BU 1Ls & 2Ls Taking Questions Forum

[cinephile]

Thank you! That's what I suspected. I think I will just have to resign myself to ramen and baked beans.

You're welcome.

Doesn't necessarily mean working is off limits altogether. You might want to consider becoming a research assistant (emails usually go out by professors who are searching early in the semester) for a little extra cash. Or working for Lexis or WestLaw if they take 1Ls. That is an easy gig of hanging out in the cafe or library and waiting for people to ask you questions while you do your own work.

Also, this is a totally different subject, but look into working 1 hour a week for a bar review prep course and you can take their course for free when you graduate (they don't pay you cash for that 1 hour, but it's definitely worth the free course).

[LSATNightmares]

What is the general feeling/mood of students with regards to employment prospects? I've looked at the data but sometimes statistics can be misleading. Is there any inkling things are improving from the bottoming out of the NLJ numbers we say released this year? How are people coping with this environment at BU specifically?

bumping this as i'm interested in this too.

I'm a 2L at BU who went through OCI this year. Data hasn't been released yet, but just from talking to people, it didn't seem to be a bad year. I know a lot of people who ended up at top firms in Boston or New York despite not being in the very top of the class. The only firm that BU didn't do well with this year was Ropes, which is the #1 ranked firm in Boston. I don't know what the cause was, but some say there was unusually high yield from other schools and since BU's OCI was late there weren't any offers left for us.

I specifically focused on California (as well as some Boston) for OCI, so if anyone has questions, I can answer.

[LSATNightmares]

Hello All!

I am a 0L, if that's even a term (I will be starting in the fall, likely at BU). I was hoping a current student could shed some insight into the typical weekly schedule of a 1L. Is it unrealistic to plan on working part-time during fall semester of 1L, even if it is only for 7-12 hours a week? My job is not very flexible- I will be assigned an allotted window for the fall in April/May. Obviously, I will not yet know my class schedule at that time. Is registration for classes flexible? Are there many options in terms of class times and days? Or is it more of a "you get what you are given" situation?

Thanks in advance for any info!

You can see the 1L schedule here, but there's no flexibility as you're assigned to a section: http://www.bu.edu/law/central/faculty/c ... ndex.shtml

I do know of people who worked 1L year, but I don't know how they did. For example, I know someone who worked as a waitress.

[szb5058]

Hey so BU estimates a COA of 63K a year. Seems like a low number to me. OP, do you think it's accurate or what?

Any estimate or answer would means lot, gonna have to make a tough choice pretty soon

[BostonLove]

Hey so BU estimates a COA of 63K a year. Seems like a low number to me. OP, do you think it's accurate or what?

Any estimate or answer would means lot, gonna have to make a tough choice pretty soon

I would say that is fair. I'm spending less than that (even adding scholarship back), I believe. Obviously there are people spending more, but if you are careful with your apartment search and generally don't spend extravagantly, it is definitely realistic.

[szb5058]

Hey so BU estimates a COA of 63K a year. Seems like a low number to me. OP, do you think it's accurate or what?

Any estimate or answer would means lot, gonna have to make a tough choice pretty soon

I would say that is fair. I'm spending less than that (even adding scholarship back), I believe. Obviously there are people spending more, but if you are careful with your apartment search and generally don't spend extravagantly, it is definitely realistic.

wow okay thanks for the quick response. its just strange to me because as the schools list it, washington & lee which is in the middle of nowhere actually is $1,000 more expensive in their COA estimates than BU which is obviously not in the middle of nowhere. just seemed like that shouldn't be right

[cinephile]

^ It depends how many roommates you want to have and/or how willing you are to live in a shithole.

[BostonLove]

^ It depends how many roommates you want to have and/or how willing you are to live in a shithole.

Or how much effort you'll spend to find a good place for a good deal. I put in the effort and think it was certainly worth it.

Boston's not a cheap place and the area right by the school is expensive considering the quality (but there are so many students that they can charge a lot). However, it doesn't take an enormous amount of effort (beyond finding cheap yet decent housing, which can take a lot or not depending on luck) to figure out what you can afford and spend minimally while still having fun and putting your all into law school. For instance, most of the time that I go to bar reviews, I spend less than $10 (0 if there are drink tickets) and leave in time to take the T home (on my semester pass) rather than a cab.

I do remember seeing something last year about how different schools calculate the COA. I think BU has a page somewhere about what numbers they specifically used to calculate it, which also allows you to customize it to yourself. I know that I took their numbers and adjusted them last year. (Unfortunately, I don't entirely remember where I got the numbers and the ones I have are obviously old.) I just pulled mine up and would say that I spent a little less than the school predicted on books (bought from current students, used, and new (new editions) online), much less on housing (but I searched and was lucky), probably about right on travel, and a little more on "other." Overall, I spent less than the school predicted including purchasing a new laptop. You could definitely easily spend much more, of course. It all depends on the individual - my point is that if it is a concern, you can certainly manage it.

Also, negotiate for more scholarship. That cannot do anything but help (assuming you are respectful). If you got scholarship from BC that is more than from BU, negotiate with BU. (If not, negotiate BC's up and then go to BU.) Others might help, but the one BU seems to respond best to is BC.

[gpallet01]

Thanks for taking Qs!

Any reason why BU did much better in its most recent employment numbers compared to previous years? Think BU shrinking their class size will improve, or at least, can improve their employment numbers? Happy w/ your decision to attend BU?

[gpallet01]

Hey! I posted a few Qs in the BU ask a law student thread and was hoping you could answer them! thanks

[cinephile]

Thanks for taking Qs!

Any reason why BU did much better in its most recent employment numbers compared to previous years? Think BU shrinking their class size will improve, or at least, can improve their employment numbers? Happy w/ your decision to attend BU?

The legal market may be improving slightly, which corresponds to BU's slight improvement (moving from a 50% employment score toa 64% employment score is still not great). Shrinking class sizes will help. If you're going into more than 100k debt for BU, I'd say it isn't worth it. If you're paying 100k or less, then it's still a gamble but one that seems more reasonable to make.

[Yardbird]

BU students,

I'm making a calculator to help calculate COA with tuition/COL increases but I need some data to help the project (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=208464). The data specifically needs to come from current students who can look at their budget for the past 1-3 years. I would like to know the average rent, utilities, food, cable/internet for the following schools. If you can help out, please fill out this form. Thanks!

Link to Form (LinkRemoved)

[bulawm]

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.

Hello! Which housing are you referring to? Thank you!

[jgalgano]

Hey I am a rising 3L at the University of Iowa. We have a BU visiting professor: M Outterson, who will be teaching BA and Food and Drug law next Fall here at Iowa. Can anyone give me some advice about whether or not to take any classes with him (I am thinking of taking both). What is he like, what is the format of his finals? Any advice about him would be appreciated.

Thanks

[cinephile]

Hey I am a rising 3L at the University of Iowa. We have a BU visiting professor: M Outterson, who will be teaching BA and Food and Drug law next Fall here at Iowa. Can anyone give me some advice about whether or not to take any classes with him (I am thinking of taking both). What is he like, what is the format of his finals? Any advice about him would be appreciated.

Thanks

Shouldn't that be K Outterson? Either he has an official first name different from the one he goes by, or there's more than 1 Outterson.

I can only speak to the class (corps) I took with him -- he had a closed book exam and no laptop policy. Which were definitely points against him. He's also given take home exams in other classes (health law). He's also a bit snarky and might make fun of you a bit in class, but you're never sure if he's joking or not. You know? He's also super religious, if that means anything to you.

[jgalgano]

Hey I am a rising 3L at the University of Iowa. We have a BU visiting professor: M Outterson, who will be teaching BA and Food and Drug law next Fall here at Iowa. Can anyone give me some advice about whether or not to take any classes with him (I am thinking of taking both). What is he like, what is the format of his finals? Any advice about him would be appreciated.

Thanks

Shouldn't that be K Outterson? Either he has an official first name different from the one he goes by, or there's more than 1 Outterson.

I can only speak to the class (corps) I took with him -- he had a closed book exam and no laptop policy. Which were definitely points against him. He's also given take home exams in other classes (health law). He's also a bit snarky and might make fun of you a bit in class, but you're never sure if he's joking or not. You know? He's also super religious, if that means anything to you.

No it is K Outterson (for some reason he is listed as M Outterson in our class listings). Thanks for the insight. If anybody has taken him for Food and Drug law let me know. I am interested in IP and think this class would be beneficial.

[RedGiant]

I realize that you don't _need_ a car at BU. But I have a 4WD car, it's paid for, and I don't have anywhere to put it , so I am planning to bring it with me. (I will probably need it for my internships, so it just doesn't make sense to sell it.)

Therefore, can anyone elaborate on which neighborhoods might have better parking or any specific buildings or mgmt co's that have parking near them? I won't be driving to school on a daily basis--just using it for runs to the market and whatnot, every now and then. I'm thinking Brookline, but I know really nothing about Boston other than a few visits to Logan (I went to school elsewhere in New England and really only came into Boston to fly out). Any help appreciated.

Also, any reason why Craigslist seems to be so useless for finding apartments? The ones on there are INSANE price-wise. Is the BU housing exchange the way to go? I really want to go to BU, but am riding out one WL, so I might be looking at an early July search...is this a terrible idea?

[cinephile]

I realize that you don't _need_ a car at BU. But I have a 4WD car, it's paid for, and I don't have anywhere to put it , so I am planning to bring it with me. (I will probably need it for my internships, so it just doesn't make sense to sell it.)

Therefore, can anyone elaborate on which neighborhoods might have better parking or any specific buildings or mgmt co's that have parking near them? I won't be driving to school on a daily basis--just using it for runs to the market and whatnot, every now and then. I'm thinking Brookline, but I know really nothing about Boston other than a few visits to Logan (I went to school elsewhere in New England and really only came into Boston to fly out). Any help appreciated.

Also, any reason why Craigslist seems to be so useless for finding apartments? The ones on there are INSANE price-wise. Is the BU housing exchange the way to go? I really want to go to BU, but am riding out one WL, so I might be looking at an early July search...is this a terrible idea?

Plenty of buildings in Allston/Brighton have parking lots, but a parking space will normally cost you $100-$150 a month. There's street parking, but you'll have to move you car when it snows and during street cleaning and on moving days and street parking is generally quite rare, so where will you move it to? If you end up living with a bunch of students in a house in Brookline or Allston/Brighton, there'll be a driveway to the house and you could always keep your car there.

Honestly, the car will be more hassel than its worth. But if you have to have it, then see what you can do about renting a room in a house and/or renting a parking spot. Also, most people just take the T to get to their internships. Parking downtown sounds expensive and difficult.

The prices are insane in general, so I'm not sure that Craigslist is necessarily any more expensive than elsewhere. If you want something decent, you'll probably have to go through a realtor, which can be expensive, but finding things on your own is so annoying. And apartments go so quickly like if you find something Monday and plan to visit it by Friday, too bad, it'll be gone. That being said, there are some apartments that are tenancies at will, and for those, management doesn't know if there'll be a vacancy until 30 or 60 days before the tenant plans to move out -- so there will be places like this that'll open up later in the summer.

[Blindmelon]

I realize that you don't _need_ a car at BU. But I have a 4WD car, it's paid for, and I don't have anywhere to put it , so I am planning to bring it with me. (I will probably need it for my internships, so it just doesn't make sense to sell it.)

Therefore, can anyone elaborate on which neighborhoods might have better parking or any specific buildings or mgmt co's that have parking near them? I won't be driving to school on a daily basis--just using it for runs to the market and whatnot, every now and then. I'm thinking Brookline, but I know really nothing about Boston other than a few visits to Logan (I went to school elsewhere in New England and really only came into Boston to fly out). Any help appreciated.

Also, any reason why Craigslist seems to be so useless for finding apartments? The ones on there are INSANE price-wise. Is the BU housing exchange the way to go? I really want to go to BU, but am riding out one WL, so I might be looking at an early July search...is this a terrible idea?

Allston/Brighton - live in a house a little off the beaten path. If you have 2 roomates, you can live in a semi-decent place about a 10-12 minute walk from the T with a driveway for about 650$/each. The closer you get to the T, that number goes up very quickly.

[floydthebarber518]

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[cinephile]

How do studio apartments fare in Boston? Does ~$1000-$1100 for an in-decent-shape studio sound about right??

Thanks!

I would expect $1300 for a studio, $1500 for a 1br, and $1800 for a 2br.
Maybe $1200 for a studio. I mean, I've seen people who have tiny little rooms that they pay $1000 a month for, but they are super tiny and don't have proper kitchens - it's like a hot plate and a microwave and a mini fridge. Which is fine, maybe, depending on what you want.

It's generally better to just share something.

[thaddeuslaw]

hey guys. im from socal born and raised, and just put in my deposit at bu. could anyone from california talk about their experience with the transition?

[04102014]

Is anyone able to speak to BU's environmental law opportunities (or lack thereof)? I know it's not something they really emphasize, but is there a history of students utilizing the Legal Externship Program to do environmental law stuff? I'm also thinking about doing the JD/MPH with a focus in Environmental Health (Environmental Exposure and Risk Assessment Emphasis), so if anyone knows anything about that, I would love you.

[cinephile]

Is anyone able to speak to BU's environmental law opportunities (or lack thereof)? I know it's not something they really emphasize, but is there a history of students utilizing the Legal Externship Program to do environmental law stuff? I'm also thinking about doing the JD/MPH with a focus in Environmental Health (Environmental Exposure and Risk Assessment Emphasis), so if anyone knows anything about that, I would love you.

I don't do environmental law, but have couple of friends interested in that area. Sure, there are a couple classes like environmental law, energy law, Native American law, land use, etc. But anyone with a specific interest will just have to make it happen. Specialties and concentrations are silly. Just focus on making sure your 1L summer internship is in this area, that you articulate to firms who have these sorts of practice areas why you're interested in them and what they do, etc. You can do absolutely anything you want in the legal externship program, but finding the externship and getting them to accept you is always the student's responsibility -- the school doesn't set things up for you nor do they identify opportunities for you. It sounds totally doable here or anywhere.

[Blindmelon]

Is anyone able to speak to BU's environmental law opportunities (or lack thereof)? I know it's not something they really emphasize, but is there a history of students utilizing the Legal Externship Program to do environmental law stuff? I'm also thinking about doing the JD/MPH with a focus in Environmental Health (Environmental Exposure and Risk Assessment Emphasis), so if anyone knows anything about that, I would love you.

Yea, people have done EPA and the state equivalent as externships. Other than that, I don't know if the dual will help you.