and holy shit did students seem happy. The school also seems very diverse in terms of the type of people it attracts, except that basically everyone is liberal. I can't decide until I get an offer, but it definitely made me want to go. But damn, choosing is going to be hard

[jphiggo]

The school also seems very diverse in terms of the type of people it attracts, except that basically everyone is liberal.

For what it's worth, the legal profession in general leans to the left from what I've observed. Whereas there certainly is truth to the notion that Berkeley is quite liberal, there are plenty of students that would categorize themselves as independent, and there are also plenty that would consider themselves conservatives. There is also a quite active Federalist Society at Boalt. Basically what I'm trying to say is, there sometimes is a notion communicated that Berkeley is all about far-left activism. Whereas you can certainly find it if you seek it out, I've found both hall and classroom discussions to represent and respect a diverse set of political views. It was actually rather surprising, as I was expecting more of the typical "Berzerkeley" represented on sites like this when I arrived, and what I found was quite different.

[sockstcat]

and holy shit did students seem happy.

+1 like so happy that I wondered if they were being fake lol

[dizzystpizzy]

So what were people's thoughts on ASW? I was pretty impressed with how the school (and especially the students) handled everything this weekend, and I left feeling pretty great about Boalt.

After the news broke, I had pretty much given up on Berkeley; it just seemed so unbelievably hypocritical. ASW left me much more positive about Boalt. As mentioned above, the students, staff, and faculty were extremely honest and forthcoming about both their outrage and hopes. I was reassured that while the UC Berkeley and Boalt Law administration may have acted terribly, it does not reflect the attitude of the school generally. Everyone seemed optimistic that this crisis would lead to important changes at the university and law school.

Also the students were ridiculously happy. Even the ones who weren't on show & tell for ASW. Could totally see myself there.

[urbanist11]

Absolutely loved asw and Berkeley. Perfect mix of everything I'm looking for in a school, and it felt like home. Now comes the hard part ($).

[180kickflip]

Absolutely loved asw and Berkeley. Perfect mix of everything I'm looking for in a school, and it felt like home. Now comes the hard part ($).

**please dont quote**

so much this^. I submitted a matching request, and if it's granted, I can't see anything tearing me away from Boalt.

I just wish I had a clearer understanding of how they incorporate need aid with merit to come up with final offers. I mean...I'm suuuuper poor, so I feel like I'm guaranteed the max (75k) need aid. I just dont understand if that's really considered separate from merit. Like, if they only match 75k of my submitted offer, will I get that 75k PLUS the 75K max need (making it nearly full tuition and my dreams come true), or will they see that I'm getting 75k in need aid, and then only give me like a 20% match to keep the total offer down =/

Any insight?

[skimmilk]

^ they addressed this at ASW. They have a lot of discretion when it comes to matching. It is likely that if you get 75k in need and your matching scholarship is 75k that they will not match as they have already gave you the same offer. This does not mean that they will not give you a merit scholarship, though. Basically at ASW they said, for instance, if you request a matching scholly of 30k and Berkeley has already offered you 15k in need, then you will most likely get 15k in matching (bringing you up to match the 30k offer).

[skimmilk]

Also in regards to ASW, I loved Berkeley's law school, the students, and the professors. I really enjoyed the grading system and the closeness of the student body. With that being said, I have some hesitations about moving to Berkeley, CA. Housing seems awful and I honestly couldn't tell the good part of town from bad (it all looked run down, unsafe, etc.). At this point I am hoping they offer some decent money as I would like to attend, but given how much I disliked the area I will probably need some persuading... Oh and I didn't see a single Dunkin Donuts which, on top of not having my favorite grocery store, really is a downer

[Lawcat11]

Also in regards to ASW, I loved Berkeley's law school, the students, and the professors. I really enjoyed the grading system and the closeness of the student body. With that being said, I have some hesitations about moving to Berkeley, CA. Housing seems awful and I honestly couldn't tell the good part of town from bad (it all looked run down, unsafe, etc.). At this point I am hoping they offer some decent money as I would like to attend, but given how much I disliked the area I will probably need some persuading... Oh and I didn't see a single Dunkin Donuts which, on top of not having my favorite grocery store, really is a downer

I agree about the housing. One thing that made me nervous was the fact that leases seem to only be for 12 months there- which means that you would have to stay in the area for summer jobs. I did meet up with a friend who lives in Berkeley during ASW and she said that summer subletters aren't that hard to find but there's more supply than demand so you generally will have to pay some of the rent for those months

Don't worry about the Dunkin Donuts- on the west coast we have Peets

[jtg21]

Also in regards to ASW, I loved Berkeley's law school, the students, and the professors. I really enjoyed the grading system and the closeness of the student body. With that being said, I have some hesitations about moving to Berkeley, CA. Housing seems awful and I honestly couldn't tell the good part of town from bad (it all looked run down, unsafe, etc.). At this point I am hoping they offer some decent money as I would like to attend, but given how much I disliked the area I will probably need some persuading... Oh and I didn't see a single Dunkin Donuts which, on top of not having my favorite grocery store, really is a downer

I agree about the housing. One thing that made me nervous was the fact that leases seem to only be for 12 months there- which means that you would have to stay in the area for summer jobs. I did meet up with a friend who lives in Berkeley during ASW and she said that summer subletters aren't that hard to find but there's more supply than demand so you generally will have to pay some of the rent for those months

Don't worry about the Dunkin Donuts- on the west coast we have Peets

Feel free to PM me if you have housing questions or want to know more about good/safe areas. I did my undergrad there, and recently helped my brother find his housing for next year (he's an undergrad currently). From what I can tell, the housing market has gotten pretty rough and increased in average cost since I lived there. That being said, it looks like subletting might be a bit easier since there is a such a housing shortage in general.

Also <3 Peets. And Cheeseboard.

[dietcoke1]

Just going to second what everyone has said about ASW. Also, some schools seem to draw a big red line between PI and BigLaw. A line that no one is supposed to cross. At Berkeley, I got the sense that separation isn't a factor. Students and faculty seem really supportive in letting you try multiple areas and finding what your comfortable in.

Also, it appears as though, if your interested in practicing in the East Coast the transition from Berkeley to the East Coast is relatively easy. Firms apparently want a selection from the top schools and getting Berkeley and Stanford alumni can be difficult, as most students stay in California. So if your worried about heading back to the East Coast, that doesn't seem to be a problem!

[pterodactyls]

Oh and I didn't see a single Dunkin Donuts

You won't find one, it's all Starbucks and Philz out there.