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.
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Boston’s Best Running Routes
When it comes to running cities, Boston is one of the best you’ll find in the United States. Most people know it for the Boston Marathon, which attracts thousands of celebrated marathoners from around the world every April, but what makes the city a regular runner’s dream is the fact that it has so many varied and lengthy running routes for everyone to enjoy, from the weekend warriors to the elite-level athletes. Over the past 18 months, I have tried to explore as many of these routes as the weather and my body’s limitations would allow. Having gained all that experience, I want to share my five favorites for any BC Law student—or anyone else who stumbles upon this post—to use as a guide for their own running adventures.
Continue readingSeven Miles, Four Left Turns, and One Very Bad Idea
Over Fall Break this past October, I went for my first outdoor run in Randolph.
It was also the first time in my life that I ended up on crutches.
Continue readingCindoughrella and the 1L Survival Strategy
At the beginning of this semester, right around the time reading assignments started multiplying and summer job interviews were happening almost every day, I made a somewhat questionable decision.
I decided to start a sourdough starter.
Continue readingFrom Duels to Gorillas: Weirdest Laws of Massachusetts
As a state with one of the longest and most storied histories in our country, Massachusetts is no stranger to quirky and arcane laws. These laws may derive from Puritan norms of the 17th century or may come from more recent irrational worries. While I found myself extremely disappointed that some of these are more urban legends than past or present reality, I will be running through a few of my favorites regardless of their origin.
Continue readingSix Important Things I’ve Learned About Law School: A Note to Future Students
As a third-year law student in their last semester of school, I find myself reflecting on the last 2.5 years at BC Law. As my fellow 3Ls can probably relate to, law school flies by so quickly—its imminent end feels jarring, and it’s hard to comprehend you have the skill set to both take the bar and to don the title of attorney.
Remarkably, since I started law school, so much of what I learned about the legal world and myself came from experiences outside of the classroom. I didn’t expect this to be my reality when I was sitting in my law school orientation back in August 2023. Now that I can see the “light at the end of tunnel,” I find it fitting to share with you future law students a few of the myriad of my lessons learned and beliefs instilled in me throughout law school.
Continue readingA Procrastinator’s Guide to Spring Break Ideas
So…It’s February. You’ve lifted your head from the fugue state of OCI/getting adjusted to your classes/digging your car out of a snow pile/writing your law review note, and set hopeful eyes on spring break as an opportunity for rest and recuperation when you realize—you never made any spring break plans.
Or, you’ve looked at your bank account, thought “yikes!” and decided to have a bit of a stay-cation, but have no plans on how to actually go about doing that. Fair! Reasonable! I have been there!
In the interest of transparency, I personally will be fleeing the great city of Boston at the first available opportunity (shoutout to the Amtrak!), however, I’ve compiled three fun (low cost) things to do with the tons of free time you will have on your hands come spring break. (That is, once you’ve caught up on your reading, done the write-on, decided how early you want to outline, remembered to go grocery shopping, etc. etc.).
Continue readingThe Opportunity Cost of Early BigLaw Recruiting
It’s your first semester of law school at BC Law. It’s been just a few weeks since orientation, and you’re trying to get your footing. Torts makes sense, because slapping someone is obviously a battery. Contracts feels manageable too; you think about your apartment lease, or your brother’s offer to buy you McDonald’s, to think through offer and acceptance. Law Practice is a bit frustrating because you’re expected to learn the Bluebook on the fly. And Civ Pro? You have no idea what’s going on there—but that’s a problem for later.
Meanwhile, you’re figuring out how to be a law student. Do you take notes like you did in undergrad, buy color-coded notebooks to handwrite in class, or type a near-transcript of everything your professor says? When do you start outlining—and what even is an outline? Will you sound stupid if you go to office hours to ask about Twombly? And then there’s the club fair. Should you apply to that 1L Representative position for the Law Student Association? Or for the Business Law Society? Both would look great on your resume. But not too many commitments so soon—you still need time to read your cases, pour hours into over-detailed briefs, and prepare for class. Maybe one club application and casual involvement in the others will be enough for now.
Continue readingWhen 1L Fall Finals Don’t Go As Planned
There’s a version of your first 1L finals season that exists in your head: You wake up early. You review your attack outlines one last time. You calmly sip coffee. You walk into the exam room steady, composed, and frighteningly well-prepared. And then there’s real life.
Continue readingWhy You Should Take Classes Outside of Your Comfort Zone
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” — Maya Angelou
Gaining control of your class schedule is one of the most exciting aspects of leaving 1L behind and moving forward in your law school journey. Aside from the anxiety it induces as everyone gathers around tables in the yellow room or library to sign up for classes at the exact time that the registration window opens, the chance to pick all your courses is one of the most fun parts of law school. But not enough people take full advantage of this freedom. I understand the temptation to use your future career path as a guide for course selection. Yet more students should utilize their time in school to explore various areas of the law. Studying at Boston College Law School means we have access to some of the sharpest and most thoughtful legal minds across a wide variety of subjects. Take advantage of that bounty of intellectual acumen while you can. Doing so will make us all better lawyers and students, and, more importantly, more well-rounded people, regardless of our future professional track.
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