Boalt student taking questions about Boalt, law school in general, work, etc.

[LittleRussianPrincess, Esq.]

Hello again.

I have some general LS questions, if you don't mind.  What is the main difference between your study strategies and habits now as opposed to what they were in UG?  How would you prepare differently for a typical law school exam as opposed to say, a history final in Tennessee?  How much different are the exams and is there anything you can use as an indicator to gauge how successful you will be in LS down the road?  Also, what can I do now to prepare for LS and get a step ahead? 

Thanks in advance... your responses have been extremely helpful!     

I think everyone's study strategies are different and have a lot to do with the school they attend and what their goals may be.  In my case, I was dedicated more to learning that studying in undergrad.  I took 18 credit semesters full of senior level courses since the time I was a freshman and while I applied myself in class, participated in discussions and took good notes, I can honestly remember only one exam for which I pulled an all-nighter in undergrad.  I read for some classes, for others I didn't crack a book.  I knew the system and the professors and I knew myself enough to know how to get my A's.  Law school is different in that you can't slack off.  You do have to read for most of your 1L classes or you will not understand the material when you come to class.  If you fall 3 reading assignments behind, you will probably remain behind for the remainder of the semester.  The stakes are higher and the ramifications of slacking off are greater.  I've had to force myself to be more disciplined and more humble. I had to realize that I have to work for good grades and whatever natural smarts I may have felt like I had in undergrad don't cut the butter at Boalt.

[IvanTrbl]

Thanks a bunch... nice new avatar pic!

[LittleRussianPrincess, Esq.]

Thanks a bunch... nice new avatar pic!

thank you and no problem!

[chidochido]

Hey, thanks a lot for all the replies...it is really interesting hearing your perspective on all of these topics. I thought of a couple more questions, though...

How would you describe the 'food chain' of the job hunt in CA? What I mean is, where does an average Boalt student lie in the grand scheme of things when looking for a job compared to someone from Stanford, USC, UCLA, etc? You mentioned earlier that someone with mostly Ps would likely find themselves in a secondary market...what exactly do you mean by that? What types of jobs and which markets?

Also, what about the Boalt kids who do really well with grades? Where are they getting jobs?

Where do most people study? Do you see people on campus a lot or is Boalt more of a commuter school?

Outside of SF, where else are Boalt kids getting (biglaw) jobs in CA? Is the pay comparable?

Where do most Boalt kids live? Would you say most people keep it close to campus (northside, southside, etc) or do people actually get all the way out to Oakland, Emeryville, etc. to look for a place? What is the Boalt parking situation like? Do people get preference or is it just dog-eat-dog out on Piedmont and Bancroft?

How much do you think extracurriculars such as mock trial or journals help with the job hunt?

Alright, that's about it...Not sure if you can answer all of these or get to them anytime soon, but again thanks for lending your perspective...I'm sure I'm not the only one that appreciates it!

[LittleRussianPrincess, Esq.]

Hey, thanks a lot for all the replies...it is really interesting hearing your perspective on all of these topics. I thought of a couple more questions, though...

How would you describe the 'food chain' of the job hunt in CA? What I mean is, where does an average Boalt student lie in the grand scheme of things when looking for a job compared to someone from Stanford, USC, UCLA, etc? You mentioned earlier that someone with mostly Ps would likely find themselves in a secondary market...what exactly do you mean by that? What types of jobs and which markets?

Also, what about the Boalt kids who do really well with grades? Where are they getting jobs?

Where do most people study? Do you see people on campus a lot or is Boalt more of a commuter school?

Outside of SF, where else are Boalt kids getting (biglaw) jobs in CA? Is the pay comparable?

Where do most Boalt kids live? Would you say most people keep it close to campus (northside, southside, etc) or do people actually get all the way out to Oakland, Emeryville, etc. to look for a place? What is the Boalt parking situation like? Do people get preference or is it just dog-eat-dog out on Piedmont and Bancroft?

How much do you think extracurriculars such as mock trial or journals help with the job hunt?

Alright, that's about it...Not sure if you can answer all of these or get to them anytime soon, but again thanks for lending your perspective...I'm sure I'm not the only one that appreciates it!

Wow! Lots of questions. Let me see if I can tackle them all to your satisfaction.

The food chain roughly coincides with the rankings. Stanford is top dog, with Boalt following closely after.  Some people will argue that Boalt and Stanford are pretty much on the same level in terms of placement, I think that all things being equal, the Stanford grad will get hired over the Boaltie.  USC and UCLA are good for LA, but will likely stand behind S and B grads, even in the SoCal market.  We have many students who are from LA and wanted to go back and I don't know of any who had any trouble getting jobs there. MoFo, Gibson Dunn, O'Melveny, etc.

I did say that folks with mostly P's are going to have the most luck in secondary markets (not, NYC, SF, LA, Chi, DC), but that is not to say that this is the rule.  I actually know several people with mostly P's who have jobs with top 20 firms in NYC. People with mostly H's have no trouble getting top 10, top 5 firms there.

I think most people study at Boalt and it definitely doesn't have a commuter school feel.  People are there till late in the evening, studying, doing journal work, hanging out, etc.  I choose to study elsewhere, but that's just because I can't relax in the "institutional" environment.

SF, as I've said before is the most difficult market.  I would say we sent more people to NYC and DC than we did to SF firms.  Other markets that are also well-represented are LA, Seattle, Texas, Boston and to a lesser degree ATL and the Midwest.  Pay is obviously less in secondary markets (100, 115 compared to 125, 135), but these are markets where the cost of living more than makes up for the salary differences.

Most Boalties live in Berkeley and in nearby cities in the East Bay.  A few live in the Hills, but I think most prefer the proxomity of the Downtown area.  Don't really know anything about housing on Bancroft, because I never looked into it, but I doubt I would want to live there.  It's a bit too noisy for my taste.

Journals, especially Law Review play a significant role in the OCI process.  Firms want to see that you have a variety of skills and interests. 

[snikrep]

Thanks for the info, it's helpful.

Did many people transfer to other schools after 1L?  Is anybody unhappy with their choice?

Do you happen to know how other national schools do in the SF market?  Like NYU, UVA, Chicago, Harvard, etc.?

[kuokuo]

When you say SF...does that include the surrounding areas as well (i.e. Palo Alto, Santa Clara, San Jose, etc.)?

[LittleRussianPrincess, Esq.]

Thanks for the info, it's helpful.

Did many people transfer to other schools after 1L?  Is anybody unhappy with their choice?

Do you happen to know how other national schools do in the SF market?  Like NYU, UVA, Chicago, Harvard, etc.?

There was a guy in my module that transferred to Stanford after 1L.  I heard it was because he had pressure from his family to go to the more prestigious school.  I don't keep in touch with him, so I can't tell you how happy he is with his choice.  The only person I know who has transferred and wasn't happy actually transferred back (professor Bob Berring who went Boalt-Harvard-Boalt).

I have a buddy from Penn who was successful in the SF market, I couldn't really tell you about other schools.

[LittleRussianPrincess, Esq.]

When you say SF...does that include the surrounding areas as well (i.e. Palo Alto, Santa Clara, San Jose, etc.)?

I'm talking about the city and Palo Alto.  Surrounding markets are secondary and are much easier to navigate.

[sea dream]

Hey Ruskie, thanks for taking questions. i'm going to ask possibly a stupid question, but bear with me 

How easy is it to get back and forth between SF and Berkeley without a car? how easy is it to survive without a car, especially for things like grocery shopping? I noticed the housing prices are really high.. i lived in a different college town that supposedly had high living costs but berkeley seems to be topping it. is it possible to find studios/1 bedrooms for less than, say, 850 a month, and have them be tolerable? not sure what i mean by tolerable, but.. yeah that's all. lol