This past January, I remember thinking to myself that I couldn’t wait to submit my last final exam at the end of May. It was an exhilarating feeling that lasted for a day or so until I received the Writing Competition email with hundreds of pages of materials. I was eager to complete the assignment over the next two weeks, so that I could finally take a breather. I submitted my competition materials, but it was on the same day that my summer internship started. Oh yes, and then grades were released. Then, the window for OCI (on-campus interview) applications were opened. Did I mention the anxiety of class registration for next year in the middle of this?

If this all seems like a lot… it is! Yet, every first-year law student persisted through this process and thrived. Although the past year felt overwhelming for a variety of reasons, we were all able to persevere because Boston College Law School prepared us.

On my first day of my summer internship at the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, I was handed three assignments. One task was writing a memorandum that needed to be submitted five days later. Another task was assisting a supervising attorney by acting as a judge in a moot court as she prepared to argue before the Massachusetts Appeals Court. The other assignment was drafting a motion for an upcoming proceeding. All of this was in the first week.

I was as anxious as anyone would be in that situation. However, I quickly realized that I knew how to start these projects. I recalled my Law Practice classes with Professor Mary Ann Chirba, who taught us a methodical approach to conducting research and writing a memorandum. I wasn’t completely lost when starting from scratch. In fact, I was very prepared for these challenges because of my professors. I leveraged my experience in my Appellate Judging course with Professor Andrew Grainger, former Massachusetts Appeals Court Judge, who taught us how to prepare for oral arguments and strategies for asking questions from the bench. Indeed, in a high-speed, intense nine months, Boston College Law School equipped me with the knowledge and skills to face these challenges.

Of course, there is more to learn than I can begin to comprehend. After all, we’re all students- even after we graduate. And, it’s no secret that the law profession is restless at times.

Nevertheless, I’m grateful and proud to attend an institution that pours so much into their students to ensure their success.

If you’re a prospective student considering BC Law, just know that you will grow more than you can imagine at this incredible institution.

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Travis Salters is a rising second-year student and vice-president of the Impact blog. Contact him at salterst@bc.edu.