Finals!

How in the world has it been so long since I last posted? This has been a very overwhelming and busy few months. My poor little pup broke her leg 2 weeks ago and that added to the joy of finals. It's been tough to keep my focus on studying and not everything else going on.

I took my first final today, Torts. It went pretty well, but it wasn't the final I am most worried about... which is Contracts... oh and Civ Pro. Three more finals to go and I am FREE for a very short, but FREE three weeks. I don't want to even look at words or books as soon as my finals are over!

If you want a visual of what I look like... well... here you go...

Feeling down..

The last few days have been really wearing me down. Today was the worst of all.

I have a family member in the hospital...

I got below the (already terrible) class average on a midterm I thought I aced...

And a few other unnamed issues I've had to face...

All I'm feeling right now is depressed and that law school sucks. It's draining and it is SO hard. You put in so much effort with so little reward. Not to mention all the crap life throws your way at the same time.

However, tonight I am thankful for a gift and for the very dear friend who gave it to me. I had a self pity afternoon (with a lot of tears) and this book helped remind me that it's not about me and I need to refocus my attention on Him.

Law school sucks, but He led me here and He'll get me through one way or another.

Love,
-L

Dear little blog,

I'm sorry for neglecting you. I've actually been neglecting a lot of things lately because midterms fried my brain. I'm still having a hard time wanting to look at anything with words on it (including my books) ...I can only imagine how I'll feel after finals...

I do have something to complain about.. I absolutely hate this thing our school makes us do called Core Grammar. It's a program we had to pay for and also pass with a 90. It is ridiculously long (almost 100 questions) and time consuming. Well, I took the test like 8 times and my highest score was an 89... And yes, when I got that 89 I contemplated shooting my computer. 

I'm not the only one who didn't make it to a 90 by the deadline, so maybe they'll end up lowering the score requirement... Which they should, especially considering last year they only needed a 70 to pass!!! I cannot wait until the end of the semester when we write class evaluations so I can give them a piece of my mind about that stupid thing. Ugh -_- 

In other news, one of our professors walked out on our class last week. He said we were "the worst class he's ever had." Why you ask? Well, he asked a student a ridiculously easy question, one that applies to every single class we have, and the student didn't know the answer. Okay, so that's pretty normal, but neither did the next two students. 

Ugh. I wanted to shout hello, GOOGLE it. 99% of the class uses their laptops during class so there is zero excuses for not getting the answer and then knowing it just in case you get called on.  

The worst part is the professor then told alllll of our other professors. One of the assistant deans even came in and gave the class a "talking to." It was pretty embarrassing and I can only imagine what we're going to endure next week... :/ 

Anyway, I'm off to enjoy some tv time and not think about anything law school related :)

Love,

-L

Ps here's a ridiculously cute picture of Sadie :) 

Midterms

This is midterm week. 

So far I've only taken Torts and luckily I feel like I did pretty well. Tomorrow morning is my Property midterm and I feel, okay about taking it.

Thursday and Friday are the two exams I'm most worried about... Contracts & Civ Pro. I was feeling really good about those classes until this past week when we added a ton of new concepts and everything I thought I knew went out the window.

If you've ever wondered why contracts are so confusing and long, you can thank rules like 2-207. I can't even really tell you what 2-207 means because I'm not sure 2-207 has a clear meaning! 

Wish me luck, 

-L

This is how I feel when someone starts making up hypotheticals in our study group when they know NONE of us know how to answer it and it completely ruins our previous understanding of the topic.


 This is how I feel when someone asks if I have a clue about what we went over in class that day...



How I feel when I read my notes...



When I get out of class and feel happy, but then and remember I have a billion things to do that night...

 
These days this is how I feel about looking at anything with words on it that I'm not required to read...

-L

Sacrifices.

Most things in life require you to make some sacrifices. 

Law school is no different, in fact it probably requires you to make more sacrifices than you are used to making. You sacrifice free time, sleep, time with family, time with friends, time to watch your favorite shows, time for reading books for fun, time to make dinner, time to go shopping... the list goes on and on. I'd even go so far as to argue you sacrifice your sanity every now and then.

Most of the sacrifices are easy to ignore, eventually they just feel natural and fit in with the new territory of your life. But... at times some sacrifices are impossible to see as anything but a sacrifice (in the worst way) and can really leave you feeling torn between your life and your (law school) life. 

 

Late last night I got the call that my Mamaw was being rushed to the hospital for what they believed to be a stroke. 

The distance between here and Tennessee immediately felt palpable. 

 

What options do you have in law school when life throws you a curve ball? Well... not many. Of course you have a few absences for each class you can take and emergencies are taken into consideration by the school... but how do you miss classes when your ability to succeed (actually pass) law school is directly influenced by information they give you in class?

Luckily, (as of now) my Mamaw is (from my understanding) in no immediate peril. She has it rough and is still in the hospital, but will hopefully benefit from a treatment plan. There's absolutely nothing I could do even if I did make the drive there, but that doesn't negate the fact that I want to be there. 

........................

 

When I was in college, I had an 8am class three days a week and had to drive 45 minutes or so to get there. The only person I knew who was up that early every morning was my Papaw, so several times a week I'd call him and we'd talk my entire commute to school. I vividly remember the last early morning we talked before our phone call routine was cut short. Later that same day was the day he was rushed to the hospital. 

He never went home again.

I don't remember much about the weeks and months after my Papaw died, but I do remember how kind my professors were and how they did everything in their power to help me still succeed. Somehow I still made all A's that semester. If I were to miss the amount of days in law school that I missed during that time it would be pretty impossible to finish a semester. 

The point is, life still happens all around you while you're in law school. There will likely come a time that a life event will require a sacrifice that will give you pause and you'll wonder what's more important. 

Wishing I was in Tennessee. 

But here goes another week.

-L

A week of ups.

After my really terrible week last week, this week has been much better . School has been just as demanding as usual, maybe even more so than usual with the addition of our pre-midterm assessments (mini exams). I am proud to say that my assessments have all gone very well! I still have one more to go and I don't have a grade for another yet, but I am about 98% sure I did well on it too. 

Remember how I complained about Contracts? I got the highest grade in the class on the assessment :) It was literally the best feeling ever! :)

There are some major differences from law school exams and undergrad exams. First of all, in law school you do not put your name on any of your exams. You are assigned a number to keep the grading anonymous... which I think is a pretty novel concept. It protects the professor from being accused of bias (they're human too, it happens) and keeps the students happy knowing your teacher doesn't know that you're the one who missed that question they went over and over in class.

Second, (I know I've mentioned this before) law school exams usually have two really wrong answers and two correct answers. The hard part is figuring out which one is more correct. I would have had a perfect score on one of my assessments had I not gotten stuck between the two correct answers and inevitably chosen the "less" correct one. Oh well, lesson learned.

Lastly- in law school you don't talk about your grades. Well, at least you don't openly... you keep it to yourself or between you and your group of friends. Law school brings out the emotional side of both the girls and the guys which they may not have even realized they had. Sensitivities are at an all time high. When I got a significantly better grade than one of my friends it made for a very awkward conversation. You just have to learn who you can and cannot share things with. Some people will celebrate your successes, but others will resent you for them.

 -L

Sunday night blues...

Every Sunday around this time of night I get the blues. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are particularly grueling. Each day starts at 6 am and doesn't end until 1 or 2 am. By Thursday I'm sleep deprived and information overloaded. By Friday I'm contemplating burning my books and moving out of the country.  But each week, somehow, by the grace of God, I keep riding this train and the days (seem) to be flying by. 

...I'm still literally counting the minutes until Christmas break though...

This week I have three different tests. One tomorrow in LRA (my least favorite class) and two on Wednesday in both Torts and Civ Pro. Praying I pass all of these tests and maintain my sanity at the same time. I've literally been dreaming the definitions of assault, battery, false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress, etc... Dreaming about law school does not help with sleep deprivation FYI. 

Speaking of sleep...

-L 

Snowball effect.

Today started off badly and just continued to snowball all.day.long. 

I got up late, got stuck in a traffic jam, hit every stop light, couldn't find parking, spent 20 minutes circling the school until I finally found a spot and had to literally run to class with only 2 minutes to spare...

...got to class and opened my laptop only to have the girl in front of me accidentally knock it off my desk with her bag... -_- ...made it through that class only to find out the assignment that was due in a later class magically deleted itself (maybe my computer retaliated?).... 

...forgot my lunch, had to eat crackers... migraine started around lunch and never left... went to Contracts only to painfully realize I still don't have a clue... started to feel even more hopeless about my test on Thursday...  

...some other bad stuff happened I won't mention...

...felt so sick and down during my last class that it must have showed because my professor noticed and asked me to stay after class in front of everyone, ugh... luckily she just wanted to make sure I understood it and was concerned that I seemed down..

So overall today was a complete bust. I wish I would have just stayed in bed... but for now I just keep telling myself that tomorrow's another day. I can only pray it is significantly better than today. God only gives us what we can handle right?

-L 

 

Long days, shorter nights.

This morning I had my first "assessment exam" in Property. I have never been a good test taker, but I kicked that test's butt. :) There wasn't a single question on it that I didn't know the answer to and that was a great feeling. So I'd say at this point I'm basically a pro at the finder's rule ;) Misplaced, lost, abandoned, or treasure trove items beware! I know what to legally do with you now!

Thursday is our Contract's assessment and I already know I need to bottle up and save this happy feeling from today for after that exam because I am not looking forward to it at all. Most law students (from what I'm told) usually really understand one subject, are okay at another, and really struggle in one or more. Contracts has yet to register in my brain for some reason, which is ridiculous because everyone else seems to understand it pretty well... and of course by everyone else I mean my small group of friends, but still...

I did get frustrated in my Civil Procedure class today... that is the class I mentioned has the "scary" (by reputation) professor with an Ivy League education and a no-nonsense attitude. I actually really like the professor, but for the second time since we started school I gave an answer to which he said was incorrect, but after calling on a few more people someone else gives the SAME ANSWER and he says correct! -_- I have yet to figure that man out. 

I have about 5 billion cases to read and brief tonight so I should probably get started. Blah.

-L 

ps... this is how I hope my Contracts exam goes on Thursday...

Waiting...

Had an interview to be a Barbri rep early on this Saturday morning. There were only a handful of other people here in the building which felt weird since it's usually packed with people. I didn't know what to do with myself since I arrived an entire 45 minutes early per usual so I took some selfies like a weirdo. :)

(Me and this dude are the only two here.) 

(My "it's too early, I should have eaten, it's creepy in here alone, at least my hair looks nice" face.)

 

I really need to learn how to not be so early all the time.
 

The interview went well, the head Barbri rep is a really nice guy and I liked how the questions allowed me to show him who I really am. I'm not super confident I'll get the job since there were so many applicants and it was extremely competitive, but like my dear friend told me, "you definitely won't get the job if you don't even try."
 So here goes nothing.

-L

3 weeks down...

One more week and I've been a law student for an entire month! 

Time feels like it's been stuck on fast forward lately. I feel like it should still be Monday, but here we are again at Friday. There are not enough hours in the day to get anything done! I remember all of the 'pre-law school' days when time seemed to drag on and on. When I was a waitress I swear a four hour shift felt like it would never end. Now I can't seem to make four hours stay longer than two minutes. 

Next week is going to be a difficult one. We have our first assessment in some of our classes, starting first thing Monday morning. My first assessment is in Property... I actually find the class pretty interesting, but the rules can be so confusing. There are so many rules. Then there are so many exceptions to every rule. We will be tested on the Finder's Rule on Monday, which is actually pretty useful to know...

Finders Rule: The finder has a truer title against anyone in the world, except the true owner or subsequent possessors.

So basically, if you find a diamond ring in a public place and you notify the police (because you are an upstanding citizen) and they cannot find the true owners after a specified period of time, the ring is rightfully yours. Of course like I said there are exceptions to every rule, you can't be a trespasser... you can't find something on private property and just take it, etc. So next time you find something of value and you turn it in to whatever 'authority', consider notifying whoever you turned it into that you will be checking back in periodically and if they cannot locate the true owner then the item is most likely rightfully yours (so long as none of the exceptions apply to you of course).

We read a case about a family who found thousands of dollars in the road and called the police in an effort to do the right thing. After a period of time, the police attempted to put the money in a police department fund. The family found out and they went to court. The court ruled in favor of the family because they were the original finders. The police were merely subsequent possessors. So next time you find a couple grand in the road, make sure you call me so I can claim to be the original finder too!

In other news, I was received some very sad news this week from one of my best friends from high school. She is pregnant with her first child and was given the news this week that the right side of her baby's heart did not fully form. The baby will need to undergo a series of surgeries after birth and will always live with only one side of a functioning heart. My heart was so heavy with this news that I had trouble sleeping the last two nights. You don't want something like this to happen to anyone, but especially not to someone you love. I know miracles happen everyday and God is in control, so I am keeping the faith that He will bring healing to the little miss. 

I will say that after I spoke to my friend today, I felt much better about the news. She actually comforted me by her positive attitude. She is determined to continue having a happy pregnancy and has made it her goal to think only positive things. She is a strong momma already and I told her that the little miss will obviously take after her and be strong as well. Please keep them both (and her husband of course) in your prayers.

-L

Legally... something.

I always thought Legally Blonde was a comedy and was in no way close to the real thing... I was wrong. If you want to know what a class in law school is like, there you go. Oh, and aside from being kicked out of the classroom... this is pretty much how I felt in class the other day during my humiliation. -_-

Ps...after my bad day the other day, this is how my sis cheered me up :)

 

Slowly opening up my contracts book now :( 

-L

p.s.s... An offer is a manifestation of an intent to enter into a contract in which both parties will be bound. An offer must be specific, definite, reasonable, and communicated.

You win some, you lose some.

And today was one of those days for me.

My name card decided to make its way through the stack into the professor's hand and I was called on in Contracts. Unfortunately for me, the question was not to brief the case we were working on, which I actually would have known the answers to, but to answer a question that I had absolutely no idea what the answer was... to make matters worse I didn't know a simple definition and couldn't find it anywhere in my notes. If you could see my class notes you'd probably be surprised because they are about a million pages long... I write down everything from a class... or at least I thought I did. I was pretty humiliated and my mood was deflated as fast as a needle pops a balloon. My ego was also painfully knocked down a few pegs as well.

 The problem in law school is that when you get the wrong answer or you don't know an answer to the professor's question they don't move on to another person... you're just stuck with the question... even if it takes you ten minutes or the entire class period. Some professor's will get annoyed and move on and some won't. Today, my Contracts professor was in the mood to torture apparently and waited for what seemed like an eternity for me to mumble out incoherent answers that weren't even remotely right. 

So that sucked.

But today wasn't a total fail... I got my test grade back that I was 100% sure I failed and I got a B-!!!!! I have always hated B's and I think the minus part is unnecessary, but I swear to you that B felt like a golden A++++ to me today. Pretty sure if I had failed that I would have gone home and contemplated dropping out and moving to a country that would grant me asylum so I wouldn't have to pay back all these student loans. A lot of people did fail and I can only imagine what they are feeling right now... something tells me it's a lot like the feeling of looking like a complete idiot in front of 80 people which I can say I've now experienced.

Hoping tomorrow has more wins than losses.

 -L

Oh, and in case you are wondering... an OFFER is a manifestation of intent to enter into an agreement to make a deal. It must be specific, definite, communicated, and reasonable.

 If I forget this definition after the mental beating I gave myself after class there is something wrong with me.

My life in a Youtube Video...

Apparently all of my friends from school are doing exactly what I'm doing today....

.....which is not getting any actual work done.

One of the girls just sent me this video and it's 100% accurate. 

Enjoy.

-L

4 day weekend.

I had high hopes for this weekend. I thought I would have plenty of time to get some needed shopping done, clean my house, and make a serious dent in some homework... It's now Sunday and I've only gotten the shopping part done.

It's not that I haven't tried... I've literally forced myself to sit down at my desk with my books laid out in front of me with a pen in one hand and a highlighter in the other, but then I look at how much work I have to do and my mind checks out to another land. Looks like I will be paying for it tonight and tomorrow when I really have to cram.

I am a hard worker. I thrive in my school work and I actually like when I have a project to do. However, I'm extremely OCD and like to narrow my focus to one project at a time... which unfortunately is impossible to do when you have six classes demanding the same amount of attention.Which brings me to my feelings about law school as I enter into week three...

I have always wanted to go to law school. I can't remember a time when I have said anything otherwise. The problem is that saying you want to go and actually going are two entirely different things.

Law school plays with your emotions in ways you cannot imagine until you actually go through it. At school you sit through class after class terrified you'll be called on to be in the hot seat, especially during a topic that you have little to no understanding about (which is basically all of them). At home you struggle with the balance of wanting to enjoy being home and feeling guilty that you aren't studying or getting ahead. Even when you sleep you can't escape the emotional pull of law school as your dreams (or nightmares rather) are filled with legal question after legal question.

The hardest part of law school that I have personally struggled with the last few weeks is dealing with all of the doubts. I never once doubted I would make it through undergrad or even that I would do well, but everyday I doubt that I will make it through law school. It's like being told you have to climb Mount Everest to the top and back down again with zero knowledge or skills of mountain climbing.

Oh, and before anyone tries to tell me not to worry, just know there are over 200 dead bodies on Mt. Everest, so clearly some people do not make it. -_-

 

If support and a desire would get me through, I wouldn't be so worried. I have some great people behind me and I obviously have the desire to make it. I'm just counting on my faith to help me overcome all of these doubts, because no matter how many people tell me it'll be okay my fears are not quieted.

"For truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you." -Bible

"Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase." -MLK

Getting to work now.

-L

Ouch.

Today was rough. 

The girl beside me was in the hot seat in class and it was brutal. She had previously read the case we were working on, but she didn't brief it (a summary of the case in a specific format) so she had a hard time answering the questions she was asked by the professor (who was extremely annoyed). I could literally feel the waves of tension that rolled off of her while she shook like a leaf. Poor girl, I know she was embarrassed and I felt awful for her. I'm hoping that when it's my turn in the hot seat that I'm a little more prepared. I know that had I been in her shoes I wouldn't have been able to hold it together as well as she did...I  would have had some tears rolling down my cheeks! 

I also had my first test in law school today and I'm feeling down about it. We had to look at an issue and then apply the given law to that issue by breaking it down step by step. It's a lot more complicated than it sounds and it can be really confusing. After the test my little group of friends and I talked about the test and I had a completely different answer than most of them. I felt extremely bummed after I found that out, especially since I have a strong feeling that their answers were right and mine was way off. I'm going to try to not think about it, but I have a hard time letting things like that go... it sucks to feel disappointed this early in the game. 

Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day... 

-L

1 week down...

15 more weeks to go until the end of the semester. 

The rest of the week went pretty good, nothing too exciting to report. I studied my butt off for Contracts and actually knew what the professor was talking about during class for once. I also spent several hours making flash cards this week... they seem to really help, but I'm doubting I'll have enough time to keep making them as the semester goes on. 

Here's what has been drilled into my head so far... 

Definitions: 

• Intent- A person acts with intent when the purpose of their actions is to bring about a certain consequence; or the knowledge that a consequence is substantially certain.

We read a case about a 5 year old who pulled out a chair from an elderly woman who fell and broke her hip... He was found liable by the appeals court despite his young age because he acted with the intent of knowing she would fall, even if he didn't think she would get hurt. 

• Battery- The least touching of another person in a harmful or injurious way without their consent. 

We read a case about a black man who had his plate aggressively snatched from his hands by a white guy declaring that a negro could not be served in the restaurant. Despite the fact the aggressor did not touch the man, only his plate, he was still guilty of battery because the object was intimately held by the man. Too bad the racist white dude died before the case went to court, but luckily his place of work was held liable for his actions because they allowed the behavior to happen without reprimand or an apology.

I'm finding as I read cases I get really annoyed. The case I mentioned above went all the way to the Supreme Court before it finally was found in favor for the plaintiff (the guy who had his plate snatched away). R-i-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s!

Enough about school, I got to spend some time with my family this weekend. My sweet Mamaw, aunt, & uncle came in from TN to see my bro's new baby. My niece is only 11 days old and is perfect I tell ya! She hardly makes a peep unless she's hungry. We even did a little bit of arts and crafts with her by painting her feet and making some ornaments. It took us awhile to get the hang of it and get a squirmy baby's feet to leave a good print, but we did it! My favorite thing that we made was a ceramic sign that says L.O.V.E with the footprints making the V. We also did a baby photo-shoot and the pics turned out so good! If I was allowed to post them I would, but alas she's going to be an anti-Internet baby. The best I can do is show you a picture of our hands together.

(Me, Mamaw, Niece- Three generations)  

I've always loved hands. I know I'm weird, but my Papaw always told me that you could tell a lot about a person by their hands. When I have trouble picturing his face or remembering his mannerisms, I can always count on my brain to be able to remember his hands. I have a very distinct memory of the last few days he was still with us in the hospital holding my hands with his.

I enjoyed spending time with my family this weekend, but I started to desperately miss my Papaw. Watching my Mamaw hold her first great-grandchild, but without the man she raised 5 children and way too many grandchildren with made my heart ache. I miss him all the time, but I'll admit I don't miss him like I did when he first left. Time has continued to go on and his absence has become my new normal. But there are moments when the realization of the depth of his loss hits me out of nowhere and is overwhelmingly painful. In my eyes the sun rose and set with that man. I know most would say to this, "he's watching from Heaven, he's already met that little niece of yours, he's still with you, etc etc" but that doesn't change the fact that we are missing out on him, even if he isn't missing out on us. 

I was incredibly sad that he wasn't here to watch me graduate college, or when he wasn't there for me to call when I got my law school acceptance letter, but it hurts even more knowing he won't be here to hold and influence my niece and my future kids. I miss you desperately and I hope that somehow you know. 

I should probably quit rambling and get to bed. I have to make up for all my lost studying time tomorrow, blah. Law school is a lot of things, but most of all it is way too time consuming. 

-L

Is it really only Wednesday?

I've officially been a law student for three whole days, but somehow it feels like it has been three long months already. I am exhausted. Law school is both physically and mentally demanding... and clearly my stamina is lacking in both departments. 

The first year of law school is considered the most difficult of the three years of school. The amount of information that you must not only read, but also understand, and then apply is mind-numbing. I have never had to read and then reread to understand a case- only to get to class and find out I didn't understand the case at all with the questions the professors are asking. When they say legal language is a foreign language they weren't kidding. Most of the ridiculously long statutes could easily be written in plain English in a sentence or two. But... as the saying goes- 'if law school was easy, everyone would do it.' I get that it shouldn't be or isn't easy (if it was who would actually need an attorney to represent them? I guess we need some form of job security), but I don't see the point in it being so ridiculously hard!

Despite the difficulties of trying to comprehend SIX different classes, I have enjoyed classes so far. The professor's all have very different personalities ranging from super mono-toned and flat to bubbly and hyperactive to downright scary. The funny thing is that the scary professor is probably my favorite one because he gets right down to business. He forces the class to answer the questions that really matter. I say this now, but I may change my opinion on liking him so much when I get in the hot seat :) 

Speaking of the hot seat, let me explain classes and how they work. First off, there are 200 + students who are 1L's this year. (you're called a 1L if you are in your first year, 2L second year, 3L third year.) Those 200 students are divided into 3 different sections... 101, 102, and 103. Each section has it's own class schedule and its own set of professors. We do not share professors or classes between the sections in the first year of school. In years 2 and 3 we will all mix together again, but for now we have our little family (and by that I mean 80 or so students) in our section all year long.

Think Harry Potter and Hogwarts (because I'm a nerd and I love that I can apply Harry Potter to my life woo!)  :) I'm going to say section 101 is Gryffindor...  102 can be Slytherin... and 103 can be Hufflepuff. Wild guess which one I'm in ; ) If you don't understand Harry Potter then you need to re-evaluate your life and read those books!!! Or... just watch the movies if you are tired of reading like me right now!

  

So anyway, like I said each section has their own professors... I would equate my scary professor to Professor Snape in Harry Potter... he's scary as hell, but I know I'll learn a lot from the man (and his intentions are for the greater good, whether we see it now or not). One of my professor's definitely fits as McGonagall too. I haven't quite assigned the rest of the professor's to Harry Potter characters, but just wait I'll figure it out. 

The other thing I wanted to post before I forget and the weeks fly by is about my experience during orientation. First of all, I think the Dean of our school is a brilliant lady. Her opening speech knocked my socks off. I don't think there was a person there who wasn't hanging on her every word. During her speech, she told the story about a past Chancellor who recently died of heart failure and retold the story of what was said at his funeral. This is what stood out to me from her speech...

"They didn't speak about how prestigious he was or of all of his accomplishments, they spoke of his kindness and his heart... He gave a piece of his heart away until he didn't have any heart left.... What differences will you make? What legacy will you leave? ...Our times are crying out for you."

I was deeply moved by this and hope that I can remember it for the next three years and keep a firm grasp on why I want to become a lawyer in the first place. I aspire to be in a position where I can make a difference and that I too will leave a legacy worth remembering... or at least one that may impact a future law student as the legacy of this man has done for me.

There was also a quote read during orientation (I forget who quoted it) that I had heard countless times before, but it had not resonated with me so loudly until I heard it last week...

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become your character.
And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
What we think, we become."

This quote is one that I have taken to heart as I know my thoughts tend to dwell on the negative and my actions have often reflected this. I tend to see the cup half empty and give people very little room for redemption in my book. I'm not sure you can change many habits by the age of 24, but it never hurts to attempt to self-improve.

It's only been three days, but I already feel myself changing and looking at things in a new perspective. Being an English major for so many years made me love the written word, but being a law student has given those words real meaning. 

-L 

One step closer.

Whew, what a week... orientation is finally over and I am exhausted.  

Tuesday was the first day of orientation and despite the fact that my nerves prevented me from getting any sleep the night before, I was in good spirits and excited to be there. I finally got to meet some of my classmates face to face, hear some great speeches from some of the school administrators, and find out some important information. By the end of the day I was extremely tired, but pleasantly surprised that 99% of my fears were eliminated. As soon as I got home and walked in the door I got the message that my brother and his wife had their first child! Nate & I immediately got in the car and headed to the hospital (an hour + away) to meet my first niece. Even though I know I'm biased, she really is a beautiful baby. I also need to brag on my sister-in-law who looked flawless after childbirth, I was truly amazed at how normal she looked. I'm not even sure she broke a sweat! It was also a great experience to watch my brother hold his first child. It was one of those moments in life that I'll never get a repeat of and I will always treasure the memory. 

 Wednesday was the longest day of my life. The excitement of both orientation and the baby's birth the day before had been both mentally and physically draining. The morning of orientation I had an incredibly hard time getting up and taking a shower. I threw on some make up and decided I'd just scrunch/air dry my hair instead of putting in the effort to dry and straighten it. What.a.mistake. -_- Did I mention this was also picture day? I mentally slapped myself the moment I pulled into the school parking lot and realized I looked like a hot mess. My "scrunched curls" had turned themselves into mini rats nests and let's just say I didn't put much effort into my make up either. To make matters worse, I find out this picture follows you all three years of law school and is used if you ever win an award. It was so bad that it's almost incentive enough for me to avoid trying to win anything... ever. Ugh, oh well- I am officially that girl... the Ramona of my law school. 

The  rest of Wednesday was a blur. The day seemed to drag on and on and on and on. We met some of our professors and one in particular seems incredibly scary. I've been warned over and over that his class is the hardest and I believe it. Aside from meeting our professors, I did get to know some more of my classmates and connected with several pretty quickly. It's exciting to be in such a large melting pot of people who all have the same ultimate goal- which of course is surviving three years of law school. 

As many people as I found that I enjoyed talking to, I also found those who I've decided I should probably avoid. Most of the ones I've decided to avoid are either A. anxiety ridden B. lacking in the professionalism department (i.e- dress, demeanor, appearance) or C. not all that bright (really, how are they in law school?). The anxiety ridden people only flame the fire to my own nerves. Those who lack professionalism include people who decided to show up late to everything (they were already noticed by the professors & administrators, ouch) and those who completely disregarded the bold print on our orientation packet that said professional dress attire. More than one person showed up in jeans and a t-shirt. The not so bright people really do exist, even in law school. Some of the questions coming out of these people's mouths during Q & A's were ridiculous. I wondered how some of these people have a bachelor's degree. When we split up into small groups for a hypothetical ethics discussion, even more of the 'not so bright' people revealed themselves. It'll be my goal from now on to make sure I have a concrete thought before I open my mouth to avoid joining the 'not so bright' crowd. 

Thursday was the last day of orientation and I found it to be pretty pointless. Almost everything that was scheduled for Thursday had been covered already in the previous two days. I was literally counting the minutes as the day dragged on and on. So thank goodness orientation is over. Not that I'm excited for the real work to begin, but in reality orientation is getting me nowhere fast. Speaking of work, I've got a ton to do before Monday. As the professor's liked to say, "in law school, you hit the ground running."

Ready or not...

As the day is coming to an end, the realization that tomorrow will be my last day of freedom before school starts is starting to sink in. I sort of regret that I didn't have 'one last hurrah,' but then again when I'm stressing about something (like the biggest school investment of my life) I'm not usually able to let go and enjoy things. (Type A personality at its best.)

Aside from the excitement (or dread) of starting law school, I am also going to be becoming an aunt for the first time in only a few days! I have been obsessing over getting that phone call saying that she is on her way, so much so that I've had very vivid dreams of her arrival. The other night I dreamed they named her Seaweed... seriously. Maybe the anticipation and excitement of two big life changes is starting to make me lose my mind?

In other news, I finally finished decorating the guest bedroom // my office. It was the one room in the house that I wanted to be completely ready so that I can have a comfortable (and stylish!) space to do my homework. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It's the only room in the house I can make as girly as I'd like! :)

I've actually already tested the room out as a place to study since I had to take a required 96 question legal grammar pre-test before orientation. The test cost $40 and the questions were mind blowing. I not only have a lot to learn about the law, but looks like I'll need to retrain my English grammar brain to a legal English grammar one. I didn't do as bad on the test as I thought I would (considering I guessed on many of them)-- in fact I tested out of 9 sections that I won't have to take again woo! I even scored a couple of points higher than some of the other new law students who have put their scores out there, but with that said the grade I made would still not get me any applause from a professor. 

Until next time, 
-L 

Pre-Law School Advice

I was thinking of some things that those who are applying to law school and those who have been accepted should know prior to the start of classes that I wanted/needed to know too. The steps it takes to even apply to law school seem difficult when it's really only as hard as you make it.

First let's talk about the LSAT...

1. It sucks. It's ridiculously long and you are internally panicking the entire time knowing this stupid test stands between you and law schools. Why the test needs to be that long and timed so ridiculously fast I will never understand.
2. Studying for it is a must. Part of me thought it was as ridiculous to study for as the SAT (I never studied for that test), but since you can only take the LSAT twice in your life, I decided some extra effort was necessary and I was right. I did buy a Kaplan study book that came with a CD, practice tests, and access to online tutors (for free!).
3. Take all the practice tests you can, but not so many that you aren't studying how to do the test. I took advantage of the Kaplan free practice test given at the university. This was an actual proctored test that was a 'mock-LSAT,' so everything was as similar to an actual test day as possible. I actually scored really well on this test and was pretty excited by my results... too bad those results couldn't be my actual score.
4. Make sure you read & re-read the rules about what you can and cannot bring to the LSAT test. I actually saw someone turned away from the test for forgetting something... I think it was an ID or something painfully obvious to bring. I sort of felt bad for the guy, but part of me was like really dude?
5. Research the testing site you have signed up to take the LSAT from. Call the school/library/wherever it is and find out if any classes or events will be around your LSAT testing room. This was my LSAT mistake that I'm not sure is entirely avoidable, but maybe my experience will help someone else. Unfortunately, on the day of my actual LSAT the community college it was being held at also had summer classes going on in the surrounding classrooms. The testing room was also located just above the front door of the school and a popular smoking hang out. The high traffic area was ridiculously noisy. I can tell you that a math class was in the classroom next to mine and I know exactly what chapter they were on. In fact, it was so loud our proctor let us know he would go ask them to be quiet if needed... as if any of us had time to do that during the test. This was not normal and was really unacceptable testing conditions.
6. For whatever the reason may be, whether you think you just didn't do well or you had a similar horrible experience like I did, you do have the option to not keep your score, however in order to throw it out you are never given access to see what you actually made on it. I wish I had A. thrown out my score or B. complained about the testing conditions. I did not score as well as I had on every practice test I'd previously taken and I know it was due to testing conditions. Personally, I need almost complete silence to take a test and hearing how to add 1 + 1 while working on a reading comprehension just didn't help me at all. 
7. It feels like it takes forever to get your score back and well, it kind of does since we are a "want it right now" society. If I remember right it was over 2 months before I got my score. The first few days after the test were the most difficult for me, all I could do was think of how badly I wanted my score and whether or not those ten times I changed my answer if I should have or not. You might as well get used to the waiting game though because waiting for answers to your law school applications is just a painful.
8. When the score comes in you're going to be really happy or really disappointed. Maybe there's a middle feeling in there, but most people have high standards for themselves (like I do) and anything less than your standard can be a disappointment. My score was incredibly disappointing, but completely average. I really thought I had that test in the bag- especially since it had more reading comprehension (my strength) on it than logic games (my weakness). Despite my disappointment, I decided to not retake the LSAT and apply to the schools of my choice. I only had two schools that I was determined to be accepted to and I had a pretty good chance to go to either of them with my score, my GPA, and what I considered a pretty strong personal statement.

Law School Application Process

1. Get started early. I can't stress that enough. You need at least two recommendation letters, preferably from professors or business colleagues that can speak of your character//work ethic//etc. It sounds like an easy task, we all have friends/professors/colleagues who we've made connections with, however you may find yourself surprised by who will or will not take the time to write a recommendation for you. And by the way, that is only half the battle as you also need them to write it in a timely manner (especially if you don't take my advice and don't get them started early). I asked two professors of mine to write recommendation letters for me months in advance and it was one of my best decisions through the process. I know of two different friends who had very bad experiences getting their recommendation letters on time simply because they waited last minute to ask for them.
2. Don't start your personal statements last. Depending on how many schools you apply to, you may find yourself writing more than one statement. The two schools I chose to apply to had completely different questions for the personal statements and they each took a lot of thought. It is the only part of your application that truly reflects who you are so make it count. I had an okay LSAT, a pretty good GPA, and some great recommendation letters (but really, who isn't going to say nice things about you on those?), but none of those things reflect who I am as an individual. You have to make them see you for you in a 2 page document.
3. Edit, edit, edit. Share your personal statement with anyone you think has some common sense or some grammar skills. Sometimes you'll get those people who will tell you everything looks great, but hopefully you'll get more people who will tell you, "maybe you should say this" or  "this sentence doesn't flow well" or even "are you sure you want to include that in this statement?" There is a fine line between telling your story and telling way too much of it- so be careful.
4. Don't forget you need a resume. This was something that for some reason I didn't even consider until I saw that it was required for all applications. Resumes can be extremely time consuming, especially if you want to correctly format it and make sure you aren't forgetting any important info. 
5. Send in your applications early. Seriously. If you wait to turn in your application way after the start date you are ultimately cutting yourself short. Early applications show the school you are responsible, organized, prepared, and that you really want to go there. Late applications (though you can still be accepted) are more likely to show that you were either undecided about law school (or their school), unorganized, etc. You get the point. Just turn them in early.
6. The waiting game. Just like with the LSAT there is a long wait to know whether or not you were accepted into a law school. When my first letter came in the mail, I got that feeling that you get if you've ever been pulled over by a cop. When I realized it was an acceptance, it was better than Christmas. As I mentioned before, I only applied to the two schools I was sure I wanted to go to. I was accepted to the one I am currently going to, but was wait listed (then later accepted) to the second school. Even though the school I was accepted to originally was my first choice, I was still bummed about the initial wait list for the second school. Always apply to more than one school because you really never know what may happen... it's always a good thing to have choices. 

That's all I can think of at the moment.

-L 

#lawschool #LSAT

Will I survive?

I made this blog a long time ago after it was suggested I make a website with all of my crafts and home decor stuff, but I never really got past loading the pictures on here. I have no high hopes of followers for this blog, but instead I think it will serve as a good reminder of how far (or not) I've come in the next few years.

Today I am less than a week away from law school orientation and I finally decided to write my first post. I have mixed feelings about school starting, but I'm really just ready to just get it over with and finally get rid of these butterflies I've had the last few months.

I think I have the same fear that most 1L's must have.... will I survive law school? I have thought about this question over and over and the only answer I can come up with is that I am determined to try. I've wanted to be an attorney for as long as I can remember and school is the stepping stone to get there.

From what I hear, the next few days before orientation are my last days of freedom for a long time. Looks like I won't be making anymore crafts or picking up new hobbies any time soon. Sorry in advance to those who won't be getting handmade Christmas gifts anymore, I know you must be devastated haha. ;)

My goal is to not neglect this little blog of mine, but I tend to get sidetracked. I plan on using YouTube videos for when I have less time to write. We'll see how it goes I guess.

-L