Before attending BC Law, I had spent next to zero time in New England. Years ago, I remembered listening to the song When Fall Comes to New England by Cheryl Wheeler on car rides with my dad. Once I came to Boston, I was determined to ensure that I could sing along after graduating without feeling like a fraud. As I finish my final semester here, I want to have no regrets about enjoying New England’s fall.

Even though law school–even 3L year– can be busy and hectic, the point of this article is that it’s worth the time to get out there. To honor my desire to soak in New England fall, a group of friends and I booked a trip to Bar Harbor, Maine for this past weekend. We found an Airbnb on the water with enough beds to make the cost-splitting feel like a bargain.  It was extremely difficult to choose a time most people were available with everyone navigating wedding season, family events, and taking a leap of faith without complete access to the year’s syllabi. We risked missing the leaves turning before we made it to Maine, but we pulled the trigger anyway. Planning a trip with law school friends means that everyone knew if schoolwork took over the weekend for any of us, nobody else would hold it against them.

Predictably, the schoolwork took over. Two of us had a 50-question midterm to study for and take, another had to write a complex opinion for her Supreme Court experience class, and the rest had reading to complete. Schoolwork accounted for about half our time. Going into the weekend, nobody was surprised by this and we collectively agreed that no matter how long our work took, it was better to do it in Maine where we could hear the ocean waves, smell the salty air and see the changing leaves, and stare at the Milky Way at night. We were so right. Schoolwork with a view was much better than no view at all.

Between our work sessions, we managed two-to-three hikes (depending on how much you valued your sleep versus a sunrise view), lobster rolls, blueberry soft-serve ice cream, blueberry pancakes, and cooking dinner together. A taste of Bar Harbor Maine left me already planning my next trip back as an attorney, wanting to introduce my loved ones to the fabled New England fall.

Because we planned to squeeze schoolwork in and accepted the inevitability of it, I am thrilled to have fully tasted the clear air, the nights sharp with starlight and the leaves turning Irish setter red, and to have felt the wind blow off the sea.  

---

When Fall Comes to New England by Cheryl Wheeler is worth listening to–take a moment to be thankful for this beautiful time of year.

All photos included are mine.

---

Reilly Doak is a third-year student at BC Law. Contact her at doaka@bc.edu.