Berkeley 2010 Forum

[IHaveDietMoxie]

"Students are graded on a curve which strictly limits recognition for excellence. At Berkeley Law, the grading system has remained constant for more than 20 years. There has been no grade inflation, even though the credentials of our students - whether measured by undergraduate G.P.A., LSAT score or prior life attainments - are far stronger than they were 20 years ago.

With a fixed curve and a talented student body, an Honors grade represents a substantial achievement and a High Honors grade an outstanding one. For internal purposes, the Berkeley campus translates both Honors and High Honors grades into its system as A's."

My GF is a 1L. The students are very chill and are not cutthroat towards each other whatsoever.

http://www.law.berkeley.edu/1050.htm

Anecdotally, I can attest to this as well. good luck to everyone, by the way, submitting after dec release, ucb is one of my top choices

[amidea]

[

Definitely a compliment. I would actually love to go to school with you because then I'd know that the best schools wanted me.

[Lyov Myshkin]

if i got into yale, id still pick harvard every day of the week and twice on sunday.

For real.

Oh yeah.

hear, hear

no.. here, here.

[CardinalRules]

Awesome transposition from the Harvard thread! I think that HLS and Boalt generate the most fervent love from TLSers among all schools.

[Lyov Myshkin]

Awesome transposition from the Harvard thread! I think that HLS and Boalt generate the most fervent love from TLSers among all schools.

haha, i was wondering if anyone was gonna catch it.

[raisinbran]

UR 10/22ers, are you splitters as I am? I have lost hope of hearing from Cal until well into the new year. So much for hearing Dean Tom's calming voice on the phone.

[Neelio]

10/22 UR as well... I don't consider myself a splitter, but 165/3.9 isn't too promising either. We shall see what happens. I've lost hope as only URMs on LSN have been accepted with my scores. I'm a minority, but no URM. Damn.

[kittenmittons]

UR 10/22. Not a splitter.

[smiley]

10/22 and definitely a high gpa splitter

[tintin]

10/22 here as well, but i don't think i'm a splitter.

[MeasuredOptimism]

UR 10/22. Not a splitter, around 75% for both.

I assume we will be hearing soon that we went to committee review?

[Saya]

Another 10/22. I didn't know there were so many of us! Maybe they'll have another round next week? Or am I dreaming.

[protokurios]

UR 10/19. Around both 75%s.

[CardinalRules]

Another 10/22. I didn't know there were so many of us! Maybe they'll have another round next week? Or am I dreaming.

I've been having dreams about my Boalt application for a while. They're called nightmares.

[Hattori Hanzo]

UR 10/22. Not a splitter, around 75% for both.

I assume we will be hearing soon that we went to committee review?

What is this committee review and what's the difference between this and regular UR?

[thalassocrat]

UR 10/22, right between median and 75% for both.

UR 10/22. Not a splitter, around 75% for both.

I assume we will be hearing soon that we went to committee review?

What is this committee review and what's the difference between this and regular UR?

At Boalt, initially Dean Tom reviews the files himself. From there he admits some, I think rejects some, and the rest are sent to the admissions committee. That's what committee review is.

[CardinalRules]

UR 10/22. Not a splitter, around 75% for both.

I assume we will be hearing soon that we went to committee review?

What is this committee review and what's the difference between this and regular UR?

Committee review is like a normal Admissions Committee-style review (except with student representatives if you checked the box on your application), and it usually takes place in the New Year. The difference from the first version of UR is that Dean Tom individually goes over applications and makes decisions in the first round; he admits the people who should be auto-admits and rejects the people who should be auto-rejects. Going to committee review is certainly not a disaster, since generlaly 2/3 of the admitted pool does not receive a decision until that stage.

[Hattori Hanzo]

So it's kind of like a WL? Can you sumbit additional essays at that point?

[CardinalRules]

So it's kind of like a WL? Can you sumbit additional essays at that point?

It's better than a wait-list, I think. Probably one should think of it as the real review process and the Dean Tom review as a priority review. Usually, 2/3 of a top law school's acceptances don't come off the wait-list. On the additional essay, I don't think it would make a big difference unless you feel that you omitted something serious from your initial application.

[Hattori Hanzo]

So it's kind of like a WL? Can you sumbit additional essays at that point?

It's better than a wait-list, I think. Probably one should think of it as the real review process and the Dean Tom review as a priority review. Usually, 2/3 of a top law school's acceptances don't come off the wait-list. On the additional essay, I don't think it would make a big difference unless you feel that you omitted something serious from your initial application.

Well I omitted a "Why Boalt" essay and sent in a 2 pg PS Post-app regret is killing me.

[CardinalRules]

So it's kind of like a WL? Can you sumbit additional essays at that point?

It's better than a wait-list, I think. Probably one should think of it as the real review process and the Dean Tom review as a priority review. Usually, 2/3 of a top law school's acceptances don't come off the wait-list. On the additional essay, I don't think it would make a big difference unless you feel that you omitted something serious from your initial application.

Well I omitted a "Why Boalt" essay and sent in a 2 pg PS Post-app regret is killing me.

Um. I did likewise, and am likewise suffering from post-app regret. However, Dean Tom has already admitted several people who just wrote a 2-page PS, so it's clearly not a deal-breaker.

[Hattori Hanzo]

So it's kind of like a WL? Can you sumbit additional essays at that point?

It's better than a wait-list, I think. Probably one should think of it as the real review process and the Dean Tom review as a priority review. Usually, 2/3 of a top law school's acceptances don't come off the wait-list. On the additional essay, I don't think it would make a big difference unless you feel that you omitted something serious from your initial application.

Well I omitted a "Why Boalt" essay and sent in a 2 pg PS Post-app regret is killing me.

Um. I did likewise, and am likewise suffering from post-app regret. However, Dean Tom has already admitted several people who just wrote a 2-page PS, so it's clearly not a deal-breaker.

Not with your numbers but for the rest of us mortals it might very well be! I also suffer from utter lack of softs, which I have heard is a big deal for Boalt.

[CardinalRules]

Boalt is one of the top three soft-lovers with YLS and SLS. A small part of my concern about my non-news from them is that it bodes ill for my chances at the other two schools. My softs are not eye-popping either.

[Kronk]

Managamy. Seriously. You're going to get into SLS. At worst a waitlist from Boalt. Lack of softs will not matter.

[CardinalRules]

Managamy. Seriously. You're going to get into SLS. At worst a waitlist from Boalt. Lack of softs will not matter.

Thanks for the +1!

You think that Boalt is more selective than SLS?