The voices of nine current students will be incorporated into the new blog, which aspires to become an editorial voice for those at BC law.
Prospective and admitted students to the Boston College Law School will now be able to see an unedited view of the school from the perspective of current students. Last week, the Law Student Association and BC Law’s communication department launched BC Law: Impact, an editorially independent blog designed to illustrate what life at BC Law is like for the students.
The law school provides a platform and technical support, while nine different law students contribute content to the blog. Nate Kenyon, the director of marketing and communications, plans to provide technical support and helps the student contributors, as they need it.
Although many law schools do have promotional blogs, BC’s is unusual because it is not edited or moderated by the administration. It is managed by Nate Kenyon, the director of marketing and communications, as a technical administrator, but the content shows an unfiltered student perspective.
Content will be created by nine law students, while Kenyon plans to provide technical support and helps the student contributors, as they need it.
It is both a collaborative and an individual experience: contributors write their stories on their own, but can then work with each other to improve their work. Each writer chooses a specific focus, with topics including study abroad, externships, and social life.
Elizabeth Blass, a second-year student, writes for the blog about public service, specifically juvenile rights issues. Her first post will be about why she came to law school, even though she does not plan on being a traditional lawyer, she said.
“I got involved because I really do believe that BC has a stellar student community and a stellar source for student life,” she said. “What I hope I will accomplish is communicating that to prospective and admitted students.”
One of the hardest things about applying to law school is that is it nearly impossible to understand what the community will be like before getting there, according to Blass. BC Law is colloquially known as the “Disneyland of law schools” within the law school community because it is known to be fun and friendly, Blass said.
The blog depicts what it is like to be a student at BC Law—recent posts include the highlights of Cleveland circle as well as a video of the Newton campus, with the law school covered in snow.
“I think it’s really cool that admitted and prospective students will have the opportunity to get a glimpse of what it’s like to be a law student before they actually do it,” Blass said.
The blog aims to help prospective students make a more informed choice, regardless of if they ultimately choose BC Law or not, according to Kenyon.
“We want our students’ viewpoints to be heartfelt and honest and we truly believe that the special nature of our law school will come through loud and clear,” he said in an email.
“Law school is a serious commitment and students deserve to find a place that will feel like home for the next three years—and one that will help support their career and life goals, whatever they may be.”
Each of the writers will publish a post relevant to their topic of focus once a week. Writers will be able to engage with each other and with prospective students in the comment sections of the site.
The contributors are all law students, but several have a background in writing as well: Rob Rossi is a staff writer at the Boston College Law Review and, when he was an undergraduate, was the Managing Editor of The Gavel. Another contributor, Mike Tierney, is the managing editor for Environmental Affairs Law Review, and has published short stories in local journals.
Rossi hopes the blog will help to forge connections as well as start a dialogue on what it means to enter the law profession today. He wants BC Law: Impact to emphasize the school’s focus on impacting society positively through the study of law, he said.
“Law school doesn’t have to be a terrible three years, BC Law students know that better than anyone,” Rossi said in an email. “The law is a tool, and if used well, it can help us accomplish great things.”\
Featured Image Courtesy of Boston College Law School
