Talking my way through Boston...

A few weekends ago, I left the Queen City to visit Boston for the first time.... ever. Before my trip, I was in the awkward position of planning to attend a University that I never visited. Although I've heard only great things about Boston and Northeastern, the school's admitted student open house offered a chance to see for myself. With a travel voucher from the University, I booked a hostel reservation and round trip air fare to Boston! My trip was characterized by stimulating conversation and exploration.

Leaving Charlotte on a United Airways flight, I anticipated all the people I would meet in the city. Little did I know that the socializing would start sooner than expected. Sitting next to me was an older couple from Athens, GA visiting their daughter in Boston. The man was a paper machine repairman. These machines actually turn trees into liquid pulp into paper. He excitedly told me all about the process. With a specialized trade, it's taken him all over the states. Even though I don't have cable to watch an episode of "how it's made" on the Discovery Channel, I received an education on the topic of paper over the course of the flight. It was interesting. He and his wife made me an itinerary of activities to do in Boston. With only two days to visit, I was only able to do one of them.

After arriving, I took the subway to Northeastern University and walked in the rain to take care of financial aid concerns during business hours. Looking down at my itinerary of things to do from the friendly couple, I decided to cross off the first suggestion and check out the Museum of Fine Art across the street from Northeastern. This museum was HUGE! They had an exhibit of exotic musical instruments and ancient art from various world religions or civilizations. These ranged from Chinese Buddhist relics, inscriptions from Egyptian tombs, and Spanish Christian paintings and sculptures. With only two hours, I didn't have enough time to see everything. Strangely, I bought an umbrella from their gift store, of all places, to protect my nice jacket from the elements and went back out in the rain.

In order to save myself several hundred dollars(seriously), I stayed at a hostel rather than a hotel. The room was shared among 6 men. Two of them were from England and one of them was from Atlanta, GA. We talked about accents and American History. Apparently, the age old question of what Brits think about the fourth of July is a mixed bag. One of them felt a little rejected in Boston as an Englishman while the other one didn't know what the heck that guy was talking about. My Georgian friend and I shared the opinion of the latter. Let's let sleeping dogs lie.

The first night at the Northeastern open house included a Diversity Reception to expose admitted students to race, gender, and sexual orientation student groups. Although I didn't identify with any of the communities, I attended the reception to meet classmates and enjoy an open bar. Students of all years were in attendance to welcome newcomers. Some third year students already had employment established before graduation thanks to the Co-op program. They answered my questions about student clubs, housing, Boston, and maintaining balance as a first year law student. It was a great primer to the following day.

The following day, I randomly sat next to another incoming NUSL student visiting from Minnesota at the Hostel's breakfast. After talking about the south and our aspirations over some fruit loops, we walked to the University. A friendly group of current students greeted us. Some of them, I met during the prior evening at the diversity reception. We were given a quick walk-through of the library and law school services. The urban campus is characterized by grey brick paths and pretty vegetation. It's surrounded by historic buildings while the grey brick buildings on campus give a contemporary, if not futuristic twist. I met some more students from California, Massachusetts, NC, Hawaii, New York, Rhode Island, and Minnesota.

After the tour, we were given coffee and invited to a series of lectures about the University. The first talk was meant to sell NUSL as a school to undecided students. The speakers mentioned everything that makes NUSL unique from its coop program to its students to its professors. With a hefty private school price tag, the next speaker sought to quell some fears about money. The financial aid office explained our options for financing school along with the government support available to public interest attorneys. The last event was a panel discussion by current students about the Co-op program. The amount of responsibility that these students were able to carry was very impressive to me. They worked positions in immigration law, judicial internships, public defense, and anti-human trafficking efforts in India.

Following a long morning of being told why Northeastern is a fabulous school, we were set loose to ask questions of professors and current students in a reception. I also met more prospective students who had impressive backgrounds. At the reception, the conversation drummed up excitement. I spoke with a first year student who was already tasked with investigating prosecutor misconduct in New Orleans, and another who was researching legal issues concerning veterans and mental health. I finished the day by having sushi with a fellow incoming student who grew up between Jamaica and Florida and worked with carbon trading in Switzerland during undergrad.

Hearing the stories and goals of so many people fills my heart to the brim. After a weekend of meeting like-minded students, I'm sure that this is the right school for me.