Top Law Schools

Nebby wrote:Of the two Berkeley is a clear winner

LawTweet wrote:So I was pretty dead set on Michigan but my scholarship at Berkeley just increased significantly. I want to do public interest or plaintiff-side litigation (think employment discrimination type of work). I visited Michigan and liked it plenty. It didn't call my name or give me any sort of spiritual awakening but it seemed like a place I'd be content with. I didn't visit Berkeley because it was really expensive and I didn't know they'd give me this much money. I have a *feeling* I would like the culture and social justice focus of Berkeley more.

COA (incl outside scholarships) Berkeley: ~70k
COA (incl outside scholarships) Michigan: ~30k


GPA: 3.7x
LSAT: 170
Not URM
Strong softs

Nebby wrote:

LawTweet wrote:So I was pretty dead set on Michigan but my scholarship at Berkeley just increased significantly. I want to do public interest or plaintiff-side litigation (think employment discrimination type of work). I visited Michigan and liked it plenty. It didn't call my name or give me any sort of spiritual awakening but it seemed like a place I'd be content with. I didn't visit Berkeley because it was really expensive and I didn't know they'd give me this much money. I have a *feeling* I would like the culture and social justice focus of Berkeley more.

COA (incl outside scholarships) Berkeley: ~70k
COA (incl outside scholarships) Michigan: ~30k


GPA: 3.7x
LSAT: 170
Not URM
Strong softs

Where do you want to work? Can you confirm that you're saying in three years you'll have 70k debt at Cal or 30k at Mich? Are you including COL in your COA estimates?

Nebby wrote:Okay in that case I change my answer to Michigan.

LawTweet wrote:

Nebby wrote:Okay in that case I change my answer to Michigan.

Can you elaborate on the rationale?

half moon wrote:I'd go Michigan. $40k less in COA is a big difference, and they're comparable schools in terms of employment outcomes. And although I haven't looked too much into Berkeley so can't compare very well, Michigan does seem to have a strong PI culture.

SmokeytheBear wrote:

half moon wrote:I'd go Michigan. $40k less in COA is a big difference, and they're comparable schools in terms of employment outcomes. And although I haven't looked too much into Berkeley so can't compare very well, Michigan does seem to have a strong PI culture.

I've learned not to assume too much of 0Ls on here--have you looked at the differences between LRAP programs at the two schools?

michlaw wrote:Someone should pose this scenario to Ann Coulter when she speaks at Berk.

Nebby wrote:

SmokeytheBear wrote:

half moon wrote:I'd go Michigan. $40k less in COA is a big difference, and they're comparable schools in terms of employment outcomes. And although I haven't looked too much into Berkeley so can't compare very well, Michigan does seem to have a strong PI culture.

I've learned not to assume too much of 0Ls on here--have you looked at the differences between LRAP programs at the two schools?

Berkeley has a slightly better LRAP. However, $30k in debt is so low that it can be paid off fairly quickly w/ the financial contribution of Michigan LRAP + a little extra out of pocket.

It's a wash, imo.

Nebby wrote:It's a wash, imo.

LawTweet wrote:

Nebby wrote:

LawTweet wrote:So I was pretty dead set on Michigan but my scholarship at Berkeley just increased significantly. I want to do public interest or plaintiff-side litigation (think employment discrimination type of work). I visited Michigan and liked it plenty. It didn't call my name or give me any sort of spiritual awakening but it seemed like a place I'd be content with. I didn't visit Berkeley because it was really expensive and I didn't know they'd give me this much money. I have a *feeling* I would like the culture and social justice focus of Berkeley more.

COA (incl outside scholarships) Berkeley: ~70k
COA (incl outside scholarships) Michigan: ~30k


GPA: 3.7x
LSAT: 170
Not URM
Strong softs

Where do you want to work? Can you confirm that you're saying in three years you'll have 70k debt at Cal or 30k at Mich? Are you including COL in your COA estimates?

My family is all across the east coast so I have preference for working back that way but I'm not tied to it. And yes, the COA takes COL into account and is over three years, not per year. I used both schools' metrics in determining this.

gilbilya wrote:Berkeley is a semi-commuter school so you won't get the same extent of collegiality as Mich. But Berkeley does have a strong social justice program.

arose928 wrote:

gilbilya wrote:Berkeley is a semi-commuter school so you won't get the same extent of collegiality as Mich. But Berkeley does have a strong social justice program.

Semi-commuter school? huh?

rpupkin wrote:

arose928 wrote:

gilbilya wrote:Berkeley is a semi-commuter school so you won't get the same extent of collegiality as Mich. But Berkeley does have a strong social justice program.

Semi-commuter school? huh?

Yeah, that was a weird comment.

rpupkin wrote:

arose928 wrote:

gilbilya wrote:Berkeley is a semi-commuter school so you won't get the same extent of collegiality as Mich. But Berkeley does have a strong social justice program.

Semi-commuter school? huh?

Yeah, that was a weird comment.

gilbilya wrote:By that I mean roughly half of the JDs I know live outside of Berkeley and they normally don't hang out around school after class.

rpupkin wrote:

gilbilya wrote:By that I mean roughly half of the JDs I know live outside of Berkeley and they normally don't hang out around school after class.

I really doubt Berkeley is unusual in this regard. At SLS, many 2Ls and 3Ls live in SF, and those that don't aren't hanging around the law school all day. Any law school in a metro area--which I think includes all the top law schools except Yale, Michigan, UVA, and Cornell--will have that dynamic.

ETA: Also, there's no way that over half of Berkeley Law students live outside of Berkeley. I don't believe that your sample of acquaintances is representative.