BOALT!!!

[russiankitty]

Congrats Pookie, Raul and Buster!!!!
Boalt is awesome and I have some awesome friends both there and in San Fran, I don't know if I'll get in, and if I don't you have to become friends with them and I'll come visit all of you :0)
I'm very happy for all of you. And, Pookie, you especially since I sorta know you :0) through email, but still, you're amazing and should be in absolutely everywhere!

[maricutie]

Me too! I missed the admissions' directors' call yesterday -- when I called back I got his answering machine. Imagine my surprise when I hear "Boalt Admissions Office"!! Got the email at work today, after a night of fretful sleeping.

What surprises me is that my app was JUST considered complete as of 11/30 (applied 11/9), and my numbers aren't spectacular compared to the rest of the ppl on LSN getting in. Ah well.

Now, if only Stanford gets the message ... !

[vmersich]

maricutie!

Fantastic news!  Congratulations!

As you said, your numbers are great but wouldn't suggest "auto-admit" anywhere like Boalt.  Are you pretty surprised?

And how does this stack up with your choice rankings?

[maricutie]

Yeah, moderately surprised -- especially b/c I know plenty of ppl last year with much better numbers who didn't get in to Boalt. I figured my "soft factors" -- aka URM, work experience, ps, ECs, etc -- would go a long way at Boalt, though, and I guess they did. I feel the same way about, say, Michigan, but not necessarily the same regarding Stanford. I was surprised b/c of their seemingly-random way of selecting applicants, but it'd not like the heart-attack I'd get if I got into Stanford or, say, Yale. But happy!!!!

In terms of ranking them --- don't know yet. I def want to work in the Bay Area and I LOVE berkeley, but like I said in another post sometime ago, I'm a little worried about its ranking in the future. Also, the time I visited an IP class I wasnt too impressed with the students there. But it IS a t-14 in the area I want to work in ... Right now the only other offer I have is Georgetown, and I think all these factors (plus the better weather & family in CA) make Boalt the winner for now.

[TDPookie1]

congrats to new acceptees!!

maricutie, what about the students didn't you like at boalt?  i haven't visited any classes, and i don't even know if i'd know what to look for.  i should probably take a day or two off work to visit UCLA and USC, so i at least have something to go by...

[adverseeffect]

pookie, you should definitely visit ucla and usc before boalt.  i don't think classrooms, furnishings, etc. are good reasons to choose say a top ten school over a top 50 school, but if you want to work in socal, i really liked the feel on campus at ucla.  campuses i have visited (in order of visiting):

ucla: gorgeous, library is really nice and students were friendly and happy
usc: the building was pretty gross, seventies style with some water damage on the ceiling
boalt: classrooms are really really old and i couldn't figure out where i could plug in my laptop
uva: gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.  first rate facilities, wireless everything.  students were really happy.

at least for me i think surroundings are important because i will be spending so much time in one place and i want somewhere where i can buy a cup of hot cocoa and sit and read torts for twelve hours straight.

[maricutie]

congrats to new acceptees!!

maricutie, what about the students didn't you like at boalt?  i haven't visited any classes, and i don't even know if i'd know what to look for.  i should probably take a day or two off work to visit UCLA and USC, so i at least have something to go by...

My boyfriend, an engineer, had developed an interest in IP law and, given that Berkeley is the best in the nation for that, we sat in on a class. It felt like the professor was like any undergrad professor, kinda relaxed, more conversational than really lecturing. That alone wouldn't have been the problem, though. When he called on one person (the rest of the ppl actually just volunteered --- there didnt seem to be the socrative grilling that i've read about in oneL), she kinda just answered the question with another question, and not a very intelligent one at that. Sorry --- it was about a year ago, and recollection's kinda fuzzy. Maybe my impression would have been different had it been a 1L class we'd been attending instead of an elective ... ?

Also, the buildings do leave something to be desired, especially compared to newer, high-tech ones. It's not even nice-old, like Northwestern or (i hear) UMich. It seems like more 70s-era buildings than anything, but I haven't visited their library yet.

That having been said, Berkeley is AWESOME. Expensive as hell and the housing is not worth what you pay for, but once you convert you'll never want to leave the bay area. Even if I get into Stanford I'm half-jokingly thinking about communting from the east bay. The Berkeley-East Bay culture is so unique!

[GoHuskies05]

Yeah, moderately surprised -- especially b/c I know plenty of ppl last year with much better numbers who didn't get in to Boalt. I figured my "soft factors" -- aka URM, work experience, ps, ECs, etc -- would go a long way at Boalt, though, and I guess they did. I feel the same way about, say, Michigan, but not necessarily the same regarding Stanford. I was surprised b/c of their seemingly-random way of selecting applicants, but it'd not like the heart-attack I'd get if I got into Stanford or, say, Yale. But happy!!!!

In terms of ranking them --- don't know yet. I def want to work in the Bay Area and I LOVE berkeley, but like I said in another post sometime ago, I'm a little worried about its ranking in the future. Also, the time I visited an IP class I wasnt too impressed with the students there. But it IS a t-14 in the area I want to work in ... Right now the only other offer I have is Georgetown, and I think all these factors (plus the better weather & family in CA) make Boalt the winner for now.

You're a URM?  If you don't want to say that's fine, but what's your ethnicity? 

[TDPookie1]

pookie, you should definitely visit ucla and usc before boalt.  i don't think classrooms, furnishings, etc. are good reasons to choose say a top ten school over a top 50 school, but if you want to work in socal, i really liked the feel on campus at ucla.  campuses i have visited (in order of visiting):

that's a big jump from top 10 to top 50, if you're talking about boalt and UCLA (which it seems you are).  they're only 3 ranking spots away from each other...  my sister and i hate UCLA randomly, and when i asked her for a check for my app fee (i ran out of checks and couldn't find my next stack), she was really sad that her check was being used for UCLA.  ha ha.

[adverseeffect]

pookie, you should definitely visit ucla and usc before boalt.  i don't think classrooms, furnishings, etc. are good reasons to choose say a top ten school over a top 50 school, but if you want to work in socal, i really liked the feel on campus at ucla.  campuses i have visited (in order of visiting):

that's a big jump from top 10 to top 50, if you're talking about boalt and UCLA (which it seems you are).  they're only 3 ranking spots away from each other...  my sister and i hate UCLA randomly, and when i asked her for a check for my app fee (i ran out of checks and couldn't find my next stack), she was really sad that her check was being used for UCLA.  ha ha.

oops, sorry strike that phrase and reverse it.  i meant to say choosing 50 over choosing 10.  my main point is that i found boalt's building to be really depressing and not well-maintained and if i wanted to practice in LA i would choose UCLA or USC over boalt.  btw, i don't understand why ucla has much better facilities than boalt since they both charge the same amount of tuition, thoughts?

my dad went to USC for ugrad and he does not want me to go to UCLA either.