stress management

Spring Break: Law Student Edition

/ Maria Colella / Leave a comment

When I accepted Boston College Law School’s offer of admission in 2014, I did not know exactly what to expect from my law school experience. It was the first time since third grade that I was going to show up to school on the first day without knowing a single person.

I woke up at 5 a.m. to drive down to Newton from New Hampshire on the morning of orientation. If I had left after 6 a.m., my dad assured me, I would not make it on time. Throughout the day I got to know the campus and sat through presentations by the Dean and other faculty. They called BC the “Disney World of law schools,” but said that we would also be challenged academically. They spoke of the Jesuit ideals of the quest for knowledge and care for the whole person, the importance of contributing to society and treating your classmates well. At the time, I was hoping what they were espousing would turn out to be true.

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Things I Wish I Knew, Vol. 14: New semester resolutions you should have (and ones you shouldn’t)

/ Charlene Ochogo / Leave a comment

Happy almost new year!

I find that this time of year, people generally fall into one of two buckets: what I like to call the Calvins of the world…

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…and those of us who resolutely (heh) make a list of things about ourselves that we would like to change. If you’re anything like me growing up, you make your list feeling great about it  every December, then come February, you kind of feel the way you do when you’ve napped for too long: disoriented, vaguely angry, and wondering what the heck happened to you.

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Yes, We Go to School Sponsored Social Events: Halloween Party

/ Maria Colella / Leave a comment

Last year Halloween party was at Game On. I remember it as yet another fun night, similar to Boat Cruise, spent dancing and bonding with 1L friends. Halloween Party generally marks the transition from I’m just trying to keep up with my reading to I should start making my outlines. This LSA social event is thus very important. It is what you will look back on fondly when you’re day dreaming in the library in December and wondering if you have had any fun this year. Because of Halloween Party, you can answer your question with a resounding yes!

Another reason Halloween is an important BC law event: it signifies an important friendship milestone. Friends who are comfortable enough to dress up in crazy costumes and dance together, stay together. (Even once your costume changes from scary witch to scary, sleep deprived law student!) This year’s Halloween Party at Wild Rover was another successful event for the LSA special events committee, complete with the Peanuts, Lobsters, The Weeknd, A male Sandy & female Danny, Peter Pan, Ruth Bader Ginspurrg, Burt Macklin and Janet Snakehole (Parks & Rec), Bob’s Burgers, Gotham villains, Donald Trump and many more!

Everyone did such an amazing job with their costumes and instagram photos, the Social Media Committee had a difficult task in choosing the winners!

1L Winner: The Royal Tenenbaums

https://www.instagram.com/p/9e_OWqhw57/
Read on to see who won 1st and 2nd place!

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Yes, We Go to School Sponsored Social Events: Boat Cruise

/ Maria Colella / Leave a comment

When I was researching where to go to law school, many online resources referred to Boston College Law School as the “Disney World of Law Schools.” What does that mean? I remember thinking. In general, BC Law was known (in the cyber world at least) for having students who are nice to each other. I figured, if it’s the Disney World of Law Schools, maybe it will be kind of… fun?

To my elation, the analogy is apt. BC Law is fun. One of my favorite parts of BC from the beginning has been that the School, usually through the Law Students Association, throws social events. And, more importantly, people actually go to them.

1L: Boat Cruise 2014

I was having a conversation with a fellow 2L last week. “I was talking to some of the 1Ls and they asked, what’s the big deal with this Boat Cruise? Do people actually go to that? And I said: Yes! Everyone goes.” The line for tickets on the last day was at least 50 people long.

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Things I Wish I Knew, Vol. 8: The best way to prepare for law school this summer

/ Charlene Ochogo / Leave a comment

…is to not prepare at all.

Dear Class of 2018, you have struggled through the undergraduate battleground, you finished a post-bachelor degree, or maybe you’ve summoned the courage to work AND apply to law school, and you’re positively ravenous for any advice on how to best prepare yourself for what lies ahead of you.

I have only three words for you: Treat. Yo. Self.

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For those of you unfamiliar with NBC’s Parks and Recreation, no worries – you have the entire summer with which to make yourself familiar. But for old fans of Donna Meagle and Tom Haverford, Treat Yo’ Self 2015 (aka, now until right around August 20th) should be spent on you.

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Five Things to Do Before Law School That are Actually Worth Your Time

/ Luciabc / Leave a comment

1. Relax

First of all, if you have some free time, enjoy it! While my time at BC Law has been a lot of fun, it is also been a lot of work and I often feel like I’m going from one thing to the next without much of a break. So if you have some down time before law school be sure to hang out with your friends from college and high school, and go on that family vacation your mom keeps bugging you about. Try the new restaurants you’ve been wanting to try, grab drinks with your friends, and do some reading for pleasure before you’re consumed by casebooks!

2. Build your network

The one thing I hear over and over again from the career center here is the importance of networking and making contacts for getting a job. If you have family members, family friends, or acquaintances who are judges or attorneys reach out to them! A short email saying “Hi [name], I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to get in touch because I just got accepted to Boston College Law School! I know you’re very busy but I’ve heard a little bit about your career in [x legal field] and if you have the time I would love to grab coffee or chat on the phone about the work you’ve done and your thoughts on working in [x legal field].” At the very least you’ll get some advice on law school and practicing, and who knows, you may end up finding a connection for a summer job.

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Ski Trip: A Snowy Retreat

/ rwmakawa / Leave a comment

This weekend was the annual BC Law Ski Trip organized by the Law Student Association.  It’s a fun break from Boston and gives students a great chance to relax and unwind in the mountains of Vermont.  As a 3L, this was my third and final Ski Trip, and I definitely enjoyed it:

One of the highlights of the weekend was going to a local bar to enjoy some live music:

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It’s All About Perspective

/ rwmakawa / Leave a comment

So…I’m not a Patriots fan.  Sorry!  That being said, I really really enjoyed Rob’s recent post about persistence and motivation.  I think it’s great advice and generally reminds us all that we need things in our lives to help us maintain perspective and keep us grounded.  It’s easy to lose yourself in studying and legal textbooks, but being well-rounded is about more than trying to get an A at the end of the semester.  I’d like to highlight some advice from the BC Law Impact group about perspective:

[The Spring Break Service Trip] was my first opportunity to do legal work since entering law school, and it was so rewarding to be able to help people! – Lucia

I realized that the ‘racial justice’ that was an ‘area of interest’ for me was a matter of life or death, of resisting daily disrespect, for other people. Real people, standing in front of me.  – Amelia

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How Tom Brady Helped Get Me a Job

/ Rob Rossi / 3 Comments

Disclaimer: I am a giant huge Patriots fan. My shock, euphoria and disbelief about last night’s Super Bowl finish will probably last as long as President Obama’s after Chief Justice Roberts upheld the Affordable Care Act as constitutional. 

For my first post on this blog, I only semi-jokingly wrote that my New Year’s resolution was to make sure my schoolwork did not force me to miss a single episode of Game of Thrones. As I wrote in that post, some of the best advice you’ll get at this law school (or possibly any other – but I really hope you come to this one!) is “don’t give up the things you can’t do without.”

While law school has a reputation of being an infinite time suck that deprives students of the ability to do anything enjoyable at all, that reputation is simply untrue. Well, maybe it’s true for some people, but not for me. My time away from my classes and my assignments is what motivates me to put forth my best effort when I am doing my work. Here, let Tom Brady explain what I mean much more effectively in this Uggs ad:

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