Berkeley Class of 2013 Forum

[worldtraveler]

im still trying to figure out how much $ to accept from my fin aid package (how much - if any- that my parents will throw down)... it says we should accept our $ in june, but it doesnt say a specific date on the "to do" part of the website. anybody know if theres a deadline? also, do they put the med forms on the website?

If you don't accept enough you can e-mail and ask for more later. Seriously, we have the easiest loan system imaginable. You just e-mail and say "give me 5k" and it's in your account about 4 days later.

[Rotor]

im still trying to figure out how much $ to accept from my fin aid package (how much - if any- that my parents will throw down)... it says we should accept our $ in june, but it doesnt say a specific date on the "to do" part of the website. anybody know if theres a deadline? also, do they put the med forms on the website?

If you don't accept enough you can e-mail and ask for more later. Seriously, we have the easiest loan system imaginable. You just e-mail and say "give me 5k" and it's in your account about 4 days later.

WT you beat me to it--the advantage of being 9-10 time zones ahead

Only thing I'll add is to remember there are origination fees so if you think you'll need X be sure to ask for X plus Y so you get what you need.

I don't remember what the percentage was, but I'm pretty sure it was % based so you don't have to worry about the ATM Fee effect (where it is cheaper to make one withdrawl than to withdraw several 20s one at a time).

[tintin]

took a look at my finaid package today......they seem to think i am an out of state resident. considering I went to a UC school for undergrad and have never lived outside of CA I'm surprised. I almost had a heart attack when I saw the tuition amount before I realized why it was so high....

Yeah, deduct a good $12,000 from that for your real figure, I believe. The FinAid people have been cool in my limited dealings; they'll clear it up for sure. Make sure to submit your SLR before the deadline (whenever that is). If you're nervous and/or unsure, just give them a call today.

I think the deadline was actually june 1, but as I hadn't been admitted at that point, I'm pretty sure they will accept mine now. I submitted it yesterday, it didn't seem very complicated, they didn't request any hard evidence of me living in CA. Just a "check yes or no" kind of form.

[Island Girl]

took a look at my finaid package today......they seem to think i am an out of state resident. considering I went to a UC school for undergrad and have never lived outside of CA I'm surprised. I almost had a heart attack when I saw the tuition amount before I realized why it was so high....

Yeah, deduct a good $12,000 from that for your real figure, I believe. The FinAid people have been cool in my limited dealings; they'll clear it up for sure. Make sure to submit your SLR before the deadline (whenever that is). If you're nervous and/or unsure, just give them a call today.

I think the deadline was actually june 1, but as I hadn't been admitted at that point, I'm pretty sure they will accept mine now. I submitted it yesterday, it didn't seem very complicated, they didn't request any hard evidence of me living in CA. Just a "check yes or no" kind of form.

Left a voicemail message for Candi Friday afternoon. Haven't received a callback yet. Dean Tominaga's official letter (finally got my packet yesterday! ) did state that we had to submit our SLRs prior to August 15 in order to avoid being billed the extra 12K. Since we obviously couldn't submit our SLRs by June 1, I'm sure they'll get rid of the extra out-of-state fees... On a different note, I love how the law school has its own Financial Aid Office. For undergrad at Cal, I didn't get the same deal. It was much harder to get some form, and come to think of it, any kind of assistance from the undergad Finaid office.

[tintin]

took a look at my finaid package today......they seem to think i am an out of state resident. considering I went to a UC school for undergrad and have never lived outside of CA I'm surprised. I almost had a heart attack when I saw the tuition amount before I realized why it was so high....

Yeah, deduct a good $12,000 from that for your real figure, I believe. The FinAid people have been cool in my limited dealings; they'll clear it up for sure. Make sure to submit your SLR before the deadline (whenever that is). If you're nervous and/or unsure, just give them a call today.

I think the deadline was actually june 1, but as I hadn't been admitted at that point, I'm pretty sure they will accept mine now. I submitted it yesterday, it didn't seem very complicated, they didn't request any hard evidence of me living in CA. Just a "check yes or no" kind of form.

Left a voicemail message for Candi Friday afternoon. Haven't received a callback yet. Dean Tominaga's official letter (finally got my packet yesterday! ) did state that we had to submit our SLRs prior to August 15 in order to avoid being billed the extra 12K. Since we obviously couldn't submit our SLRs by June 1, I'm sure they'll get rid of the extra out-of-state fees... On a different note, I love how the law school has its own Financial Aid Office. For undergrad at Cal, I didn't get the same deal. It was much harder to get some form, and come to think of it, any kind of assistance from the undergad Finaid office.

ohhh, very nice to know. I haven't gotten any mail from the school yet... I want that acceptance letter sooo bad!!

[Island Girl]

Left a voicemail message for Candi Friday afternoon. Haven't received a callback yet. Dean Tominaga's official letter (finally got my packet yesterday! ) did state that we had to submit our SLRs prior to August 15 in order to avoid being billed the extra 12K. Since we obviously couldn't submit our SLRs by June 1, I'm sure they'll get rid of the extra out-of-state fees... On a different note, I love how the law school has its own Financial Aid Office. For undergrad at Cal, I didn't get the same deal. It was much harder to get some form, and come to think of it, any kind of assistance from the undergad Finaid office.

ohhh, very nice to know. I haven't gotten any mail from the school yet... I want that acceptance letter sooo bad!!

Haha. I'm sure you'll get it soon! The letters in my packet were all dated June 16, sent via priority mail. Since you're in California, I have a good feeling it'll be in your hands early next week!

[bayareadunks]

So is anyone's financial aid website completely blank? I have zero messages, zero required documents, and absolutely nothing on the page. Does your info come up right when you log into the financial aid website? Ugh this is not fun.

[Tangerine Gleam]

I'm signing a lease on a sweet 1BR in North Berkeley sometime this week. So stoked to have found something good! I believe Island Girl mentioned this earlier, but padmapper.com is a great resource. Also, I found my spot on CalRentals -- it costs $20 for a 3-month membership, but you get to browse properties from landlords who want to target students/scholars and don't want to mess with Craig'sList.

Re: student loans; I assume the first disbursement won't be made until class begins? Does anyone know how this works?

[tintin]

got my acceptance packet in the mail today!! FINALLY!!!

for those of you who have already found housing, where did you stay while looking for it?

[Tangerine Gleam]

for those of you who have already found housing, where did you stay while looking for it?

I live in SF, so I just had to drive across the bridge to look. I think that Dignan and Island Girl (two other folks who have found apartments) live in the Bay Area too.

[pinkman]

hi everyone! i'll be joining all you fine folks this coming fall

i haven't had much luck finding apts on craigslist, and was wondering whether anyone has used cal rental? is it worth it? when should i start panicking about finding a place??? thanks in advance!

[Tangerine Gleam]

hi everyone! i'll be joining all you fine folks this coming fall

i haven't had much luck finding apts on craigslist, and was wondering whether anyone has used cal rental? is it worth it? when should i start panicking about finding a place??? thanks in advance!

I found my place on Cal Rental. It's only $20, and while there aren't a ton of listings, it allows you to tap into a whole field of landlords who might otherwise be averse to listing "publicly" on a free site like CraigsList. A lot of Berkeley property owners prefer to rent to students, and listing on Cal Rentals helps them do this. So yeah, I'd say go for it...it's just $20.

[Island Girl]

got my acceptance packet in the mail today!! FINALLY!!!

for those of you who have already found housing, where did you stay while looking for it?

Hmm...have you tried asking the Admissions Office about current students who are willing to house you temporarily while you're looking for a place? Doesn't hurt to check. I would totally offer you my apartment but I won't even be here in the US for most of July. :/

[Island Girl]

hi everyone! i'll be joining all you fine folks this coming fall

when should i start panicking about finding a place??? thanks in advance!

Hey there! It's always good to start looking early for an apartment. You should probably start looking from early to mid-July. Come August, it becomes a madhouse around here with tons of people trying to find housing. Right now, there's plenty of great places available. And I agree with Tangerine, Cal Rentals is definitely worth a shot. Good luck!

[Shaggier1]

Hey are any of you in Berkeley yet? I need to ship 2 boxes out to Berkeley but I won't have an address to ship them to until the end of July. I am wondering if one of you has some free basement space or something... maybe I could ship to you and you hang onto the stuff until I get out to Berkeley around July 26th? I know it is sort of a big favor to ask, just figured I would put it out there.

Thanks!

EDIT: I am covered. Thanks to everyone who PM'ed me!

[DGR1852]

For those of you who have already signed leases for the upcoming school year, would you mind posting your location and what you are paying for rent? I was originally planning on going down the week of July 26 to secure housing, but now I'm starting to feel that I will be on the late end if I do. . .Thanks in advance!

[amolson04]

Hey guys! I am just starting my apartment search ... Thanks to everyone who has posted notes about their housing search : ) Is anyone looking for a roommate? If so, feel free to PM me.

[BoaltSF]

Um...just so you know...the AC Transit pass is simply a sticker that you attach ONTO an ID...you are not selling your ACTUAL student ID provided by the school...only a half inch by half inch sticker...sorry if I was unclear...

So, yeah...no consequences.

Actually because people have been selling the sticker, the school no longer gives you the sticker itself. You go to the office, give them your ID, and they apply the sticker to your ID themselves. And as anyone who has one knows, those stickers don't tear off in one piece. So you would have to sell your ID.

Not to be a complete dick, but that you even suggest selling it and your flippant attitude about disregarding the school's policies makes me wonder what might show up when you complete your moral and character fitness application....

[markariz]

Hot tip: if you feel the need to preface what you're about to say with "not to be a complete dick, but...." then maybe it isn't worth saying.

[Tangerine Gleam]

Already developing some inter-class tension -- NICE!

Finally actually signed the lease on my place in North Berk. Can't wait to move. Gonna eat Cheeseboard all the time.

[gymboree]

Hey Shaggier1 - PM me if you need to ship some boxes out. I'm already set up in my house and have plenty of garage storage.

[bayareadunks]

Um...just so you know...the AC Transit pass is simply a sticker that you attach ONTO an ID...you are not selling your ACTUAL student ID provided by the school...only a half inch by half inch sticker...sorry if I was unclear...

So, yeah...no consequences.

Actually because people have been selling the sticker, the school no longer gives you the sticker itself. You go to the office, give them your ID, and they apply the sticker to your ID themselves. And as anyone who has one knows, those stickers don't tear off in one piece. So you would have to sell your ID.

Not to be a complete dick, but that you even suggest selling it and your flippant attitude about disregarding the school's policies makes me wonder what might show up when you complete your moral and character fitness application....

Oh well that's my mistake then, because I had no idea they no longer just gave you the sticker. But as for the rest...really? I was just trying to offer a suggestion for those people that may be financially strapped. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't attempt to draw larger conclusions regarding my moral character based on a meaningless post in a forum on TLS.

[Kronk]

lol @ the person questioning moral character based on an AC Transit sticker. That's definitely worth an eyeroll.

Don't tell me there are really going to be that many self righteous Boalt 1Ls next year.

Also, spent the week in Berkeley and found a place. Bootie SF @ the DNA Lounge was amazing, as usual.

[gymboree]

For those of you who have already signed leases for the upcoming school year, would you mind posting your location and what you are paying for rent? I was originally planning on going down the week of July 26 to secure housing, but now I'm starting to feel that I will be on the late end if I do. . .Thanks in advance!

We have a house in Orinda - 4 bedroom 3 bath (and funky '70s tennis court cut into the hillside!), $2900. Orinda is beautiful, quiet, close to BART, and great for OWLS with families (great schools). The commute is 5 minutes by BART to Rockridge, then 16 minutes on the 51 bus to Boalt. Works out to less than 23 minutes door to door.

Due to the funky '70s tennis court, it would be a great place to have a party. I'm thinking of having a BBQ before orientation -- I'll keep you posted.

[MollyAlisa]

Hi all. I'm a long time lurker here at TLS but now that I've decided to join you all at Boalt I've decided to make it official. I'm looking forward to meeting you all in August, although I probably saw a few of you already at the ASW.