It was about three years ago now that I was making my decision as to where to attend law school. It was a tough decision for me, as I am sure it is for most people. Even though I knew which school was the best fit for me, I was stressed out about turning down bigger scholarships elsewhere. Every time I went to send in my deposit, I started to second guess my decision.

It is a very personal decision to choose where you’ll spend the next few years of your life. Looking back now, I feel so grateful that I chose Boston College, and I feel lucky to have a mother like mine, who encouraged me to go with my gut in choosing BC. Last week I finished up my academic career here, and I am already starting to feel nostalgic for the community of friends and mentors I have found at Boston College Law School. Here, more than anywhere else, I have found a school where professors keep in touch with their former students, where administrators go out of their way to share opportunities with students, and where the group of classmates you find end up feeling like family after three years of going through life’s ups and downs together.

The first, and most important group, that deserves thanks is the BC Law student body. I made my first, and closest friends in Section 3, but as the years progressed I have gotten to know an amazingly diverse, passionate, friendly group of my classmates. These people have studied with me during exams, passed along their carefully formatted outlines, and accompanied me on all sorts of misadventures over the past three years. Especially when I compare my experience to those of my friends at other schools, I feel so fortunate to have found such a stellar group of people to spend the past three years with. On a broader scale, our student government, the Public Interest Law Foundation, and the myriad affinity groups here at BC have truly excelled at making Boston College a welcoming, fun, and engaging place to be a student.

Second, I want to thank our professors, especially those who go the extra mile to make sure their classes are engaging and practical. Prof. Phil Catanzano taught one of my favorite classes, Higher Education Law, and then gave me and one of my classmates the opportunity to work with him at the Office for Civil Rights, where we could put what we learned in class into practice. Prof. Dan Coquillette is truly a renaissance man, who inspired me in American Legal Education, and actually pulled off the feat of making Professional Responsibility an interesting class. Visiting his home for an after class get-together was really fun, and is the perfect illustration of how much he cares about his students. Prof. Brian Quinn went above and beyond the norm here to make his Corporations class (a course I had dreaded), interactive through online material and assignments that simulated real-world work, and engaging every day we met, as we often talked about the recent news and controversy in our area of study. He is the one professor I have had here at the law school who voluntarily created more work for himself through the assignment of multiple projects throughout the semester, which he then had to grade in addition to our final exam. Prof. Mike Cassidy took an interest in our 1L section assigned to his criminal law class, and has since helped a number of my classmates land jobs they will work at after graduation. He also took the time to walk a number of us through the course selection process when we had no idea what we were doing, and has been incredibly generous in serving as a reference or recommender for many of his students, myself included. Prof. Diana Pullin is someone I never had in class, but who was an amazing advisor to those of us who take part in the dual degree program at the Lynch School of Education. Prof. Fillipa Anzalone, who I also never had for a class, took the time to meet with me a couple of times as I selected a topic for my journal “note”, and sent me a number of incredibly helpful resources as I started my research process. Picking an interesting topic with her guidance really helped me delve into a project that can otherwise be just one more responsibility.

Third, the administrators deserve thanks for their caring attitude towards all of the students that attend BC Law. Kim Gardner and all of many staff at the Admissions and Financial Aid Office (Dean Rita Simpson, Amanda, Kathy, Jeannette, Evan, Roz, Joan, and Julie) gave me the chance to learn a lot about their work over the past two years, which I have loved. Susan Simone Kang often took the time out of her already insane days to teach me about her work for the LL.M. program, which has proved fascinating in this era of globalization and changes in the legal profession. Kate Devlin Joyce was an amazing career counselor and supporter, who is now doing great work for students who want to find practical experience during the semester, through her new role as Associate Director for Externships. Michelle Grossfield has done a great job stepping into the role that Kate vacated. Leslie LeBlanc is a wonder woman, who can answer an email in under 60 seconds, even if it is 11pm on a Saturday. Dean Abbene and Sharon Blumenstock in Student Services have sent me a number of job leads, and Dean Abbene, knowing I was pursuing administrative work, has even taken the time to edit my resume and cover letter, when she has so many other things on her plate. Dean Rougeau took the time to meet with me when I was writing about Internationalization at BC Law, and has remembered my background and interests since then, which is no small feat for someone who has more than 700 students in the school he leads. The staff at BC are wonderful as well: Cely and Dorita in dining services have put a smile on many students’ faces.

As I get ready for graduation I wanted to say a public “thank you” to all of these people, and everyone else at Boston College who has made these past three years an incredible experience. Thank you to all my classmates who have made BC and Boston feel like home, thank you to the professors that have inspired and supported me, and thank you to all of the administrators that keep BC humming along. If you are someone who is considering BC Law, or who has put down your deposit for next year I hope you will see through this letter that Boston College Law School is a truly exceptional place.

I am a 3L here at BC Law, as well as being in my final year of a Masters in Higher Education. If you are thinking about coming by BC for a tour you’ll probably see me at my job in the Admissions Office. I’ll be posting every week about an aspect of life as a student at BC Law. If you have any questions comment here and I’ll answer for everyone!