In at UC Hastings!! Forum

[General Tso]

I asked the Assistant Director of Admission at today's ASD about the YP issue. She wouldn't admit that the reason was to boost USNWR ranking. She claims they use YP to offer spots to students they believe actually want them. Essentially, they don't want to waste their time on applicants they believe won't attend.

She did say that if high-stat students are serious about Hastings and have a compelling reason for living/working in the Bay Area, they will give them the same consideration as regular applicants. She specifically said they don't consider "someone with a 4.0/175 applying from NYC to be a serious applicant."

So if you are WL and serious about Hastings....let them know. They will probably take you.

[deadatheist]

Rejected 164/3.2/OOS/non-URM.

Fully expected.

Sorry to hear that Looks like my rejection is probably on its way ... (as I have a slightly lower LSAT and higher GPA, which seems to mean little these days)

noooo goober, let's hope they'll cut us some slack for our lower lsats/higher gpas... wl or bust, you and me!

[deadatheist]

I asked the Assistant Director of Admission at today's ASD about the YP issue. She wouldn't admit that the reason was to boost USNWR ranking. She claims they use YP to offer spots to students they believe actually want them. Essentially, they don't want to waste their time on applicants they believe won't attend.

She did say that if high-stat students are serious about Hastings and have a compelling reason for living/working in the Bay Area, they will give them the same consideration as regular applicants. She specifically said they don't consider "someone with a 4.0/175 applying from NYC to be a serious applicant."

So if you are WL and serious about Hastings....let them know. They will probably take you.

sweat, did you ask them where oh where have the apps of deadatheists and everyone else still waiting been for since fall and winter?


edit: i ask bc i all dressed up with nowhere to go. GET IT?

[General Tso]

I asked the Assistant Director of Admission at today's ASD about the YP issue. She wouldn't admit that the reason was to boost USNWR ranking. She claims they use YP to offer spots to students they believe actually want them. Essentially, they don't want to waste their time on applicants they believe won't attend.

She did say that if high-stat students are serious about Hastings and have a compelling reason for living/working in the Bay Area, they will give them the same consideration as regular applicants. She specifically said they don't consider "someone with a 4.0/175 applying from NYC to be a serious applicant."

So if you are WL and serious about Hastings....let them know. They will probably take you.

sweat, did you ask them where oh where have the apps of deadatheists and everyone else still waiting been for since fall and winter?


edit: i ask bc i all dressed up with nowhere to go. GET IT?

She did mention that they still had 2000+ applications to review. But I dunno if that's it since you have been complete for 4+ months.

I don't think it would hurt to write a LOCI that says "Hey I am still anxious to hear...Hastings is my #1 choice, etc."

[General Tso]

Anyone else not so impressed at the ASD today? I like Hastings, it's still my top choice by far, but I left the ASD feeling like I had received very generic information. Maybe it's just me but I don't feel like they really hit on Hastings' biggest strengths (IMO, its career prospects and strong alumni network). There were a few mentions of the large alumni base but nothing as strong as I would have thought. The panels never directly answered questions regarding why Hastings should be chosen over other CA schools. It seemed like nobody was willing to say things like "It's a UC school" or "we have the strongest and largest alumni base in NorCal" pr "our average starting salary is 30k+ more than USF, etc." or "our faculty ranked XX in a recent survey" or anything like that. They seemed to focus on the location being near the SF city hall, CA Supreme Court, etc. and also the many groups, activities you can become involved in. I mean nothing they said really made Hastings sound superior to me, even though I know from my own research it generally is. The career presentation was pretty honest I thought. She said OCI placement is more like 25% this year than the 33% in years past.

I was surprised by some of the admits. The career lady asked for a show of hands as to who was interested in each concentration. Public Interest, International, and Environmental were the most popular by far. There seemed to be little to no interest in traditional fields like business, tax, criminal or litigation. That's fine by me, as I have no interest in competing for jobs/interviews in those fields.

I was surprised as well by the lack of URMs. It was a diverse group... there were your gunner types in suits, your slacker types with beards, jeans and beanies, a lot of Asian-Americans. Just very few Hispanic Americans and African Americans. And there was a LEOP reception at the end of the events today. So I dunno what was up with that.

The Tenderloin is not bad at all in broad daylight. But after dark it is probably a different story. Hastings is literally a 2-3 minute walk from the civic center BART station.

Overall I am satisfied and pretty sure I will attend.

[mnolen]

Anyone else not so impressed at the ASD today? I like Hastings, it's still my top choice by far, but I left the ASD feeling like I had received very generic information. Maybe it's just me but I don't feel like they really hit on Hastings' biggest strengths (IMO, its career prospects and strong alumni network). There were a few mentions of the large alumni base but nothing as strong as I would have thought. The panels never directly answered questions regarding why Hastings should be chosen over other CA schools. It seemed like nobody was willing to say things like "It's a UC school" or "we have the strongest and largest alumni base in NorCal" pr "our average starting salary is 30k+ more than USF, etc." or "our faculty ranked XX in a recent survey" or anything like that. They seemed to focus on the location being near the SF city hall, CA Supreme Court, etc. and also the many groups, activities you can become involved in. I mean nothing they said really made Hastings sound superior to me, even though I know from my own research it generally is. The career presentation was pretty honest I thought. She said OCI placement is more like 25% this year than the 33% in years past.

...

The Tenderloin is not bad at all in broad daylight. But after dark it is probably a different story. Hastings is literally a 2-3 minute walk from the civic center BART station.

Overall I am satisfied and pretty sure I will attend.

I felt similarly about the ASD in March. I like the school a lot, but I found the presentations to be fairly lackluster. When I went they spoke pretty extensively about the alumni network which was mostly new information for me, and I definitely felt impressed. Still, I agree that they banked on their location being a selling point, and to a certain degree I think that's fair. The professors spoke to us at length about how Hastings prides itself on being a school that actually teaches its students how to be lawyers - in other words, they're invested in making sure you're able to apply the information they provide you with, and don't overdo it on the theory. I think having such easy access to the court systems is a big part of that.

As for the Tenderloin, it's totally fine during the day and nothing that you wouldn't see in any city across the nation. In my opinion that changes drastically at night.. so much so that it almost seems like an entirely different place. There are a lot of drug users, etc. who hang out there, and I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable walking through the area by myself. Maybe a man/braver woman would feel differently, but I'd encourage you guys to drive through at night if you get the chance just so that you're not surprised the first time you walk out of the library after studying into the evening

On an unrelated note, I got my fin aid info and I'm happily surprised to say that I got a grant! Woo! I did find out recently that my tuition will probably be waived because of veteran's benefits - I'm a little nervous they'll take the grant away. Not that I'm complaining since the tuition thing is huge, but everyone likes free money!

[OperaSoprano]

I asked the Assistant Director of Admission at today's ASD about the YP issue. She wouldn't admit that the reason was to boost USNWR ranking. She claims they use YP to offer spots to students they believe actually want them. Essentially, they don't want to waste their time on applicants they believe won't attend.

She did say that if high-stat students are serious about Hastings and have a compelling reason for living/working in the Bay Area, they will give them the same consideration as regular applicants. She specifically said they don't consider "someone with a 4.0/175 applying from NYC to be a serious applicant."

So if you are WL and serious about Hastings....let them know. They will probably take you.

sweat, did you ask them where oh where have the apps of deadatheists and everyone else still waiting been for since fall and winter?


edit: i ask bc i all dressed up with nowhere to go. GET IT?

Add me to this party... complete four months, and nothing. I've already visited, so missing ASD isn't so bad, but I just want to know!

[goober]

Rejected 164/3.2/OOS/non-URM.

Fully expected.

Sorry to hear that Looks like my rejection is probably on its way ... (as I have a slightly lower LSAT and higher GPA, which seems to mean little these days)

noooo goober, let's hope they'll cut us some slack for our lower lsats/higher gpas... wl or bust, you and me!

I certainly hope so!! (Do you think if we do get WLed, that we have a shot at being pulled off?) Goodness, doesn't good work ethic count for anything?! haha. Oh well. Anyway, I will certainly post if I get any news ... in the meantime, I hope some Hastings folk are lurking and realize they need to get their shizz into gear for all of our sakes!

[goober]

Gah, just checked my mail and my wish only came too soon. Really-sad-little-envelope ding for me. (Expected, but still sucky)

Better luck to the rest of you!!

[deadatheist]

oh noo! Goob, iydmma, what were your numbers?

[misteranthro]

After visiting Hastings on Saturday for ASD, I am not so sure about the school. Its name is respected and all that, but the area really blows. Dean Canada said it is good for public interest people, because they get to see the drugs, homelessness and other social problems they plan to fight on a daily basis. Somehow, that just didn't sit right with me. Call me old-fashioned, but I would rather not be surrounded by crackheads in broad daylight on a sunshiny Saturday. God knows what other awfulness crawls out of the sewers in the area after dark. I left feeling really bummed out. I don't want to make the wrong decision and withdraw from a great school for lame reasons, but I don't know if I can do three years in the Tenderloin.

[danconstan]

After visiting Hastings on Saturday for ASD, I am not so sure about the school. Its name is respected and all that, but the area really blows. Dean Canada said it is good for public interest people, because they get to see the drugs, homelessness and other social problems they plan to fight on a daily basis. Somehow, that just didn't sit right with me. Call me old-fashioned, but I would rather not be surrounded by crackheads in broad daylight on a sunshiny Saturday. God knows what other awfulness crawls out of the sewers in the area after dark. I left feeling really bummed out. I don't want to make the wrong decision and withdraw from a great school for lame reasons, but I don't know if I can do three years in the Tenderloin.

If Hastings is your top choice for all other reasons except the immediate location, I think it would be foolish not to attend. You make it sound like you would be doing everything in the Tenderloin which is certainly not the case. The tenderloin is a small area and you likely won't be spending any time "hanging out there". During the day you will be in class or in the library studying and at night you'll either be studying some more or out and about town which will be everywhere else, but the tenderloin.

[General Tso]

After visiting Hastings on Saturday for ASD, I am not so sure about the school. Its name is respected and all that, but the area really blows. Dean Canada said it is good for public interest people, because they get to see the drugs, homelessness and other social problems they plan to fight on a daily basis. Somehow, that just didn't sit right with me. Call me old-fashioned, but I would rather not be surrounded by crackheads in broad daylight on a sunshiny Saturday. God knows what other awfulness crawls out of the sewers in the area after dark. I left feeling really bummed out. I don't want to make the wrong decision and withdraw from a great school for lame reasons, but I don't know if I can do three years in the Tenderloin.

Where else would you go? Many of the best law schools in CA are in bad locations (USC, Loyola, etc.) Even Berkeley is not so nice in some places - proximity to Oakland, lots of bums. I haven't spent a lot of time in Berkeley but I have been offered drugs for sale on more than one occasion.

Just live off campus and take the BART. Hastings is so close to the BART station

[misteranthro]

Thanks for the input. It is not the immediate location alone, but the fact that so much of San Francisco is similar. The fact that one block is considered a good neighborhood and the next block is a bad neighborhood doesn't make much sense to me. It is too confusing for someone from out of town to hunt for somewhere to live by those distinctions. I would have to live somewhere like Marina or near Golden Gate Park to feel it was safe for my fiance, and those are about the most expensive places in the city for apartments. Maybe commuting in from Walnut Creek would work too, but it would call for a 40 minute ride on the BART everyday. The BART reminded me of a loud, rickety carnival ride and gave my SO motion sickness. The city just didn't feel like a fit for us coming from Los Angeles. I am not dumb enough to throw away a great opportunity, but I just wonder if other admits felt the same sense of displacement there as well.

[General Tso]

Thanks for the input. It is not the immediate location alone, but the fact that so much of San Francisco is similar. The fact that one block is considered a good neighborhood and the next block is a bad neighborhood doesn't make much sense to me. It is too confusing for someone from out of town to hunt for somewhere to live by those distinctions. I would have to live somewhere like Marina or near Golden Gate Park to feel it was safe for my fiance, and those are about the most expensive places in the city for apartments. Maybe commuting in from Walnut Creek would work too, but it would call for a 40 minute ride on the BART everyday. The BART reminded me of a loud, rickety carnival ride and gave my SO motion sickness. The city just didn't feel like a fit for us coming from Los Angeles. I am not dumb enough to throw away a great opportunity, but I just wonder if other admits felt the same sense of displacement there as well.

I don't think the BART is so bad...if nothing else it gives you the chance to review your notes before class each day.

You could also consider living in Marin. Rents in places like San Rafael and Novato should be considerably lower than SF. There's no BART but there are buses that travel to the Civic Center area.

[OperaSoprano]

<3 <3 <3 BART

[OperaSoprano]

Gah, just checked my mail and my wish only came too soon. Really-sad-little-envelope ding for me. (Expected, but still sucky)

Better luck to the rest of you!!

I am sorry too. I hope you get many other attractive options!

[jacktripper]

Thanks for the input. It is not the immediate location alone, but the fact that so much of San Francisco is similar. The fact that one block is considered a good neighborhood and the next block is a bad neighborhood doesn't make much sense to me. It is too confusing for someone from out of town to hunt for somewhere to live by those distinctions. I would have to live somewhere like Marina or near Golden Gate Park to feel it was safe for my fiance, and those are about the most expensive places in the city for apartments. Maybe commuting in from Walnut Creek would work too, but it would call for a 40 minute ride on the BART everyday. The BART reminded me of a loud, rickety carnival ride and gave my SO motion sickness. The city just didn't feel like a fit for us coming from Los Angeles. I am not dumb enough to throw away a great opportunity, but I just wonder if other admits felt the same sense of displacement there as well.

This is really not the case. The districts in San Franciso are generally homogenous and the tenderloin is really the only part of the city that changes so drastically within a few block radius. Marina and Golden Gate Park are not the only places that are nice, large neighborhoods. There are other nice neighborhoods in the city. You should take some time to see the rest of the city so that you can see for yourself what I am talking about.

[General Tso]

Thanks for the input. It is not the immediate location alone, but the fact that so much of San Francisco is similar. The fact that one block is considered a good neighborhood and the next block is a bad neighborhood doesn't make much sense to me. It is too confusing for someone from out of town to hunt for somewhere to live by those distinctions. I would have to live somewhere like Marina or near Golden Gate Park to feel it was safe for my fiance, and those are about the most expensive places in the city for apartments. Maybe commuting in from Walnut Creek would work too, but it would call for a 40 minute ride on the BART everyday. The BART reminded me of a loud, rickety carnival ride and gave my SO motion sickness. The city just didn't feel like a fit for us coming from Los Angeles. I am not dumb enough to throw away a great opportunity, but I just wonder if other admits felt the same sense of displacement there as well.

This is really not the case. The districts in San Franciso are generally homogenous and the tenderloin is really the only part of the city that changes so drastically within a few block radius. Marina and Golden Gate Park are not the only places that are nice, large neighborhoods. They are the nicer parts of the city, but you could also live in the inner sunset, Castro, or SoMA. These are all relatively gentrified areas. You should take some time to see the rest of the city so that you can see for yourself what I am talking about.

+1

Most of SF is really nice. The TL is really the worst area. Twin Peaks, South Beach, and some parts of Potrero Hill are also decent options.

Some south peninsula areas are okay (San Bruno, San Mateo, Redwood City) Avoid Daly City though.

[misteranthro]

I really appreciate all of your collective insights. Depending on what happens in the next couple of weeks, Hastings is probably where I will end up. Once I know for sure, I definitely plan to go up and spend as much time searching as possible. It sucks though, because I am fairly poor and can't just jet off for the weekend anytime I like to check the place out. Hopefully, it was just a bad first experience and I will see more of the good! Thanks to all.

[danconstan]

Thanks for the input. It is not the immediate location alone, but the fact that so much of San Francisco is similar. The fact that one block is considered a good neighborhood and the next block is a bad neighborhood doesn't make much sense to me. It is too confusing for someone from out of town to hunt for somewhere to live by those distinctions. I would have to live somewhere like Marina or near Golden Gate Park to feel it was safe for my fiance, and those are about the most expensive places in the city for apartments. Maybe commuting in from Walnut Creek would work too, but it would call for a 40 minute ride on the BART everyday. The BART reminded me of a loud, rickety carnival ride and gave my SO motion sickness. The city just didn't feel like a fit for us coming from Los Angeles. I am not dumb enough to throw away a great opportunity, but I just wonder if other admits felt the same sense of displacement there as well.

I understand what you mean about displacement. Perhaps it doesn't seem like a big deal to me becasue I grew up in Brooklyn NY and lived mostly in or around big dense cities where, funny enough, 5-10 blocks can be the difference between a "bad" neighborhood and a "good" one. I think maybe you are used to LA which is so spread out so that distances between "bad" and "good" areas are substantial, but I think LA is the exception to the rule with repsect to that when it comes to big cities. Most are dense with "good" and "bad" areas in close proximity. The general consensus is that the tenderloin is the only neighborhood in SF that is considered "bad" and that the rest of the city is generally safe according to big city standards. The last thing is that the tenderloin is not "bad" in the way you may think some areas of LA or NYC are "bad". You don't really have to worry about violent crime except maybe if you are walking by yourself at 3am with no one around, but yes, there are homeless people and there is some prostitution and drug peddling in the area. Maybe you can ask Hastings for a list of incidents involving their students in the neighborhood. It may have some sort of statistics. Good-luck with your decision.

[General Tso]

Thanks for the input. It is not the immediate location alone, but the fact that so much of San Francisco is similar. The fact that one block is considered a good neighborhood and the next block is a bad neighborhood doesn't make much sense to me. It is too confusing for someone from out of town to hunt for somewhere to live by those distinctions. I would have to live somewhere like Marina or near Golden Gate Park to feel it was safe for my fiance, and those are about the most expensive places in the city for apartments. Maybe commuting in from Walnut Creek would work too, but it would call for a 40 minute ride on the BART everyday. The BART reminded me of a loud, rickety carnival ride and gave my SO motion sickness. The city just didn't feel like a fit for us coming from Los Angeles. I am not dumb enough to throw away a great opportunity, but I just wonder if other admits felt the same sense of displacement there as well.

I understand what you mean about displacement. Perhaps it doesn't seem like a big deal to me becasue I grew up in Brooklyn NY and lived mostly in or around big dense cities where, funny enough, 5-10 blocks can be the difference between a "bad" neighborhood and a "good" one. I think maybe you are used to LA which is so spread out so that distances between "bad" and "good" areas are substantial, but I think LA is the exception to the rule with repsect to that when it comes to big cities. Most are dense with "good" and "bad" areas in close proximity. The general consensus is that the tenderloin is the only neighborhood in SF that is considered "bad" and that the rest of the city is generally safe according to big city standards. The last thing is that the tenderloin is not "bad" in the way you may think some areas of LA or NYC are "bad". You don't really have to worry about violent crime except maybe if you are walking by yourself at 3am with no one around, but yes, there are homeless people and there is some prostitution and drug peddling in the area. Maybe you can ask Hastings for a list of incidents involving their students in the neighborhood. It may have some sort of statistics. Good-luck with your decision.

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[stonepeep]

Thanks for the input. It is not the immediate location alone, but the fact that so much of San Francisco is similar. The fact that one block is considered a good neighborhood and the next block is a bad neighborhood doesn't make much sense to me. It is too confusing for someone from out of town to hunt for somewhere to live by those distinctions. I would have to live somewhere like Marina or near Golden Gate Park to feel it was safe for my fiance, and those are about the most expensive places in the city for apartments. Maybe commuting in from Walnut Creek would work too, but it would call for a 40 minute ride on the BART everyday. The BART reminded me of a loud, rickety carnival ride and gave my SO motion sickness. The city just didn't feel like a fit for us coming from Los Angeles. I am not dumb enough to throw away a great opportunity, but I just wonder if other admits felt the same sense of displacement there as well.

I have lived in Walnut Creek for a few years now and love the area, and will be commuting to Hastings on BART. If you are unsure about living in SF itself, I would definitely recommend the East Bay. Walnut Creek and Lafayette are both very nice and it's easy to live close to BART. You could also easily live in some parts of Oakland or Berkeley. There are some nice, safe parts of Oakland that you might like. The BART ride is not bad at all - certainly no worse than public transit I've taken in other major cities in the US.

I can understand your feelings of displacement. I often say that Southern California and Northern California are so different they should be separate states. That being said, the Bay Area is truly fantastic and I urge you not to judge it by one weekend in the Tenderloin.

If you want more information about living in the East Bay please feel free to PM me.

[jdub]

Dude, Saturday was the worst ASD EVER!

I went to the first one, but went again on Saturday because I had some specific questions I wanted answered.... here are some highlights...

There was a student panel, and in response to the question "What are you plans after graduation? Did you all get the jobs you wanted, and was it worth the student loans you took out to get there?" All four answered "Actually, I haven't been able to find a job yet..." Hmm. I mean, I get the economy sucks, but wouldn't you select your four most impressive students to woo applicants? I mean really now. Salesmanship, people. Afterwards, I talked to one of the admissions people about it and she said "Yeah, that was embarassing. I never thought to ask them if they had jobs when I put them on the panel." What? Why wouldn't you ask that???

As for the faculty panel, they only could get 2 professors to show up. 2. Out of how many. Again, where is the salesmanship.

Next gripe: I met with a current student who is studying my same interest area. I asked why she chose Hastings since they aren't know for our interest area. Her answer: "My boyfriend lives here." Then I asked about student clubs in my interest area. Her answer: "They really aren't active." Then I asked if I could get the names of some professors who practice in our supposed similar interest area. Nothing. Got nothing.

I have gotten into better schools than Hastings, but I want desperately to stay in the City. I love it here in SF! I was trying to get them to put some sort of effort into selling me. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Pathetic.

[jdub]

Also (sorry to continue the rant here) I totally agree with the comment above about them never being able to point out why we should go to Hastings. In fact, during the faculty panel I specifically asked "What schools do you consider Hastings' peer schools, and why specifically should we consider Hastings over these peer schools?" Nothing. They totally did not answer my question.

Later on, I cornered one of the admissions folks again and tried to ask the same question. Instead of answering, he explained to me how it would be stupid to consider a much lower ranked school over Hastings. Thing is, I'm not considering lower ranked schools. I'm considering equal or better schools.

My assessment of the whole situation is that they don't give a crap about wooing students. They don't want to bother putting in any effort on an Admitted Students Day to put together a professional and convincing presentation because they really just don't care. They assume that if you get into a better school, you'll go to the better school. And that if Hastings is the best you got into, then you'll go to Hastings. Thats it. Therefore, no effort.

Whats sad is that I would love to go to Hastings over a better school because SF is my home. But I'm so disturbed by how little they seem to care about making a case for prospectives I think in good conscience, I can't go here. Which sucks, but it is what it is I guess.