In a recent TikTok post, Dean Odette Lienau said community was the number one reason driving her decision to join Boston College Law School.
The Dean is in good company, with hundreds of current students – and thousands of alumni – sharing that belief.
As I navigated my own law school decision process, I heard that word “community” repeated across all the conversations I had with current students. It was difficult for me, as a prospective student, to grasp critically why community was such an important pillar of the law school experience.
Now that I’m on the other side – of parsing the Bluebook, briefing cases with a legal dictionary before me, panicking over job recruitment prospects – the value of community has never been clearer.
Community is not just a support system at BC Law. It is the very bedrock of the experience, with every aspect of the school’s operations intentionally designed to nurture and enhance this sense of belonging and support. Alumni actively contribute, forging pathways for students within the legal field. The Career Services Office diligently works to weave students into the expansive legal networks of Boston and beyond, while professors offer unwavering guidance and mentorship, critically shaping students’ futures post-bar examination.
Most importantly, there is a home for every student at BC Law. The school hosts dozens of organizations connecting students with shared identities or interests (shoutout to the Asian Pacific Law Students Association and LAHANAS!) I’ve never lived on the East Coast before, and I could not have navigated seasonal depression without leaning on my classmates and friends.
On TikTok, Dean Lieneau offered several explanations beyond community that ultimately shaped her choice to come to BC Law. Lienau’s explanations are all true, and importantly, can all be viewed as elements contributing to the force of BC Law’s community. Watch below:
Kristie-Valerie Hoang is a second-year student at BC Law. Contact her at hoangkr@bc.edu.
BC Law: Impact 