Berkeley vs. UCLA Forum

[shrutichopra]

Hi,

An international student, I have been admitted to both Boalt Hall and UCLA for my LLM. My interest area is IP particularly Entertainment Law but seeing as it is difficult to break into entertainment sector immediately, I am perfectly fine with the IP Law Sector.

I am unable to make a choice since there exist pros and cons for both.

Any inputs are welcome! Please do help me out make this decision

Thanks

[Knock]

Hi,

An international student, I have been admitted to both Boalt Hall and UCLA for my LLM. My interest area is IP particularly Entertainment Law but seeing as it is difficult to break into entertainment sector immediately, I am perfectly fine with the IP Law Sector.

I am unable to make a choice since there exist pros and cons for both.

Any inputs are welcome! Please do help me out make this decision

Thanks

Berkeley is very very strong in IP law. Since you're exponentially more likely to break into IP law than entertainment law, i'd pick Berkeley. Did you get any scholarship money at either?

[DoubleChecks]

costs?

[shrutichopra]

No I do not have financial aid from any.

The costs for both are the same. Hence the decision becomes a tougher one to make

[DoubleChecks]

No I do not have financial aid from any.

The costs for both are the same. Hence the decision becomes a tougher one to make

unless im missing something, i dont see how this is a tough decision at all....Berk is the correct response

[PleaseHelpThanks]

UCLA>Berkely ---------> Big mistake

[ahduth]

Berkeley is a better school.

[adt231]

Berkeley.

[unc0mm0n1]

Berkeley.

[HopelesslyOptimistic]

BERKELEY!!!!

[writingbuff]

Having experience with both Schools (though for undergard not law), I would go with Berkeley.

UCLA is nice but has the misfortune of being located in Los Angeles. Berkeley and the Bay Area >>>>>> LA.

As other posters noted, Berkeley is GREAT in IP law. Additionally, I am sure you could be a contender for Entertainment Law from Berkeley as well. There's some big local companies. Pixar is in Emeryville, Berkeley's more business-friendly neighbor, and of course there's Lucas Films in Marin. And LA is only a short and easy plane flight away, especially if you fly out of Oakland rather than SFO.

Hope that's helpful!

[sweetclementine]

Also have experience with both schools, am from the Bay Area and currently live in LA, and you CAN'T compare the two locations. Clearly, if you are a card-carrying hippie than Berkeley is obviously a better fit than LA, but if you are a person who loves and is interested in the Entertainment Industry (which the OP is), then LA is much more exciting. Do you like the sun? LA. Do you like the fog? Bay. Do you like celebrities? LA. Do you like indie girls? Bay.

It's all California though, at the end of the day. And that's a good thing.

By the way, my vote for your law school is Berkeley. UCLA is cool, but if you're into Berkeley, you gotta go

[Veyron]

No I do not have financial aid from any.

The costs for both are the same. Hence the decision becomes a tougher one to make

unless im missing something, i dont see how this is a tough decision at all....Berk neither is the correct response

[Viktor Vaughn]

UCLA is nice but has the misfortune of being located in Los Angeles. Berkeley and the Bay Area >>>>>> LA.

Incredibly annoying: telling someone you know nothing about which city they'd like better. 22 Million Southern Californians obviously disagree.

That being said... Berkeley is the choice here. Unless someone is paying for law school for you, and you absolutely can't stand Berkeley/Love L.A. or something.

[writingbuff]

UCLA is nice but has the misfortune of being located in Los Angeles. Berkeley and the Bay Area >>>>>> LA.

Incredibly annoying: telling someone you know nothing about which city they'd like better. 22 Million Southern Californians obviously disagree.

That being said... Berkeley is the choice here. Unless someone is paying for law school for you, and you absolutely can't stand Berkeley/Love L.A. or something.

LOL!! Point taken, some people may prefer LA to Berkeley. There really is no substitute to visiting for yourself. Though saying all 22 million Southern Californian's would disagree is a bit much. I've met more than a few that prefer Northern California (just as I am sure there are some Northern Californian folks who prefer Southern Californian).

I'll admit that what I wrote is opinion rather than fact, and is based on my own personal preferences. I would urge the OP to learn more about the respective cities to decide which they prefer.

To elaborate further on the OP's original question. Now I have more time I would like to present a more nuanced response. In terms of an LLM in entertainment law, it seems UCLA has more courses and will probably present more opportunities just by being in LA. I mean, UCLA has a program focused on Entertainment and Media Law and Policy! On the other hand, in terms of IP law, Berkeley is the clear choice with the Law and Technology program. I think the questions for the OP are 1) which do they want MORE, entertainment law or more general IP law 2) how much do they care about "prestige" and 3) which city do they prefer to live in for a couple of years.

In the end it's also likely the connections you make will be very important. While I think it's possible to make entertainment industry connections in the Bay Area (see my previous post), it will unquestionably be easier to make those connections in Los Angeles. If you like LA .

I think in the end both are great choices and I congratulate the OP on their excellent options!