BU 1Ls & 2Ls Taking Questions Forum

[LSATNightmares]

Do any current/former students have any comments regarding how insular the Boston biglaw market is? Especially regarding someone coming from out of state with zero ties other than law school.

I'm a 1L not interested in big law. But one of my 1L classmates to my understanding landed a big law summer associate position at the biggest law firm in the world (forget which one, as I don't care about big law). This position is in Europe. The other 1L with a big law summer internship landed it in Boston. But she wanted to stay in Boston. 2L's would probably have more perspective.

[LSATNightmares]

Where do you folks live? Is the on-campus grad housing any good? I'd like to live as close as possible to campus but I don't want to pay something ridiculous.

Also, how's the train?

edit: scratch my first question, looks like I should probably read the thread first

I live in Cambridge, and a few other students also do. There is a bus that will take you to BU, but you have to live in a certain part of Cambridge. It's much quieter there, but then you feel isolated from campus life. In fact, students at BU Law live all over the place, which makes it feel a bit more "commuter like." I have friends who live in Saugus, Chestnut Hill, Belmont, Cambridge, downtown Boston, etc.

[TLS_noobie]

Do any current/former students have any comments regarding how insular the Boston biglaw market is? Especially regarding someone coming from out of state with zero ties other than law school.

I'm a 1L not interested in big law. But one of my 1L classmates to my understanding landed a big law summer associate position at the biggest law firm in the world (forget which one, as I don't care about big law). This position is in Europe. The other 1L with a big law summer internship landed it in Boston. But she wanted to stay in Boston. 2L's would probably have more perspective.

This is relevant to my interests and I would like to hear more about this, therefore...bump

[LSATNightmares]

I am not sure if this was asked recently (sorry if it was) but, about how many market-paying firms come to campus/hire out of BU? What are the typical grade cut-offs for market-paying jobs at BU as well?

Thanks a lot for taking questions!

1L here. 2L's will have to talk about how many firms come, but I've been told by my mentor that if you're not in the top 30%, you will likely not come out with a summer job out of OCI during your 2L year. But maybe things will be better for you guys, as the market is improving. At least that's what 2L's told me recently. There is no GPA cutoff per se, though a number of firms will say things like, "We want students in the top 10%." There are some bidding spots I hear in case you don't make a GPA cutoff. Of course, I'm talking about OCI/big law.

[LSATNightmares]

Do any current/former students have any comments regarding how insular the Boston biglaw market is? Especially regarding someone coming from out of state with zero ties other than law school.

I'm a 1L not interested in big law. But one of my 1L classmates to my understanding landed a big law summer associate position at the biggest law firm in the world (forget which one, as I don't care about big law). This position is in Europe. The other 1L with a big law summer internship landed it in Boston. But she wanted to stay in Boston. 2L's would probably have more perspective.

This is relevant to my interests and I would like to hear more about this, therefore...bump

Don't have much more info, as it comes through the grapevine. I think the abroad position is with baker and mckenzie in the Netherlands. He speaks Dutch. The other person is going to be with WilmerHale in Boston. Actually, being a BU student helped her... they said they had 30 Harvard students and wanted students from other good universities! Now, I'm sure more BU students are getting big law jobs as 1L's. Our CDO really discouraged us from applying, saying how hard it is to get a summer associate position as a 1l. But among the people who applied, they are doing well.

[Blindmelon]

Do any current/former students have any comments regarding how insular the Boston biglaw market is? Especially regarding someone coming from out of state with zero ties other than law school.

I'm a 1L not interested in big law. But one of my 1L classmates to my understanding landed a big law summer associate position at the biggest law firm in the world (forget which one, as I don't care about big law). This position is in Europe. The other 1L with a big law summer internship landed it in Boston. But she wanted to stay in Boston. 2L's would probably have more perspective.

This is relevant to my interests and I would like to hear more about this, therefore...bump

Don't have much more info, as it comes through the grapevine. I think the abroad position is with Baker and McKenzie in the Netherlands. He speaks Dutch. The other person is going to be with WilmerHale in Boston. Actually, being a BU student helped her... they said they had 30 Harvard students and wanted students from other good universities! Now, I'm sure more BU students are getting big law jobs as 1L's. Our CDO really discouraged us from applying, saying how hard it is to get a summer associate position as a 1l. But among the people who applied, they are doing well.

1L SA positions from BU are few and far between - not impossible though. We've had 1Ls summer at Skadden and the like.

As for getting a big firm job in general, you likely need to be in the top 1/3rd + secondary journal. There are definite outliers though, as there are people my year who went into OCI with median grades and got a bigfirm gig. A lot more of it is luck and interviewing ability than people give credit for. I know people top 10% who struck out and those with just above median grades with multiple offers. Given the market rebound in Boston, firms gave a few 3L OCI offers to people without 2L SAs as well (I know of about 6).

I'm a 3L btw and will be working at a bigfirm in Boston next year. Let me know if you have questions. I went into OCI with grades that were barely top 1/3rd - I won't go any farther into my background than that though.

[TLS_noobie]

1L SA positions from BU are few and far between - not impossible though. We've had 1Ls summer at Skadden and the like.

As for getting a big firm job in general, you likely need to be in the top 1/3rd + secondary journal. There are definite outliers though, as there are people my year who went into OCI with median grades and got a bigfirm gig. A lot more of it is luck and interviewing ability than people give credit for. I know people top 10% who struck out and those with just above median grades with multiple offers. Given the market rebound in Boston, firms gave a few 3L OCI offers to people without 2L SAs as well (I know of about 6).

I'm a 3L btw and will be working at a bigfirm in Boston next year. Let me know if you have questions. I went into OCI with grades that were barely top 1/3rd - I won't go any farther into my background than that though.

I'd love to hear more about your experiences, but I can't PM you for some reason. (I am quite the TLS noobie though, hence the name, haha)

[freaknroll]

Do any current students have any suggestions for things to do this coming Thursday night? I'll be at the ASD on Friday but am looking for fun things to do the night before. Being from Texas, and never having been to New England before, I'm interested to see how Boston treats me.

[Blindmelon]

1L SA positions from BU are few and far between - not impossible though. We've had 1Ls summer at Skadden and the like.

As for getting a big firm job in general, you likely need to be in the top 1/3rd + secondary journal. There are definite outliers though, as there are people my year who went into OCI with median grades and got a bigfirm gig. A lot more of it is luck and interviewing ability than people give credit for. I know people top 10% who struck out and those with just above median grades with multiple offers. Given the market rebound in Boston, firms gave a few 3L OCI offers to people without 2L SAs as well (I know of about 6).

I'm a 3L btw and will be working at a bigfirm in Boston next year. Let me know if you have questions. I went into OCI with grades that were barely top 1/3rd - I won't go any farther into my background than that though.

I'd love to hear more about your experiences, but I can't PM you for some reason. (I am quite the TLS noobie though, hence the name, haha)

I disabled PMing. I don't remember why. If you have any more general questions, I can give them a shot here.

[johnson.jelly]

Hey Everyone!

Thanks again to all the BU students who are answering questions - you make everything easier when someone is thousands of miles away

I'm looking into housing options (want a studio) and am deciding between 580 Commonwealth (unfurnished) vs Warren Hall (furnished). Both include all utilities.

I believe both will be about the same costs when I factor in I have to rent furniture for 580 (~1350 a month). Given this, what are your thoughts? What do you rec?

Thanks!

[Blindmelon]

Hey Everyone!

Thanks again to all the BU students who are answering questions - you make everything easier when someone is thousands of miles away

I'm looking into housing options (want a studio) and am deciding between 580 Commonwealth (unfurnished) vs Warren Hall (furnished). Both include all utilities.

I believe both will be about the same costs when I factor in I have to rent furniture for 580 (~1350 a month). Given this, what are your thoughts? What do you rec?

Thanks!

Same cost? 580 is amazing.

[johnson.jelly]

Hey Everyone!

Thanks again to all the BU students who are answering questions - you make everything easier when someone is thousands of miles away

I'm looking into housing options (want a studio) and am deciding between 580 Commonwealth (unfurnished) vs Warren Hall (furnished). Both include all utilities.

I believe both will be about the same costs when I factor in I have to rent furniture for 580 (~1350 a month). Given this, what are your thoughts? What do you rec?

Thanks!

Same cost? 580 is amazing.

Yes, I assume it will be about the same costs because the cheapest studio for 580 is $1215 (includes utilities) + ~$190 (to rent furniture) = $1400

and for Warren a studio for $1325 (is already furnished + includes utilities)

There is a $75 difference (which is big for a poor grad student but not at the expense of comfort

I'm leaning more towards 580 but I heard there is a pretty big waiting list :/

[LSATNightmares]

Hey Everyone!

Thanks again to all the BU students who are answering questions - you make everything easier when someone is thousands of miles away

I'm looking into housing options (want a studio) and am deciding between 580 Commonwealth (unfurnished) vs Warren Hall (furnished). Both include all utilities.

I believe both will be about the same costs when I factor in I have to rent furniture for 580 (~1350 a month). Given this, what are your thoughts? What do you rec?

Thanks!

I don't know anything about locations, but I imagine renting furniture is going to be expensive. When I initially graduated from college, I considered renting furniture, because I thought I was going to be out of school for one year. I ended up working for four years, and I brought all of that furniture with me up to Boston for law school. (I had lots of boxes to move anyways). Buying at IKEA definitely paid off. You can also sell afterwards... I sold two things I wasn't using.

[topper10s]

This might be a very stupid question but I've been living in Korea in an exceedingly small apartment. What kind of sizes are we talking about for apartments around where BU students live? Are queen size beds doable, and can I bring a 3 person couch for a family room-type area? I lived in LA before Korea and I know $1000 won't get you anything special, are apartment prices any less expensive?

Also, can I expect to have some time for BU hockey games or is that a faux-pas for a law student?

[cinephile]

This might be a very stupid question but I've been living in Korea in an exceedingly small apartment. What kind of sizes are we talking about for apartments around where BU students live? Are queen size beds doable, and can I bring a 3 person couch for a family room-type area? I lived in LA before Korea and I know $1000 won't get you anything special, are apartment prices any less expensive?

Also, can I expect to have some time for BU hockey games or is that a faux-pas for a law student?

You can definitely find a decent sized apartment here. I live in a 2 bedroom which is 850 sq ft for 1800 a month.

I looked for ages for a decent sized, affordable studio and I don't think they exist. So, as long as you're sharing a multiple bedroom apartment, you can have space.

[Cupidity]

Warren is an old undergraduate building, 580 is new graduate student building.

You do not want to live in the undergraduate building.

[kaiser]

This might be a very stupid question but I've been living in Korea in an exceedingly small apartment. What kind of sizes are we talking about for apartments around where BU students live? Are queen size beds doable, and can I bring a 3 person couch for a family room-type area? I lived in LA before Korea and I know $1000 won't get you anything special, are apartment prices any less expensive?

Also, can I expect to have some time for BU hockey games or is that a faux-pas for a law student?

Myself and groups of law students would often go to the hockey games. They are a great experience on a Friday or Saturday night, totally free, and are early enough that you can still go to things afterward.

[kaiser]

If you can get it early enough, they do suite-style on-campus housing. So I had a HUGE bedroom, and just had to share common kitchen and bathroom with a few other folks (all PhD students who were never even there it seemed), and it cost $900 a month. These rooms go SUPER fast, so definitely get in touch with the housing office EARLY if you are interested in that option. I think they just call them "rooms" as opposed to studios, since thats really what you are getting. My walk was 5 minutes to the school, the place was excellent, and it was perfect for first year. Its by far the most affordable on-campus housing option.

[topper10s]

How does the hockey team look for next year?

[kaiser]

How does the hockey team look for next year?

Well, its a big question mark since our star goalie was a senior (same one who led us to the NCAA national championship in 2009). Our backup was a senior as well, so it all depends on the new recruits coming in. Goalie is obviously the pulse of a hockey team, so a lot will be riding on how good the goalies are that we have in the pipeline. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a mess this past year with 2 players being removed from the team for alleged sexual assault/rape charges. One had his charges dropped (he was a senior anyway), but another is still pending (he was a solid D-man who won't be back). In addition, one of our star offensive players (who was just a sophomore I believe) left for the Canadian junior leagues. Finally, one of our top goal scorers just signed to the pros, and will pass up his senior year.

But we keep out top D-man and top goal scorer so who knows. BU is a program that is always going to contend, so its always exciting. Now we just have to keep our fingers crossed that BC doesn't win another Frozen Four later this week...

[topper10s]

What's the best guess for the percentage of students at BU that use/used tls?

[ElvisAaron]

What's the best guess for the percentage of students at BU that use/used tls?

15%. Most have heard of it or looked at it, few use/used it regularly. (In my experience so far)

[kaiser]

What's the best guess for the percentage of students at BU that use/used tls?

15%. Most have heard of it or looked at it, few use/used it regularly. (In my experience so far)

Definitely more from my perspective. Of my 5 or 6 closest friends, every single one knew about or frequented TLS. And since I wasn't really anonymous with my old TLS account, they knew WAY too much about me, and I had people who I barely knew congratulating me in person on grades (which I had discussed on TLS). That was incredibly awkward. But yeah, BU is a high level school, and the kids will have done their research. You can bet that a solid chunk of the class will have come across this site, even if they don't post.

[Blindmelon]

What's the best guess for the percentage of students at BU that use/used tls?

15%. Most have heard of it or looked at it, few use/used it regularly. (In my experience so far)

Definitely more from my perspective. Of my 5 or 6 closest friends, every single one knew about or frequented TLS. And since I wasn't really anonymous with my old TLS account, they knew WAY too much about me, and I had people who I barely knew congratulating me in person on grades (which I had discussed on TLS). That was incredibly awkward. But yeah, BU is a high level school, and the kids will have done their research. You can bet that a solid chunk of the class will have come across this site, even if they don't post.

Yea, lots of people were reading my posts and easily figured out who I was. Its awkward.

[kaiser]

What's the best guess for the percentage of students at BU that use/used tls?

15%. Most have heard of it or looked at it, few use/used it regularly. (In my experience so far)

Definitely more from my perspective. Of my 5 or 6 closest friends, every single one knew about or frequented TLS. And since I wasn't really anonymous with my old TLS account, they knew WAY too much about me, and I had people who I barely knew congratulating me in person on grades (which I had discussed on TLS). That was incredibly awkward. But yeah, BU is a high level school, and the kids will have done their research. You can bet that a solid chunk of the class will have come across this site, even if they don't post.

Yea, lots of people were reading my posts and easily figured out who I was. Its awkward.

Hey, I had to speak with you in person before I connected you with your "blindmelon" alter ego (but then again, I was a year behind you). Whereas me, I essentially used to have my name as my handle. The whole "anonymity on the internet" thing never really sunk in for me until I was already in school.