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Okay, so I have a few questions for Berkeley peeps.

1. Where do most 1L students live? Off/on campus? And how are those cool-looking grad student apartments Boalt has? Anyone live in any of these?

2. How tight-knit are students within their modules? Are these usually the people that you are going to become good friends with?

3. How hard is it to get on a journal during 1L?

4. How easy is it to get into big law these days from Berkeley? Top 50%?

5. How is it even affordable? Are you scared you will not be able to pay back those massive loans? The one thing drawing me away from Berkeley is the price tag. I can't afford it.. and I don't want to be 300k in debt either.

6. I'm having trouble finding employment statistics (I'm sure I'm just not looking in the right place). How many Boalt grads typically go into public interest?

7. How portable is a Boalt degree outside of CA? I'd be happy to stay out here, but I'm also interested in D.C., and possibly one day returning to my hometown of Atlanta. If those were my real preferences, I'd choose UVA -- but they aren't. SF Bay is my likely #1 living choice.

8. How many hours a day do you typically study during a normal semester week? During exam period?

Legacy316 wrote:Okay, so I have a few questions for Berkeley peeps.

1. Where do most 1L students live? Off/on campus? And how are those cool-looking grad student apartments Boalt has? Anyone live in any of these?

2. How tight-knit are students within their modules? Are these usually the people that you are going to become good friends with?

3. How hard is it to get on a journal during 1L?

4. How easy is it to get into big law these days from Berkeley? Top 50%?

catharsis wrote:5. How is it even affordable? Are you scared you will not be able to pay back those massive loans? The one thing drawing me away from Berkeley is the price tag. I can't afford it.. and I don't want to be 300k in debt either.

1. I think the majority of people live off-campus but there's a good contingent of people who live in university housing, too. I prefer to live off-campus because of the benefits as I perceive them: more space, fewer restrictions, fully-equipped kitchens, etc. I don't think it's difficult to find off-campus housing in a location you prefer. I studied in Manville with people during finals, and those are nice too: the location is pretty good, and there's definitely something to be said for figuring out your housing stuff early. There also seems to be a pretty close community feel between the residents, if that's something you're interested in.

2. I'm definitely close with people in my mod, but I'd say supermods are really the basis for your immediate friendships, interactions, etc. (Supermods are the groupings of 3 mods, with two lectures together in the first/second semester.) Most of my closer friends are in my supermod, but not all. That's certainly not to say that you're closed off from the other mods/supermods who you don't have any classes with -- friendships form in mods/supermods out of convenience, but I know and am friends with lots of people who I never see in class. The nice thing about Berkeley is that the class size is so small (~275 people) that you quickly learn everyone's face, if not their names, and there's plenty of extracurricular opportunity to make friendships across mods.
Sorry if that's not the clearest answer to your question ... I'm not feeling very articulate this morning.

3. So easy. You can even join two journals if you want; it's just more work for you. A lot of journal work your first year is pretty dull -- cite-checking, bluebooking, etc. but my journal allowed 1Ls to have a role in article editing, too, so it's just a matter of doing your research before you join to make sure you'll have a role that you'll enjoy.

4. No idea ... sorry. For what it's worth, I'm friends with several 2Ls and I believe they all have summer positions at big firms. A lot of the people I know were choosing between SA offers. And not all of them got these offers from OCI -- one of my friends mass-mailed and received a couple of offers from that. My friends aren't a representative sample of the class as a whole, but I think it's encouraging information anyway. And we've all got our fingers crossed that 2010 will be better.

5. yes, Berkeley is expensive. But it's really not any more so than its peer schools -- I think it's crucial to remember that the fee hikes bring Berkeley up to market level, as opposed to disproportionately above it. You go to Michigan, Harvard, Columbia, NYU ... you're going to be paying as much as you would at Berkeley. And Berkeley has the best LRAP in the country right now, and a dean who I believe is wholeheartedly committed to maintaining programs like the Edley grant and the LRAP. The money from the fee hikes is expressly designated for three purposes: maintaining our fantastic LRAP, funding six new faculty positions, and increasing our financial aid pool. I'm okay with all of those uses, and I'm okay with paying tuition on par with the national average to fund those, to enable Berkeley to stay at its place in the rankings (even if you think the rankings shouldn't matter, the fact is that they do), and to preserve the value of my degree over my lifetime.

Law school is expensive; it's not just Berkeley. If you're afraid of paying back loans from Berkeley, you should be afraid of paying back loans from anywhere. Your question makes it seem like Berkeley charges twice what other schools do, and that's just not so. 300K in debt is an unrealistic figure, unless you're coming in with undergrad debt.

Tangerine Gleam wrote:6. I'm having trouble finding employment statistics (I'm sure I'm just not looking in the right place). How many Boalt grads typically go into public interest?

7. How portable is a Boalt degree outside of CA? I'd be happy to stay out here, but I'm also interested in D.C., and possibly one day returning to my hometown of Atlanta. If those were my real preferences, I'd choose UVA -- but they aren't. SF Bay is my likely #1 living choice.

8. How many hours a day do you typically study during a normal semester week? During exam period?

6 & 7. I'm not sure. Anecdotally, my friends as mentioned above are all working elsewhere this summer -- D.C. and New York off the top of my head. But I'll have to look into this more to give you a true answer.

8. Early- and mid-semester, I'd say about... oh man, this is just a rough estimate. But maybe 3-4 hrs outside of class time? During exams, I studied from noon to about 3 a.m. (I'm a night owl), with several short breaks, so it probably amounted to about 12hrs/day. This was after class had ended ... from early November on, I'd say my study hours got bumped to 6-7 a day? It's hard to look back and give an estimate with any degree of confidence just because it's all kind of a blur.

But this was just my own personal schedule, and I plan on tweaking it next semester. You'll get a feel pretty quickly for what works and what doesn't for you, and it's so important that you do that, as opposed to trying to match anyone else's study habits. Study as much as you feel like you need to and dno't let anyone else set your pace. You could slash my hours in half and still do great; you could double them and do equally as well. It all depends.

I hear rumors about people who pick Boalt over SLS. While I'll admit I'm leaning toward SLS, there is something about Boalt that is really appealing to me. When I first started looking at schools and when I began applying, I always thought of Berkeley as my realistic first choice. I also think there is something to be said for not going to the same school for both UG and grad school.

Is there someone on TLS who was one of those people to pick Boalt over SLS? If so, why did you do it? If not, do you know anyone who did and can you put me in touch with them or ask them for me?

P.S. In case I don't stress it enough on here, I love Berkeley. Love it. Couldn't imagine being this happy anywhere else. Do not regret my decision for a minute. And I do think that sentiment is shared among most of my classmates. We're a happy bunch. (Saccharine, maybe, but true.)

emily, i didnt think my 300k in debt figure was unrealistic at all. if you add cost of living, books, misc. expensses, tuition etc. 300k is a VERY accurate and reasonable figure (and I have $0 undergrad debt). the admittance packet boalt sent me showed approx./ $35k a semester in tuition. for years that's roughly $210k. again, adding all the other sorts of expenditures an extra $90k is probably a minimum lol.

i appreciate your response and that you took the time to answer our questions. it's just that im very worried about taking on that much debt right now (and not just at boalt, at ANYWHERE) and possibly not finding a good job post-law school.

catharsis wrote:emily, i didnt think my 300k in debt figure was unrealistic at all. if you add cost of living, books, misc. expensses, tuition etc. 300k is a VERY accurate and reasonable figure (and I have $0 undergrad debt). the admittance packet boalt sent me showed approx./ $35k a semester in tuition. for years that's roughly $210k. again, adding all the other sorts of expenditures an extra $90k is probably a minimum lol.

i appreciate your response and that you took the time to answer our questions. it's just that im very worried about taking on that much debt right now (and not just at boalt, at ANYWHERE) and possibly not finding a good job post-law school.

Your math is off. 200K debt is the upper limit. You won't pay out-of-state tuition your second and third years.

crackberry wrote:I hear rumors about people who pick Boalt over SLS. While I'll admit I'm leaning toward SLS, there is something about Boalt that is really appealing to me. When I first started looking at schools and when I began applying, I always thought of Berkeley as my realistic first choice. I also think there is something to be said for not going to the same school for both UG and grad school.

Out of curiosity, I've seen this advised on several occasions and was wondering why is this the case?

Aeon wrote:

crackberry wrote:I hear rumors about people who pick Boalt over SLS. While I'll admit I'm leaning toward SLS, there is something about Boalt that is really appealing to me. When I first started looking at schools and when I began applying, I always thought of Berkeley as my realistic first choice. I also think there is something to be said for not going to the same school for both UG and grad school.

Out of curiosity, I've seen this advised on several occasions and was wondering why is this the case?

Not sure, but if you get into Stanford and you are a Stanford undergrad, you should go, unless you get into Harvard or Yale. Stanford is by far the king of the west and the only school that people out west--besides Cal-tech--think rivals the big Ivies.

I'm guessing that whoever chose SLS over Boalt had a full ride or a lot of money, because I don't think rational people would turn down Stanford for Boalt at equal price.

catharsis wrote:emily, i didnt think my 300k in debt figure was unrealistic at all. if you add cost of living, books, misc. expensses, tuition etc. 300k is a VERY accurate and reasonable figure (and I have $0 undergrad debt). the admittance packet boalt sent me showed approx./ $35k a semester in tuition. for years that's roughly $210k. again, adding all the other sorts of expenditures an extra $90k is probably a minimum lol.

i appreciate your response and that you took the time to answer our questions. it's just that im very worried about taking on that much debt right now (and not just at boalt, at ANYWHERE) and possibly not finding a good job post-law school.

It sounds like you just don't want to pay full price anywhere. I'm not sure why you're especially concerned about the costs of Berkeley. Going to a top 10 school will most likely cost you a lot of money. You're also vastly overestimating the costs.

Legacy316 wrote:Okay, so I have a few questions for Berkeley peeps.

1. Where do most 1L students live? Off/on campus? And how are those cool-looking grad student apartments Boalt has? Anyone live in any of these?

2. How tight-knit are students within their modules? Are these usually the people that you are going to become good friends with?

3. How hard is it to get on a journal during 1L?

4. How easy is it to get into big law these days from Berkeley? Top 50%?

1. I live on campus and it's great. I think most people live off campus. It's totally up to you. If you have the time to look for housing off campus, go for it. Some drawbacks are that Berkeley landlords often require large deposits and first/last month rent to move in, which is a lot. It's also hard to look for apts from other places. I was abroad and couldn't do that so I took the easy route.

2. My mod is pretty close, but people end up with friends from organizations or from social stuff throughout the year. I wouldn't really worry about making friends.

3. Easy, you just sign up. Don't get too excited about journal work though.

4. No idea.

Tangerine Gleam wrote:6. I'm having trouble finding employment statistics (I'm sure I'm just not looking in the right place). How many Boalt grads typically go into public interest?

7. How portable is a Boalt degree outside of CA? I'd be happy to stay out here, but I'm also interested in D.C., and possibly one day returning to my hometown of Atlanta. If those were my real preferences, I'd choose UVA -- but they aren't. SF Bay is my likely #1 living choice.

8. How many hours a day do you typically study during a normal semester week? During exam period?

6. A lot go public interest and there is a lot of support for students who choose this. I don't know exact numbers. I wouldn't worry too much about statistics because you can pretty much choose your own route.

7. There are Berkeley grads all over the country and I know quite a few people going to DC. For Atlanta, I doubt we have a whole lot of people seeking it out but it would be doable if you wanted it.

8. I don't think there is a typical amount. It's not nearly as bad as people claim, and I think people here are fairly relaxed about studying since we don't have real grades. It's harder to motivate yourself when you know you can't fail.

irishman86 wrote:Not sure, but if you get into Stanford and you are a Stanford undergrad, you should go, unless you get into Harvard or Yale. Stanford is by far the king of the west and the only school that people out west--besides Cal-tech--think rivals the big Ivies.

I'm guessing that whoever chose SLS over Boalt had a full ride or a lot of money, because I don't think rational people would turn down Stanford for Boalt at equal price.

I was a Stanford UG (graduated in 2008) and I've been admitted to both Boalt and SLS. I'm definitely leaning toward SLS, but I know there are people out there who've picked Boalt over SLS and I want to know if the only reason is $$. EmilyBeth, Worldtraveler, Bilbo, etc. did any of you get into SLS? Do you know anyone at Boalt who did? What were your/their reasons (aside from $$)?

FWIW I would pick SLS over HLS. YLS is another story. I might actually pick Boalt over HLS, but that's neither here nor there.

crackberry wrote:

irishman86 wrote:Not sure, but if you get into Stanford and you are a Stanford undergrad, you should go, unless you get into Harvard or Yale. Stanford is by far the king of the west and the only school that people out west--besides Cal-tech--think rivals the big Ivies.

I'm guessing that whoever chose SLS over Boalt had a full ride or a lot of money, because I don't think rational people would turn down Stanford for Boalt at equal price.

I was a Stanford UG (graduated in 2008) and I've been admitted to both Boalt and SLS. I'm definitely leaning toward SLS, but I know there are people out there who've picked Boalt over SLS and I want to know if the only reason is $$. EmilyBeth, Worldtraveler, Bilbo, etc. did any of you get into SLS? Do you know anyone at Boalt who did? What were your/their reasons (aside from $$)?

FWIW I would pick SLS over HLS. YLS is another story. I might actually pick Boalt over HLS, but that's neither here nor there.

Crackberry, SLS was my first choice as I applied last year. As I did more research though, I became more attracted to Boalt. Dean Deal didn't give me the opportunity to make the choice, but I think had I been given the option, I probably would have picked Boalt in the end. Some of it had to do with the feel of the school; some of it had to do with the area and some of it had to do with better work options for my wife. There is no doubt that the SLS name carries great weight, but when attorneys out there find out I'm at Boalt, it still turns heads and gets a good oooh or ahhh. I don't think the decision is as open/shut in favor of SLS as some around TLS might think it is. Really, it comes down to a personal preference.

crackberry wrote:

irishman86 wrote:Not sure, but if you get into Stanford and you are a Stanford undergrad, you should go, unless you get into Harvard or Yale. Stanford is by far the king of the west and the only school that people out west--besides Cal-tech--think rivals the big Ivies.

I'm guessing that whoever chose SLS over Boalt had a full ride or a lot of money, because I don't think rational people would turn down Stanford for Boalt at equal price.

I was a Stanford UG (graduated in 2008) and I've been admitted to both Boalt and SLS. I'm definitely leaning toward SLS, but I know there are people out there who've picked Boalt over SLS and I want to know if the only reason is $$. EmilyBeth, Worldtraveler, Bilbo, etc. did any of you get into SLS? Do you know anyone at Boalt who did? What were your/their reasons (aside from $$)?

FWIW I would pick SLS over HLS. YLS is another story. I might actually pick Boalt over HLS, but that's neither here nor there.

Your job prospects in pretty much any field coming out of HYS are much, much better than out of any school, except possibly Columbia (for biglaw) ITE. Just some food for thought. The differences in placement ITE is pretty differentiated. A Stanford 1L said that Stanford had over 300 offices for their sub-200 class, while Boalt had fewer than 200 offices for their 280 or so class. You are pretty much guaranteed a job at Stanford while you aren't at Boalt. If I had your great fortune, I would choose Stanford over any school except Harvard and Yale, with no hesitation.

Rotor wrote:Crackberry, SLS was my first choice as I applied last year. As I did more research though, I became more attracted to Boalt. Dean Deal didn't give me the opportunity to make the choice, but I think had I been given the option, I probably would have picked Boalt in the end. Some of it had to do with the feel of the school; some of it had to do with the area and some of it had to do with better work options for my wife. There is no doubt that the SLS name carries great weight, but when attorneys out there find out I'm at Boalt, it still turns heads and gets a good oooh or ahhh. I don't think the decision is as open/shut in favor of SLS as some around TLS might think it is. Really, it comes down to a personal preference.

Thank you for the advice, Rotor. I've promised myself that I'm going to wait until after the ASWs to make a formal choice despite being dead set on SLS entering the cycle. Like it did for you, Boalt has grown and grown on me and it would be harder for me to turn down Boalt than Harvard (as I said earlier) in favor of SLS. I'm leaning toward Stanford for sure, but I'm going to at least give Boalt a chance. I think one of the things forcing me to do that is my aversion to going Stanford UG -> Stanford Law.

irishman86 wrote:Your job prospects in pretty much any field coming out of HYS are much, much better than out of any school, except possibly Columbia (for biglaw) ITE. Just some food for thought. The differences in placement ITE is pretty differentiated. A Stanford 1L said that Stanford had over 300 offices for their sub-200 class, while Boalt had fewer than 200 offices for their 280 or so class. You are pretty much guaranteed a job at Stanford while you aren't at Boalt. If I had your great fortune, I would choose Stanford over any school except Harvard and Yale, with no hesitation.

Noted. Thanks for the advice, irishman.

crackberry wrote:I hear rumors about people who pick Boalt over SLS. While I'll admit I'm leaning toward SLS, there is something about Boalt that is really appealing to me. When I first started looking at schools and when I began applying, I always thought of Berkeley as my realistic first choice. I also think there is something to be said for not going to the same school for both UG and grad school.

Is there someone on TLS who was one of those people to pick Boalt over SLS? If so, why did you do it? If not, do you know anyone who did and can you put me in touch with them or ask them for me?

I picked Boalt over HYS for the following reasons (in order):
1. I wanted to go to law school with my fiancee. Boalt was her #1 choice and the highest ranked law school she got into.
2. Boalt gave both my fiancee and I a significant amount of money.
3. Boalt's known for being more of a laid back environment. I'm a laid back guy.
4. At the time I accepted, I was still hopeful that I might find my way into a threesome someday. Boalt has a reputation for being liberal in many ways
5. The masses of homeless around campus remind me that no matter how badly I do in law school, things could be worse.

Drake014 wrote:

crackberry wrote:I hear rumors about people who pick Boalt over SLS. While I'll admit I'm leaning toward SLS, there is something about Boalt that is really appealing to me. When I first started looking at schools and when I began applying, I always thought of Berkeley as my realistic first choice. I also think there is something to be said for not going to the same school for both UG and grad school.

Is there someone on TLS who was one of those people to pick Boalt over SLS? If so, why did you do it? If not, do you know anyone who did and can you put me in touch with them or ask them for me?

I picked Boalt over HYS for the following reasons (in order):
1. I wanted to go to law school with my fiancee. Boalt was her #1 choice and the highest ranked law school she got into.
2. Boalt gave both my fiancee and I a significant amount of money.
3. Boalt's known for being more of a laid back environment. I'm a laid back guy.
4. At the time I accepted, I was still hopeful that I might find my way into a threesome someday. Boalt has a reputation for being liberal in many ways
5. The masses of homeless around campus remind me that no matter how badly I do in law school, things could be worse.

i lol'd. thank you.

Drake014 wrote:

crackberry wrote:I hear rumors about people who pick Boalt over SLS. While I'll admit I'm leaning toward SLS, there is something about Boalt that is really appealing to me. When I first started looking at schools and when I began applying, I always thought of Berkeley as my realistic first choice. I also think there is something to be said for not going to the same school for both UG and grad school.

Is there someone on TLS who was one of those people to pick Boalt over SLS? If so, why did you do it? If not, do you know anyone who did and can you put me in touch with them or ask them for me?

I picked Boalt over HYS for the following reasons (in order):
1. I wanted to go to law school with my fiancee. Boalt was her #1 choice and the highest ranked law school she got into.
2. Boalt gave both my fiancee and I a significant amount of money.
3. Boalt's known for being more of a laid back environment. I'm a laid back guy.
4. At the time I accepted, I was still hopeful that I might find my way into a threesome someday. Boalt has a reputation for being liberal in many ways
5. The masses of homeless around campus remind me that no matter how badly I do in law school, things could be worse.

Haha if this is true that's awesome. And #1 is a reason I don't have so it's not really relevant to me. But yes, that would be a dealbreaker. I've got a friend who may be turning down Yale for UCLA for that exact reason.

crackberry wrote:

Drake014 wrote:

crackberry wrote:I hear rumors about people who pick Boalt over SLS. While I'll admit I'm leaning toward SLS, there is something about Boalt that is really appealing to me. When I first started looking at schools and when I began applying, I always thought of Berkeley as my realistic first choice. I also think there is something to be said for not going to the same school for both UG and grad school.

Is there someone on TLS who was one of those people to pick Boalt over SLS? If so, why did you do it? If not, do you know anyone who did and can you put me in touch with them or ask them for me?

I picked Boalt over HYS for the following reasons (in order):
1. I wanted to go to law school with my fiancee. Boalt was her #1 choice and the highest ranked law school she got into.
2. Boalt gave both my fiancee and I a significant amount of money.
3. Boalt's known for being more of a laid back environment. I'm a laid back guy.
4. At the time I accepted, I was still hopeful that I might find my way into a threesome someday. Boalt has a reputation for being liberal in many ways
5. The masses of homeless around campus remind me that no matter how badly I do in law school, things could be worse.

Haha if this is true that's awesome. And #1 is a reason I don't have so it's not really relevant to me. But yes, that would be a dealbreaker. I've got a friend who may be turning down Yale for UCLA for that exact reason.

All true... except #5. #5 is just something that recently occurred to me. UCLA's not bad. I woulda done the same thing. Honestly, if you're smart enough, you could make top of your class at UCLA. Something you won't do in the T6 probably.

Drake014 wrote:All true... except #5. #5 is just something that recently occurred to me. UCLA's not bad. I woulda done the same thing. Honestly, if you're smart enough, you could make top of your class at UCLA. Something you won't do in the T6 probably.

Yeah but without a fiancee/wife to think about? No way I'd turn Yale down for UCLA without a reason as compelling as that, regardless of where I finish in the class.

Although I haven't been on TLS in forever, I'd like to give my input as TLS was incredibly helpful as a resource for me.

Legacy316 wrote:Okay, so I have a few questions for Berkeley peeps.

1. Where do most 1L students live? Off/on campus? And how are those cool-looking grad student apartments Boalt has? Anyone live in any of these?

2. How tight-knit are students within their modules? Are these usually the people that you are going to become good friends with?

3. How hard is it to get on a journal during 1L?

4. How easy is it to get into big law these days from Berkeley? Top 50%?

1. I don't really think there is such a thing as living on campus. Most students live in North Berkeley, despite the fact that the school is in South Berkeley. North is more quiet and near Shattuck, which is probably the street where most off-campus things go on. I live in South and like it because I'm lazy and don't want to waste time walking to school. NextBus will become your best friend, and its easy to bus from anywhere reasonably close.

Boalt has those grad student apartments, the ones close to campus (Jackson) are way too close to the frats, and honestly they are just too close to the law school and on a crowded street. Manville is like living in a closet, just use craigslist.

My overall housing guidelines: the number one complaint people have about housing is that they picked somewhere which they failed to realize was WAY far away from campus. Use Mapquest and make sure: you are at least within a block of shattuck going west, and that your place is within less than 2 miles of campus, transportation takes forever on Berk's crowded streets!

2. Some people stay within their mods, all I can say is my friends are from all different mods and most dont have any class with me. 270 is a very small community, you will be able to know everyone at least on some level and see who you mix best with.

3. If you wanna do a journal you can do it, you dont need to do anything. I'm probably going to quit my journal and do something more hands on, honestly its just kind of boring.

4. My theory is anyone from Berkeley with any grades can get Biglaw. Some people with really high grades get nothing because they suck at interviewing. Some people with all Ps get stuff because the firms are amazed at the interview. Your social aptitude and ability to communicate, which is not mentioned here, can sell you over someone else. Also our grades are so broad that they fail to really distinguish.

catharsis wrote:5. How is it even affordable? Are you scared you will not be able to pay back those massive loans? The one thing drawing me away from Berkeley is the price tag. I can't afford it.. and I don't want to be 300k in debt either.

Tangerine Gleam wrote:6. I'm having trouble finding employment statistics (I'm sure I'm just not looking in the right place). How many Boalt grads typically go into public interest?

7. How portable is a Boalt degree outside of CA? I'd be happy to stay out here, but I'm also interested in D.C., and possibly one day returning to my hometown of Atlanta. If those were my real preferences, I'd choose UVA -- but they aren't. SF Bay is my likely #1 living choice.

8. How many hours a day do you typically study during a normal semester week? During exam period?

5. Even with the tuition increase, Boalt is still the cheapest top 10 school to attend. Just gotta do your own risk benefit analysis.
6. I believe its like 15% ? Don't kid yourself, despite everyone talking up public interest when they arrive, almost everyone sells out
7. I wouldn't go to Boalt if I didn't want to be on the West Coast. I'm a lifetime Californian with no intention of leaving, and quite frankly, most people do not want to go back to the east coast after three years here. That said, I see east coast job listings, I don't think there are too many because honestly if we wanted a job on the east or midwest, there were plenty of other law schools we could have chosen.
8. About 20 hrs a week. I studied only like maybe 10 hrs a week during exam period. As weird as it sounds, I feel if you really make a strong effort to do all the work, exam period is kind of a more relaxing period to put everything together. That said, I did my outline before exam period, if you don't you can up it to 30 hrs.
Overall, TLS gets a lot of question about workload. I would not say law school really is a ton of work hourswise. IMO, it is more that after spending all day in class and then studying you are pretty mentally burnt out and don't wanna do anything except bum it. Its not so much the quantity of work that gets to you, its the quality of thinking it requires.

1. Manville sucks. Don't do it. No one I know lives there for more than one year. University place is ok if you are married. It's cheap and spacious, but in a weird location.

2. I have a few really good friends from my mod, but as has been said, my supermod is where it's at. That and one of the other supermods. 7,8,9 is really just a mystery. Honestly though, most people I know have friends across all mods and some mods are tighter than others (to their detriment when super tight, I'd say (mod 6 I'm looking at you).

3. Easy, although I opted out my first semester. A lot of people did them.

4. The only person I know who is having issues has not good grades at all. But then, I know people who got biglaw after striking out in OCI and also people who struck out in OCI who are in the DOJ's honor's program etc. Honestly, you'll have a similar shot at Berk as any T10.

5. I'd be willing to bet that all of the T10 schools raise tuition (as our increases are meant to keep us 10% below the top privates). As has been pointed out, Berk is comparable to other schools.

6. I think the 15% quoted is low. A lot of people are interested in it and it's definitely an environment conducive to it. There are a ton of people who work in the SF PD and prosecutor's offices over the summers and a lot of clinic options that are PI for first years.

7. It's portable. Don't listen to TLS. Trust me. I have friends working everywhere as 2Ls.

8. The semester is so much fun until about 6 weeks out. Then people really start bucking down. 12 hour days are the norm as you reach the end. As one of the more laid back students at Boalt, even I cracked down by the end. At the beginning some of us would go out 4-6 times a week. It was awesome.

In summation: Boalt is awesome. I have a cousin who went to UT and we were talking this weekend and he said, "Man, I really hated it when people would bring up proximate cause at a bar." While I might be annoyed by my classmates sometimes, this never happened to me. Boalt kids understand that there's life outside of law school and they let the law stay in the classroom and have a lot of fun outside of it. I have a friend who graduated YHP with 3.7+ and 179 LSAT that came to Boalt because he/she knew it was going to be a better quality of life than HYS. I have multiple friends that chose Boalt over Stanford/Harvard. These kids are down to earth. They are smart, they're relatively relaxed and they're good people on the whole. You should really come check us out regardless of where else you get into. I am usually non-gushy about life in general, but I do think we have something out of the ordinary when it comes to law school.

I'm from the "mystery" supermod, and we still have a lot of fun. I think we do have a higher proportion of mega nerds, though. At least my mod itself is pretty awesome.

And for anyone who wonders, manville is really "man"ville. It's disproportionately men living there. Ihouse also has more male law students than female, so if you're female and want to come hang out with me there I would support that option .