Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants Forum

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mrdanoesq

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by mrdanoesq » Sun Nov 15, 2015 11:44 pm

RedGiant wrote:
Dexter97 wrote:
mrdanoesq wrote:
rion91 wrote:Hey guys. 1L at BU here. I'll answer any Qs you have. But please post them here since I won't be checking my PMs. FWIW, I was admitted to/visited BC as well.
Great! Thanks - let's start w/ the obvious: why BU (esp. over BC)? Where else were you looking?
Im interested in this. In all the posts Ive seen it seems like BU is the place to go if you want the city atmosphere and want to be able to "do your own thing" whereas BC is all about school spirit, involvement, good boy's club. Any insight?
Current BU 3L here. Feel free to PM me with questions about school/life/jobstuff. I can't really help with Admissions answers--no one really talks about what their numbers were. Much of my class has 1/2 tuition scholarships, not sure if that's true three years on.

I took a class at BC (we can do that for free, but sadly BC classes don't count for your BU GPA). I summered with a BC 2L too. The general difference I felt was that BC was more "fratty" and "sorority"-ish (this is a generalization, as BC itself has no Greek system), but the kids in my class were just younger, more brotastic, and the girls really cared about looking super-cute in a way that most BU girls do not. I also felt like people had more money in general--a lot of BC kids had cars (because BC Law is hard to get to without a car during off hours). The prof at BC was great, and their campus seemed more active than ours in terms of club events. The other difference was that the kids in my class were more free about asking idiotic questions--this tends to be tempered a bit more at BU, in my experience, but people at BC just asked away. (The prof was really nice and patient about answering everything--this was not a dig on BC as much as a difference that the academic dialogue seemed more open at BC.) The BC cafeteria is loads better than BU's pathetic attempt at a cafe, but BC shares it with the freshman that live on that campus. I actually like how nested and tiny the BC campus is too--BU's law school is now quite large and indoor-sprawly now that we have two buildings, and it creates a lack of community in a way that BC does not.

Good luck, and again, happy to answer questions to the best of my ability.
Wow - 2 AMAs from current students! I've got a ton of questions, and I'm definitely interested in hearing perspectives of someone who is just starting compared with someone getting ready for the next step. Hopefully, this won't be a huge time suck for either of you :D

Question:
RedGiant - do you have employment lined up for the summer already? How helpful has the CDO been in your process?
Rion97- you're still early in your law school experience, but have you had any conversations with the CDO? What's your perspective?

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Zero99

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by Zero99 » Mon Nov 16, 2015 12:33 am

mrdanoesq wrote:
RedGiant wrote:
Dexter97 wrote:
mrdanoesq wrote:
rion91 wrote:Hey guys. 1L at BU here. I'll answer any Qs you have. But please post them here since I won't be checking my PMs. FWIW, I was admitted to/visited BC as well.
Great! Thanks - let's start w/ the obvious: why BU (esp. over BC)? Where else were you looking?
Im interested in this. In all the posts Ive seen it seems like BU is the place to go if you want the city atmosphere and want to be able to "do your own thing" whereas BC is all about school spirit, involvement, good boy's club. Any insight?
Current BU 3L here. Feel free to PM me with questions about school/life/jobstuff. I can't really help with Admissions answers--no one really talks about what their numbers were. Much of my class has 1/2 tuition scholarships, not sure if that's true three years on.

I took a class at BC (we can do that for free, but sadly BC classes don't count for your BU GPA). I summered with a BC 2L too. The general difference I felt was that BC was more "fratty" and "sorority"-ish (this is a generalization, as BC itself has no Greek system), but the kids in my class were just younger, more brotastic, and the girls really cared about looking super-cute in a way that most BU girls do not. I also felt like people had more money in general--a lot of BC kids had cars (because BC Law is hard to get to without a car during off hours). The prof at BC was great, and their campus seemed more active than ours in terms of club events. The other difference was that the kids in my class were more free about asking idiotic questions--this tends to be tempered a bit more at BU, in my experience, but people at BC just asked away. (The prof was really nice and patient about answering everything--this was not a dig on BC as much as a difference that the academic dialogue seemed more open at BC.) The BC cafeteria is loads better than BU's pathetic attempt at a cafe, but BC shares it with the freshman that live on that campus. I actually like how nested and tiny the BC campus is too--BU's law school is now quite large and indoor-sprawly now that we have two buildings, and it creates a lack of community in a way that BC does not.

Good luck, and again, happy to answer questions to the best of my ability.
Wow - 2 AMAs from current students! I've got a ton of questions, and I'm definitely interested in hearing perspectives of someone who is just starting compared with someone getting ready for the next step. Hopefully, this won't be a huge time suck for either of you :D

Question:
RedGiant - do you have employment lined up for the summer already? How helpful has the CDO been in your process?
Rion97- you're still early in your law school experience, but have you had any conversations with the CDO? What's your perspective?
I'll jump in here as well- 3L at BU. I'll be working at a firm in Boston next year. CDO was very helpful for me, but others have had different experiences. They can only do so much, and it really comes down to a combination of numbers/personality. Feel free to ask any other questions.

mrdanoesq

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by mrdanoesq » Mon Nov 16, 2015 12:52 am

Zero99 wrote:
mrdanoesq wrote:
Question:
RedGiant - do you have employment lined up for the summer already? How helpful has the CDO been in your process?
Rion97- you're still early in your law school experience, but have you had any conversations with the CDO? What's your perspective?
I'll jump in here as well- 3L at BU. I'll be working at a firm in Boston next year. CDO was very helpful for me, but others have had different experiences. They can only do so much, and it really comes down to a combination of numbers/personality. Feel free to ask any other questions.
I'm interested in public interest work; specifically want to work in govt (hopefully at the federal level). My sense is that BU could help make that happen, but friends in the Boston area seem to think BU is more firm focused. What's your sense of the tendencies? (And thank you so much, again)

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by Zero99 » Mon Nov 16, 2015 1:10 am

mrdanoesq wrote:
Zero99 wrote:
mrdanoesq wrote:
Question:
RedGiant - do you have employment lined up for the summer already? How helpful has the CDO been in your process?
Rion97- you're still early in your law school experience, but have you had any conversations with the CDO? What's your perspective?
I'll jump in here as well- 3L at BU. I'll be working at a firm in Boston next year. CDO was very helpful for me, but others have had different experiences. They can only do so much, and it really comes down to a combination of numbers/personality. Feel free to ask any other questions.
I'm interested in public interest work; specifically want to work in govt (hopefully at the federal level). My sense is that BU could help make that happen, but friends in the Boston area seem to think BU is more firm focused. What's your sense of the tendencies? (And thank you so much, again)
I haven't really gotten the sense it was firm or govt focused. If you have the grades and interviewing skills, BU can certainly take you there. Entry to federal jobs is generally harder and the pipeline is usually through firms first, which might be what you're hearing.

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by hammocklv06 » Mon Nov 16, 2015 1:11 pm

Anyone get a fee waiver? I tried to solicit but they said they send out automatically, and I didn't receive one.

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Troianii

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by Troianii » Mon Nov 16, 2015 1:39 pm

Just got an email today saying my ED app is complete and under review - they were just waiting on my ED contract. In any case it looks like it'll be a quick turnaround, guaranteed by December 21st, but from what others are saying it sounds like it may be even faster.

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by Troianii » Mon Nov 16, 2015 3:40 pm

nicola16 wrote:
Troianii wrote:Just got an email today saying my ED app is complete and under review - they were just waiting on my ED contract. In any case it looks like it'll be a quick turnaround, guaranteed by December 21st, but from what others are saying it sounds like it may be even faster.
Where did you hear about the faster turnaround? Would love that! Last year's thread seemed like most people heard back the last day.
Just from checking lsn. It looks like most people who applied early got a decision well before December 21st, most of them seem to have gotten a decision in late November to early December.

It'd be nice but by no means count on it. You'll know when you know haha, but acceptances *can* roll out pretty quick.

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rion91

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by rion91 » Mon Nov 16, 2015 9:22 pm

mrdanoesq wrote: Rion97- you're still early in your law school experience, but have you had any conversations with the CDO? What's your perspective?
Yep. They're awesome help for the nitty gritty process. Also there's so much information out there they can it to you on a platter. But really it's up to you how you make it. A lot of diversity fellowship deadlines are coming up. Can't get them unless you apply to them. But it's hard b/c it's November and everyone is frantically outlining and finishing up their final memos.

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by rion91 » Mon Nov 16, 2015 9:29 pm

mrdanoesq wrote:
rion91 wrote:Hey guys. 1L at BU here. I'll answer any Qs you have. But please post them here since I won't be checking my PMs. FWIW, I was admitted to/visited BC as well.
Great! Thanks - let's start w/ the obvious: why BU (esp. over BC)? Where else were you looking?
To cut through the BS, BU offered significantly more money than BC, even after bargaining.

But otherwise here are some pros for BU:

It's urban, closer to employers downtown
Brand new facility. Redstone building is amazing. BC was too suburban and their school is super small, connected to a Freshman dorm. It gave me the vibe of a small private school. Don't get me wrong, I've met people from BC and they're great. This is just the general campus I'm talking about.
BU had a much more (perceived) diverse student body
BU has a very large international student population (LLM program) so you can meet some very experienced foreign lawyers here
I'm not from Boston and don't really care if I end up here or elsewhere. BU has a much better reach than BC outside of Boston.
BU is big on biglaw. I want biglaw.

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by MOKE4311 » Tue Nov 17, 2015 2:29 pm

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mrdanoesq

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by mrdanoesq » Tue Nov 17, 2015 8:53 pm

Another question for our current students: From what I understand, 1L is particularly hard in general. How did you like 1L? What do BU professors do to make it all make sense? (Specific teaching strategies, midterms, structures, etc?)

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Zero99

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by Zero99 » Tue Nov 17, 2015 9:43 pm

BU can place around 30%ish into biglaw. You don't have to be in the top third, but it sure helps. I know people top half that have gotten biglaw. Really just a factor of interviewing skills + grades. Definitely wouldn't say it is 'big' into biglaw, though, so be very careful. Have friends top 15-20% as well that struck out.

mrdano- 1L is a slog and basically the same at every school. BU actually does have very good professors though, which makes 1L much better. Some people find it interesting, and I've found they tend to do better on exams. In the end, you just do the work, learn it, and pray for the best.

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by rion91 » Tue Nov 17, 2015 10:30 pm

mrdanoesq wrote:Another question for our current students: From what I understand, 1L is particularly hard in general. How did you like 1L? What do BU professors do to make it all make sense? (Specific teaching strategies, midterms, structures, etc?)
1L sucks, that's just the reality of it. For the first weeks you are inundated with events and stuff and it's hard to strike a balance. You get one final for each class. That's it. Everything rides on that grade, and it's all on a curve. All the 2ls and 3ls are very helpful and want to throw their outlines at you. It's great. Anyhow, it's really a marathon and a mental game. It's hard to explain until you experience it. I would say most law schools with one final are like this though.

But I find my professors really help engage me with the material and they are super good teachers, probably the best I've ever had. I would say most of the teachers are very structured. As for teaching styles, all of the professors do their variation of the socratic method. Some are more heavy on facts, other heavy on IRAC analysis, and others heavy on lofty theories and ideas. It depends on the professor and the class.

I was in your shoes only a few months ago. It's amazing how quickly things change. It's November and I didn't really commit to attending here until the summer, 5 months ago.

BTW, you're going to hear this on every law school visit you do: "people here are super outgoing and nice" "1L sucks" "the teachers here are awesome" and "I'm glad I chose X school" "no one tears pages out of books or is cut-throat" etc... they're all cliches that admissions will throw at you. Overall, I found the most helpful questions to ask are what kind of jobs do most people go for, what are the school's strong programs, and what kind of clinical opportunities do they offer. That is the essence of the "fit."

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by mrdanoesq » Tue Nov 17, 2015 10:49 pm

rion91 wrote:BTW, you're going to hear this on every law school visit you do: "people here are super outgoing and nice" "1L sucks" "the teachers here are awesome" and "I'm glad I chose X school" "no one tears pages out of books or is cut-throat" etc... they're all cliches that admissions will throw at you.
Lol - yeah, I noticed. After the third school visit I assumed there is a common Law School Tour handbook that all the schools use to train their admissions staff. Pretty much verbatim.

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by mrdanoesq » Fri Nov 20, 2015 10:18 am

I know it's probably bad luck and all, but I'm really excited about the possibility of attending BU. As a result, I've started mapping out what my 2L and 3L years might look like. I'd like to do as many clinics/externships as I can fit into my schedule, with the idea that actual application/law practice will be more helpful and interesting than random classes. Is this realistic? I assume I can only fit 1 such experience per semester. Also, I've started thinking seriously about immigration law - does anybody have any experience with that clinic specifically that would care to share their thoughts?

And if anybody can press the fast-forward button at admissions, that would be great too. I basically spend every day just trying to stay distracted so I'm not refreshing the status checker constantly. Lol.

Thanks!

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by Billy Madison » Fri Nov 20, 2015 12:12 pm

Has anyone with a pending retake asked them to review your app as it is now, rather than waiting? BC and ND will do this upon request, but BU's website just says that apps won't be reviewed until after. I don't wanna ask since the site seems fairly clear, just wondering if anyone has proven an exception?

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by Billy Madison » Fri Nov 20, 2015 1:02 pm

tvu wrote:
Billy Madison wrote:Has anyone with a pending retake asked them to review your app as it is now, rather than waiting? BC and ND will do this upon request, but BU's website just says that apps won't be reviewed until after. I don't wanna ask since the site seems fairly clear, just wondering if anyone has proven an exception?
I'm wondering the same thing. I'm re-taking it in December, does your app appear complete?
Yeah, it's been complete for a couple weeks.

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by mrdanoesq » Fri Nov 20, 2015 8:08 pm

Billy Madison wrote:
tvu wrote:
Billy Madison wrote:Has anyone with a pending retake asked them to review your app as it is now, rather than waiting? BC and ND will do this upon request, but BU's website just says that apps won't be reviewed until after. I don't wanna ask since the site seems fairly clear, just wondering if anyone has proven an exception?
I'm wondering the same thing. I'm re-taking it in December, does your app appear complete?
Yeah, it's been complete for a couple weeks.
My sense of it is that BU admissions is on the later end of the cycle. I don't think they even start making decisions until the end of November for RD - and that's just the shoe-ins that applied early. ED deferrals to RD are December, and I think acceptances are at the same time. Mind you, this is all impressions and speculation . . .

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mrdanoesq

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Re: Boston University C/O 2019 (2015-2016) Applicants

Post by mrdanoesq » Fri Nov 20, 2015 8:47 pm

tvu wrote:
mrdanoesq wrote:
Billy Madison wrote:
tvu wrote:
Billy Madison wrote:Has anyone with a pending retake asked them to review your app as it is now, rather than waiting? BC and ND will do this upon request, but BU's website just says that apps won't be reviewed until after. I don't wanna ask since the site seems fairly clear, just wondering if anyone has proven an exception?
I'm wondering the same thing. I'm re-taking it in December, does your app appear complete?
Yeah, it's been complete for a couple weeks.
My sense of it is that BU admissions is on the later end of the cycle. I don't think they even start making decisions until the end of November for RD - and that's just the shoe-ins that applied early. ED deferrals to RD are December, and I think acceptances are at the same time. Mind you, this is all impressions and speculation . . .
Oh thanks, no that's really helpful. Do you know if they were waiting for the other score, it would appear incomplete?
That, I have no idea about. If everything is submitted and it's not been marked complete and it's been a couple of days, you might consider emailing them and asking. Mine went complete in about 24 hrs, but then I'm not planning on retaking the LSAT.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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