UC-Berkeley Class of 2017 Forum

[Wiggly]

...

[barrelofmonkeys]

It's official, I am a Boaltie!

I actually saw this on LSN before here, but congrats on your choice && amazing scholarship! You will be so happy at Berk!

[barrelofmonkeys]

I don't know where in my admitted students domain that I find this. How do I see?

https://bearfacts.berkeley.edu/bearfacts/

[isaiah1992]

It's official, I am a Boaltie!

I actually saw this on LSN before here, but congrats on your choice && amazing scholarship! You will be so happy at Berk!

Thanks BOM! I definitely made the right choice.

[EquallyWrong]

is there any reason to expect a magical merit based scholarships from them?
probably going to need to do some serious panhandling over the summer, don't exactly have 80k stored in my underwear drawer.

[drumstickies]

It's been several weeks since I submitted my matching scholarship request. Are they going to tell me if they deny it? If they did a full match, I'm probably a definite for Berkeley...

[Typhoon24]

Checked my updated financial aid (matching plus need/merit=~140k). Yeaaa I'm prolly gonna matriculate here .

[koalacity]

Checked my updated financial aid (matching plus need/merit=~140k). Yeaaa I'm prolly gonna matriculate here .

Whoa! Congrats!!! Would you mind sharing (PM is good if you don't want to share publicly) what scholarship you submitted for the match?

[dubster101]

If I have no new messages on my MyFinAid homepage I'm assuming that means I don't have any merit/need-based scholarships yet, correct?

[FinalFour]

Did anyone else receive a rejection regarding the matching scholarship program within 10-12 days of applying? I got the "no" email 2 days before I even got the email saying they had assembled all my materials and were ready to review them. I feel like they went out of there way to say no that fast. I'm kind of upset given the fact I have $$$ from higher ranked schools and I would have loved to attend Berkeley, but this makes it impossible. Sorry about the venting. I'm just confused.

[hellomellow]

Did anyone else receive a rejection regarding the matching scholarship program within 10-12 days of applying? I got the "no" email 2 days before I even got the email saying they had assembled all my materials and were ready to review them. I feel like they went out of there way to say no that fast. I'm kind of upset given the fact I have $$$ from higher ranked schools and I would have loved to attend Berkeley, but this makes it impossible. Sorry about the venting. I'm just confused.

that's kind of bizarre. how can they say no before they've seen your materials.. lol

[Mack.Hambleton]

do we have to submit the FAFSA in order to receive a merit scholly?

[FinalFour]

Did anyone else receive a rejection regarding the matching scholarship program within 10-12 days of applying? I got the "no" email 2 days before I even got the email saying they had assembled all my materials and were ready to review them. I feel like they went out of there way to say no that fast. I'm kind of upset given the fact I have $$$ from higher ranked schools and I would have loved to attend Berkeley, but this makes it impossible. Sorry about the venting. I'm just confused.

that's kind of bizarre. how can they say no before they've seen your materials.. lol

Haha, exactly. A great deal of my confusion stems from that. I must have been the worst applicant for a matching scholarship they had ever seen.

do we have to submit the FAFSA in order to receive a merit scholly?

Definitely not for the matching. I'm not sure about the non-matching merit scholarships.

[Wiggly]

...

[drumstickies]

Does anyone know if Berkeley renews need-based scholarships? Or do they reduce the amount after your first year...? I doubt my parents' or my income will change too much over the next three years.

[ashley82929]

Does anyone know if Berkeley renews need-based scholarships? Or do they reduce the amount after your first year...? I doubt my parents' or my income will change too much over the next three years.

You have to reapply every year and claim your summer earnings

[drumstickies]

Does anyone know if Berkeley renews need-based scholarships? Or do they reduce the amount after your first year...? I doubt my parents' or my income will change too much over the next three years.

You have to reapply every year and claim your summer earnings

True. Let's say, hypothetically speaking, that I took a somewhat common route and did PI (or some similarly paying job/fellowship) for the 1L summer and worked as a SA and made 20-25K for the 2L summer. Would Berkeley reduce my need-based financial aid offer either year? Has this happened to any current student?

[Typhoon24]

Does anyone know if Berkeley renews need-based scholarships? Or do they reduce the amount after your first year...? I doubt my parents' or my income will change too much over the next three years.

You have to reapply every year and claim your summer earnings

True. Let's say, hypothetically speaking, that I took a somewhat common route and did PI (or some similarly paying job/fellowship) for the 1L summer and worked as a SA and made 20-25K for the 2L summer. Would Berkeley reduce my need-based financial aid offer either year? Has this happened to any current student?

Extremely interested in this.

[Cocoblues]

Does anyone know if Berkeley renews need-based scholarships? Or do they reduce the amount after your first year...? I doubt my parents' or my income will change too much over the next three years.

You have to reapply every year and claim your summer earnings

True. Let's say, hypothetically speaking, that I took a somewhat common route and did PI (or some similarly paying job/fellowship) for the 1L summer and worked as a SA and made 20-25K for the 2L summer. Would Berkeley reduce my need-based financial aid offer either year? Has this happened to any current student?

Extremely interested in this.

+1

[bonerland]

Does anyone know if Berkeley renews need-based scholarships? Or do they reduce the amount after your first year...? I doubt my parents' or my income will change too much over the next three years.

You have to reapply every year and claim your summer earnings

True. Let's say, hypothetically speaking, that I took a somewhat common route and did PI (or some similarly paying job/fellowship) for the 1L summer and worked as a SA and made 20-25K for the 2L summer. Would Berkeley reduce my need-based financial aid offer either year? Has this happened to any current student?

Extremely interested in this.

I don't see what the confusion is. Need based aid is income contingent--that is all you need to know.

If your annually salary now is 20K and you become a SA during 1L summer and earn 30k your need-based grant for the following year will be adversely effected (granted that your parents income remains the same).

[Typhoon24]

The confusion isnt understanding that the grant will be adversely affected with an increase in income, but rather to what degree. How significant would the yearly cut/increase be if a student's financial situation were to change through taking a SA position or PI work? Does 1L/2L SA automatically mean you get no aid? What about PI work (assuming family income remains the same)? I am sure everyone's situation is unique, but there must be trends that exist. Berkeley has a reputation for being a little tight with aid, and knowing that the grant could potentially disappear after 1L year would substantially impact one's decision to attend. We wanted a current student to give input.

[ashley82929]

Berkeley Law presumes that students will work in the summers before and during law school. Entering students will be expected to contribute $2,000 toward the first year of their legal education.

During law school summers, students will be expected to contribute 60 percent of their gross summer income after deducting a "summer living allowance." The allowance for summer of 2013 was $7,000.

During law school summers, the Financial Aid Office expects all students to work or to participate in a law-related internship for at least eight weeks. Students who do neither in a given summer nevertheless will be expected to contribute $2,000 toward their legal education from imputed summer income.

For example, if a student works at a large law firm for 10 weeks during the summer, he or she might earn $30,000. Subtracting $7,000 from the amount leaves $23,000, of which the student would be expected to contribute 60 percent or $13,800 to his or her education.

http://www.law.berkeley.edu/12689.htm#summer

[drumstickies]

Berkeley Law presumes that students will work in the summers before and during law school. Entering students will be expected to contribute $2,000 toward the first year of their legal education.

During law school summers, students will be expected to contribute 60 percent of their gross summer income after deducting a "summer living allowance." The allowance for summer of 2013 was $7,000.

During law school summers, the Financial Aid Office expects all students to work or to participate in a law-related internship for at least eight weeks. Students who do neither in a given summer nevertheless will be expected to contribute $2,000 toward their legal education from imputed summer income.

For example, if a student works at a large law firm for 10 weeks during the summer, he or she might earn $30,000. Subtracting $7,000 from the amount leaves $23,000, of which the student would be expected to contribute 60 percent or $13,800 to his or her education.

http://www.law.berkeley.edu/12689.htm#summer

This is interesting and makes the situation even more confusing. So let's say that as a 2L SA, I made 30K and have been offered $20k in need-based aid for the year. Would the $13,800 come out of my need-based grant, resulting in a $6,200 scholarship, or am I just expected to put that much into the balance I borrowed and still receive the $20k in aid?

[ashley82929]

Berkeley Law presumes that students will work in the summers before and during law school. Entering students will be expected to contribute $2,000 toward the first year of their legal education.

During law school summers, students will be expected to contribute 60 percent of their gross summer income after deducting a "summer living allowance." The allowance for summer of 2013 was $7,000.

During law school summers, the Financial Aid Office expects all students to work or to participate in a law-related internship for at least eight weeks. Students who do neither in a given summer nevertheless will be expected to contribute $2,000 toward their legal education from imputed summer income.

For example, if a student works at a large law firm for 10 weeks during the summer, he or she might earn $30,000. Subtracting $7,000 from the amount leaves $23,000, of which the student would be expected to contribute 60 percent or $13,800 to his or her education.

http://www.law.berkeley.edu/12689.htm#summer

This is interesting and makes the situation even more confusing. So let's say that as a 2L SA, I made 30K and have been offered $20k in need-based aid for the year. Would the $13,800 come out of my need-based grant, resulting in a $6,200 scholarship, or am I just expected to put that much into the balance I borrowed and still receive the $20k in aid?

Yeah, that's the tricky part for me too. I've been assuming it comes out of your grant but I'm not sure.

[wowhio]

Just submitted Matching Scholarship request today. How long does it usually take to hear back?