Best T-14 Social Life? Forum

[FryBreadPower]

Berkeley is obviously TCR. Easy access to SF, some of the best food in the Bay both at the high price range and the student price range if you like contemporary organic and California cousine. Undergrad bars as well as more young professional vibe. Pretty solid sports teams/events to socialize at. Great concerts at the Greek and throughout the Bay. Good public transit to avoid driving drunk. Great weather year round for BBQ's and partying outside. Most down to earth students. What more for which could you ask?

I'd hardly say "year-round"; its nice most of the time but it's no UCLA. Plus, certain parts of the city (many parts) are huge turn-offs for a lot of people. I feel like personal flavor plays a large role in how people feel about Berkeley.

[redsoxfan2495]

Morningside Heights is not a dangerous neighborhood bro.

This. I have never felt less than 100% safe here at any time of day or night. There's a subway stop at the entrance to campus, so no night travel through Harlem is ever necessary.

[EMZE]

Growing up in NYC I will offer that if NYU is much closer to most of the things worth doing. Columbia is in a bad part of town. Not like, run down bad, but potentially dangerous. Not a place I would for a second feel comfortable taking my chances going out, drinking, and using public trans to get back. Granted, it's NYC, so its always a risk of sorts, but you are really rolling the dice if you travel alone up that way. In case anyone didn't know, Columbia is pretty much in Harlem. But a taxi is always an option.

Within the institutions themselves, I can only speak for their undergrad culture. In that sense, NYU people were much more enjoyable to party with. I felt like every time I hung out with Columbia folk, the conversation descended into drunken politcs arguments.

So in my opinion, in terms of nightlife

CLS<NYU

"Really rolling the dice? dangerous?" just remember to bring your butler next time and you'll be fine

Consider that general advice for those unfamiliar with NYC and unaware what lies North of Columbia.

Even if you do disagree that meandering unaware around Harlem is potentially risky, that butler comment wasn't necessary.

Morningside Heights is not a dangerous neighborhood bro.

No, the upper west side isn't. Maybe North was too general, but do you really disagree that missing your stop on the 4 train and getting off at 125th at midnight is a good situation for someone who doesn't know any better?

Maybe my information is antiquated. I grew up in NYC in the 80's and 90's, but haven't lived there in over a decade, so maybe it's changed for the better. I hope so.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Maybe my information is antiquated. I grew up in NYC in the 80's and 90's, but haven't lived there in over a decade, so maybe it's changed for the better. I hope so.

It has. Also, East Harlem (like around 125th Street on the 4/5/6) is still far sketchier than the west side. I'd feel pretty okay in the West 120s at night. No worse than plenty of popular parts of Brooklyn, for instance.

[BackToTheOldHouse]

Berkeley is obviously TCR. Easy access to SF, some of the best food in the Bay both at the high price range and the student price range if you like contemporary organic and California cousine. Undergrad bars as well as more young professional vibe. Pretty solid sports teams/events to socialize at. Great concerts at the Greek and throughout the Bay. Good public transit to avoid driving drunk. Great weather year round for BBQ's and partying outside. Most down to earth students. What more for which could you ask?

TITCR.

[hyakku]

That's interesting what people sAy about berkeley. Going to USC I've gotten accustomed to the California weather. Last time I went back to nj / NYC I felt like death had crept into my bones. At the same time, I get annoyed sometimes at having to drive everywhere in traffic I'm la. I've never been up to berkeley for the weekender, but I'm hoping to visit before app decisions are made because a lot of my friends from here say the sAme about Berkeley being a pretty solid place in general to live.

Coming from NNJ/NYC I've always considered Columbia in Harlem too. I never really worried because I know people there, but at the same time I know of a lot of dirt that gets done in the area. I wouldn't call it dangerous though, most people are gonna stick to themselves presuming you leave them be. It's not like living in south central where you can get robbed going to class in the morning (has happened here multiple times lol). But I do know that most people, including people like me that are from the area / have friends and family from there, would much rather take the train headed downtown to NYU than uptown to CLS at 2 am, but safety really isn't the biggest concern (at least IMO)

No one went to a place with a college town like ann arbor? I really like what I've heard in general and it seems like those places cultivate a lot of school spirit and loyalty. Coming from SC I'm no stranger to the positive affect that can have on people, wondering how similar the vibe is in places like AA.

[ahduth]

Morningside Heights is not a dangerous neighborhood bro.

This. I have never felt less than 100% safe here at any time of day or night. There's a subway stop at the entrance to campus, so no night travel through Harlem is ever necessary.

This is bullshit, you might get your clock cleaned by some uber-intense CLS student.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Guys, dirt gets done in the area.

[kwais]

Morningside Heights is not a dangerous neighborhood bro.

This. I have never felt less than 100% safe here at any time of day or night. There's a subway stop at the entrance to campus, so no night travel through Harlem is ever necessary.

This is bullshit, you might get your clock cleaned by some uber-intense CLS student.

do they give credit for trolling columbia down there in hipsterville? A+

[Holly Golightly]

I think NU has a pretty awesome social life, and although I despise Streeterville it is a fairly convenient location to go out from. This year's 1Ls don't seem to be going out a lot, but I think my class pretty consistently parties, goes to bar review, etc. Law students are always going to get annoying sometimes, but for the most part the people here are fairly cool - no one is overly competitive or anything. In all, I'd say there's a pretty chill social atmosphere, or at least as good as you're going to find in a law school.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Morningside Heights is not a dangerous neighborhood bro.

This. I have never felt less than 100% safe here at any time of day or night. There's a subway stop at the entrance to campus, so no night travel through Harlem is ever necessary.

This is bullshit, you might get your clock cleaned by some uber-intense CLS student.

do they give credit for trolling columbia down there in hipsterville? A+

Only a CLS student would think Macdougal Street and West 4th is hipsterville.

[ahduth]

I think NU has a pretty awesome social life, and although I despise Streeterville it is a fairly convenient location to go out from. This year's 1Ls don't seem to be going out a lot, but I think my class pretty consistently parties, goes to bar review, etc. Law students are always going to get annoying sometimes, but for the most part the people here are fairly cool - no one is overly competitive or anything. In all, I'd say there's a pretty chill social atmosphere, or at least as good as you're going to find in a law school.

Without knowing you, you sound like a Ukrainian Village / Logan Square kind of person. Like their music, likes their people, likes their beer cheap... I dunno, I may be just describing myself.

[ahduth]

Morningside Heights is not a dangerous neighborhood bro.

This. I have never felt less than 100% safe here at any time of day or night. There's a subway stop at the entrance to campus, so no night travel through Harlem is ever necessary.

This is bullshit, you might get your clock cleaned by some uber-intense CLS student.

do they give credit for trolling columbia down there in hipsterville? A+

I was actually trolling an earlier portion of the thread, but these misunderstandings happen.

I'd also like to take exception to the idea that MacDougal and 4th isn't the center of hipsterdom. I've been there, and I dunno... there are some hot people there.

[hyakku]

Growing up near NYC, I don't know anyone whose not considered NYU relatively "hipster" or at least their UG pop. I didn't even know people from NYU tried to deny this, the few UGs I've met from there have definitely been full on hipster, along with the people I know wanting to go. I doubt its like that in LS/BS, but with the great acting and arts programs, it's inevitable that you'll get more of a hipster crowd than columbia.

Im surprised to hear that about NU, I've never known as much as I would like about the school, but good to know

[kwais]

why is anyone taking the 4 to Columbia? Isn't that like me saying be careful that you don't miss your West 4th stop and end up in Flatbush?

[canon]

Berkeley is obviously TCR. Easy access to SF, some of the best food in the Bay both at the high price range and the student price range if you like contemporary organic and California cousine. Undergrad bars as well as more young professional vibe. Pretty solid sports teams/events to socialize at. Great concerts at the Greek and throughout the Bay. Good public transit to avoid driving drunk. Great weather year round for BBQ's and partying outside. Most down to earth students. What more for which could you ask?

I'd hardly say "year-round"; its nice most of the time but it's no UCLA. Plus, certain parts of the city (many parts) are huge turn-offs for a lot of people. I feel like personal flavor plays a large role in how people feel about Berkeley.

Yes, LA weather trumps Bay - ALWAYS.
That said, Berkeley social life is fantastic. I'm having an amazing time here. We had a fundraiser auction Friday night. Annual sh*tshow, apparently. 1L cover band, DJ, huge dance floor. Cheap drinks. Several after parties. 1Ls have been really active, and every bar review was pretty solid up until Halloween passed (when we had to start the "review" cycle over and do repeat venues). Bacchus Society throws wine tasting 2-3 times a semester for $10. Wine tasting trips to Sonoma and Napa. And then you haven't even touched SF or Oakland activities ...

The social atmosphere isn't entirely dependent on the environs. The people make a big difference! Then we had that 1L game of Assassins ...

[rayiner]

I'm not sure what the above quote has to do with that, but I think you mis understand what I mean. I was asking to those who know people who attend one while they attend the other, vice versa, or possibly those who went to one for undergrad and the other for LS. Obviously NW and Uchi / Stan. and Berkeley don't have nearly the same geographic proximity to each other as NYU and CLS, but I think they are close enough to be more fit for direct comparison than say, Cornell vs NYU/CLS.

UChi/NU and Cal/Stanford are most definitely not equal enough to each other to determine things based on social life (though I know some NU'ers despise Hyde Park enough to disagree with me).

Not so much that I would ever argue they are peer institutions or that, minus a decent scholly offer, somebody should go to NU over U of C. Chicago is just a better school, plain and simple.


Hyde Park does suck donkey balls, though.

Back in the day before ITE, TLS would counsel people to pick NU over U Chicago on a reasonably regular basis. The gap in social life between Streeterville and Hyde Park is much bigger than the gap in prestige, and at the time everyone at both schools got jobs anyway.

[rayiner]

I think NU has a pretty awesome social life, and although I despise Streeterville it is a fairly convenient location to go out from. This year's 1Ls don't seem to be going out a lot, but I think my class pretty consistently parties, goes to bar review, etc. Law students are always going to get annoying sometimes, but for the most part the people here are fairly cool - no one is overly competitive or anything. In all, I'd say there's a pretty chill social atmosphere, or at least as good as you're going to find in a law school.

Without knowing you, you sound like a Ukrainian Village / Logan Square kind of person. Like their music, likes their people, likes their beer cheap... I dunno, I may be just describing myself.

Shockingly accurate.

[IAFG]

I think NU has a pretty awesome social life, and although I despise Streeterville it is a fairly convenient location to go out from. This year's 1Ls don't seem to be going out a lot, but I think my class pretty consistently parties, goes to bar review, etc. Law students are always going to get annoying sometimes, but for the most part the people here are fairly cool - no one is overly competitive or anything. In all, I'd say there's a pretty chill social atmosphere, or at least as good as you're going to find in a law school.

Bolded is why for me, QOL is better in a major city. About once a month I go out somewhere where I will not run into law students... and even when I'm not taking advantage of it, it's nice to know I could. When I compare that to what it would have been like in the college town where I went to undergrad? It probably wouldn't bother K-JDs as much, but I'd go crazy. And have a lot more existential crises.

[Holly Golightly]

I think NU has a pretty awesome social life, and although I despise Streeterville it is a fairly convenient location to go out from. This year's 1Ls don't seem to be going out a lot, but I think my class pretty consistently parties, goes to bar review, etc. Law students are always going to get annoying sometimes, but for the most part the people here are fairly cool - no one is overly competitive or anything. In all, I'd say there's a pretty chill social atmosphere, or at least as good as you're going to find in a law school.

Without knowing you, you sound like a Ukrainian Village / Logan Square kind of person. Like their music, likes their people, likes their beer cheap... I dunno, I may be just describing myself.

Shockingly accurate.

Truth. I really miss living in Ukie Vie.

[hyakku]

I think NU has a pretty awesome social life, and although I despise Streeterville it is a fairly convenient location to go out from. This year's 1Ls don't seem to be going out a lot, but I think my class pretty consistently parties, goes to bar review, etc. Law students are always going to get annoying sometimes, but for the most part the people here are fairly cool - no one is overly competitive or anything. In all, I'd say there's a pretty chill social atmosphere, or at least as good as you're going to find in a law school.

Bolded is why for me, QOL is better in a major city. About once a month I go out somewhere where I will not run into law students... and even when I'm not taking advantage of it, it's nice to know I could. When I compare that to what it would have been like in the college town where I went to undergrad? It probably wouldn't bother K-JDs as much, but I'd go crazy. And have a lot more existential crises.

That's one of my worries about moving from LA to AA if I were to attend Mich., but at the same time, I realize that I don't really get aggravated by my group of friends as it is. At the same time though, I think it has a little bit to do with what you're talking about, I can always just hit up another group of people to go relax with if I ever feel like I've seen my old roommates too much in a week or something like that. That's a huge part of why I wanted to see how people felt in the thread, but so far most people have been to schools in a large city.

I'm surprised the difference between NU and Chi is that great, but then again even my uncle who used to work the prison system in Chicago told me about how parts away from the university can get rowdy at night, so I could understand them not venturing out locally lol.

[djaja]

For a good read on how 'hip' NYU is, a CNN daytime talk show host just moved in across the street from one of the law school buildings.

[bilbobaggins]

Boalt. It's the combination of low competitive atmosphere, people who are attracted to the Bay Area, location in the Bay Area and strong tradition of awesomeness over toolishness. It's not a fratstar atmosphere, but there's a lot of socializing. We have a Bacchus Society.

The weather is decent, but better than the East Coast/Midwest. I'd guess UVA and Duke have better weather.

[johansantana21]

Yale. You can probably not show up for 50% of the classes and still get a biglaw job.

[AreJay711]

Boalt. It's the combination of low competitive atmosphere, people who are attracted to the Bay Area, location in the Bay Area and strong tradition of awesomeness over toolishness. It's not a fratstar atmosphere, but there's a lot of socializing. We have a Bacchus Society.

The weather is decent, but better than the East Coast/Midwest. I'd guess UVA and Duke have better weather.

The weather in UVA is not that much different than the rest of the Mid-Atlantic. Highs in the mid 40's- low 50's and lows from the mid 20's to mid 30's this week.