Boston College vs Boston University Forum

[convicted]

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[srb]

BU does one of those public interest payment things. When you spend a summer doing public interest work (which is usually unpaid for law students during the summers), you can apply for a stipend and stuff through the school.

[convicted]

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[Cal4future]

BC has great hockey and football programs. If that matters?!

[sullidop]

BC has something similar.

BU does one of those public interest payment things. When you spend a summer doing public interest work (which is usually unpaid for law students during the summers), you can apply for a stipend and stuff through the school.

What kind of aid/scholarship packages are they giving you?

[muddywaters]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... =1&t=48634

some related stuff here.

[kiwislug]

I don't attend either school but the sense I get from BU v BC is that the people who go to BU are more cutthroat and are new york bound; BC's student body usually stay in Boston and are more laid back.

[mallard]

BU seems more on the rise in terms of its reputation as a law school.

[sullidop]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_College_Law_School

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BU_Law

Check out the rankings stuff.

[Mikey1]

BC. Very nice law school, people, and opportunities. BC's alumni network is one of the strongest in the nation.

[danconstan]

One thing to think about is money...If you are competitive in terms of scholarships, work them against each other and see who gives you more money. I bet this happens quite a lot as there must be a huge overlap in their acceptances and with pretty much similar employment prospects, I'm sure money is the deciding factor for a large number of applicants.

[ls10]

I don't attend either school but the sense I get from BU v BC is that the people who go to BU are more cutthroat and are new york bound; BC's student body usually stay in Boston and are more laid back.

I am a student at BU and I just had to clear up this completely untrue statement. Yes, more students from BU want to and end up practicing in New York, but we are definitely not cutthroat. People are more than happy to help one another in whatever way - with notes from missed classes, outlines, forming study groups, etc. I can't speak to BC's student body, but I can say that BU is a very friendly law school.

But, regarding public interest, I can tell you that BC has a stronger loan forgiveness program than BU. BU is a much more firm-oriented law school; our career services is changing to become more well-rounded and has made great progress in doing so (they're very aware of public interest opportunities and send weekly emails to let us know what they are and what's new in the public interest sector), but BC may be better for public interest. To be honest, you should call each school's career services and ask them.

[muddywaters]

BU.

[vtjas81]

I don't attend either school but the sense I get from BU v BC is that the people who go to BU are more cutthroat and are new york bound; BC's student body usually stay in Boston and are more laid back.

I am a student at BU and I just had to clear up this completely untrue statement. Yes, more students from BU want to and end up practicing in New York, but we are definitely not cutthroat. People are more than happy to help one another in whatever way - with notes from missed classes, outlines, forming study groups, etc. I can't speak to BC's student body, but I can say that BU is a very friendly law school.

I agree about BU not being cutthroat. I am a BU student and I feel like students here are typical like you see in any college

[jobu2378]

I go to BC. I also very seriously considered BU. They're so remarkably similar in almost every quantifiable aspect that you can't really go wrong with either one. For me, the choice to attend BC came down to three things - 1) I liked BC's suburban location better than BU's urban location. BC is out in Newton on a quiet campus in a wooded setting whereas BU is right in the heart of the Comm Ave corridor. I wanted a place where I could drive to so it wouldn't force me to live near a T stop, so I chose BC. If you want to be in the middle of the city, then BU would probably be the better choice. 2) BC does have a stronger alumni network in New England, and that's where I want to stay. Why this is the case, I don't know. However, I will say that for whatever reason, BC alums from all their programs (ie, not just law) are crazy about the school and BU alums that I know (quite a few) do not seem to have that same passion. I have no idea why. 3) I'm interested in environmental law and BC has a good program in that area, whereas BU has very limited offerings.

Out of either school, grades are going to matter - I can't imagine a law review member of one school being chosen over a bottom 1/3 candidate at the other simply because of the "name" of the school. My advice is that if one gives you a much better aid/scholarship package than the other, to go to that school. If not, definitely visit both and go with whatever your gut tells you.

[Official_TLS_Lurker]

I've visited the two schools and I can see how one would have difficulty choosing between the two programs. The only significant difference I could articulate would be location and atmosphere. I found BC's campus to be far more attractive and comfortable and not too far out of Boston to be a hassle (remember, boston proper is actually quite small). BU on the other hand was located on a busy and noisy street going into boston and wasnt exactly right in the middle of the city.

BU is ranked several spots higher than BC but I doubt the difference is significant, especially if one seeks to remain in the New England market. Either way, you will be selecting an excellent school. Boston is great and BU and BC are second to only Harvard in a region that includes all of New England including markets such as Portland, Maine and Providence, RI which are awesome and don't really have many local schools.

[cujoespo]

I would say that it's quite a hassle to get into the city from BC. If you take the subway it's at least half an hour, if you drive you have to deal with Boston traffic, which is brutal and also pay for parking. BU on the other hand is much much closer. Also I would say that BU is on the rise, I'm at BU undergrad and have a few friends in the law school, they all say they are glad they chose BU over BC.

[nepgoon]

For me, it's probably going to come down to the role that the profs play in the education of the student, with BU getting the nod. Beside their PR #1 ranking (which is more or less BS, IMHO) BU's hiring process is just dramatically different from any other similarly ranked school. With its intensive and holistic review process they care much less about publishing rates and similar "hard" factors, and from my experience w/ the school this lends itself to a classroom experience that is far more engaging than at BC.

Plus, taking the shuttle, then the green line for 30 minutes to anywhere enjoyable is a drag.

Oh, and UG kids on the law campus???

[vtjas81]

As a BU law student, I must admit that that my professors are the best professors I've ever had in my life. They are fun, weird, and lively. It makes the class exciting. I've had professors in college and grad school and they are no way comparable.