San Francisco has a reputation of being more relaxed than the rest of the country, and so it's only fitting that the nearby campus of Berkeley Law has a reputation for being laid-back--at least, for a top-tier law school. Part of this perception stems from Berkeley Law's admissions process, which tends to emphasize LSAT scores less than GPAs and personal statements. It also reflects the school's grading system, which is based on a pass/fail system rather than letter grades and was designed to reduce competitiveness amongst students. Nonetheless, students tell Vault that the work is challenging, even if the focus isn't on getting an A.

Berkeley Law boasts a variety of academic strengths, but perhaps the intellectual property department is the most lauded, ranked No. 1 in the country for the past 11 years by the U.S. News & World Report. Environmental law, social justice and international law are other points of school pride. For students interested in pursuing a dual degree, Berkeley Law offers interdisciplinary dual degrees with other schools in the university, as well as combined degree programs with other universities across the country. In the Berkeley-Harvard program, for example, students spend their third year studying at Harvard.