We have a special edition of the Impact Blog today: two bloggers for the price of one! I teamed up with 1L blogger Isabella Calise to discuss some common 1L questions regarding finals (I not only survived my 1L finals, but I volunteered as a proctor with the Student & Academic Services office during my 1L year).
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Three Tips for Success With Finals
To everyone else, after Halloween marks the start of winter and the holiday season.
But in the law school world, sorry to say…it means we’re gearing up towards finals. Whether this is your first law school finals season or your fifth, here are some tips for success for finals preparation AND well-being these next few weeks.
Continue readingThe Wonders of Code Classes: A 2L’s Perspective
We are deep in the thicket of fall semester, and the changing leaves and cooler temperatures have made me reflect on my 1L fall experience a year ago. I enjoyed my classes. I found some cases and subjects more engaging than others, but when it came to distilling the rules and concepts, there was little excitement.
Continue readingSome 2L Advice: Do Things for the Love of the Game
As a 2L, I often find myself in a position to give (sometimes unsolicited) advice. Faced with questions like what elective should I take, when should I apply to jobs, where should I apply, when should I outline, and how do I outline, I often give the standard answer: it depends.
Continue readingCold Calling Is Good, Actually
“I know fear is an obstacle for some people, but it is an illusion to me. Failure always made me try harder next time.” – Michael Jordan
One of the (many) things that causes law students the most angst is the dreaded cold call. The fear is so pronounced that before I even attended a single 1L class, BC Law had shown me the famous cold calling scene from Legally Blonde multiple times. I understand why cold calling induces anxiety, especially in your early days of law school when you have likely never experienced it in other classroom settings. To be clear, this post should not be taken to suggest that cold calling does not make me nervous or that I never get a cold call embarrassingly wrong (I definitely do). But getting things wrong is kind of the point of learning and law school; otherwise, we’d be practicing attorneys already.
Continue readingA Sit Down Chat with BC Law Legend Professor Bloom
Generations of BC Law alumni have found common ground in relating their experiences with the institution’s most revered fixtures, names like Hillinger, Brodin, Blum, and Katz. This week, I had a chat with Professor “Bob” Bloom, an alum himself and a remarkable legal educator whose one-of-a-kind style has left an indelible mark on any student privileged enough to take his courses (BC Law Magazine published a lengthy Q&A with him last spring; read that here).
Continue readingThe Case for Doing Less
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” ― Ferris Bueller
In the throes of 1L year, while dealing with difficult material, a new learning environment, networking events, and perhaps feeling completely overwhelmed and lost, a law student is likely to hear a common refrain. It often goes something like, “I know this is rough, 1L is so tough, but it gets so much better in 2L.” And like most aphorisms, it contains a nugget of truth. In many ways, the law school experience changes fundamentally between your first year and your second. The classroom experience becomes less intimidating and more familiar. You can choose your own class schedule and have agency over the areas of law you wish to study. Even more importantly, for some, you have the chance to partake in experiential learning opportunities, such as clinics and externships, which are not available to 1Ls.
Continue readingOvercoming the Comparison Trap of 1L
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.” – Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
It was the night before my first final as a 1L, and I was starting to feel overwhelmed. I knew, in a sort of intangible way, that an entire semester’s worth of work would come down to one test. And I could not help but be aware of the fact that this would prove stressful; everyone I knew who went to law school told me as much, as did most of my current peers. I suppose it’s also self-evident when you see the syllabus and read the words “your entire course grade will rest on the final examination” that you will have to perform on the day or pay the price.
Continue reading‘A Culture of Excellence, Dialogue, and Integrity: Q&A with LLM Student Shrishti
Get to know Boston College Law School from the perspective of our current student, Shrishti, who is concentrating on Intellectual Property and whose home country is India:
What motivated you to pursue an LLM, and why did you choose this particular program?
I pursued an LLM to expand my global legal perspective and gain a deeper understanding of U.S. legal frameworks. BC Law stood out for its strong academic tradition, commitment to ethical leadership, and its inclusive approach to integrating international students into the fabric of the law school. I wanted a program that was both intellectually rigorous and personally transformative — and BC Law delivered.
Continue readingGet to Know Us: Teaching and Research Librarians
This guest post is by BC Law’s Teaching and Research Librarians.
You know to go to CSO with your career planning questions. Student Services to iron out your schedule. And of course Legal Grounds when you need that afternoon energy boost. But where do you go when you have a question about research at BC Law?
We are the Teaching and Research Librarians of BC Law, and we are here to save you so much time.
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BC Law: Impact 