culture

Legal Listening: More Perfect

/ Sangeeta Kishore / Leave a comment

My first introduction to podcasts was in my AP Biology class years ago. The science podcast, Radiolab, was full of wonder and fed my curiosity. It felt personal, like telling a story. And I could tune in wherever I was, while I did whatever I was doing.  

Many years later, I’ve listened to podcasts about all sorts of things: fashion, foreign policy, even wellness. But now, in my first year of law school, I’ve been using podcasts as a way to explore the legal landscape beyond the dense casebooks. And there is no better full-circle moment for me than a Radiolab spin-off, More Perfect.

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Killers of the Flower Moon

/ Christopher Tan / Leave a comment

The air is crisp. The leaves are brown. The days ever shorter. Amidst it all, the paperchase rumbles on. 

At this point in the semester, with the crucible of case readings, legal research, and memo writing taking its toll, I found myself delving into the core of why I chose a legal career. What about the law drives us law students to put up with such demands? I needed a reminder, and a recent screening of the “Killers of the Flower Moon,” the new movie by Martin Scorsese starring Leonardo DiCaprio, helped answer the question.

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Halloween is Here: The Best Law School Costumes

/ kristievhoang / Leave a comment

The Law Student Association is selling Halloween wristbands, so Spooky Season is officially upon us. If you’re scrambling for last-minute costume ideas, have no fear. These are classroom and bar crawl appropriate outfits that will set you apart from everyone else who decides to be Elle Woods or a Supreme Court Justice. 

Lexis Nexis Representative

Needs:

  1. Large Red Lexis Nexis Tumblr
  2. 1 Lexis Nexis highlighter in their pocket 
  3. 1 handful of assorted snacks 
  4. 1 Pocket Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (by Lexis, of course)

Stand outside the Law Library with a folding table for maximum costume authenticity. Since you’ll likely have most of these costume materials in your backpack, this costume can be assembled in less than five minutes on your way to class. 

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When Fall Comes to New England, Law School Can Wait (ish)

/ Reilly Doak / Leave a comment

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.

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Sidebar: A Jesuit Primer on Developing an Inner Life

/ Alex Mostaghimi / Leave a comment

An intriguing opportunity landed in my inbox on an otherwise unremarkable summer day: an all-expenses paid retreat at BC’s Connors Center in Dover, Massachusetts, one that promised a reprieve from the travails of law school and an introduction to the Jesuit precepts which drive the institution’s educational mission. It sounded interesting, so I took the plunge and signed up.

With an upbringing where religion was largely absent, I came to the event with an open mind and a strong sense of curiosity. Growing up in an environment where many of my peers had relationships with spiritual institutions always left me perplexed at the margins. Whether they complained about the rigidity of their Church’s traditions and scripture or took the Gospel as truth, it always fascinated me how complicated a relationship people can have with God.

Of course, anyone acting with a degree of self awareness is conscious of the arbitrariness of their existence. We are cosmically confined, set in perpetual motion from an unknowable event that long preceded us and placed here by our ancestors, who were caught up in the same predicament. It’s hardly surprising that most of us are left questioning why we are here and how we should conduct our lives.

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Dancing the Night Away at Barrister’s Ball

/ Melissa Gaglia / 1 Comment

Barrister’s Ball is one for the books, and I’m not talking about casebooks. Informally known as “law prom,” Barrister’s Ball is a night where everyone gets dressed to the nines and dances away the stresses of law school. This year, it was hosted at the Museum of Science. It was such a fun venue. Dinosaurs photobombed pictures, lightning (safely) struck two of our classmates, and we danced under Mars.  

As a 3L, I felt sentimental about the night. This was one of the last times I would be with everyone before graduating and leaving Boston College. It made me feel like a senior in high school all over again. The anticipation building up to this event was full of excitement and glee: picking out an outfit, getting ready, and asking someone to prom. It all felt juvenile, but in the very best way.  Now, even though “law prom” is over, that sentimental feeling remains.

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What’s Law School Really Like? Let Me Tell You.

/ Michael Deere / Leave a comment

When I was applying, I brought my wife to Admitted Students’ Day. It was a Big Deal. We both dressed up. She sat with me through the mock class. We had lunch together in the cafeteria. She came to the panels, went on the tour, and generally learned as much about law school as I did. It was a good day. A really good day. And though I learned a great deal, I still wanted to know: what’s law school really like? How do people dress for class? Is cold-calling really as bad as it seems? Will I make friends? Are the professors like Kingston in The Paper Chase? That kind of thing. 

I think what I was looking for was the law school equivalent of those really detailed product reviews on Amazon that you just kinda trust. You know the type. The reviewer always sounds like they really want to like the product, but they’re just not sure. They go over the results of their research. They compare models. And they’re always weirdly specific about little things: “yeah, I ran the Samurai Slicer on full speed. Noticed a slight wobble, but that’s pretty standard on models like this one that use a polymer base instead of steel.” It sounds authentic. It sounds real. 

Where was that for BC Law? Not the HR presentation, not the Tour Talk, but the weirdly specific Amazon review. Well, guess what? It’s right here. So after you unsubscribe from the r/lawschooladmissions subreddit and join r/lawschool, take a moment to yourself, crack open a Success Beer, and read on to find out what BC Law is really like…

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Spinning Through Law School

/ Melissa Gaglia / Leave a comment

“Hype yourself up, before you psych yourself out!”  These are the words that I constantly yell at my peers . . . in the spin room. This past August, I became a certified spin instructor. My decision to become a spin instructor was encouraged by my classmate Ben Minerva. Ben knew that I was going to spin classes daily and questioned why I did not just become an instructor.  Fast forward after months of training and making playlists, and I have been teaching spin classes at Boston College’s Margot Connell Recreation Center four times a week. 

The highlights of my week have often been filled with moments from my spin classes. Spin has acted like a safe haven for me from the stresses that come with being a law student. Someone once told me that the feeling of being nervous is identical to the feeling of being excited. I use my spin classes as a way to channel my law school fueled nerves into the exciting energy that comes with teaching a spin class. My spin classes have also been a space where I have grown so much as a person. I learned how to find and use my voice, how to troubleshoot problems on the spot, and how to build trust and rapport quickly with those who barely know me. All of these lessons, in my opinion, are transferable to my legal career. 

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Come to Dublin: Reasons to Consider Studying Abroad

/ BC Law Impact Guest Posts / Leave a comment

It is 56 degrees in February. The sun is shining over the water and the hustle and bustle of morning traffic is just kicking in. As I walk to my externship, I pass cafes buzzing from the morning rush, the smell of pastries and coffee wafting through the air. Where am I? Not Boston (56 degrees should have given that away). I am in Dublin, Ireland along with five other students taking part in Boston College’s Semester-in-Practice program. 

So, what drew me to this program? Take one round of law school exams and you will see the appeal of externships. But in all seriousness, how could I pass up the opportunity to spend a semester living and working in Europe? Maybe I’m just the product of the Covid era – itching to get in the study abroad experience that was swept out from under me. Yet, I find it more likely that I was drawn in by the opportunities this program presents. 

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A Statement on the Monterey Park Shooting

/ Seung Hye Yang / Leave a comment

Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays for the Asian-American community. For Asian immigrant families in particular, it is a day to gather with family and friends, celebrate with good food and drinks, and prepare for an auspicious year going forward. The last thing that anyone would expect on such a joyous day is a mass shooting.

The Asian-American community was rocked by the sudden shooting in Monterey Park, California this past weekend. Ten victims, five men and five women, were shot dead in Star Ballroom Dance Studio, a Chinese-owned ballroom known for being popular with older Chinese-American patrons. This occurred during a local 2-day street festival for Lunar New Year. Ten others were injured, and the gunman fled and tried to re-enact the shooting at a nearby dance club in Alhambra before being disarmed by locals. The Monterey Park shooting marks at least the 36th mass shooting in the United States in January 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive, and the second mass shooting this year in California alone. 

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