For me, the answer has to do with community. I came to BC because I wanted my law school to nurture my heart as well as my mind. I wanted to put myself in an environment of sharing and cooperation, not selfishness and distrust.

During my three years here, I am happy to say that I found what I was looking for. To illustrate: 1) one day, after having missed a class, I checked my Inbox to find that four of my classmates had forward their notes to me...before I had even had a chance to ask them for help; 2) BC Law professors have open door policies, and I have found them to truly welcome one-on-one conversations with students. My Con Law professor even offered to come to students' study groups! 3) The staff at BC are terrific. I worked in the library all three years here, and I can say without a doubt that the library staff (to take only a sliver of BC Law's staff) are made up of some of the warmest, most accommodating and kindest people I know.

It is often said that a person is only as good as the end he or she serves. Less said, perhaps, but not less true is the idea that our decisions to serve particular ends are shaped by the shared undertaking of one's education.

Boston College Law School is a place we are shaped, through education, for the better. It's a place where we become good lawyers and stay good people.

That’s why BC.

My journey to BC Law had a very clear beginning: I got in. Presented with a few great choices that could have put me just about anywhere in the country, I nevertheless found myself drawn to BC.

First of all, Boston sounded great in the abstract. It's one of those cities I always thought I might enjoy, and so far I am. Second, BC was very well known and could easily serve as a career spring board anywhere in the country if I decided to return home to San Francisco, move back to New York, or try my hand in DC. It may not be one of the major "national" law schools, but it's no slouch. And as it turns out, I have a great job and was able to look at all the major markets, in large part because BC has a great reputation.

Third, and most important to me, was the school's reputation as an institution that puts education first. In college I gravitated less towards any one subject than I did towards a few unbelievable professors. Recognizing this, hearing testimonials like David's, above, was incredibly influential. My experience as a 1L has confirmed the rumors that BC's faculty is incredibly pro-student, is warm and accessible, and approaches the law from the perspective of instruction not lecture. I think this is what gives BC its "Disneyland" reputation: yes, we're all crazed and overworked law students, but we exist in a fantastic academic cradle that promotes a happy and healthy law school experience.

Anyway, if you're a prospective student and you're reading this, I urge you to consider whether it matters to you if you enjoy coming to school every day. I'm not sure every school can guarantee that the way BC does. So far, I love it here and can genuinely say that if BC accepted you then you will probably fit in great here.

Please feel free to drop questions or comments in this post!

The best thing about BC is the professors. BC is able to attract high quality faculty. I think there are six or seven professors who have clerked for SCOTUS. There is the occasional professor who has good credentials but are not good educators. This is the minority by far.

As a general rule, the faculty put a lot of energy into their teaching responsibilities. Most professors are extremely generous with their time. I have started several different extracurricular projects during my three years and have met with 20+ professors to discuss the various projects. Not one professor has said they were not interested or too busy to speak with me. I think this combination of quality and availability leads to a better academic experience and legal education. At a higher ranked school you may get professors who are more famous but I think it is rare to have the combination of prestige and availability that exists at BC.

Unvarnished truth on how do decide between BCLS and another school?

1) If you're even considering BCLS over a school in the us news top 15, stop right now and dont even go to law school, b/c youre a dumbass.

2) assuming youre evaluating bcls vs its ranking peers (ie those in the 15-30's), you should realize that BC has an extremely strong alumni network in all major cities across the nation, which will help not just with getting your first job, but at different points along your whole career.

3) If you are getting significantly better scholarships at similarly ranked schools, follow the money.

4) Despite the rankings, BC is still held in slightly higher esteem by most employers than BU...but that position is eroding...

5) The dominant personality of the BCLS community is that of a chest beating liberal, but there are some conservatives in the student body and faculty (they are just scared into silence, generally). This somewhat chills the openness of classroom discussions, but most professors wont hold differing political views against you. But ya, things are hyper PC at bcls, so if that really annoys you, consider somewhere else (GW?)

6) Most professors are good, some are great, and you can avoid the terrible ones (of which there are at least a handful).

7) Dont forget, BC is a Jesuit institution. This will become evident to you as a student here, but in mostly unimportant ways. (but good luck getting birth control pills from health services.)

I chose BCLS over a handful of "higher ranked" schools (Cornell,BU among others). I don't regret the choice mainly because I really don't think it would have been as easy to make lasting relationships with a great group of friends at any other school. When considering law schools, students at BCLS seemed happier and friendlier to each other, not just to me as I was touring. That bore out. Part of this is because BCLS's suburban location means that students spend time on campus interacting, be it in the library, the snack bar or the main campus gym, rather than vegging out at their apartment between class.

As a Catholic who attended a more conservative Catholic college as an undergraduate, I found BCLS's approach ideal. Spiritual outlets are available for students who want it, be it through St. Thomas More or the chapel, but if you don't seek it out, you wouldn't notice that BCLS is Catholic.

Despite the comments above, on the law school ideological spectrum, BCLS is pretty much in the center. While Notre Dame, Yale and Chicago may be more conservative, there aren't many others. Obviously there are vocal and passionate students and professors of different ideological stripes, but you will find that at any top school. Today, the federalists are very active at BCLS, and professors such as Kohler, Brown and Garvey add balance to the ideological make up of the faculty.

If you've been admitted, congratulations, and good luck on making a choice.

I think the people, both faculty and students, are the best reason to come to BCLS. I will miss the whole BCLS community next year, and I know I would not have had nearly as good of an experience in law school if there weren't so many wonderful people here. Law school is stressful anywhere and to have a supportive environment during this time is really important. Also, while it sounds like a cliche, many faculty members truly do have an open-door policy. I have encountered a number of faculty who really want to help students grow as lawyers and people, and they make the time and effort to do that.

Pros:

-Professors are brilliant and engaging.

-Fellow students are intelligent, friendly, and always willing to help.

-Buffalo. Chicken. Wraps.


Cons:

-Located in the middle of the woods and still there is no parking.

-Still struggling to master the secret art of cooling the water coming out of the water fountains below the boiling point.

-Freshman 15 was a joke compared to the way BC tries to stuff you full of pizza at every meeting.

I originally fell in love with Boston College as a high school junior searching for an undergrad institution. I experienced an almost identical experience as I was hunting for a suitable place to earn my J.D. What really made the difference for me is that other schools could not compare to the atmosphere of BC Law. What blew me away (and still does) is the atmosphere on campus - the students are genuinely happy, and that says volumes about the quality of the school as a whole. Not only that, but when in class and at events, hearing my peers speak is both impressive and intimidating at the same time - I am lucky to be surrounded by such intelligent people. The balance of that happiness along with that academic prowess sets BC apart from other law schools.

When BC was described to me as the "Disneyland" of law schools, I liked what I heard but didn't quite realize how true it was. It was exemplified to me fall semester during finals time. A 3L I had never seen nor spoken to before was sitting across from me in the library, and as we both got up, she made small talk. Finding out that I had the same teacher as she had had her first year, she immediately offered to send me all her materials concerning the course, and offering advice on top of that as to how to take the test. And as more time has gone on I've learned that events like this, where perfect strangers help others for no reason, are commonplace here. While other schools that I have seen or experienced might be "higher" on the rankings list, I know that my quality of life is better at Boston College Law School than it would be anywhere else.

- Chris Pavlow BC Law 2010