The last few days have delivered the kind of perfect late-summer-in-the-Bay Area weather that just can’t be beat. It’s been downright warm (at least by our standards,) with temperatures in the mid- to high seventies, but we continue to enjoy the reprieve offered by a slight breeze off the Pacific. In other words, it’s warm enough to wear shorts and lay on the grass eating a slice of the Cheese Board pizza, but not so warm that you can’t comfortably walk wherever you need to go. Here’s the forecast for the rest of the week:

Looks like things will only get better! For a different perspective, check out the current view of the area from a live webcam at Lawrence Hall of Science: http://sv.berkeley.edu/view/

Last Friday three of us from the Admissions Office headed up to the courtyard outside Boalt for the Student Activities Fair. This was a time for returning 2Ls and 3Ls to entice the new 1Ls to join their journals or organizations, and it was an amazing sight. It’s one thing to read a list of all the student groups at Berkeley Law as it appears on a computer screen, but it’s another thing entirely to see them all lined up on a sunny afternoon - talking, laughing, eating (free food from Top Dog!) and sharing ideas and plans for the upcoming year. It was a real treat to walk amongst tables hosted by organizations as wide-ranging as OWLS (Older and Wiser Law Students,) Berkeley Journal of African-American Law and Policy, Middle Eastern Law Students Association, Environmental Law Society, Boalt Hall Queer Caucus, Berkeley Law Foundation, Boalt Hall Federalist Society, and many others.

The new students seem to be settling into their classes and their new apartments, and the slightly overwhelmed look of two weeks ago is being replaced with one of curiosity and determination. They came to the fair, giant textbooks in tow, and picked up fliers, signed up for meetings, and chatted with their peers. From an Admissions perspective, it felt like all the hard work was worth it. From a personal perspective, it made me think about the kind of lawyers this world needs: Engaged, balanced, indomitable. I think our students fit the bill.