Berkeley 1Ls taking Qs... Forum

[phaedrus78]

Okay I'll bite.
You mentioned students below the 25% in LSAT, but what about GPA? Have you met many who have a competitive LSAT, but their grades are lower? How low?

Also, how is the rental market for houses? My wife and I are expecting our 5th in January, we've resigned to the fact that we'll have to give up somethings, but selling our house and moving into a 3 bedroom apt. is hard to swallow, since our kids won't have as much freedom to run in and out.

Thanks to all the other questions and answers so far, very informative.

GPA I've seen as low as 3.5 paired with a 167. High lsat splitters are really rare I think.

It is non existent in the places that I would consider it suitable to have a family. I would not want my kids to be harassed by drunken undergrads so anyone near the campus is outside the question. I think University Village has been mentioned many many times in this thread, it is your best bet. It has so many many other families and kids running around and every time I'm there I see some people having a barbecue outside. Real Leave it to Beaver- like.

Good to know,
I'll look into the village.
Thanks!

[JackBauer]

bump

[dueprocess14]

bump

If you're still checking this:

What would you say the general school culture is, specifically in terms of post-grad intentions? Berkeley appears to be much more public interest-focused than most other schools. Is this true? What sorts of PI work do people tend to go toward? Is there much of a push for clerkships, or are more people interested in staying out west than pursuing them across all the other circuit courts, etc.?

Are you able to draw from other academic departments at Berkeley, ie, could you take a PoliSci or Philosophy class if you wanted to? Do many people do this?

Does the faculty tend to promote close student-teacher relationships? Are there many opportunities to assist on research work?

Finally, what made you go UCB over other schools (apart, of course, from the best zip code on the planet)?

Thanks!! Good luck with finals.

[Formerbruin]

I hope Jack doesn't mind if I hijack his post, but I want to take a break from finals (Sorry Jack!)

What would you say the general school culture is, specifically in terms of post-grad intentions? Berkeley appears to be much more public interest-focused than most other schools. Is this true? What sorts of PI work do people tend to go toward? Is there much of a push for clerkships, or are more people interested in staying out west than pursuing them across all the other circuit courts, etc.?

Dean Edley has continued the focus on PI here. Last year, the percentage that went into PI was three times the average of the other top 15 schools. There does not seem to be as much a push for clerkships as, say, government work (lots of people go to the DoJ Honors Program, for example). There is always a significant cadre going to international human rights work, criminal prosecution, and various public interest organizations (ACLU, APHA, NRDC, etc.). Plus clerkships aren't really "public interest."

Are you able to draw from other academic departments at Berkeley, ie, could you take a PoliSci or Philosophy class if you wanted to? Do many people do this?

The opportunity is definitely there. I'm not sure a lot of people do it, but I'm taking a class outside of the law school next semester in an environmental-law related field. I'm quite excited about it.

Does the faculty tend to promote close student-teacher relationships? Are there many opportunities to assist on research work?

I can't compare it to other schools, but all of my professors have been very friendly and always have their doors open for students whenever they are there (which is often). Also, very easy to get RA work.

Finally, what made you go UCB over other schools (apart, of course, from the best zip code on the planet)

The people. I felt more comfortable here than the other schools I was looking at (UVa and Duke, mainly). I felt everyone was down to earth, and that not everyone had the top-firm-or-die mentality I felt existed at Duke. The people seemed... genuine.

Definitely happy with my choice.

[raskolnikov]

I have a question for you, Jack. Who are you? Stalker.

[nallku]

I herd that BYU grads were having trouble getting into graduate schools and getting harassed in retaliation for Prop 8. Are LDS students singled out or looked down upon at Berkeley?

[raskolnikov]

I herd that BYU grads were having trouble getting into graduate schools and getting harassed in retaliation for Prop 8. Are LDS students singled out or looked down upon at Berkeley?

As is its reputation, Berkeley tends to be quite liberal. Conservatives will find themselves in the minority, but I haven't noticed any particular groups singled out or isolated because of their beliefs.

[legends159]

Can u get around without a car? How close are nearby grocery stores and such?

[raskolnikov]

Can u get around without a car? How close are nearby grocery stores and such?

Students can use the bus system for free, which is generally sufficient (but not always convenient). A car can be nice, but Berkeley is a poorly designed city when it comes to traffic flow. It can be frustrating for anyone who comes from a city in which drivers actually know what they're doing. If gas, insurance, and parking fees are no issue for you, then a car would make a lot of errands more convenient here.

There are several grocery stores around, but it should definitely be something to consider when looking for a place to live, especially if you don't have a car.

[ipaik]

..

[yjlu]

How is the cost of living? How easy is it to find jobs to pay for tuition? Do studies even allow for it? Is it easy access to the airport?

I live in a studio for ~$1000/month that's 1 mile from campus. But food's cheap.

A 20 hour PT job during the first school year is probably unrealistic. Well, there is someone in our class who does 20-hours/wk as a patent scientific advisor in a firm while doing law school full-time...but I have no idea how he does it. Another classmate is a research assistant for a law professor that takes i think ~10hr/wk, but she says it's pretty tough.

About a 1 hour BART/bus ride to SFO and Oakland airports. Faster if you drive.

[Son of Cicero]

Can u get around without a car? How close are nearby grocery stores and such?

Students can use the bus system for free, which is generally sufficient (but not always convenient). A car can be nice, but Berkeley is a poorly designed city when it comes to traffic flow. It can be frustrating for anyone who comes from a city in which drivers actually know what they're doing. If gas, insurance, and parking fees are no issue for you, then a car would make a lot of errands more convenient here.

There are several grocery stores around, but it should definitely be something to consider when looking for a place to live, especially if you don't have a car.

I live 8 blocks from the law school (Manville grad student housing). Some of my friends here walk ~20 minutes to get their groceries, but I find it more convenient to just order everything online from safeway.com. They charge $6-15 depending on the width of the time window you allow them. I doubt I'll find a strong need to get a car during my years at Boalt; many (maybe most) of the students just walk/bus/bike everyday. The bus system will give you access to most places that are too far for walking but too close for BARTing, but I typically just use this to save time on the way to school. If you have no qualms with the homeless, the city is highly walkable.

I herd that BYU grads were having trouble getting into graduate schools and getting harassed in retaliation for Prop 8. Are LDS students singled out or looked down upon at Berkeley?

As is its reputation, Berkeley tends to be quite liberal. Conservatives will find themselves in the minority, but I haven't noticed any particular groups singled out or isolated because of their beliefs.

Yeah, I believe there is a presumption that you will lean left if you are here, but no one at the law school is likely to give you a litmus test. Maybe there is a difference between "Berkeley at large" and "professional Berkeley." At the latter, it seems everyone recognizes either the inherent value or the utility in being respectful towards future colleagues. Those who try to criticize or change others' core beliefs must primarily stay near the undergrad campus.

[stewknew]

Hey, I am from the east coast so I am wondering if berkeley is going to be excessive culture shock for me? Are there other people there from the east coast?

I have never attended a public university so i am also wondering too if there will be some in-state people who dont seem to fit in with the accomplishments of the rest of the crew?

I hear there are too many conservative asians at the school, true for the law school or just undergrad?

[legends159]

I have never attended a public university so i am also wondering too if there will be some in-state people who dont seem to fit in with the accomplishments of the rest of the crew?

Boalt does not give preferential treatment for in-state people. Maybe their UG does, but certainly not their law school. Everyone in the class will be smart.

[raskolnikov]

Hey, I am from the east coast so I am wondering if berkeley is going to be excessive culture shock for me? Are there other people there from the east coast?

There are a lot of people who have spent time in the northeast here (I know several people who worked in NY for several years and quite a few who are from the area (Maine, NJ, Boston, etc). I moved here from Texas, and while it's very different, it would be a huge stretch for me to call it "culture shock." We tend to frown on people who move here and constantly talk about how the X region is so much better and how they wish they'd gone there, but very few people do that. And of course, it's strongly advised that you visit before deciding to come here so you can see for yourself whether it's too radically different.

I hear there are too many conservative asians at the school, true for the law school or just undergrad?

I haven't encountered ANY of those in the law school.

[legends159]

Does anyone know if I need to work my first year to gain residency? Is it enough if I just get a license there, register to vote and live in say Manville?

[raskolnikov]

Does anyone know if I need to work my first year to gain residency? Is it enough if I just get a license there, register to vote and live in say Manville?

There's a residency checklist available on the website, I believe. You do not need to work (and in fact, Boalt requests that you not work). If you register to vote, get a DL, and list your permanent address as a CA address, then you're generally ok. They say you also need to show that you are in CA during holidays (or at least not in your previous state of residency).

[legends159]

Does anyone know if I need to work my first year to gain residency? Is it enough if I just get a license there, register to vote and live in say Manville?

There's a residency checklist available on the website, I believe. You do not need to work (and in fact, Boalt requests that you not work). If you register to vote, get a DL, and list your permanent address as a CA address, then you're generally ok. They say you also need to show that you are in CA during holidays (or at least not in your previous state of residency).

awesome sounds great.

[Son of Cicero]

Hey, I am from the east coast so I am wondering if berkeley is going to be excessive culture shock for me? Are there other people there from the east coast?

I'm from the Southeast/Bible Belt and have experienced almost no culture shock. Maybe I would see a bigger difference if spent more time in San Francisco, but Berkeley isn't very distinct from other college towns I have known, though it is a little more heavily populated than most and has considerably more junkies and panhandlers in the streets.

[saradsun]

I'm from the midwest and have not found any culture shock. It's liberal in a very relaxed way (from my experience). Though I agree with a PP, about professors assuming a liberal bent, well, hell, you (general you) chose Berkeley. I think its ok for the profs to assume that. A conservative coming to Berkeley, like a liberal going to a traditionally conservative school, is going to have to expect that.

The village. I am less than a cheerleader for the village. I live in the new section and I despise the apartments because even though they could have put a window in the kitchen, they didn't, and its dreary and dungeon like. And I have no hot water. I complain, I fill out their "danger danger if we turn up your hot water" form and still we have to boil water to get enough hot water to do the fricking dishes. Showers are luke-cool everyday. However, it is cheaper than closer to campus. I visited someone in the older units and I REALLY liked those. So get on the wait list ASAP. It is "easy" to live here though. All utilities included. Parking space. Bus service (btw 52L to the village is not on the nextbus thing, at least not as of a few weeks ago when I checked). No dishwashers and the portable ones are against the rules, but I hear lots have them anyway.

Yeah, it is kid friendly, but I find the playground kids to be REALLY rude. I realize I'm from the midwest and a bit more authoritarian than some parents (but hey, come on, I co-sleep, breastfed, babywear, I even homeschooled my oldest for a while, I'm far from a conservative authoritarian zealout) but the kids at the playground are REALLY poorly behaved and I resist taking my kids there because of the bad influence, and when they do go there, I spend the next week grinding it out through negative reinforcement *frown* "no we don't talk to each other that way."

Get on the wait list for the childcare, either through Cal, or the one in the village, THE DAY YOU ACCEPT. And nag them. I found my daycare experiences here to be the WORST thing about starting law school. It probably would have been like that anywhere for me, though.

My daughter in high school is experiencing some culture shock. She's biracial herself but the Albany high school is really cliquey. I wanted to live in the village mostly to go to the "amazing great" Albany high school, but coming from schools in Nebraska, I don't find it great. Fewer class choice, craptastical lunch, rowdy classrooms, and bad cliquiness. I think she'd have been happier at Berkeley high from the things I've heard from others.

But the law school. I really like the law school, though the construction is a pain. The school tries hard to mitigate the inconvenience and give us tshirts to compensate. LOL. I find the students here friendly and cooperative and I usually get 3 offers of notes from various students if I have to miss a class. Student services was there for me when I needed them when my grandfather died and I had to reschedule a midterm.

So thumbs up to the school, thumbs middlin' for the village. The convenience is hard to beat. But.... yeah.

[ReachingHigh09]

I am a total city boy, and I spent a week in Berkeley back in October. I did not like the city at all (but I loved the law school....spent some time hanging out with a friend from undergrad who is now a 2L, sat in on some classes, had lunch with a few peeps)....how is the [driving] commute from San Francisco to Berkeley? Do you know of any other students who commute from SF to Berkeley, and what has their experience been?

[cbreault]

.....

[Bright*Star]

How's the gym? Is there a good school gym or a nice inexpensive gym nearby?

[Formerbruin]

Can u get around without a car? How close are nearby grocery stores and such?

I don't have a car, don't need a car, and don't plan on getting a car while I'm here. I think a car would in many ways be more of a hassle than a convenience.

Does anyone know if I need to work my first year to gain residency? Is it enough if I just get a license there, register to vote and live in say Manville?

You don't need to work during the school year, but you DO need to stay in California your first summer to have any chance at being granted residency (though there are some very infrequent exceptions).

how is the [driving] commute from San Francisco to Berkeley? Do you know of any other students who commute from SF to Berkeley, and what has their experience been?

The driving commute is not so bad because you're going against traffic in both directions. It'll take you about the same amount of time to drive as taking the BART (30-45 minutes depending on where you live).

How's the gym? Is there a good school gym or a nice inexpensive gym nearby?

How's the gym? Is there a good school gym or a nice inexpensive gym nearby?

I use the Berkeley gym. It's not bad and at $10/semester, I'm sold.

[legends159]

I use the Berkeley gym. It's not bad and at $10/semester, I'm sold.

please tell me they have free weights