getting around

Welcome Back Guide

/ Devon Sanders / 1 Comment

The start of a new school year is a hectic time. Figuring out new classes, learning brand-new material, and readjusting to the school-year schedule can be a bit overwhelming. I have been finding myself jotting down dates, searching my emails for important information, and panic-texting a classmate or two to make sure I am not missing anything. 

In an attempt to quell the chaos, I put together some pertinent administrative information for the semester. Whether it’s knowing when the next shuttle is arriving to get to school or having resources to learn more about different BC Law departments, this guide has helped me keep everything in one place. 

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A BC Law Guide to Boston Living

/ Brianna Marshall / 1 Comment

When I decided to attend BC Law, housing was one of my top concerns. At the time that I was applying to law school, I was living in New York City, and Boston was somewhat unfamiliar. I had visited many times previously, but I knew that memories of family vacations to walk the Freedom Trail were not enough to help me make the best decision. I relied on the experiences of BC Law students, and I was not disappointed. As a 3L, I can now say that I have happily lived in my apartment for all three of my years at BC Law. For those of you with the same housing worries that I had, hopefully I can help you find your fit as you decide to join the Class of 2022.

First, it’s important to decide what type of neighborhood fits your personality. Let’s break down some of the most popular locations for BC Law students to live:

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The Admitted Students Guidebook, Vol. 3

/ Marcus Nemeth / Leave a comment

The application process is quickly coming to a close—you’ve already taken the LSAT, visited some schools, and put your first seat deposit down (woooo!). You’ve made a huge decision in choosing the right school for you, but now you face another challenge of navigating this new arena.

Questions popped up for me like, “What do I need to do before classes start?” and “Where is the best place to live?”  and “Do I need a car to get around?” It is undeniably an overwhelming process, but BC Law is here to help!

A couple of years ago, the Law Student Association partnered with BC Law’s Admissions Office to produce the Admitted Students Guidebook, which is meant to help answer all the questions you may have about BC Law.

We’ve just updated the guidebook for the Class of 2021! So without further ado, here it is: Volume 3 of the Admitted Students Guidebook

Things I Wish I Knew Vol. 16: You can come see the school, even if you can’t come see the school

/ Charlene Ochogo / Leave a comment

Hi everyone! It’s been a while since my last post because I and the admissions committee have been hard at work on a few projects (one soon to come – stay tuned!) including this one.

We know that getting to campus for a visit may be cost-prohibitive or otherwise impossible for some of our students outside of the Northeast, and in conjunction with the Office of Admissions, we’ve made it so that you can take a tour from the comfort of your own home! Watch the replay on You Tube:

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Things I Wish I Knew, Vol. 10: How to not be homeless before Sept. 1

/ Charlene Ochogo / Leave a comment

Greetings almost-1Ls!

So, by now you’ve probably done the math: orientation is August 20th, school starts on the 24th, and many of the leases for apartments you’ve been looking into start on September 1st.

Ruh-roh.

This is a sad reality about Boston (that most leases do start on September 1st), but the good news is that you will only be in this dilemma once in your law school career. I polled some of our rising 2Ls to see what they did for that week and boiled it down to a few options:

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Things I Wish I Knew, Vol. 6: The Car (or No Car) Chronicles (Part 2)

/ Charlene Ochogo / Leave a comment

Happy April, everyone! This is a continuation of last week’s post (check it out here!) on the question I get most frequently from students about what it’s like having (or not having) a car in Boston.

While I do have a car, I find that (whenever possible) it’s much more convenient to take public transportation. So much like last week, I’ll tell you what my experience has been in not using a car to get around.

PROS OF NOT HAVING A CAR

– You will never have to dig out your car or worry about parking. Enough said. 

Me and my ladies getting ready for Law Prom right before we took an Uber there.

Me and my ladies getting ready for Law Prom right before we took an Uber there.

– Going out is much easier. Law school is about having fun too, and not having a car or having to drive means you don’t have to worry about getting home safely from things like Law Prom.

– You’ll develop a knowledge of the MBTA that your friends will both fear and love. It’s amazing to me how many students with cars don’t know how to get around without them. You will be their guide and guru, showing them the wonders of a whole new world.

– No car means no gas money. Or car payments. Or insurance payments. Which means more money in your pocket to spend on things you actually enjoy.

– You learn to budget your time better. I have friends who live in Back Bay who get more done on their commute than I get done all day. Plus, because they don’t have a car, they’re always conscious of getting places on time. They know how to make their time count because they know that the ride home will either be a long one, or a generous offer from a friend.

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Things I Wish I Knew, Vol. 5: The Car (or No Car) Chronicles (Part 1)

/ Charlene Ochogo / 1 Comment

Happy Monday and welcome to this week’s edition of TIWIK! This is the first part of my two part post on the question I get asked most often by prospective students: “Should I bring my car?”

Real talk: driving in Boston is less than ideal. But the thing no one told me was that having a car in Boston is a zero-sum game. Everyone wins and loses on this point, whether you have a car or not. Either way, you will survive, and I can promise you that you will find a way to be both happy and grouchy about it.

My mom and I on our road trip to Boston with my entire life in the backseat

My mom and me on our road trip to Boston with my entire life in the backseat

I brought my car because I drove to Boston from Florida with all my worldly possessions stuffed in the trunk. But for all the prospective students out there who have a choice to make come this fall, here’s my experience:

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Life at BC Law: Snowpocalypse

/ Luciabc / Leave a comment

Having gone to college in southern California and grown up in the Pacific Northwest people often ask me how I’m adjusting to the weather in Boston. While it can be hard to beat year-round access to an outdoor pool (thank you Scripps College) I’ve held up just fine in the New England. I love seeing the seasons change, and after some extensive Amazon shopping for new cold weather accessories I can honestly say that I look forward to the winter time here. The cold and snow can actually be kind of fun- especially when we get a snow day!

The snow-covered streets of Cleveland Circle in 2013.

The snow-covered streets of Cleveland Circle in 2013.

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Things I Wish I Knew Vol. 1: Where and what is Boston?

/ Charlene Ochogo / 1 Comment

Since you’re interested in coming to BC (and rightfully so), you probably have a vague understanding of where Boston is — although if you’re coming from the south like I was, that understanding is limited to “up there somewhere.” But chances are, unless you’re from the area or have lived here, you don’t actually know what actually constitutes Boston and then what’s “Boston.”

See, you want to come to Boston College, the happiest law school on earth, but what you don’t realize is that BC Law isn’t in Boston; it’s in a town outside of Boston called Newton, so I guess technically we should be called Newton College, or Kind of Boston College.

Why does this matter? To native northeasterners, it probably doesn’t. But a large portion of our school is from out of state (and out of the country): California, Korea, Kansas, and my homestate, Florida. And traveling to Boston (and what I like to call the “Boston imposters”) to figure this out is expensive and time-consuming. Fear not: I’ve boiled it down to a couple of salient points.

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