Boston College Alum Taking Questions Forum

[BCLS Alum]

I am a graduate of BC law and new to the board. I'll be taking questions for the next day or so. Feel free to ask about anything BC or law school related.

[IsleMet]

Hey,

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer questions!

Do you know anything about the Public Service Scholarships and how competitive they are? I have average numbers, but very good softs and public service experience.

Do you know anything about the public service program at BC or about the job opportunities for those that pursue PI after graduation?

Just a general question...did you enjoy your time at BC? Favorite part about the school? Least favorite?

[BCLS]

1L here as well who would love to answer questions!

[Trequartista]

What are the big law prospects for BC grads ITE.

[BCLS Alum]

The scholarships are pretty competitive. BC has a good track record of providing scholarships and repayment plans for people interested in public interest. I have friends who went the public interest rout and are participating in the school's repayment loan program, which is actually very generous in the amounts the school will provide. The job opportunities are available for those interested. BC has significant ties to almost every organization in the Boston area.

My favorite things about law school were definitely the people. The students were all very impressive, but very down to earth. It is a social school, which I have found very useful when navigating the legal system. When you graduate, you will be doing large M&A deals or significant litigation with a lot of your classmates, even if you leave Boston.

As for BigLaw, you generally have to be in the top 50%, but I know people who were in the bottom half and still ended up at some of the big firms in 250-500 attorney range. It all depends on whether you can interview well. But generally, you'll need to be in the top 50% and you should really be in the top 1/3 for the top firms. Most of my friends went the biglaw route. I'd say about 9 out of 10.

[bk1]

When did you graduate? Or approximately if you don't want to be specific.

[BCLS Alum]

More than two years ago but less than six years ago.

[83947368]

.

[BCLS Alum]

Most of the class got their positions through OCI. The market was pretty good back then, but it will likely be good again when you all matriculate. Most graduates chose to stay in Boston, but a significant percentage went on to New York and D.C. These were considered fairly easy markets to hit. Even if you didn't get a Vault firm, there were still non-vault biglaw firms that were willing to go into the bottom half of the class (Brown Rudnick, Goulston Storrs, Seward & Kissel, etc.). I'd say only around 25% of our class went to a city other than Boston, NY and D.C. This was largely due to self-selection.

It wasn't all cheery though. Some people had problems, especially internationally. A lot of those individuals may have run into interviewing difficulties due to personalities. It happens. Interviewing season is really a numbers game. Do as many intereviews as you can and you'll pull a handful regardless of how socially awkward you are.

Off campus interviewing is pretty standard among all the schools and are usually actually done together. Students usually did OCI with other similarly ranked schools (BU, GW, USC, UCLA, Vandy) at a hotel in the market. It is actually fun to meet up with other students going through similar things at other schools. Also fun considering we were all pretty much in the same applicant pool when applying to law school, so interesting that we are in the same applicant pool for big law.

[BCLS Alum]

Taking questions again this week.

[BCLS Alum]

Taking questions this week.

[jwmalone87]

Where did you end up living? The website mentions graduate housing...can you speak on its quality?

[BCLS Alum]

Most law students prefer to live off campus. As collegial as BC is, it is nice to have a life outside of law school. I lived in a nice condo in Brighton. Great area, tons to do, T access but ability to have a car. The nice thing about BC is that you can live in the city or in the suburbs. A number of students found it cheaper or more preferable to live in Newton/Waltham/Watertown/etc. I liked living closer into the city, but that was a personal preference. I wanted to ability to jump on the T for a night on the town while still being a short 5 minute drive to campus for school, sporting events, etc. BC has a number of non-traditional students with families who prefered living in Newton, which is one of the nicest suburbs of Boston. It is really a matter of personal preference.

Having a car is a nice perk in Boston, but it is not easy if you live closer to the downtown core. I am not a huge fan of public transportation, especially the T. When I went to the admitted students day at BU and NU, I found the locations to very convenient for a lot of things, but not having a car. Most apartments in the BC area include parking spots, something apartments closer to town charge significantly for. I probably would not have brought my car with me if I had gone to a school closer into the core.

[BCLS Alum]

Taking questions again this week. Any topics, from law school, applications, to Boston generally and the legal market currently.

[mikcou]

I'm a current 1L and was wondering what you think were looking at for OCI in August? Is it looking like firms are going to increase their summer classes? Im primarily interested in staying in Boston.

[skippy1]

When should we ideally start looking for apartments? How do students find roommates?

[clouds101]

Thanks for answering questions!

1. Did you prepare as an 0L before entering BC law?
2. Were you involved in any extracurricular activities at BC--if so, how was your experience?
3. How accessible were the profs?

[BCLS Alum]

1. Did you prepare as an 0L before entering BC law?
I did not really prepare before entering law school. I read Law School Confidential and frequented a few blogs, but nothing can really prepare you. Each prof will focus on different things, so it is hard to get a full idea of the material beforehand. You probably could read an E&E prior to taking a course where the material is easy to predict, like Civ Pro. I took a LEEWs course towards the begining of the first semester, but I don't think it really impacted how I approach issue spotters. If you have no idea how to approach a law school exam, it is not a bad course.

2. Were you involved in any extracurricular activities at BC--if so, how was your experience?
Played sports and attended bar review. I was also on a specialized law review. These were great experiences. The good thing about BC is that most people get to be on a law review, as there are four or five of them for a very small student body. I remember realizing at the GWU admitted students day that a lot of students there probably don't get to participate on a law review because of the ratio from students to open positions. At BC, there are a number of open spots and an oddly large number of people don't complete the competition for law review, which increases your chances even more. You can also write onto the generic law review, which is a very fair approach (a number of schools only allow you to grade on).

I also did moot court and negotiation competitions, which, while competitions, were a lot of fun. Everyone has a great time. These are great ways to get together with fellow like-minded classmates. You'll probably end up at a large firms practicing with these people (most of us end up working together in Boston or New York, which makes it an even better experience in retrospect).

There are a lot of social outings which you can participate in if you are interested. Ski clubs, football/basketball/hockey clubs, fan outings for the official sporting events, running club, etc. It is a very social and pretty tightnit community, which I have found is pretty specific to BC law. Probably due to its size of student body, the experience, and the location in Newton. This is what helps foster the alumni network. There is a beautiful alumni club on the top of a downtown skyscraper called the BC Club to which friends have become members. http://www.clubcorp.com/Clubs/Boston-College-Club

3. How accessible were the profs?
Very accessible, though I think they are at most schools. I did not have any profs who "hide-the-ball" so to speak. All of my profs really tried to teach me the material. I never understand the stories of profs at other schools who make it difficult and really force the student to figure it out on their own. I went to office hours at least once a week with each prof to make sure I understood the material, which I believe was very beneficial.

[BCLS Alum]

I'm a current 1L and was wondering what you think were looking at for OCI in August? Is it looking like firms are going to increase their summer classes? Im primarily interested in staying in Boston.
My law firms is going back to 2007 class sizes. We have seen the demand go back up in the last six or seven months. Things are getting back to normal in Boston. New York is still on a bit of a lag, but we've seen growth in demand. The Cali markets are still hurting. Chicago is starting to do well again as well. Boston is doing well though.


When should we ideally start looking for apartments? How do students find roommates?
It depends where you are looking to live. There will be a BC Law event where you can meet other students looking for roomates before the school year begins. A number of people met other BCLS future students that way and ended up getting a place together. You should contact the school to see when they plan to hold this event. They do it every year.

Otherwise, you can always use craigslist. You can often find BC or BU law students looking for roomates.

[clouds101]

Big thanks, BCLS Alum!!

[Nicholasnickynic]

Which will be more expensive:

Your debt+interest on your debt?
or
Your first house?

[BCLS Alum]

Which will be more expensive:

Your debt+interest on your debt?
or
Your first house?

Law school debt is down to an expensive car at this point. Salaries at the large law firms tend to account for high debt, so I've been able to knock off my debt pretty quickly. The good thing about the schools in the northeast is that almost every big firm in Boston, New York and DC are paying 160k starting, unlike in smaller midwester markets were the top of the line firms are paying 120k or 130k. You'll graduate with similar debt at any of the top private law schools, but your employer won't necessarily be paying the same market salary.

Graduated with 120k in debt including interest at graduation. No scholarship, lived a decent lifestyle in law school.

[Nicholasnickynic]

Which will be more expensive:

Your debt+interest on your debt?
or
Your first house?

Law school debt is down to an expensive car at this point. Salaries at the large law firms tend to account for high debt, so I've been able to knock off my debt pretty quickly. The good thing about the schools in the northeast is that almost every big firm in Boston, New York and DC are paying 160k starting, unlike in smaller midwester markets were the top of the line firms are paying 120k or 130k. You'll graduate with similar debt at any of the top private law schools, but your employer won't necessarily be paying the same market salary.

Graduated with 120k in debt including interest at graduation. No scholarship, lived a decent lifestyle in law school.

nice answer to a douche-y question. 120k with no scholarship is pretty nice (although not ideal) considering big law odds.

[BCLS Alum]

No problem. I understood the point of your question which is understandable. Law school tends to be expensive.

[skippy1]

1) When do 1L typically move into apartments? I see a lot of places available on Craigslist for Sept 1 but that might be too late. I'll also check out the housing event you mentioned.

2) Do all profs use the same textbook for each subject - example for Property, different sections have different profs - do they use the same text book?