Boston College (BC) 3L Taking Questions Forum

[Perch]

If you have access to a car, would you recommend bringing it? My view was I just didn't want to bring one, since they're expensive to maintain and a general pain, plus driving in Boston doesn't seem like much fun. I suppose I would bring one if there was an "advantage" (ie. the ability to get to campus quickly for whatever it is you might need that speed for), but I guess I never even considered that.

Plan out a bit more time and relax on the T/shuttle?

Yea, this is probably what I'll end up doing. How late does the BC shuttle work during the school year?

Right now, I'm looking at Brighton, near the Washington St. T line, because I see that there is a supermarket right there, lol... Is it obvious that being close to a source of food is important to me, lolllll???

I believe till 2 am, and then after that you can apparently call for a pick up from the shuttle service...sulli, please correct me since I'm surely wrong. The problem with that is the T shuts down...

edit: maybe I'm starting to see the advantage of a car? If you don't stick to alumniguy's advice of working 9-7, it could get hairy.

[Gemini]

T line shuts down? When???

9-7 is fine, except for finals time. Hopefully, I'll make a friend with a car by then, haha.

[alumniguy]

If you have access to a car, would you recommend bringing it? My view was I just didn't want to bring one, since they're expensive to maintain and a general pain, plus driving in Boston doesn't seem like much fun. I suppose I would bring one if there was an "advantage" (ie. the ability to get to campus quickly for whatever it is you might need that speed for), but I guess I never even considered that.

Plan out a bit more time and relax on the T/shuttle?

Yea, this is probably what I'll end up doing. How late does the BC shuttle work during the school year?

Right now, I'm looking at Brighton, near the Washington St. T line, because I see that there is a supermarket right there, lol... Is it obvious that being close to a source of food is important to me, lolllll???

I believe till 2 am, and then after that you can apparently call for a pick up from the shuttle service...sulli, please correct me since I'm surely wrong. The problem with that is the T shuts down...

edit: maybe I'm starting to see the advantage of a car? If you don't stick to alumniguy's advice of working 9-7, it could get hairy.

Would I bring a car? It depends. If you can legitimately afford to have it and can afford a dedicated parking spot, then yes I would bring it. It doesn't mean you have to drive it every day, but I imagine that it does improve your QoL having a car. For me though personally, (i) I didn't have a car before law school and (ii) I couldn't really afford it living off of loans. Boston, in my opinion, is a city where most people own cars. Unless you are living downtown, cars are a benefit.

I think you guys are overestimating the amount of work that law school entails. There will be relatively few, if any nights that require working past midnight, when the T stops running. Perhaps if you are awful at time management, you'll end up working later more often. I would say that I never *had* to work past the time when the law library closed except for possibly finals. Those few times do not require you to have a car though. You can get a number of taxi rides for less than the amount of money it would cost you to have a car with you all year.

As a 1L I lived closer to the main campus, near the Brighton campus. My 2L and 3L year I lived near Washington/Comm Ave. There was a big QoL difference between these two spots. Washington/Comm Ave location affords you the ability to do many more things without a car and cuts the amount of commuting time significantly (e.g., getting groceries - either walk to Whole Foods or take the B line 3 or 4 stops to Packards Corner and go to the Shaw department store). There is also a Zip Car location right on Washington Street near the Whole Foods, which allowed me to rent cars and go to Target or Ikea when needed. There was a gym close to Washington Street that I joined as well. I also found the commute to law school to be only slightly longer from Washington Street stop on the B Line.

[Gemini]

Does BC have a gym on one of its campuses? Free is better!

[sullidop]

Hi BC 2L! Thanks so much for answering questions. One I have (that is completely unrelated to anything currently being discussed, sorry!) is what is the merit aid like at BC?
By merit aid, I mean not financial aid, only based on LSAT, GPA, other factors, etc.
Do you find that a lot is given out/about how much/what are the approximate scores needed to receive it?

Thank you in advance!

BC seems to be fairly generous with the merit aid, but you shouldn't expect it unless you're pushing the 75% in LSAT and above median in GPA. Also, the later we go into the summer the more that fund will dry up so some very deserving candidates will not get it. Muy triste
If you do get some aid, expect it to be in the 7-20k/year range. Some receive more, but not too many.

[sullidop]

Does BC have a gym on one of its campuses? Free is better!

BC does have a gym but they make grads pay I forget how much plans are, but you can find them here: http://www.bc.edu/plex

The way they explained it to us is as such. A long time ago they gave it to grad students and assessed a higher student fee. People complained so they took it out. Now grad students can grab a single visit, semester, academic year or calendar year pass.

I know, it's a pain but the membership fee is pretty low and they have a pool, raquetball/squash/tennis courts, indoor track, etc.

[sullidop]

T line shuts down? When???

9-7 is fine, except for finals time. Hopefully, I'll make a friend with a car by then, haha.

The last T leaves government center going outbound at 12:30ish and leaves BC going inbound at 12:15...I think.
It's not a big deal re the library. It closes at midnight and they kick you out 15 minutes before that.

I'll echo Alumniguy's statement: ASIDE FROM WRITING A MEMO LAW SCHOOL (done right) WILL NOT CONSUME COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF TIME!

[Gemini]

Well I was asking about it FOR finals time, I understand that I won't be at the library till midnight before finals time (if I do it right lol).

[sullidop]

Well I was asking about it FOR finals time, I understand that I won't be at the library till midnight before finals time (if I do it right lol).

Lolz, you probably won't be at the library until midnight during finals either :p

...you 0Ls are making me self-conscious about my lack of studying methods

[sullidop]

In more important news, Brooks Brothers has finally decided to make clothing for BC and some other schools. At last Vineyard Vines has some competition for my collegiate tie business!

http://articles.boston.com/2011-06-25/b ... erchandise

[Perch]

For those who do elect to bring a car, is there ample parking on campus?

[alumniguy]

For those who do elect to bring a car, is there ample parking on campus?

You'll find a spot, but sometimes it is less than ideal and may involve a bit of walk (think shopping mall parking lot type walk) if you get there "late" compared to the rest of the students.

[clarawater]

Hi BC 2L! Thanks so much for answering questions. One I have (that is completely unrelated to anything currently being discussed, sorry!) is what is the merit aid like at BC?
By merit aid, I mean not financial aid, only based on LSAT, GPA, other factors, etc.
Do you find that a lot is given out/about how much/what are the approximate scores needed to receive it?

Thank you in advance!

BC seems to be fairly generous with the merit aid, but you shouldn't expect it unless you're pushing the 75% in LSAT and above median in GPA. Also, the later we go into the summer the more that fund will dry up so some very deserving candidates will not get it. Muy triste
If you do get some aid, expect it to be in the 7-20k/year range. Some receive more, but not too many.

Thanks sullidop, that helps. To be more specific, what would a 165 and 3.90 GPA get approximately based on your experience? Would that even be enough for admission?
(I'm currently trying to figure out if I should re-take the LSAT). BC is definitely my top top choice, but I don't think I would get any financial aid, so merit aid at a different school might decide my decision... All in all it's quite a process, but I'm just trying to get as much info as possible!

[sullidop]

Hi BC 2L! Thanks so much for answering questions. One I have (that is completely unrelated to anything currently being discussed, sorry!) is what is the merit aid like at BC?
By merit aid, I mean not financial aid, only based on LSAT, GPA, other factors, etc.
Do you find that a lot is given out/about how much/what are the approximate scores needed to receive it?

Thank you in advance!

BC seems to be fairly generous with the merit aid, but you shouldn't expect it unless you're pushing the 75% in LSAT and above median in GPA. Also, the later we go into the summer the more that fund will dry up so some very deserving candidates will not get it. Muy triste
If you do get some aid, expect it to be in the 7-20k/year range. Some receive more, but not too many.

Thanks sullidop, that helps. To be more specific, what would a 165 and 3.90 GPA get approximately based on your experience? Would that even be enough for admission?
(I'm currently trying to figure out if I should re-take the LSAT). BC is definitely my top top choice, but I don't think I would get any financial aid, so merit aid at a different school might decide my decision... All in all it's quite a process, but I'm just trying to get as much info as possible!

If you have time definitely retake, your GPA is really high and most schools only consider the top LSAT score. It's tricky for BC re aid. From what I've seen they tend to reward high LSAT scores with scholly more that high GPAs, but they do reward high GPAs. I assume you're applying next cycle so definitely get your application in early (by early Nov) and see what they send your way.

[Gemini]

realllllly random question, but I was curious about the jewish population at BC. Is it substantial or is it negligible? Or somewhere in between?

[sullidop]

realllllly random question, but I was curious about the jewish population at BC. Is it substantial or is it negligible? Or somewhere in between?

I suppose "substantial" or "negligible" are somewhat subjective given your personal experience. If I had to place a number on it, I'd guess 10-20% of the student body (I looked at BC's website and was surprised that they don't have this figure anywhere). It's not uncommon to see a yarmulke in the hallways.

Relative to the undergrad population (I went to BC), there are a lot of jewish students. Anecdotally, BC Law gets most of the high holidays off whereas the undergrads do not.

Edit: Apparently there was a post on this before which was full of misinformation. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=125703 Only 1 or 2 Jesuits still teach at the law school and they rarely teach 1L courses.

[alumniguy]

realllllly random question, but I was curious about the jewish population at BC. Is it substantial or is it negligible? Or somewhere in between?

I suppose "substantial" or "negligible" are somewhat subjective given your personal experience. If I had to place a number on it, I'd guess 10-20% of the student body (I looked at BC's website and was surprised that they don't have this figure anywhere). It's not uncommon to see a yarmulke in the hallways.

Relative to the undergrad population (I went to BC), there are a lot of jewish students. Anecdotally, BC Law gets most of the high holidays off whereas the undergrads do not.

Edit: Apparently there was a post on this before which was full of misinformation. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=125703 Only 1 or 2 Jesuits still teach at the law school and none teach 1L courses.

I'll chime in as well. I am originally from the midwest and I was actually surprised at the comparatively large number of Jewish students at BC Law (and in Boston) compared to anywhere I had lived before. The Law School is very welcoming of Jewish students and for a long, long time, the dean of the Law School was Jewish. I think I would put the Jewish number at 25% or more, but perhaps I just found myself associating with the Jewish students more.

If one desires to live in a more Jewish area, I would recommend looking around Brookline/Coolidge Corner. That area is a bit pricey compared to Allston/Brighton, but it is definitely one of the heavier Jewish communities in Boston.

This question reminds me of one of my favorite brunch spots in Coolidge Corner - Zaftigs. Highly recommended! There is also a pretty decent bagel place on Harvard Avenue just outside of Coolidge Corner (towards Comm Ave.). Can't really compare to New York bagels, but for Boston they were definitely some of the best I had.

And lastly, I never had a "priest" professor. I believe my 1L year one section had their Con law class taught by a Jesuit professor; however, from what I understand it wasn't like he was bringing God into the classroom (unless they were discussing the line of freedom of religion cases). I can't even think of the second Jesuit that still teaches...although I tended to stay away from the upper-level religion classes that these professors typically teach.

I am non-religious and while I would occasionally notice what I perceived as too much religion (like automatically being included on email lists telling me when weekly Mass occurred), I NEVER had this experience while in the classroom. Students talked about religion in Con law when the cases so dictated, but it never was in a preachy way.

[spencer1888]

Apologies if this has already been answered. I was wondering what form exams generally take? I realize this is professor specific, but how many closed book exams can one expect first year and in what subjects?

[sullidop]

realllllly random question, but I was curious about the jewish population at BC. Is it substantial or is it negligible? Or somewhere in between?

I suppose "substantial" or "negligible" are somewhat subjective given your personal experience. If I had to place a number on it, I'd guess 10-20% of the student body (I looked at BC's website and was surprised that they don't have this figure anywhere). It's not uncommon to see a yarmulke in the hallways.

Relative to the undergrad population (I went to BC), there are a lot of jewish students. Anecdotally, BC Law gets most of the high holidays off whereas the undergrads do not.

Edit: Apparently there was a post on this before which was full of misinformation. http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=125703 Only 1 or 2 Jesuits still teach at the law school and none teach 1L courses.

I'll chime in as well. I am originally from the midwest and I was actually surprised at the comparatively large number of Jewish students at BC Law (and in Boston) compared to anywhere I had lived before. The Law School is very welcoming of Jewish students and for a long, long time, the dean of the Law School was Jewish. I think I would put the Jewish number at 25% or more, but perhaps I just found myself associating with the Jewish students more.

If one desires to live in a more Jewish area, I would recommend looking around Brookline/Coolidge Corner. That area is a bit pricey compared to Allston/Brighton, but it is definitely one of the heavier Jewish communities in Boston.

This question reminds me of one of my favorite brunch spots in Coolidge Corner - Zaftigs. Highly recommended! There is also a pretty decent bagel place on Harvard Avenue just outside of Coolidge Corner (towards Comm Ave.). Can't really compare to New York bagels, but for Boston they were definitely some of the best I had.

And lastly, I never had a "priest" professor. I believe my 1L year one section had their Con law class taught by a Jesuit professor; however, from what I understand it wasn't like he was bringing God into the classroom (unless they were discussing the line of freedom of religion cases). I can't even think of the second Jesuit that still teaches...although I tended to stay away from the upper-level religion classes that these professors typically teach.

I am non-religious and while I would occasionally notice what I perceived as too much religion (like automatically being included on email lists telling me when weekly Mass occurred), I NEVER had this experience while in the classroom. Students talked about religion in Con law when the cases so dictated, but it never was in a preachy way.

I was thinking that the population was possibly more than 20% but then I though, relative to the general population, that's crazy high! And yeah, not too many jesuits actually wear their collars around campus (Professor Kalscheur excluded).
When I was in undergrad one Jesuit mentioned that he stopped wearing his collar while not performing religious duties because, in the wake of the child abuse scandal, it put a wall between him and students. Not sure how many Jesuits feel the same way.

[sullidop]

Apologies if this has already been answered. I was wondering what form exams generally take? I realize this is professor specific, but how many closed book exams can one expect first year and in what subjects?

I think all first year exams are open book/notes/outlines. They usually feature an issue spotter (a long prompt and you have to pick the legal issues out of it), policy essay, and hybrid essay. Some professors favor a really long issue spotter and shorter policy essay. Other professors include objective questions to supplement/replace the issue spotter.

Typically professors just restrict you to materials distributed in class or created by yourself, so commercial outlines are a no-no. I've only had two closed-book exams and they were both from the same professor (although T&E is always closed book at BC). If you're dead set against closed book, you can check the course catelogue before you register and avoid those classes.

[spencer1888]

whew.. thanks for the quick reply. I couldn't imagine writing a closed book con law exam! (i've taken a state and local tax class for my MS that touches on a lot of issues I presume are encountered in con law)

[alumniguy]

whew.. thanks for the quick reply. I couldn't imagine writing a closed book con law exam! (i've taken a state and local tax class for my MS that touches on a lot of issues I presume are encountered in con law)

I actually preferred the few closed book exams that I had for the very fact that the professors test the main principles, as opposed to including more esoteric areas/pet issues. I found that the closed book exams were much more straightforward than the open book exams. While it was nice to have the books there as a "crutch," when I resorted to looking at my materials it was a sure sign that I didn't do enough internalizing of concepts prior to the exam.

[Gemini]

I know I can't rely on this BUT:

If someone at BC law does reallly, really well their 1L year, does BC offer them extra merit aid? I know some schools do that, so I was wondering if BC does it too. And if so, does anyone know what you need to qualify?

[BlueDiamond]

I know I can't rely on this BUT:

If someone at BC law does reallly, really well their 1L year, does BC offer them extra merit aid? I know some schools do that, so I was wondering if BC does it too. And if so, does anyone know what you need to qualify?

I wouldn't go unless you are willing to pay what you already would have to at this moment; but with that said you'd probably need a transfer acceptance to a T6 to get them to budge in my uninformed opinion. Even if they said no to that you could transfer.

But really, I doubt there is a percentile cut off. It is probably a case by case thing.

[JusticeHarlan]

Apologies if this has already been answered. I was wondering what form exams generally take? I realize this is professor specific, but how many closed book exams can one expect first year and in what subjects?

My 1L year, I had:

4 in class, open book exams
1 in class, closed book exams
2 take home exams