Top Law Schools

Okay, last post I swear!

Here's the situation, I've been accepted to both BC and BU. I paid the deposit for BC already but I just got into BU. The deposits are both $1000.

I've been asking around and everyone says they're on-par just pick one, which has been extremely unhelpful. If I go to BC, I will be living at home with my parents and driving to school. If I go to BU I will be living in my own apartment in Allston/Brookline. Money isn't too big of an issue, but my parents can't afford Chestnut Hill/Newton. If I go to BC and live at home, I know I will probably never get to go downtown except one in a while on the weekends to see friends that I made this past year in law school.

If I accept BU I'll be out $1000 and their OCI deadline is July 16th, which is coming up very quickly, I'm not sure if I'll have access to their career services website by that time. I like that BU is closer to downtown and I can be closer to friends and I'm afraid if I'm at BC I'll be secluded from everything. I eventually want to do something in international banking law or corporate (I want to work abroad or at least in a big firm). Apparently BC's average private firm salary is $160,000 and BU's is $140,000 (I'm aware of the recession).

I know it may sound a little pathetic but I really can't decide.

Thank you very much!

holycowsrock wrote:Okay, last post I swear!

Here's the situation, I've been accepted to both BC and BU. I paid the deposit for BC already but I just got into BU. The deposits are both $1000.

I've been asking around and everyone says they're on-par just pick one, which has been extremely unhelpful. If I go to BC, I will be living at home with my parents and driving to school. If I go to BU I will be living in my own apartment in Allston/Brookline. Money isn't too big of an issue, but my parents can't afford Chestnut Hill/Newton. If I go to BC and live at home, I know I will probably never get to go downtown except one in a while on the weekends to see friends that I made this past year in law school.

If I accept BU I'll be out $1000 and their OCI deadline is July 16th, which is coming up very quickly, I'm not sure if I'll have access to their career services website by that time. I like that BU is closer to downtown and I can be closer to friends and I'm afraid if I'm at BC I'll be secluded from everything. I eventually want to do something in international banking law or corporate (I want to work abroad or at least in a big firm). Apparently BC's average private firm salary is $160,000 and BU's is $140,000 (I'm aware of the recession).

I know it may sound a little pathetic but I really can't decide.

Thank you very much!

So, saving money by living at home vs. feeling "secluded" from friends? Doesn't seem too hard, pull the trigger for BC.

Flip a coin. If you don't like the result, then you know where to go.

First, congratulations on a successful transfer season!

A note on the "seclusion" aspect: if you live near the Newton Campus, you will find it a little more difficult to get into town and socialize. However, a majority (or at least a plurality) of the students actually live in the Cleveland Circle area, which is pretty much a beehive of BCLS social activity. If you like BC but don't want to live at home, you should look at that area...it would be very similar to the Allston/BU experience.

I can't speak with specificity to your interests, but as far as the salary info, I would consider them functionally identical. There's a lot of selective reporting going on with figures like that.

BC put 21.7% into NLJ 250, BU put 17.8% according to the "Go-To Schools" list for this year. Not a big difference, take it for what it's worth.

Also, I have to take an additional Conlaw course at BC which was my worst 1L class this past year (they need 6 credits of conlaw, I only had 4). I can't write-on to BC Law Review apparently. I can write-on to BU law review and they have a banking and finance journal.

Can't get over BU's location but I like BC's prestige.

BU since you can participate in LR write-on.

CanadianWolf wrote:BU since you can participate in LR write-on.

This.

holycowsrock wrote: Can't get over BU's location but I like BC's prestige.

Live in the Northeast now but didn't grow up here... is BC really generally considered more "prestigious" than BU as a university?

AllTheLawz wrote:

holycowsrock wrote: Can't get over BU's location but I like BC's prestige.

Live in the Northeast now but didn't grow up here... is BC really generally considered more "prestigious" than BU as a university?

I think BC was ranked much higher than BU until the late 90's/early 2000's. But now BU is slightly more prestigious and definitely is a more "national" law school.

BC is slightly stronger in Boston, but if OP thinks he might want to work outside of New England, BU is the better option.

holycowsrock wrote:Okay, last post I swear!

Here's the situation, I've been accepted to both BC and BU. I paid the deposit for BC already but I just got into BU. The deposits are both $1000.

I've been asking around and everyone says they're on-par just pick one, which has been extremely unhelpful. If I go to BC, I will be living at home with my parents and driving to school. If I go to BU I will be living in my own apartment in Allston/Brookline. Money isn't too big of an issue, but my parents can't afford Chestnut Hill/Newton. If I go to BC and live at home, I know I will probably never get to go downtown except one in a while on the weekends to see friends that I made this past year in law school.

If I accept BU I'll be out $1000 and their OCI deadline is July 16th, which is coming up very quickly, I'm not sure if I'll have access to their career services website by that time. I like that BU is closer to downtown and I can be closer to friends and I'm afraid if I'm at BC I'll be secluded from everything. I eventually want to do something in international banking law or corporate (I want to work abroad or at least in a big firm). Apparently BC's average private firm salary is $160,000 and BU's is $140,000 (I'm aware of the recession).

I know it may sound a little pathetic but I really can't decide.

Thank you very much!

You need to call career services at both schools, ask them if they can put you in touch with students who have transferred from your 1L school, then ask those students how they did 1L, where they went to undergrad and how they did, and ask them about prior work experience. Generally firms want to see how you'll do compared to students at the school you're transferring into. The transfer students who land biglaw at OCI generally have significant relevant work experience (ties to a company that could potentially be a client) and/or graduated phi beta kappa at an elite undergraduate college.

In regards to the location issue why can't you just live in Allston/Brighton/Brookline and commute to BC its honestly not that far to newton center.

I'm leaning more towards BU now but everyone on TLS seems to be pushing for BC on the poll. I wonder why? Name? Job opportunities? I can participate on the write-on for the Law Review Journal at BU and they have a lesser journal that I like the Banking and Finance Journal.

Also, I know everyone says the commute to BC is manageable, but I did a commute from home this year, on the T (subway) and bus and it took an hour, which was too long for me. Going to BC even if I lived in Cleveland Circle, I'd have to take 2 shuttle buses and maybe a T.

In addition, I may want to go outside of Boston. I like Boston, but I don't think I'll stay here for forever.

I've got the same issue as you currently. Raised in Boston area got accepted both BU and BC. I'm taking BU because I'm interested in pursuing patent law and BU is on the top 10 USNEWS for intellectual property. Perhaps if there is a specific area of interest for you? Otherwise if you already dropped $1000 I would stay at BC and live at home to save money.

Lycurgus wrote:I've got the same issue as you currently. Raised in Boston area got accepted both BU and BC. I'm taking BU because I'm interested in pursuing patent law and BU is on the top 10 USNEWS for intellectual property. Perhaps if there is a specific area of interest for you? Otherwise if you already dropped $1000 I would stay at BC and live at home to save money.

I'm interested in banking/financial/corporate law. I also want to work abroad and maybe outside of Boston. BU isn't ranked for that but neither is BC I think.

holycowsrock wrote:

Lycurgus wrote:I've got the same issue as you currently. Raised in Boston area got accepted both BU and BC. I'm taking BU because I'm interested in pursuing patent law and BU is on the top 10 USNEWS for intellectual property. Perhaps if there is a specific area of interest for you? Otherwise if you already dropped $1000 I would stay at BC and live at home to save money.

I'm interested in banking/financial/corporate law. I also want to work abroad and maybe outside of Boston. BU isn't ranked for that but neither is BC I think.

Program rankings mean almost nothing. Go to the school you like better. BU/BC are equal. If you want to stay in Boston long term then BC > BU, if you want to leave the area then BU>>BC. If the commute to BC is going to negatively affect your mental health a bit, then go to BU.

the poll result is slightly making me doubt my decision.
got into both. took BU over BC.
hopefully the decision turns out.

Didn't one of these two schools get decimated in the long term full time JD required job category? Go to the other one.

Ended up choosing BU. It will be a better fit for me long term and I kept trying to come up with reasons why I didn't want to go to BU and why I should go to BC. It shouldn't be like that!

I'm finally done!

Good luck to everyone else.

I'll see you there.

I will as well. Just sent in my deposit at BU and notified BC that I wouldn't be attending. Got in just before the first OCI bidding deadline. Though I doubt I'll have much success...

secretaryoftaste wrote:I will as well. Just sent in my deposit at BU and notified BC that I wouldn't be attending. Got in just before the first OCI bidding deadline. Though I doubt I'll have much success...

You deposited today? In the mail or in person? I'm not sure if you'll have access to Symplicity immediately if you sent the deposit by mail, but good luck!

How did everything work out for all you BU/BC transfers?