BU Law: Orientation info and Welcome from Student Affairs

In this email, you will find information you need to begin preparing for your transition to law school, including information about your required Orientation on Thursday, August 28 and Friday, August 29.  

1. Action Items: Begin Preparing for Law School
2. Action Item: Save the Key Dates
3. Get (and stay) Connected
4. Contact Student Affairs with questions

Action Items: Begin Preparing for Law School  

• Class of 2028 Enrollment Instructions. Before you arrive for Registration and Orientation, you need to take care of several mandatory tasks. The Class of 2028 Enrollment Instructions (password: lawadmit2028), was linked with your notice to access your bill. This resource consolidates information about upcoming deadlines, so you can meet BU Law's entrance requirements.  

• Enroll in JDEdge Online Program - Available now! 

  • All incoming BU Law students are eligible and highly encouraged to enroll in “JDEdge by AccessLex”  - a self-paced, online law school preparation program that will jump start your academic, personal, and professional success in law school. Containing approximately 20 hours of content, JDEdge is an engaging and interactive program that covers both foundational academic skills (like case briefing and exam-taking) and non-academic skills (like growth mindset and time management) in a mix of pre-recorded videos, independent work, and live classes that fit around your schedule.

  • Developed by AccessLex, a national non-profit whose goal is to foster access to, and success in, law school, the JDEdge online materials will be supplemented with BU-specific live Zoom trainings on July 23 and August 13. Save these dates; details to follow.  

  • To participate in the JDEdge program, visit AskEdna.AccessLex.org to register. Please create an account with your name, address, email address (preferably with your BU email), school, and class year. No other personal information is required, and all information remains confidential. Detailed registration information is here. If you have any questions, please reach out to Tigran Eldred (eldredt@bu.edu) or Linda Boardman (lcb23@bu.edu) in the Academic Enrichment Program.​​​​​

• Pathway to BU Law: Pre-Orientation Essentials. BU Law has so much to offer and we want to be sure you learn as much as possible about it before you arrive. Beginning in early August, we will invite you to participate in Pathway to BU Law: Pre-Orientation Essentials. This online resource will include a broad array of tasks and information to prepare you for Orientation and your first year at BU Law. Look for login information later this summer.  

Action Item: Save the Key Dates 

• *Mandatory* 1L Orientation – Thursday, August 28 & Friday, August 29. Orientation is an introduction to your BU Law community and the study of law. We will cover a lot of information in two days. We will also give you the opportunity to connect with your classmates. Please reserve these two days in their entirety, and note that there may be optional programming in the evenings as well.  

• *Optional* in-person pre-Orientation programs. We offer several in-person pre-Orientation programs. Look for invitations and registration info for these programs in July.

  • Be Yourself Orientation – Monday, August 25 & Tuesday, August 26. The Student Affairs Office will host Be Yourself Orientation (BYO), a pre-orientation program designed to support students whose identities are underrepresented in the legal community. BYO primarily serves students of color and LGBTQIA+ students, providing an early (but not the only!) opportunity to connect with current students, administrators, and professors with shared identities. We hope to meet you at BYO to begin building a community of support!  

  • First Generation Convening – Wednesday, August 27, afternoon. The First-Generation Convening is a pre-orientation program for any student who identifies as the first in their family to attend post-secondary education or graduate and professional school.    

• First day of classes – Tuesday, September 2.  Professors expect you to be prepared on your first day of classes. Section assignments will be sent to you in mid-August, after which you can purchase textbooks and learn more about what to expect on your first day.

Please contact the Student Affairs team at studaff@bu.edu with questions about these events. 

Get (and stay) Connected 

• BU Email/Computing Account. As an entering law student, one of your first priorities is to connect to BU's online services, including your BU email account. If you have not yet done so, please claim your account asap. If you are having any issues, please contact IS&T directly at 617-353-4357 or ithelp@bu.edu.   

• Ongoing Updates for Incoming Students.

  • We will e-mail you with updates throughout the summer. To ensure you receive this important information, we recommend checking your e-mail regularly and adding this email address to your safe list.

  • As of mid-July, we will communicate primarily with your BU email address.

  • You may also check the law school’s Admitted Students website for updates (password: lawadmit2028).  

Contact us!