In at Berkeley Law! Forum

[crackberry]

No, I actually hit the "tentatively commit" option on their website. The real deadline is June 1st, and it makes you withdraw all applications unfortunately so I hope I am not riding any waitlists at Yale or Stanford that I have to give up.

Wow, so if on June 1 you commit to Berkeley, you have to withdraw from WLs?

Yep. Pretty lame, huh? Especially considering I think I'll be on three (but only two that I would stay on).

That's bullshit.

[Kronk]

No, I actually hit the "tentatively commit" option on their website. The real deadline is June 1st, and it makes you withdraw all applications unfortunately so I hope I am not riding any waitlists at Yale or Stanford that I have to give up.

Wow, so if on June 1 you commit to Berkeley, you have to withdraw from WLs?

Yep. Pretty lame, huh? Especially considering I think I'll be on three (but only two that I would stay on).

That's bullshit.

This is the statement they make you agree to:

I accept admission to Berkeley Law School. I will definitely enroll as a member of the Class of 2013 in August. I will withdraw my application and remove myself from waiting lists at all other law schools immediately. I agree to notify the Admissions Office if my plans change subsequently so as to affect my enrollment in August.

[crackberry]

I accept admission to Berkeley Law School. I will definitely enroll as a member of the Class of 2013 in August. I will withdraw my application and remove myself from waiting lists at all other law schools immediately. I agree to notify the Admissions Office if my plans change subsequently so as to affect my enrollment in August.

That last sentence is a little ambiguous, but I guess the preceding sentence gives you no wiggle room w/r/t WDing.

[1armedscissor]

So I've got need-based financial aid awards from Michigan ($43k) and Penn ($53k), but still waiting on good ol' Berkeley of course. Any advice on whether or not to submit the matching form yet? I figure if I wait, there's a chance my award will be larger. On the other hand, I fear that funds are depleting as we speak, and that they'll have less to give me if I wait.

Thoughts?

[Kronk]

So I've got need-based financial aid awards from Michigan ($43k) and Penn ($53k), but still waiting on good ol' Berkeley of course. Any advice on whether or not to submit the matching form yet? I figure if I wait, there's a chance my award will be larger. On the other hand, I fear that funds are depleting as we speak, and that they'll have less to give me if I wait.

Thoughts?

I don't think they'll give you a larger one anyway, so I'd probably go for it. I submitted my smallest offer on purpose, actually.

[Amelie]

So I've got need-based financial aid awards from Michigan ($43k) and Penn ($53k), but still waiting on good ol' Berkeley of course. Any advice on whether or not to submit the matching form yet? I figure if I wait, there's a chance my award will be larger. On the other hand, I fear that funds are depleting as we speak, and that they'll have less to give me if I wait.

Thoughts?

I don't think they'll give you a larger one anyway, so I'd probably go for it. I submitted my smallest offer on purpose, actually.

I did, too. Hopefully the strategy works.

[crackberry]

Would Berkeley be at all amenable to "matching" an HYS acceptance? I've already withdrawn from every CCNMVPB school I was admitted to and also received money from (except Berkeley), so I don't really have a scholarship for them to match...

[dudester]

Would Berkeley be at all amenable to "matching" an HYS acceptance? I've already withdrawn from every CCNMVPB school I was admitted to and also received money from (except Berkeley), so I don't really have a scholarship for them to match...

I don't understand your question.

[sirchristaylor]

Would Berkeley be at all amenable to "matching" an HYS acceptance? I've already withdrawn from every CCNMVPB school I was admitted to and also received money from (except Berkeley), so I don't really have a scholarship for them to match...

I don't understand your question.

I think Crackberry is asking if Berkeley would give her/him a scholarship for having been accepted to Stanford...and I highly doubt it.

[Emma.]

So I've got need-based financial aid awards from Michigan ($43k) and Penn ($53k), but still waiting on good ol' Berkeley of course. Any advice on whether or not to submit the matching form yet? I figure if I wait, there's a chance my award will be larger. On the other hand, I fear that funds are depleting as we speak, and that they'll have less to give me if I wait.

Thoughts?

I don't think they'll give you a larger one anyway, so I'd probably go for it. I submitted my smallest offer on purpose, actually.

I did, too. Hopefully the strategy works.

Can't they just choose to partially match an offer? I hope so or I may have made a terrible mistake.

[Amelie]

So I've got need-based financial aid awards from Michigan ($43k) and Penn ($53k), but still waiting on good ol' Berkeley of course. Any advice on whether or not to submit the matching form yet? I figure if I wait, there's a chance my award will be larger. On the other hand, I fear that funds are depleting as we speak, and that they'll have less to give me if I wait.

Thoughts?

I don't think they'll give you a larger one anyway, so I'd probably go for it. I submitted my smallest offer on purpose, actually.

I did, too. Hopefully the strategy works.

Can't they just choose to partially match an offer? I hope so or I may have made a terrible mistake.

No they can definitely choose to do that... in fact I think in most cases they only partially match offers. I only sent my smaller Chicago offer because I think it holds more weight. But you got a Darrow, right? I don't think it would be a mistake to send that one

[Emma.]

No they can definitely choose to do that... in fact I think in most cases they only partially match offers. I only sent my smaller Chicago offer because I think it holds more weight. But you got a Darrow, right? I don't think it would be a mistake to send that one

Yeah, I submitted the Darrow offer. Not because it was my largest offer but because Berkeley asks for the offer you'd most likely accept if not going to Boalt. Hope they move quickly on this stuff, I can't wait to have some closure on this cycle.

[Amelie]

No they can definitely choose to do that... in fact I think in most cases they only partially match offers. I only sent my smaller Chicago offer because I think it holds more weight. But you got a Darrow, right? I don't think it would be a mistake to send that one

Yeah, I submitted the Darrow offer. Not because it was my largest offer but because Berkeley asks for the offer you'd most likely accept if not going to Boalt. Hope they move quickly on this stuff, I can't wait to have some closure on this cycle.

My feelings exactly.

[Dignan]

So I've got need-based financial aid awards from Michigan ($43k) and Penn ($53k), but still waiting on good ol' Berkeley of course. Any advice on whether or not to submit the matching form yet? I figure if I wait, there's a chance my award will be larger. On the other hand, I fear that funds are depleting as we speak, and that they'll have less to give me if I wait.

Thoughts?

I don't think they'll give you a larger one anyway, so I'd probably go for it. I submitted my smallest offer on purpose, actually.

FWIW, Berkeley's Matching Scholarship FAQ mentions this strategy. They imply that it doesn't help:

http://www.law.berkeley.edu/6957.htm#MultipleOffers

At the end of the day, I think they make their decision based on the overall strength of your application. I suspect that the size of the offer (which they can partially match if they want) is a non-factor.

[Kronk]

Earliest decisions should be this week, and those are just for people with the NYU deadline (or other similar deadlines). So I think the earliest we will hear is the 5th-9th week.

[Kronk]

So I've got need-based financial aid awards from Michigan ($43k) and Penn ($53k), but still waiting on good ol' Berkeley of course. Any advice on whether or not to submit the matching form yet? I figure if I wait, there's a chance my award will be larger. On the other hand, I fear that funds are depleting as we speak, and that they'll have less to give me if I wait.

Thoughts?

I don't think they'll give you a larger one anyway, so I'd probably go for it. I submitted my smallest offer on purpose, actually.

FWIW, Berkeley's Matching Scholarship FAQ mentions this strategy. They imply that it doesn't help:

http://www.law.berkeley.edu/6957.htm#MultipleOffers

At the end of the day, I think they make their decision based on the overall strength of your application. I suspect that the size of the offer (which they can partially match if they want) is a non-factor.

They imply no strategy helps, which I think seems a little illogical. I have spoken to several TLSers who purposely submitted their smallest offer and recieved matching aid. Almost everyone who submits large offers gets rejected, from the anecdotal evidence I've gathered.

To be fair, I submitted my Chicago offer (before it got raised) because I not only was it the most reasonable (Berkeley simply isn't going to match $90k from UVa, especially when COL is cheaper in Charlottesville) but also because it was my top choice outside of Berkeley. I wrote my essay on the issue.

[Dignan]

At the end of the day, I think they make their decision based on the overall strength of your application. I suspect that the size of the offer (which they can partially match if they want) is a non-factor.

They imply no strategy helps, which I think seems a little illogical. I have spoken to several TLSers who purposely submitted their smallest offer and recieved matching aid. Almost everyone who submits large offers gets rejected, from the anecdotal evidence I've gathered.

To be fair, I submitted my Chicago offer (before it got raised) because I not only was it the most reasonable (Berkeley simply isn't going to match $90k from UVa, especially when COL is cheaper in Charlottesville) but also because it was my top choice outside of Berkeley. I wrote my essay on the issue.

That's funny, because the only person I know who got a matching aid offer at Boalt last year had his 90K UVa grant partially matched (they offered him $30K). I'm not saying that my anecdote beats your anecdotes, but I think it's clear that there's no single right answer about how best to approach the matching application.

btw, I think your strategy--using an offer from a T6 school and explaining why it is your top alternate choice--is smart. Even if you submitted the Chicago offer after it got raised, I still think it would be the best strategy.

[CrimsonCal]

hypothetically, what would happen if you're in off a waitlist in July somewhere else and matriculate there, while also having accepted Berkeley's offer in June?

I'm thinking you just come off looking like an ass / unethical... but there's nothing legally obligating you (which in essence would make you true lawyer material), lol

[sirchristaylor]

hypothetically, what would happen if you're in off a waitlist in July somewhere else and matriculate there, while also having accepted Berkeley's offer in June?

I'm thinking you just come off looking like an ass / unethical... but there's nothing legally obligating you (which in essence would make you true lawyer material), lol

I have heard of a case where the student accepted an offer to a school on the condition that he would decline all other offers. He didn't actually withdraw from all schools, was accepted to another school, and then tried to matriculate there. The school to which he first committed then contacted the other school, and both schools withdrew their offers of admission. He was effectively shut out of every good law school to which he had applied.

[CrimsonCal]

hypothetically, what would happen if you're in off a waitlist in July somewhere else and matriculate there, while also having accepted Berkeley's offer in June?

I'm thinking you just come off looking like an ass / unethical... but there's nothing legally obligating you (which in essence would make you true lawyer material), lol

I have heard of a case where the student accepted an offer to a school on the condition that he would decline all other offers. He didn't actually withdraw from all schools, was accepted to another school, and then tried to matriculate there. The school to which he first committed then contacted the other school, and both schools withdrew their offers of admission. He was effectively shut out of every good law school to which he had applied.

wow.... that is good to know!

[crackberry]

Kronk - what did your Chicago offer get raised to?

[Kronk]

Kronk - what did your Chicago offer get raised to?

60k -> 75k.

[clyde_barrow]

Kronk - what did your Chicago offer get raised to?

60k -> 75k.

how'd you make that happen? just curious.

[Legacy316]

Berkeley matching my NYU Dean's scholly with 60K! (20k/yr.)

[Emma.]

Berkeley matching my NYU Dean's scholly with 60K! (20k/yr.)

That is awesome! Congrats!! Is that a full match of your Dean's $$$?