Ultimate California Application Thread Forum

[sibley]

Have you been in Irvine during Winter? That's how they keep the standard.

Indeed. The good winter weather will allow Irvine to obtain significant prestige. UCI will dominate the legal world along with the University of Hawaii, Texas Southern University, and Whittier College. Meanwhile, poor Harvard and Yale, both located in areas with tough winters, will toil in TTT territory.

Good winter weather is sort of analogous to applicants' softs in the admissions process. People talk a lot about it, and it surely helps break the occasional tie between two choices, but, when push comes to shove, it usually doesn't have a significant impact on actual decisions.

Assuming all the schools I'm considering have similar rankings and $$$ offers... Good weather is 2nd on my list. First is still seeing my SO as much as I'd like. Good weather can't be in the south - they have too-hot summers. So, if my boyfriend says he'll come out to CA after he's done with school in '11... I'm there. Otherwise... NYC is nice and close and DC is workable.

[los blancos]

Weather is a really important consideration for me, too. That's one of the reasons I'd probably take UCLA over anything else lower than Duke. I am sick of the Midwestern weather.

[Quine]

Have you been in Irvine during Winter? That's how they keep the standard.

Indeed. The good winter weather will allow Irvine to obtain significant prestige. UCI will dominate the legal world along with the University of Hawaii, Texas Southern University, and Whittier College. Meanwhile, poor Harvard and Yale, both located in areas with tough winters, will toil in TTT territory.

Good winter weather is sort of analogous to applicants' softs in the admissions process. People talk a lot about it, and it surely helps break the occasional tie between two choices, but, when push comes to shove, it usually doesn't have a significant impact on actual decisions.

You underestimate the value of something like good weather to someone who isn't a prestige/rankings whore. Some people appreciate that they'll be spending three years in law school. Professors (and some graduates) will be spending the better part of their life there, and I imagine for them that makes weather an even greater influence.

[sunnygirl]

I do think the weather and climate affect my choice. I have a question. People don't talk much about Pepperdine, I applied to this law school, but I don't know much about it. Anybody wanna give me some hint about it? I only know it is in Malibu and beautiful.

[heyguys]

Have you been in Irvine during Winter? That's how they keep the standard.

Indeed. The good winter weather will allow Irvine to obtain significant prestige. UCI will dominate the legal world along with the University of Hawaii, Texas Southern University, and Whittier College. Meanwhile, poor Harvard and Yale, both located in areas with tough winters, will toil in TTT territory.

Good winter weather is sort of analogous to applicants' softs in the admissions process. People talk a lot about it, and it surely helps break the occasional tie between two choices, but, when push comes to shove, it usually doesn't have a significant impact on actual decisions.

You underestimate the value of something like good weather to someone who isn't a prestige/rankings whore. Some people appreciate that they'll be spending three years in law school. Professors (and some graduates) will be spending the better part of their life there, and I imagine for them that makes weather an even greater influence.

I used to think this would be the case for faculty, but I don't think so anymore. Faculty are largely concerned with two things: 1) prestige of the institution and funding for their research projects and 2) the quality of their colleagues. The next tier of considerations are 3) student quality and 4) opportunities afforded either prospectively or in terms of conferences and whatnot. Then, education for their children is a big consideration, which way down the line would be followed by climate.

I was considering a CA school and a CT school, and I really like the climate out west (I'm from the western US). I chose the CT school for risk mitigation purposes despite loving the idea of being in CA for 3 years. Ultimately, I think that given the current state of the economy and such, this was almost certainly the right decision for me, not to mention if I were to want to do academia.

When I was making the decision itself, climate was a huge consideration for me, but now that I'm in the northeast and freezing (ha), I probably would make the same decision over again. I'll almost certainly never live in the NE again after this, so the experience is a nice one, and given the state of the economy and the changing nature of biglaw/the legal profession writ large, I would recommend choosing the school which presents the least amount of risk and the best chance of you being able to achieve your goals regardless of where in the class you end up.

[wired]

Oh wow, my weather comment was meant as a joke, but has obviously brought up a discussion. (I am trying to remember which economist in history first brought up the idea of non-rent compensation and that any benefits of an area are off-set by a decreased wage... he'd love to comment on this.)

[Quine]

I used to think this would be the case for faculty, but I don't think so anymore. Faculty are largely concerned with two things: 1) prestige of the institution and funding for their research projects and 2) the quality of their colleagues. The next tier of considerations are 3) student quality and 4) opportunities afforded either prospectively or in terms of conferences and whatnot. Then, education for their children is a big consideration, which way down the line would be followed by climate.

I was considering a CA school and a CT school, and I really like the climate out west (I'm from the western US). I chose the CT school for risk mitigation purposes despite loving the idea of being in CA for 3 years. Ultimately, I think that given the current state of the economy and such, this was almost certainly the right decision for me, not to mention if I were to want to do academia.

When I was making the decision itself, climate was a huge consideration for me, but now that I'm in the northeast and freezing (ha), I probably would make the same decision over again. I'll almost certainly never live in the NE again after this, so the experience is a nice one, and given the state of the economy and the changing nature of biglaw/the legal profession writ large, I would recommend choosing the school which presents the least amount of risk and the best chance of you being able to achieve your goals regardless of where in the class you end up.

I think I can safely say that people won't be passing up Yale for UCI... ever. You say, "I chose a CT school" like you're referring to Quinnipiac or something. Your desire for a change of pace isn't exactly pertinent to the discussion of Irvine's weather.

I would pick Stanford over Yale, but I've already done my time in shitty-weather country.

[sibley]

I do think the weather and climate affect my choice. I have a question. People don't talk much about Pepperdine, I applied to this law school, but I don't know much about it. Anybody wanna give me some hint about it? I only know it is in Malibu and beautiful.

I read the buildings are like bunkers inside but they're planning an overhaul in the future, and of course the outside is beautiful. I didn't apply there because they're just too Christian for me.

[Damon]

My take on Malibu is that it's Okay, but way overrated. The thing about this side of the pacific ocean is that the water is too cold to swim in, even during summer, and the view is actually quite depressing in the other seasons because of the dense fog and murky waters.

As for Pepperdine campus itself, I'm not going to say it's butt ugly, but only because I went there. The daily walk to classes up and down the steep hills is not what I would call a leisurely trek.

[wired]

Might as well throw in something productive to the thread.

I would love to do a California school; however, budget and feasibility had me only apply to:

UC Berkeley
UC Los Angeles
UC Irvine

I am not planning on being accepted at UCB, planning on sticker at UCLA at the best, and UCI is actually one of my top choice schools. (The small and prestigious faculty is a huge selling point, as well as the affordability - I am very debt averse.)

Still have yet to hear back from any of them.

[finalaspects]

Might as well throw in something productive to the thread.

I would love to do a California school; however, budget and feasibility had me only apply to:

UC Berkeley
UC Los Angeles
UC Irvine

I am not planning on being accepted at UCB, planning on sticker at UCLA at the best, and UCI is actually one of my top choice schools. (The small and prestigious faculty is a huge selling point, as well as the affordability - I am very debt averse.)

Still have yet to hear back from any of them.

Mind if i ask you what your stats are?

[Inygma]

UCLA (out)
USC
UC Davis
UC Hastings
USD (In)

163/3.71

I'm still debating sending an app to UCI (though id need to get another LOR)
Not sure its worth it with my stats.

[You Gotta Have Faith]

Be aware of Loyola's anti transfer policies

Loyola has an anti-transfer policy? Can you explain?

Loyola 1Ls who ask for recommendation letters or letters of good standing (required to transfer) are disqualified from participation in OCI. Sounds fantastic, but it's true. So if you do well enough at Loyola and want to transfer, there is no looking back.

Can't you tell them the letter of good standing is for an internship? And then reuse an old LOR from when you applied, plus one from a clinic you did, or one from a prof you tell is for a summer educational program?....

1) Although I didn't even apply to Loyola, I have heard that they do actually go to this measure. Kind of crazy, but I believe true.

2) Apart from the fact that you might be flat-out lying about the letter of good standing, that isn't the main issue because the LOR must be from a law professor that you had during 1L year. That is, unfortunately, the problem with it.

[TheWire]

tagged

[wired]

Might as well throw in something productive to the thread.

I would love to do a California school; however, budget and feasibility had me only apply to:

UC Berkeley
UC Los Angeles
UC Irvine

I am not planning on being accepted at UCB, planning on sticker at UCLA at the best, and UCI is actually one of my top choice schools. (The small and prestigious faculty is a huge selling point, as well as the affordability - I am very debt averse.)

Still have yet to hear back from any of them.

Mind if i ask you what your stats are?

169 / 3.38 that just recently changed to a 3.44; and if you are an admissions rep at UCI, know that I love your school.

[finalaspects]

169 / 3.38 that just recently changed to a 3.44; and if you are an admissions rep at UCI, know that I love your school.

lol sorry i'm not. Although with those stats i'm sure Irvine will be definitely interested.

No interest in Davis or Hastings though? or USC?

[wired]

My application budget was tight. Davis and Hasting were excluded because they couldn't waive the application fee and I didn't see myself attending unless there was very substantial money (which I didn't expect). I wanted to apply to USC, but I had to decide between applying there and Berkeley. I decided if I had to pay over $40k for school, I would want it to be at T14 as opposed to USC. I regret not applying. I am considering budgeting it in over the next two weeks.

Really, I am just hoping for at least 80% at UCI. If I can get that, then I think almost anywhere else would have a tough time competing. My wife's family is about an hour away, I want to work gov't in Southern California, and as I have said, their faculty is a huge draw for me.

[finalaspects]

My application budget was tight. Davis and Hasting were excluded because they couldn't waive the application fee and I didn't see myself attending unless there was very substantial money (which I didn't expect). I wanted to apply to USC, but I had to decide between applying there and Berkeley. I decided if I had to pay over $40k for school, I would want it to be at T14 as opposed to USC. I regret not applying. I am considering budgeting it in over the next two weeks.

Really, I am just hoping for at least 80% at UCI. If I can get that, then I think almost anywhere else would have a tough time competing. My wife's family is about an hour away, I want to work gov't in Southern California, and as I have said, their faculty is a huge draw for me.

50% wouldn't sway you? 50% is guaranteed.

Although i'm sure they'll offer more to a few students but im guessing they'll be over both medians?

[im_blue]

My application budget was tight. Davis and Hasting were excluded because they couldn't waive the application fee and I didn't see myself attending unless there was very substantial money (which I didn't expect). I wanted to apply to USC, but I had to decide between applying there and Berkeley. I decided if I had to pay over $40k for school, I would want it to be at T14 as opposed to USC. I regret not applying. I am considering budgeting it in over the next two weeks.

Really, I am just hoping for at least 80% at UCI. If I can get that, then I think almost anywhere else would have a tough time competing. My wife's family is about an hour away, I want to work gov't in Southern California, and as I have said, their faculty is a huge draw for me.

TBH, what would you do if you got shut out of Berkeley, UCLA, and UCI, which is a very real possibility (in fact, I'd say more than 50% likely). I think with your splitter numbers, you should really apply to more schools like USC, Cornell, and a safety like Davis/Hastings.

[articulably suspect]

SW what did you pass up at USD for Hastings, money wise?

80 something K. 81 or 84, I dont remember. Passed up a similar amount at Loyola.

Is the assumption that you'd be able to keep the scholarship over all three years factored into this figure? In other words, what were the conditions.

[Danteshek]

My application budget was tight. Davis and Hasting were excluded because they couldn't waive the application fee and I didn't see myself attending unless there was very substantial money (which I didn't expect). I wanted to apply to USC, but I had to decide between applying there and Berkeley. I decided if I had to pay over $40k for school, I would want it to be at T14 as opposed to USC. I regret not applying. I am considering budgeting it in over the next two weeks.

Really, I am just hoping for at least 80% at UCI. If I can get that, then I think almost anywhere else would have a tough time competing. My wife's family is about an hour away, I want to work gov't in Southern California, and as I have said, their faculty is a huge draw for me.

No need to go to a top flight school then. Take a scholarship to a school in Socal.

[wired]

My application budget was tight. Davis and Hasting were excluded because they couldn't waive the application fee and I didn't see myself attending unless there was very substantial money (which I didn't expect). I wanted to apply to USC, but I had to decide between applying there and Berkeley. I decided if I had to pay over $40k for school, I would want it to be at T14 as opposed to USC. I regret not applying. I am considering budgeting it in over the next two weeks.

Really, I am just hoping for at least 80% at UCI. If I can get that, then I think almost anywhere else would have a tough time competing. My wife's family is about an hour away, I want to work gov't in Southern California, and as I have said, their faculty is a huge draw for me.

TBH, what would you do if you got shut out of Berkeley, UCLA, and UCI, which is a very real possibility (in fact, I'd say more than 50% likely). I think with your splitter numbers, you should really apply to more schools like USC, Cornell, and a safety like Davis/Hastings.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I still applied to a bunch of targets that I would be happy with. George Washington, Vandy (WL'd), WUSTL, and William and Mary are all schools I would be happy attending and think I can get the financial aid to offset the costs. I also applied to Cornell and UVA.

[im_blue]

My application budget was tight. Davis and Hasting were excluded because they couldn't waive the application fee and I didn't see myself attending unless there was very substantial money (which I didn't expect). I wanted to apply to USC, but I had to decide between applying there and Berkeley. I decided if I had to pay over $40k for school, I would want it to be at T14 as opposed to USC. I regret not applying. I am considering budgeting it in over the next two weeks.

Really, I am just hoping for at least 80% at UCI. If I can get that, then I think almost anywhere else would have a tough time competing. My wife's family is about an hour away, I want to work gov't in Southern California, and as I have said, their faculty is a huge draw for me.

TBH, what would you do if you got shut out of Berkeley, UCLA, and UCI, which is a very real possibility (in fact, I'd say more than 50% likely). I think with your splitter numbers, you should really apply to more schools like USC, Cornell, and a safety like Davis/Hastings.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I still applied to a bunch of targets that I would be happy with. George Washington, Vandy (WL'd), WUSTL, and William and Mary are all schools I would be happy attending and think I can get the financial aid to offset the costs. I also applied to Cornell and UVA.

Your numbers are auto-reject at UVA (both below median), but the rest of your list looks reasonable. Good luck!

[wired]

My application budget was tight. Davis and Hasting were excluded because they couldn't waive the application fee and I didn't see myself attending unless there was very substantial money (which I didn't expect). I wanted to apply to USC, but I had to decide between applying there and Berkeley. I decided if I had to pay over $40k for school, I would want it to be at T14 as opposed to USC. I regret not applying. I am considering budgeting it in over the next two weeks.

Really, I am just hoping for at least 80% at UCI. If I can get that, then I think almost anywhere else would have a tough time competing. My wife's family is about an hour away, I want to work gov't in Southern California, and as I have said, their faculty is a huge draw for me.

50% wouldn't sway you? 50% is guaranteed.

Although i'm sure they'll offer more to a few students but im guessing they'll be over both medians?

They will be offering anywhere between 50% and 100%. How they distribute the funds, I have no idea. 50% will be nice and it will definitely be an option if I get in. But if I have a 50% scholarship, I would be looking at 20-25k tuition the first year and then 18-20k tuition the last two years. While I love UCI and want to go there, I have weigh it against other options (e.g. William and Mary has offered a great scholarship. While transferring to California would be very difficult, I believe federal experience in UVA or DC would help me transfer after 4-6 years.)

[wired]

My application budget was tight. Davis and Hasting were excluded because they couldn't waive the application fee and I didn't see myself attending unless there was very substantial money (which I didn't expect). I wanted to apply to USC, but I had to decide between applying there and Berkeley. I decided if I had to pay over $40k for school, I would want it to be at T14 as opposed to USC. I regret not applying. I am considering budgeting it in over the next two weeks.

Really, I am just hoping for at least 80% at UCI. If I can get that, then I think almost anywhere else would have a tough time competing. My wife's family is about an hour away, I want to work gov't in Southern California, and as I have said, their faculty is a huge draw for me.

TBH, what would you do if you got shut out of Berkeley, UCLA, and UCI, which is a very real possibility (in fact, I'd say more than 50% likely). I think with your splitter numbers, you should really apply to more schools like USC, Cornell, and a safety like Davis/Hastings.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I still applied to a bunch of targets that I would be happy with. George Washington, Vandy (WL'd), WUSTL, and William and Mary are all schools I would be happy attending and think I can get the financial aid to offset the costs. I also applied to Cornell and UVA.

Your numbers are auto-reject at UVA (both below median), but the rest of your list looks reasonable. Good luck!

Yeah, I didn't realize that UVA had such a strict numbers policy (the right angle that occurs at 170 and 3.85) until after I applied. I had a fee waiver though so I didn't lose much skin. UVA did send me my rejection letter already.