Today’s post is a collaborative effort between me and Kamil Brown, the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. With Admitted Students Day behind us and another cycle slowly winding down, I sat down with Kamil to discuss some questions regarding Admissions, especially with how competitive this cycle has been. I also reflected on my own experiences during my cycle during 2023-24. 

Kamil, thank you for taking time out of such a busy schedule to chat with me!

Happy to help, and thank you for this fantastic idea! I hope this piece can be useful for admitted students and maybe even next year’s applicants. 

Let’s start with applicants themselves. I remember as a senior in college weighing up applying to law school versus looking for work. How does time away from school change your law school experience?

Whether you are applying in your senior year of undergrad or after taking a year or more to work in a professional field, applying to law school is a challenging but rewarding process.

For applicants enrolling in law school straight from undergraduate programs (or, as we say in the admission profession, the “KJDs”), one of the challenges you might face is remaining open to learning from others, including classmates with extensive professional experience. It’s not always an easy process, but getting comfortable with it early can facilitate more positive peer interactions in law school. Similarly, KJDs should get comfortable identifying appropriate support systems within the law school community and asking for help. This practice seems to be less popular in our current climate, where information is so readily available at our fingertips (e.g., via Reddit and similar platforms), but identifying trusted and vetted sources can be critical. Likewise, KJDs should secure mentorship early from 2Ls and 3Ls, professors, and attorneys they meet along the way. One thing I commonly observe among prospective applicants I advise (and sometimes in application materials) is deficit-based framing. While seeking advice and assistance in navigating your journey as an applicant and as a 1L, it’s important to avoid viewing yourself through a limited, deficit-based lens just because you are coming straight from undergrad. Take stock of your strengths and successes, and spin them into a basis for connecting with others. Lastly, continuously seek opportunities to develop your self-awareness and use it as a strength as you engage members of the law school community. 

For those enrolling in law school after spending time away from academia, the group I affectionately call the “new-traditional” applicants, similar advice still applies, but with a twist. Harness your professional skills and lean on your lived experiences, even if they do not appear to directly relate to law practice. For example, you likely have experience balancing a schedule and achieving work/life integration. The lessons you’ve learned and the skills you’ve cultivated as a professional can be a foundation for success in law school, and because law school is an experience that entails learning from others, you can still leverage peer support and community resources at any point in your path to becoming a lawyer. 

I often meet new-traditional applicants who are concerned about whether they will find their people within the BC community. If you are entering this process with doubts about law school social life, you are not alone. One of the great things about our community is that our students actually enjoy doing law school at BC and in Boston, and I believe that is because of the connections they make during their enrollment through student org activities, community service, experiential learning, and networking. Also, the faculty and staff here make sure that no student slips through the cracks. I am honored to have a hand in curating our enrolled classes, along with my colleagues across the Law School, with whole-person-conscious recruitment and admission initiatives that align with those same BC Jesuit values of care for the whole person. That is the work that helps us build a community where you will find individuals with shared interests and those with experiences you want to learn more about as you become a lawyer.

Whether you are enrolling in law school as a KJD or new-traditional applicant, I think an important takeaway from my advice is this: everyone has completed an uphill battle to get here, and everyone has insecurities to overcome. KJDs worry about how they will compare to peers with work experience, whereas new-traditional students worry that they may not be successful because they haven’t been locked in a library for hours on end in years; but your success as a student depends more on how you overcome your insecurities and less on the path you took to get to law school. 

So true. I decided to work for two years after college. Re-acclimating back to school was easier in some ways than I thought, and I faced other challenges instead. Trying to control every aspect of this process is impossible. There is no “easier” way through. Do what you believe is best for you. I sought out mentors like Professor Hillinger and attorneys I met during my 1L fall. I still seek out mentorships even as a 2L. It is a constant effort, but a worthwhile one. 

How would you say the admissions process has changed in the last three years?

The admissions process has changed considerably in the wake of the Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard/UNC ruling and tectonic shifts in our national political climate. Also, the heightened competitiveness of recent admission cycles has given schools an opportunity to refine their applicant evaluation and selection strategies to be more responsive to various institutional needs implicated in admissions. For example, schools have placed greater emphasis on applicant skills and qualities that signal professionalism and resilience. To ascertain those criteria among applicants, many schools have added optional or required interview components to their admission processes. In addition, the current student visa policy climate, federal financial aid borrowing limits, artificial intelligence, and record surges in application volume have all necessitated that we be adaptable while remaining committed to the mission of expanding legal education access. So, we have certainly endured our fair share of changes and challenges following a sort of sequential cadence dating back to the pandemic, and I suspect there will be more to come.

I coached one of my undergrad friends through the admissions process last cycle, and to say there’s been a change is underplaying it. That being said, I played up any skills and professional experience I had in my materials, down to my experience waiting tables when I could not find internships during college due to the pandemic. Some attorneys told me to take time off work to focus on the LSAT and my applications, but I needed my paralegal paychecks to pay for my exam prep and my professional experience gave me stories to tell on tours or networking events. I knew that would be more valuable and it would help my application.

What would you say to admitted students about the chatter regarding the earlier on-campus recruitment (OCI) timelines and job searching?

Institutional reputation and support services may arguably matter more now than ever. As you evaluate a school, consider the resources available to facilitate career development (e.g., advising/counseling across public and private sectors, resume and cover letter workshops, networking opportunities, etc.) along with mental health and wellness support. BC has a proven track record of success on both of those fronts, and we hope prospective students know that we are a resilient and reputable community with a global reach. We help our students navigate challenging moments and recover from inevitable setbacks. 

I definitely concur with your assessment of BC’s support systems. Granted, they won’t do the work for you, but they will help you if you meet them halfway. BC has a proud alumni network that has provided great support and connections to not just summer opportunities, but also externships. My tax professor (shoutout to Professor Ring!) told me about the BC externship at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, and it has been a fantastic experience for me this semester. 

Is there a way for admitted students to start reaching out to student services? 

My colleagues do a great job of being proactive in their outreach, so while students are always welcome to contact the Career Services Office (CSO) and Student and Academic Services (SAS), representatives from those departments will actually connect with incoming students over the summer. Student organization leaders, as an extension of student services, are one of the highlights of the BC community. They are great initial points of contact earlier in the process as students seek to learn more about the BC Law student experience and envision themselves here. 

I would second reaching out to any undergrad connections you know at BC Law or any BC Law connections you have. A childhood friend of mine texted me back in February, he was admitted to BC Law, and we had a lengthy FaceTime to talk about everything from classes to apartment hunting.

Pivoting a bit from admitted students to more of a future focus, what did you wish prospective students asked you and don’t think to ask? 

Kamil: Applicants always ask during tours and recruitment events, “How can I make my application ‘stand out’ among the thousands you receive in a typical cycle?” I would prefer they ask me how to master the basics of submitting a strong law school application. I say that because succeeding in this process is less about standing out and more about hitting the marks by completing a series of steps, such as achieving an LSAT score indicative of your potential, securing academic letters of recommendation, following application instructions, addressing your interest in the programmatic and experiential elements of the BC Law student experience, and submitting a personal statement that gets to the point within two well-written pages. I think applicants could think of it this way: your application for admission is your first case as an aspiring attorney. You will structure legal arguments based on how your facts match the law. In your application process, you should likewise consider whether your academic, professional, and personal facts, taken as a whole, make a strong case illustrating your potential to thrive in law school. 

Two additional inquiries I wish prospective applicants posed more often are: (a) how to sincerely and compellingly convey interest in BC Law while citing our web content highlights but not overly relying on them; and (b) how to effectively use application addenda to provide context in relation to personal challenges that might be revealed in the application process. Both types of information can help the committee make determinations that keep an applicant under consideration for admission.

I think the reason students ask about “standing out” is because it is more common in undergrad admissions. Law school is a professional school. As much as we value your “soft” skills and the prior experiences that will shape your contributions to our community, there are basic entry requirements you must satisfy, especially if you are seeking a career path that puts significant responsibility on your conduct and your ability to advocate. I had to scrap my entire first personal statement because it read too much like an undergraduate admissions essay, not a law school essay. 

Additionally, as someone now on the other side of OCI and plenty of legal internship hunting, coming up with questions to ask law schools and law firms is a critical skill. It was the most important part of my job interviews. It is not a sign of weakness not knowing everything about a school from its website. Use that gap in knowledge to poke at deeper conversations when on tours or talking to staff. Asking about what to include in your addendum is not bad. Attorneys must know their cases inside and out, including the “bad facts” and how to deal with them. I called the BC Law Admissions Office during my cycle to ask what bracket of the Early Decision program I should consider as a “splitter.” The former director of admissions picked up the phone and not only walked me through her logic but offered me a fee waiver while I was on the call. Note that I didn’t call her in a panic, but in a calm, collected headspace with only one to two follow-up questions, neither of which were “if I apply in this bracket, will you let me in?”

Related to your last point, another trend I’ve noticed is a significant uptick in anxiety among prospective applicants during long wait periods in the admissions cycle. It’s important to note that, even in a world where so many of our needs are met via algorithms tailored to us and the lightspeed transmission of information, admissions decision-making remains a human-driven process, so applicants’ pre- and post-application interactions with members of our community matter a great deal in helping the committee determine possible admission outcomes. A positive interaction with a community member may not significantly boost an applicant’s chances of receiving an admission offer, but it certainly would not hurt their chances. A negative interaction, on the other hand, could alter the course of an applicant’s path in the admission process. I would love to offer some advice on that front while wearing my aspiring wellness guru hat. In moments when the uncertainty of an admissions cycle becomes overwhelming for you, consider trying the following: 

(a) Reconnect with the hobbies, activities, and people you love. (Catherine: I disconnected with hobbies for a bit during my cycle. Big mistake.)  

(b) Practice mindfulness and meditation, which you will also learn and use in law school. (Catherine: You are so right, I meditate every morning and evening).   

(c) Build your own law-school-applicant support group (maybe not on Reddit). Talk to people you meet while waiting in line during law fairs and forums and current law students from your undergraduate alma mater. (Catherine: I spoke with a few undergrad friends as the experienced student while they were applying and I was a 1L, which was very fulfilling and deepened my friendships, and they deeply appreciated having someone other than parents to vent to.)

(d) Utilize mental health counseling services as you begin to feel your stress levels climbing (or, perhaps, even before you get to this point). Also, try listening to inspirational talks or podcasts unrelated to law school and the LSAT to balance your intake of informational content. (Catherine: May I gently recommend some reality TV? I need more people to talk about Traitors Season 4.)

I remember living on Law School Admissions Reddit and other related pages. I do not miss those days. It felt like a necessary evil to know what was going on and when, but it was overwhelming so much of the time. There were websites where you could plug in your LSAT and GPA and they would give you a percent chance of how likely you were to get in. I would like to remind readers that in 2016, the Atlanta Falcons had a 99.7% chance per ESPN’s win probability chart during Super Bowl 51 when they were up 28-3. The New England Patriots beat those odds. Numbers can be very deceiving. Imposing logic on a human process is a messy business. 

Could you touch on the importance of visiting and interacting with law schools in person?

If you can afford to visit the law schools you are considering at the pre- and post-application stages of the admission process, I recommend doing so, especially while students and faculty are present, which is typically during semesters. By learning student and faculty perspectives, visiting a class, and observing interactions, you can assess the vibe and culture of a school’s community to determine whether you could see yourself enrolling there in the future. It is a way of gauging how a school aligns with your personal values, which are important to the law school admissions process, because you obviously do not want to spend three years regretting your enrollment decision. 

I visited BC in September of my application cycle and I felt it click. That makes a big difference. When you talk with students, alumni and staff, this is how you make connections beyond the website. Granted it isn’t feasible for everyone to visit, but if you are investing in law school, set aside some funds for in-person visits, especially for schools at the top of your list.  

Last question: do you have any tips for students who couldn’t make it to Admitted Students Day? Is there a way for them to connect to BC Law so they can make an informed decision?

We will remain open and accessible for smaller-scale experiences during the spring and fall semesters and, to a more limited extent, during the summer. Please check out our campus visit website and consider reaching out to our student ambassadors, faculty, and student services departments. Lastly, please dedicate some time to working with our Graduate and Law Financial Aid team and AccessLex to solidify your plan for financing your education and achieving financial wellness during law school. Law school is a significant investment in your future, and you will have a better student experience once you arrive if you can avoid stressing about how to make ends meet for tuition on top of reading for classes and studying for exams.

I will echo that last statement, especially with how competitive OCI and job hunting has become. Kamil, thank you so much for your time! Law school admissions always fascinates me, and I hope this provides some clarity and perspective on the process for not just this year’s applicants but future applicants.

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Catherine Beveridge is a second-year student at BC Law. Contact her at beverid@bc.edu.