Amy, 3L

For those of you considering coming (or have already decided to come) to Boston from other parts of the country, there are a few peculiarities you should be aware of.

- Unlike the NYC subway, "express" is not a necessarily a good thing on the T. The Green Line can be frustrating sometimes, but there's cheap and decent housing out there. You'll be tempted to talk on your cell phone on the parts of the T that run above ground. Don't. No one wants to hear about how your significant other doesn't consider your needs in the relationship. (True story, sat next to this girl for 20 minutes. Pretty sure he's not so significant anymore.)

- People definitely look at you funny when you randomly talk to them or try to help them out. Being from the midwest, I do this regularly, but then again, I'm ok with people looking at me funny. It's ok, they're just not used to it.

- The accent: I still don't understand some of the things people say, but this I do know: It's not chowder, it's "chowdah." You just have to accept it and move on.

- It's a old joke, but it's true: if you don't like the weather in New England, wait five minutes. Good tip: Always carry an umbrella. A quality umbrella. The wind here is no joke sometimes.

All this being said, I love Boston and all the weird little things about it. I still smile and say hi to strangers. It's a good place to be yourself and be challenged by those who are different from you. And I hear the baseball team's pretty good...

Posted by Amy at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When people ask how I chose where to go to law school, it's inevitably followed by some comment about the "smallest price tag" or "whoever coughs up the most scholarship money, right?" Wrong. I'll be honest: NUSL was not the cheapest school I got into, and they didn't throw loads of money at me (or anyone else, for that matter). I chose NUSL for three things: the co-op experience, the JD/MPH dual-degree program, and the focus on social interest law. I've never regretted my choice. All three of those factors have delivered for me thus far. My legal education and law school experience in general have been enriched by these unique NUSL qualities. I'm done gushing like a Hallmark card now, I promise.

Back to reality: money does make the world go round, and having more of it makes some things easier, true, but please do not make your law school decision based solely on price. You will be disappointed in the long run. I know that my NUSL and Tufts degrees will get me where I want to go if I put in the work and that's all that really matters. Yes, I'm going to be in debt up to my eyeballs when I finish, but who isn't? No matter where you go to law school, most people will need loans and be in substantial debt when they graduate. (If you happen to be independently wealthy, good for you, you can stop reading now.) The truth is that I was poor when I started law school, I'm poor now, and I'll be even more poor when I finish. And I'm not alone. So what? We will all eventually get jobs and pay back our loans (someday). If I'm going to be paying it back for 20 years, I want to make darn sure I get the most out of my law school experience and NUSL is the place where I can do that. Let someone else go to the cheap law school that's not a good fit for their career aspirations. Sure, they have less debt, but I'm going to have a job I love getting up for every day. That's worth a lot of ramen noodle nights to me.

Posted by Amy at 7:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

As soon as we started our MPH program, we found ourselves using the term "cohort." A lot. Usually used to refer to a research group, we've been using it to refer to ourselves. As the JD/MPH "cohort," we've gotten very close. It's been great to have a group of 12 women (yes, we're all women this year) who are so brilliant, hard-working, and supportive. Whether it's studying together or complaining together about how we miss law school sometimes, I love experiencing Tufts with them. It's like the normal NUSL "help each other out" attitude taken to another level. This semester is particularly numbers-heavy, so we're going to need each other more than ever.

Posted by Amy at 6:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)