Berkeley Law (Boalt Hall) Class of 2015 Forum

[poe]

I'm also facing the NYU vs Berkeley question. I'd like to end up in California, but it would be nice to spend a few years in NYC (and at a T6, no less) before coming back. I did my undergrad at Berkeley, so while I love the place, I also feel like I could use a change of scenery.

ASW at NYU will probably be a major deciding factor.

[Rotor]

I'm choosing between Berkeley and NYU here. Would love to work in California, but I guess the T6 mentality and probably slightly better Big Law chances at NYU are holding me back. ASW for both are gonna be a big deal.

@smokeylarue. What ASW are you planning on going to for NYU. I'm in the exact same situation. I'm really interested in working in the bay area (I have a work background related to tech, so San Francisco/Palo Alto is appealing). I'd also rather live in Berkeley for the 3 years of law school than New York (although New York would still be great). However, I've been hearing some scary stories from Berkeley students having difficult time finding jobs, so the better big law prospects of NYU is tempting.

Beware of relying on anecdotal information. While I have no doubt that there are people still looking for jobs, of the people I know well enough to know about their job situation, nearly all are going to big law firms in NY, DC, SF/SV, LA/OC. Some going to Chicago or going back home to flyover states. Many of the people I know who are still jobless are going for DA type jobs that just don't hire this far in advance.

Again-- beware of anecdotal information-- both negative and positive. But, in my opinion, coming to Berkeley will not keep you from getting BigLaw as long as you do reasonably well.

[madvillain]

REJECTED hahahaa. Went there for undergrad so not too unhappy or surprised by the decision. NYU here I come!

[smokeylarue]

I'm choosing between Berkeley and NYU here. Would love to work in California, but I guess the T6 mentality and probably slightly better Big Law chances at NYU are holding me back. ASW for both are gonna be a big deal.

@smokeylarue. What ASW are you planning on going to for NYU. I'm in the exact same situation. I'm really interested in working in the bay area (I have a work background related to tech, so San Francisco/Palo Alto is appealing). I'd also rather live in Berkeley for the 3 years of law school than New York (although New York would still be great). However, I've been hearing some scary stories from Berkeley students having difficult time finding jobs, so the better big law prospects of NYU is tempting.

Yeah dude, I'm right here with you, same thoughts. I'm going to the late March NYU ASW.

[nsbane]

Waitlisted. You all will enjoy Berkeley. I lived in north Berkeley for a couple years - they just finished the Trader Joes when I left. Some favorites:

1) Go to the New Orleans restaurant on Shattuck when they have crawdad night. happens like once a month. If your friend keeps your group waiting, and your group waits on him, while the restaurant sells out of crawdads ... you have permission to sell him to a sex human trafficking ring. (this did happen to me. you may find alternative ways to deal).

2) Brazillian steak sandwich stand just off of Shattuck. Go there. Eat delicious brazilian steak sandwiches. Your heart will fill with love for the world.

3) Cheese Board. it is a collective pizza place run by the workers. downside: no meat served on pizzas; communism. upside: pizza is f'ing delicious. also they have live music on the weekends, people playing piano and other such musical instruments. also on shattuck. across from the place is a grassy median in the middle of the street. despite the city signs saying otherwise, you can sit there and eat pizza. awesome in the spring.

4) Bobby g's pizza at university ave and shattuck. Bobby is polish and his ex-wife(?) works there too. great pizza. has some froofy options like salads for people who can't handle deliciousness. also lots of excellent beer. perfect location to go for sports events, but get there early. since you will be parked at a table for an hour +, buy more than 1 pitcher of beer to help Bobby out.

5) grocery outlet, on university right at I-80 off-ramp. Kind of a trek, but i had a metal folding grocery cart that little old ladies in china town use. walked down here and got great groceries for cheap. $2 gallons of milk people. don't let that go.

6) gorilla cafe. again n berkeley, they sell blue bottle coffee. don't know what blue bottle coffee is? i pity you and the family that allowed you to happen.

7) Housing. 18 months ago, had a 2 bedroom on Lincoln St & Grant St. Kind of a walk from campus, but bike ride is like 10 min? 1,350 a month. Split it with my undergrad roommate. Neighbors were chill. Go to craigslist, or better yet, housingmaps.com - plots Craigslist listings on a google map so you can see the location. landlord was a chinese immigrant; listing was really short and no pictures, but she was super nice and friendly. don't ignore an awesome priced listing because the person doesn't know how to upload an image.

i think that just about does it for now. berkeley is a delicious city. i didnt even get started on the indian places or the korean places just a short drive away. Biggest downside - no soulless giant bookstore like Borders or Barnes & Noble. For that, take BART to SF, exit Powell and go in the Galeria mall like 4th floor.

I <3 Berkeley

[agalang]

Hello everyone! Just got admitted and I'm pretty positive I'll be at Berkeley this fall.

I'm a Bay Area native. I've lived in Oakland, San Jose, and Berkeley. I've worked in SF and the Peninsula...suffice to say that I know the area pretty well. If anyone has any questions about this beautiful, beautiful place, feel free to ask.

Also, I find it funny that y'all were rooting for the Niners because Berkeley/Oakland is located solidly in Raider Nation. It's okay, we do find a few stray Niners fans roaming the East Bay every once in a while.

I've lived in the East Bay my entire life and I'm pretty sure I can find you a lot more than just a "few stray Niner fans" considering the Raiders weren't even in the Bay Area when most of us were born...

[splbagel]

3) Cheese Board. it is a collective pizza place run by the workers. downside: no meat served on pizzas; communism. upside: pizza is f'ing delicious. also they have live music on the weekends, people playing piano and other such musical instruments. also on shattuck. across from the place is a grassy median in the middle of the street. despite the city signs saying otherwise, you can sit there and eat pizza. awesome in the spring.

Yessssssssssssssss, so good! And don't forget the cheese - just go up to the counter and tell them what kind of things you like. They'll ply you with delicious samples until you are ready to take out new loans to fund your cheese habit.

[Genki]

I'm choosing between Berkeley and NYU here. Would love to work in California, but I guess the T6 mentality and probably slightly better Big Law chances at NYU are holding me back. ASW for both are gonna be a big deal.

@smokeylarue. What ASW are you planning on going to for NYU. I'm in the exact same situation. I'm really interested in working in the bay area (I have a work background related to tech, so San Francisco/Palo Alto is appealing). I'd also rather live in Berkeley for the 3 years of law school than New York (although New York would still be great). However, I've been hearing some scary stories from Berkeley students having difficult time finding jobs, so the better big law prospects of NYU is tempting.

The people that are almost universally not having trouble getting jobs out here are the tech people. The number of tech and IP-oriented 1L's I know who have gotten paid summer firm jobs is staggering to me.

Does that apply to people that don't have a science undergrad degree. I'm kind of in a unique situation where I ended up working for a tech firm without a tech background, really liked it, and then decided I would like to get involved in tech-oriented law.

[kolokena]

Checking in, kinda. Also considering Chi/Penn/GULC depending on money from each. In the admitted student email Dean Tom mentions the new LRAP program. I read the new policy but I don't understand the section about clerkships--a 2 year clerkship qualifies for full LRAP benefits but a 1 year clearkship has special parameters? What if you clerk for one judge for a year, then immediately clerk for another judge? There's also this tricky little caveat that says you get LRAP benefits for clerkships only if you take a PI job immediately after the clerkship ends--it's not clear if this applies to all lengths of clerkships. Anyone with insight?

Also, on another note...ASW is the same weekend as Coachella Wknd 1! Whaaaaat!

[EMZE]

IN at Berkeley as of yesterday. Now tracking this thread. This has been and remains among my short list of top choices.

Born and raised in NY. Undergrad in NY. Bouced around a bit for the last 5 years, but have never really spent time out West of the Rockies. Have probably spent 5 days total in CA, and that was for a motorcycle road trip where I started in SF and rode north through CA into OR, east to Yellowstone, then back home to CO. The ride through CA was incredible. I'm halfway tempted to do the trip backwards for ASW. Any others feel like starting a new tradition, a motorcycle rally for all TLSers going to the Berkeley ASW?

ASW will be very informative for me, I really can't wait.

[EMZE]

Checking in, kinda. Also considering Chi/Penn/GULC depending on money from each. In the admitted student email Dean Tom mentions the new LRAP program. I read the new policy but I don't understand the section about clerkships--a 2 year clerkship qualifies for full LRAP benefits but a 1 year clearkship has special parameters? What if you clerk for one judge for a year, then immediately clerk for another judge? There's also this tricky little caveat that says you get LRAP benefits for clerkships only if you take a PI job immediately after the clerkship ends--it's not clear if this applies to all lengths of clerkships. Anyone with insight?

Also, on another note...ASW is the same weekend as Coachella Wknd 1! Whaaaaat!

Don't worry, I'm sure there is a lawyer around here somewhere...

[kolokena]

Don't worry, I'm sure there is a lawyer around here somewhere...

hah

[Genki]

Just booked my flight.
See you all at ASW!

[mcenteno]

Anyone create a Boalt Hall Class of 2015 Facebook page yet?? Maybe after ASW??

[Champion]

Anyone create a Boalt Hall Class of 2015 Facebook page yet?? Maybe after ASW??

I was wondering why there wasn't one.

[mcenteno]

Anyone create a Boalt Hall Class of 2015 Facebook page yet?? Maybe after ASW??

I was wondering why there wasn't one.

Let's start one! I have no one to add to the page though! Since I don't know any other 2015 Boalties haha

[bigtexmex]

August needs to get here soon. My temp job sucks (working at a call center), and, while it should be pretty good until August, it is definitely a frustrating experience dealing with certain customers. Some unruly customers can ruin your day, but you have to continue to remain upbeat to make sure you handle all your calls well.

[mushybrain]

Hi guys! Unless Harvard or Stanford lemme in, I'm definitely attending Berkeley, but I have some housing questions for someone who knows the area, current Berkeley students, or anyone else who might know from their own research.

1. How early do I need an apartment figured out to get a good place? I have pets, so I know it'll take some extra time. Because of said pets, I am expecting to have to line up places to view and then fly out for a few days to check them out.
2. I'm cool with driving, but will there be somewhere to park when I get to campus?
3. Can I afford to get a place on my own? I don't study well in libraries at ALL and I know I'll do better without the distraction of roommates at home. I'd much rather have more in loans than save money by having a roommate. However, I know I'm limited by Berkeley's estimated cost of attendance as far as loan amounts go. Dividing the rent/utilities estimate from the 2011-12 CoA across nine months, I arrive at $1198 total per month. But then... it's also estimating $749 a month for FOOD? Who spends that much?! Is living alone something Berkeley Law students can pull off on loans without any other financial support? What do people do during the summers? Beg their parents?

Thanks! I'm really excited about Berkeley and look forward to meeting everyone at ASW!

Edit: Found the ask a law student thread for Berkeley and put my questions there too.

[Champion]

Here's the Berkeley C/O 2015 Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/176573315788732/

[goodthings]

...

[thecactus]

Did anyone else receive the email about the Henderson Center for Social Justice? My hippy dippy self just got 1000x more excited.

[catwomangirl]

Evidence of my excitement to attend Berkeley:

I felt relief when I was held at Columbia.

[Kurst]

Evidence of my excitement to attend Berkeley:

I felt relief when I was held at Columbia.

Further evidence: inquiring about Berkeley's endowment, and remaining interested in the school after seeing it.

Is there a way for us to look at their endowment numbers?

[catwomangirl]

Evidence of my excitement to attend Berkeley:

I felt relief when I was held at Columbia.

Further evidence: inquiring about Berkeley's endowment, and remaining interested in the school after seeing it.

Is there a way for us to look at their endowment numbers?

haha YES!

[Neatrends]

Whoever suggested a round of drinks with TLSers Friday night during ASW, count me in!

There's so much drawing me to Berkeley right now, I keep having to stop myself from visualizing myself there and give other schools I'm in at a fair shot =)

I also have concerns about the effects of the UC system's fiscal issues and how this would impact me as a law student there. Any input from current students would be really helpful.