Sometimes, life has a funny way of telling you where you’re supposed to be.

In February, I had decided on a law school. Spoiler alert: It wasn’t BC Law. The school I chose was a highly-ranked choice close to home. I was beyond excited to send in my seat deposit, but for some reason I felt obligated to justify my decision to my friends and family. I remember pining over the ABA 509 Reports for some kind—any kind—of justification to back my decision. Now, of course, I know that the only person I needed to convince was myself.

At the time, I didn’t know anything was lacking. On my school visit, I didn’t immediately sense any red flags, and I felt rather comfortable on campus and in the surrounding area. I found myself researching housing options before I was convinced I would place my seat deposit, and I gushed about these options to my friends and family.

My parents were always extremely supportive of my decision to attend law school—they helped me visit countless law schools in October and November 2016, and they hoped I would attend wherever I felt I would be happy and find success. They never doubted this was a possibility at my law school of choice, but they did raise concerns. Particularly, they struggled to grasp how I could commit to a law school when I hadn’t visited all of the law schools to which I applied and received admission offers. Well, that’s not exactly true. Rather, they struggled to grasp how I could have visited every law school to which I received admission with just one exception: BC Law. And, they especially struggled to understand how I could accept admission at one school without truly considering all my options.

At the time, I was living under my parents’ roof and felt obligated to heed their advice. In March, I ventured to Boston for the first time, despite my reluctance and unwillingness to go. In my mind, my decision had already been made, and nothing could change this stubborn girl’s opinion. The night before my tour at BC Law, I remember lying awake in my hotel bed. My mind was calm; I had no racing thoughts. I remember comparing this to my hotel stay at another school, when I was almost in a panic that I might actually like that school enough to change my decision. But in my hotel bed that night, my mind was so made up: I would hate BC, and this trip would be a waste.

The next morning, I toured BC Law. I immediately felt welcomed by faculty, staff and students. On my tour, I remember hearing BC described as the Disneyland of law schools. At the time, that phrase really didn’t make sense—and maybe it still doesn’t make complete sense—but I knew BC was something special when people went out of their way to say hello, ask how my day was going and inquire about how I liked campus. Students approached me after the class I sat in on to make sure I understood what was happening and how the class was structured. Dean McShay scheduled time to meet with me one-on-one to answer any questions I had regarding…well, just about anything. When it came down to it, BC made me feel special and as though the school wanted me there—and not just for my tuition money!

But none of these sentiments really clicked until my flight home. I remember sitting on the plane in my window seat and looking out at the expanse of the deep-blue ocean. Then an emotional wave crashed into me and caught me breathless for a second. My word-for-word thought?

It would be the biggest shame if I never came back to Boston.

In that moment, I knew. I knew I would not be attending that law school close to home. I knew I would uproot myself and move halfway across the country. The following day, I rescinded my application from the other law school and accepted my admission at Boston College Law.

So, all that is to say… Sometimes, life has a funny way of telling you where you’re supposed to be. I listened to my gut, and, so far, it’s been one crazy, exhausting and exciting journey. But it’s a journey I wouldn’t change for the world.

Mary is a 1L who is very excited to join Impact! She hopes you enjoy her insights about her experiences in Boston and at BC Law. You can reach her here or at mary.lorenzo@bc.edu.