Boston College Law Class of 2019 applicants Forum

[Calihawk]

Just got waitlisted.
Absolutely shocked, but in the best way possible. Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear a response!

[bkforlife]

Withdrew so there's $69k back in the pot

[tuesdayninja]

.

[cpochogo]

Question- I attended admitted students day this weekend and did not get the best vibes. I totally support those who want to go into big law, but I personally am very interested in pursuing a career in human rights. Everyone I spoke to was planning on going into corporate, and the student body did not seem diverse. Can anyone speak to the environment for those who are more public interest minded? Will I be the odd one out, or will I find peer and school support? (This is not a slight at those who want to do corporate... You do you! I am just very torn between schools at the moment.)

Hi! My name is Charlene Ochogo and I'm a current 2L at BC Law. I truly apologize that you felt like your passions for law was less than supported during your ASD. I do want to emphasize BC's commitment to public service. Part of the Jesuit tradition is the idea of service to others, and for that reason, a commitment to working in public interest is both revered and respected. You are 100% not alone. We have a large student group called the Public Interest Law Foundation that works tirelessly every year to provide support to students pursuing public interest careers and to help them with stipends for summers in which they aren't paid for jobs and internships. We also have weekly (if not several times a week) postings regarding public interest job and funding opportunities. And finally, as of last year, BC Law is the new home of the Rappaport Center for Public Policy which takes on fellows for the summer and puts them in an area in which they can affect change in public policy while receiving a healthy stipend.

On the flip side, we do understand that many of our students (myself included) will face student loan debt as a combination of their undergraduate degrees and their JD, so we have resources to help them make it into Big Law to help pay down that debt, but for many of our students, Big Law is a means to an end. I should also mention that being in Big Law doesn't completely wipe out one's opportunity to contribute to the greater good, and many (if not all) of the big law firms in Boston both encourage and reward pro bono work done by their associates.

This is probably much more information than you expected from this question, but I encourage you to go onto our student blog, bclawimpact.org, and read some more student perspectives on this and many other topics. In particular, I would recommend these posts:

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/06/04/what ... mmer-jobs/

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/04/03/bc-l ... rest-work/

https://bclawimpact.org/2016/04/04/why- ... s-awesome/

https://bclawimpact.org/2016/02/18/an-a ... he-making/

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/08/20/maki ... -pro-bono/

I work very closely with admitted students and new students, so if you ever have any more questions, feel free to drop me a line at ochogo@bc.edu. I hope this helped!

[cpochogo]

Former student. Taking ?s.

Do I miss much by not going to Admitted Students Day? I'm going to be visiting the campus later on since I can't make it to ASD. But is there anything significant I won't be a part of? Do many people actually go?

Hi! My name is Charlene Ochogo and I'm a current 2L at BC Law. I work very closely with admitted students and new students, and I completely understand the struggle of not having gone to an ASD - being from Florida, flying up for a day and a half was cost prohibitive when I was going through the process, so I chose BC on a leap of faith having never seen it at all. Going to an ASD or coming to visit us is something a lot of students do, but it's also something a fair number of our students don't have a chance to do. Trust me, not going is not going to put you at any kind of disadvantage when it comes to starting in the fall AT ALL.

But I understand how the FOMO goes when you can't make it up here, so I'm linking here a few posts from our student-run blog, bclawimpact.org, that explain what you would have seen during an ASD. PLUS, starting this semester, we do interactive tours of the school through Periscope so that students who can't make it can tune in and ask questions that they would've asked during one of the in-person tours that we give at the school.

https://bclawimpact.org/2016/04/01/thin ... he-school/

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/03/18/here ... dents-day/

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/02/21/thin ... your-time/

I hope this helps! Our student blog is a font of information and student perspective on a variety of topics, so I encourage you to check it out! If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out at ochogo@bc.edu.

[cpochogo]

Question: Does anyone know whether you have to formally tell the school your accepting the scholarship offer, or after submitting the deposit, is it something that is assumed?

Thanks

Hi! It's taken as a given once you put down your seat deposit. The only scholarship which I believe you have to formally accept is the public interest scholarship because it comes with a commitment to work in public interest for a number of years after graduation.

[cpochogo]

Hi everyone! My name is Charlene Ochogo and I'm a current 2L at BC Law. I work very closely with admissions, admitted students, and new students, and I know firsthand what a stressful experience this can be, so please let me know if there are any questions I can answer for you!

[cpochogo]

Question- I attended admitted students day this weekend and did not get the best vibes. I totally support those who want to go into big law, but I personally am very interested in pursuing a career in human rights. Everyone I spoke to was planning on going into corporate, and the student body did not seem diverse. Can anyone speak to the environment for those who are more public interest minded? Will I be the odd one out, or will I find peer and school support? (This is not a slight at those who want to do corporate... You do you! I am just very torn between schools at the moment.)

I guess we didn't get the chance to talk! I was in attendance and am very interested in the public interest route- anecdotally, most people I spoke with were on the same track as well. From their employment numbers, it seems like a reasonable amount of the class ends up working in government or public interest (around 25% I think).

I really wanted to attend asw but I had something come up at work, would either of you mind speaking generally about your impression of the school (past the pi aspect)? I guess in terms of atmosphere, how they chose to present themselves, the facilities, etc. If it's more comfortable feel free to pm me.

I'm not either of those posters, but I was at the ASW this Saturday.

I'll agree that there definitely seemed to be a focus on corporate law over PI--but the former is certainly more what I'm looking for and BC has a strong reputation.

Otherwise, I thought the event was a little sanitized. They said the right things, but after visiting a few other places, it seemed a little less authentic and organic. It was quite straight-laced, but I think they were just trying to put their best foot forward.

Facilities were fine. The separate law school thing is a bit strange and it made campus feel a little like a high school. (There is literally a high school in the same plot of land). It felt a little smaller than I expected and was very, very residential. As someone who doesn't own a car, I feel like it might be a bit challenging to get around.

But, I still feel like this is near the top of my list. The mock class was strong, the students seemed intelligent and motivated, the alumni network was constantly mentioned, and their placement numbers are quite impressive.

PM me if you've got any other Qs!

I totally agree with this account. It was a vanilla event, but the mock class was undeniably fascinating. Their numbers are so good that I can't help but consider them as one of my top choices, but I am hoping that the atmosphere is more down to earth than was presented.

Hi! My name is Charlene Ochogo and I'm a current 2L at BC Law. You'll find that BC is as formal or as casual as you want to make it. It's hard for the ASD Our admitted students tend to err on the side of formal during ASD because it's safer that way and there's no chance of behaving "inappropriately," but on an average day, people wear everything from sweatpants or leggings to a full suit (depending on their sense of style) and our classroom discussions (depending on the topic) are relaxed as well. Plus, we love to have fun - at school and not. We have literally hundreds of events throughout the year - academic, practice area-focused, and many, many social - and we absolutely do attend them.

You can read more student perspectives on our student-run blog, bclawimpact.com. I would recommend these posts in particular:

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/11/03/yes- ... een-party/

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/10/02/yes- ... at-cruise/

https://bclawimpact.org/2016/02/22/yes- ... -ski-trip/

If you (or anyone else on this thread) have any more questions about student life, please feel free to reach out at ochogo@bc.edu.

[Manali]

Question- I attended admitted students day this weekend and did not get the best vibes. I totally support those who want to go into big law, but I personally am very interested in pursuing a career in human rights. Everyone I spoke to was planning on going into corporate, and the student body did not seem diverse. Can anyone speak to the environment for those who are more public interest minded? Will I be the odd one out, or will I find peer and school support? (This is not a slight at those who want to do corporate... You do you! I am just very torn between schools at the moment.)

I guess we didn't get the chance to talk! I was in attendance and am very interested in the public interest route- anecdotally, most people I spoke with were on the same track as well. From their employment numbers, it seems like a reasonable amount of the class ends up working in government or public interest (around 25% I think).

I really wanted to attend asw but I had something come up at work, would either of you mind speaking generally about your impression of the school (past the pi aspect)? I guess in terms of atmosphere, how they chose to present themselves, the facilities, etc. If it's more comfortable feel free to pm me.

I'm not either of those posters, but I was at the ASW this Saturday.

I'll agree that there definitely seemed to be a focus on corporate law over PI--but the former is certainly more what I'm looking for and BC has a strong reputation.

Otherwise, I thought the event was a little sanitized. They said the right things, but after visiting a few other places, it seemed a little less authentic and organic. It was quite straight-laced, but I think they were just trying to put their best foot forward.

Facilities were fine. The separate law school thing is a bit strange and it made campus feel a little like a high school. (There is literally a high school in the same plot of land). It felt a little smaller than I expected and was very, very residential. As someone who doesn't own a car, I feel like it might be a bit challenging to get around.

But, I still feel like this is near the top of my list. The mock class was strong, the students seemed intelligent and motivated, the alumni network was constantly mentioned, and their placement numbers are quite impressive.

PM me if you've got any other Qs!

I totally agree with this account. It was a vanilla event, but the mock class was undeniably fascinating. Their numbers are so good that I can't help but consider them as one of my top choices, but I am hoping that the atmosphere is more down to earth than was presented.

Hi! My name is Charlene Ochogo and I'm a current 2L at BC Law. You'll find that BC is as formal or as casual as you want to make it. It's hard for the ASD Our admitted students tend to err on the side of formal during ASD because it's safer that way and there's no chance of behaving "inappropriately," but on an average day, people wear everything from sweatpants or leggings to a full suit (depending on their sense of style) and our classroom discussions (depending on the topic) are relaxed as well. Plus, we love to have fun - at school and not. We have literally hundreds of events throughout the year - academic, practice area-focused, and many, many social - and we absolutely do attend them.

You can read more student perspectives on our student-run blog, bclawimpact.com. I would recommend these posts in particular:

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/11/03/yes- ... een-party/

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/10/02/yes- ... at-cruise/

https://bclawimpact.org/2016/02/22/yes- ... -ski-trip/

If you (or anyone else on this thread) have any more questions about student life, please feel free to reach out at ochogo@bc.edu.

Charlene, what happens to people at BC who end up in the bottom half of their class?

[yettie94]

Charlene what is the atmosphere like at BC. Is it a diverse campus and as a minority will i fit in with the student body? I would prefer an honest answer not the one you'd get in an email from the office of admissions.

[parneh]

I'm curious about the above sentiment as well. I'm almost ready to commit to BC, but I want a better picture, especially in terms of diversity. I've looked up stats on the ABA website and there doesn't seem to be too much...

[J234]

just got in off of waitlist holy shit!!!!!!!

[EnviroNerd]

just got in off of waitlist holy shit!!!!!!!

Congrats!!!

[J234]

just got in off of waitlist holy shit!!!!!!!

Congrats!!!

thanks but with a small scholarship, i most likely cannot attend :/

[MOKE4311]

I just paid my seat deposit and attended the 4/2 ASD. I am happy to answer any questions/meet anyone who will also be attending this fall. To all those waiting on responses/on the waitlist, I wish you the best of luck! I am extremely excited to get started and really don't want to have to wait until August.

[Pikapika]

....

[Roundhill]

Sent in scholarship negotiation, but probably not attending unless I hear back soon.

[Roundhill]

Charlene what is the atmosphere like at BC. Is it a diverse campus and as a minority will i fit in with the student body? I would prefer an honest answer not the one you'd get in an email from the office of admissions.

OL, but Compared to BU, I felt the campus was not diverse and being located in a homogenous suburb added to that feeling. This may have been me, but I also felt a cold/competitive vibe from walking around the law school, but that's just my opinion.

[cpochogo]

Question- I attended admitted students day this weekend and did not get the best vibes. I totally support those who want to go into big law, but I personally am very interested in pursuing a career in human rights. Everyone I spoke to was planning on going into corporate, and the student body did not seem diverse. Can anyone speak to the environment for those who are more public interest minded? Will I be the odd one out, or will I find peer and school support? (This is not a slight at those who want to do corporate... You do you! I am just very torn between schools at the moment.)

I guess we didn't get the chance to talk! I was in attendance and am very interested in the public interest route- anecdotally, most people I spoke with were on the same track as well. From their employment numbers, it seems like a reasonable amount of the class ends up working in government or public interest (around 25% I think).

I really wanted to attend asw but I had something come up at work, would either of you mind speaking generally about your impression of the school (past the pi aspect)? I guess in terms of atmosphere, how they chose to present themselves, the facilities, etc. If it's more comfortable feel free to pm me.

I'm not either of those posters, but I was at the ASW this Saturday.

I'll agree that there definitely seemed to be a focus on corporate law over PI--but the former is certainly more what I'm looking for and BC has a strong reputation.

Otherwise, I thought the event was a little sanitized. They said the right things, but after visiting a few other places, it seemed a little less authentic and organic. It was quite straight-laced, but I think they were just trying to put their best foot forward.

Facilities were fine. The separate law school thing is a bit strange and it made campus feel a little like a high school. (There is literally a high school in the same plot of land). It felt a little smaller than I expected and was very, very residential. As someone who doesn't own a car, I feel like it might be a bit challenging to get around.

But, I still feel like this is near the top of my list. The mock class was strong, the students seemed intelligent and motivated, the alumni network was constantly mentioned, and their placement numbers are quite impressive.

PM me if you've got any other Qs!

I totally agree with this account. It was a vanilla event, but the mock class was undeniably fascinating. Their numbers are so good that I can't help but consider them as one of my top choices, but I am hoping that the atmosphere is more down to earth than was presented.

Hi! My name is Charlene Ochogo and I'm a current 2L at BC Law. You'll find that BC is as formal or as casual as you want to make it. It's hard for the ASD Our admitted students tend to err on the side of formal during ASD because it's safer that way and there's no chance of behaving "inappropriately," but on an average day, people wear everything from sweatpants or leggings to a full suit (depending on their sense of style) and our classroom discussions (depending on the topic) are relaxed as well. Plus, we love to have fun - at school and not. We have literally hundreds of events throughout the year - academic, practice area-focused, and many, many social - and we absolutely do attend them.

You can read more student perspectives on our student-run blog, bclawimpact.com. I would recommend these posts in particular:

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/11/03/yes- ... een-party/

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/10/02/yes- ... at-cruise/

https://bclawimpact.org/2016/02/22/yes- ... -ski-trip/

If you (or anyone else on this thread) have any more questions about student life, please feel free to reach out at ochogo@bc.edu.

Charlene, what happens to people at BC who end up in the bottom half of their class?

Let me be honest - I was in the bottom half of my class after my first semester, and (if I recall correctly) even after my first year. On the one hand, you have to realize that the class is full of geniuses and that since law school is inherently comparative in nature, when you line students up from 1-230, some people have to end up in front of others, even when the difference in their work is negligible if even readily apparent. On the other hand, it (pardon my frankness) sucks hardcore to feel like your best isn't good enough.

But not all hope was lost, even though the initial shock of it made it feel that way. I still had a fantastic summer working at a firm in Rochester, NY, I still received a merit scholarship for my second year that made a significant dent in my tuition, and I still received offers to interview and callbacks at OCI. In the eyes of my peers, I was no less deserving of respect or well-wishes, and neither they nor my career counselors let me be defeatist about my job prospects or my law school career in general. They helped me get the resources I needed to do better this year, and I'm happy to say that I'm now in the top 25% of my class.

From a statistical standpoint, 90% of our graduates have jobs within 6 months of graduation and 84% of those are jobs that require a JD. That means that being int he bottom 50% after your first year (or even your second or third) is not a death sentence.

If you are worried about that, it's only natural - we law school kids don't deal well with what we consider failure (i.e., getting less than an A). I know what it's like to feel like you've let yourself down, but never in that time did I feel like BC Law let me down. They were enthusiastic, positive, goal-focused, and I really couldn't have made it this far without them.

[cpochogo]

Charlene what is the atmosphere like at BC. Is it a diverse campus and as a minority will i fit in with the student body? I would prefer an honest answer not the one you'd get in an email from the office of admissions.

You sound like a straight shooter, so I'll try to keep it as real as I can.

I am a Black woman from Florida who, frankly, couldn't afford to attend BC if not for my scholarship offer. Period. I went to a state school for close to free and it never even would have occurred to me to shell out this much for my education because it was simply outside my means. I expected BC to be a bunch of rich white kids with silver spoons in their mouths and that I'd be forced to suppress a part of who I was to fit in and get by for three years.

Instead, right from the outset, I was invited to a two-day diversity retreat that took place before orientation in which I was able to meet other diverse students from all over the country and realize that I wasn't alone in my fears. For those two days, we were educated on the resources available to us at BC; the diverse faculty, staff and alumni network at our disposal; and the unique opportunities and initiatives the school had started to ensure our success. Dean Tracey West (the Dean of Diversity and Inclusion) is nothing short of a goddess among women who bends over backwards to make sure ALL students feel comfortable and included. I had a mentor in the Black Law Students Association who immediately nominated me for a position working with BARBRI (one of the bar review companies) during my first week -- before she had even met me -- and now I'll be receiving a free bar prep course when I graduate. I was assigned a mentor through the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association, and was constantly kept abreast of diversity scholarships and opportunities for the summer.

And it isn't just the "diverse" students lumped together and watching each other's backs. We have a number of affinity groups on campus that EVERY student is welcomed and encouraged to join, to attend their events, and be educated on culture, racial identity, sexual identity, etc. etc. I think back to what I thought of BC and I really couldn't have been more wrong. In numbers, we are a minority, but that's never been the sentiment in the student body, not when my white, Connecticut-born-and-bred best friends argued as fervently and adamantly as I when we discussed the Freddie Gray trial in Criminal Law last year and when there was not a dry eye in the room when BC Law alumna Marilyn Moseby spoke at the Public Interest Law Foundation's auction last night. I feel comfortable and excited to attend the seder by the Jewish Law Students Association next week, the Latin American Law Students Association's presentation on critical race theory during diversity month this week, the Lunar New Year Dinner put on by the Asian Pacific American Law Students' Association in January, the Holi Dinner put on by the South Asian Law Students Association last month, to read and share an article written by our new Lambda LGBTQ Law Students Association president on our student blog, and so on and so on. These events -- and really, any event put on by an affinity group -- are some of the most well-attended and well-revered events of the student body because we celebrate every aspect that makes our students diverse.

But it's not just the students - I remember being stunned in my Contracts class first semester when my professor noted that a certain case had likely come down the way it had (against the woman) because the parties involved were a white man and a Latina woman. In Criminal Law, we spent close to three entire classes analyzing the way the criminal justice system as it is routinely targets minorities and the poor. Even in intellectual property, my professor noted that many current patented inventions were either completely stolen from or slightly modified from minorities without the means or understanding to patent their work. Our diverse (and, I guess, "non-diverse") faculty members strive to appreciate the challenges that we as minorities will face in the legal profession and to help identify and address those issues we find in the law as we study it.

I'd encourage you to click over to bclawimpact.org, our student-run blog that has perspectives from many of our diverse writers and contributors on their experiences, including a recent profile series on the leaders of the affinity groups I mentioned. (Here's just a smattering of posts you may find interesting: https://bclawimpact.org/tag/diversity/)

To answer your original question, as a minority, you will more than fit in. You will feel supported and appreciated, and you will thrive.

[cpochogo]

Charlene what is the atmosphere like at BC. Is it a diverse campus and as a minority will i fit in with the student body? I would prefer an honest answer not the one you'd get in an email from the office of admissions.

OL, but Compared to BU, I felt the campus was not diverse and being located in a homogenous suburb added to that feeling. This may have been me, but I also felt a cold/competitive vibe from walking around the law school, but that's just my opinion.

I apologize that you got that vibe from your visit - you'll have to excuse any tension you may have picked up on as we're all just preparing for finals (our last day of classes is two weeks from yesterday). Had you come to see us even a month ago, I'm sure we would have been far more relaxed (slash in denial about the inevitable doom of finals)! The end of the semester is definitely a stressful time, particularly when you consider that as law students, we have to synthesize an entire semester's worth of notes and readings and material into a coherent document and take a single exam that will determine our grade in the class and potentially our job prospects.

I will say that while BC's location in the city (or rather, outside the city) is less diverse than a school located in the heart of Boston, our student body is not. And what really sets us apart is that we don't just force the "diverse" students together and cut them off from the rest of the school -- we give them an opportunity to educate their classmates about their cultures and religions and ethnic identities such that we can all learn from each other. Plus, because we're all in or around Newton, we all tend to spend more time with each other which just facilitates that learning.

I don't want to invalidate anything you felt when you visited the school, but I would encourage you to read some student perspectives on BC's diversity from our student-run blog, bclawimpact.org:

https://bclawimpact.org/2016/04/12/bend ... gal-world/

https://bclawimpact.org/2016/03/16/dive ... diversity/

https://bclawimpact.org/2016/04/13/meet ... #more-4179

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/03/16/what ... in-common/

If you have any other questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me at ochogo@bc.edu!

[cpochogo]

I'm curious about the above sentiment as well. I'm almost ready to commit to BC, but I want a better picture, especially in terms of diversity. I've looked up stats on the ABA website and there doesn't seem to be too much...

I'll refer you to the much more in-depth answer I put on the original post, but numbers can only tell you so much. I would strongly encourage you to hear from our students themselves by checking out posts on our student-run blog, bclawimpact.org, and reading about all of the ways we as a school and as a student body strive to educate ourselves and each other about diversity, challenges and adversity our classmates have faced and will face in the practice of law, and the fact that our differences should not change our commitment to helping one another above all else. Here are some posts that speak to that sentiment:

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/02/17/from ... diversity/

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/02/16/thin ... y-matters/

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/02/11/an-a ... it-school/

https://bclawimpact.org/2015/01/29/raci ... oing-more/

If you have any other questions about diversity or any other topic, please feel free to reach out to me at ochogo@bc.edu.

[cpochogo]

Hi everyone! I know the first seat deposit deadline is this Friday, so I wanted to offer myself as a resource to answer any last-minute questions you have! My name is Charlene Ochogo and I'm a current 2L at BC Law. Feel free to post questions here or shoot me an email directly at ochogo@bc.edu.

[parneh]

Just deposited! I'm excited for the fall and good luck to everyone else still making their decisions!

Also, is there a forum or Facebook page for students attending in the fall?

[Manali]

Hi everyone! I know the first seat deposit deadline is this Friday, so I wanted to offer myself as a resource to answer any last-minute questions you have! My name is Charlene Ochogo and I'm a current 2L at BC Law. Feel free to post questions here or shoot me an email directly at ochogo@bc.edu.

Charlene, do folks at BC still talk about BlueLotus?