The Journey Is Never Completed On Your Own

My apologies for not posting in a while. I just got back from a much needed vacation and while on vacation I had a lot of time to reflect on this entire process and began thinking about how many people had helped me get to this exact point..

The morning I left, at 4:30 am, I woke up to get ready to head on over to our airport. One of my best friends recently had her baby and it has become a tradition for me to visit her in NC during the summer.. so off I went. As I rode down the highway with my dad we got on the topic of law school and what I had left to do before classes start. (don't you worry, I'll be getting to financial aide and all that good jazz later on). I did the typical annoyed eye-roll with the response "my end is done, I'm just waiting on what is next", he chuckled and said "I push you to get things done because you've worked too hard to fall behind. I may be annoying and on your case about it but its only because I love you". His words resonated with me and reminded me how much support I have received with this entire journey....

Up until now all of my post have been centered around my successes & failures with my law school journey. It would be completely inaccurate, and selfish, of me to say that this journey was taken completely alone... that is far from true. There are so many people that have pushed me, guided me, and supported me unconditionally to achieve all that I can just to reach the point of getting into law school. I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by such positive influences whom never fail to remind me of how hard I have worked just to get me to this point right here.

This post is what I'd like to call the "appreciation post", call me corny but corny deserves its spot light. In other words this is my a welcome to my blog friends, fam, etc. & thank you to just some of the patient souls who had to (and still do) deal with my stressful, sometimes impatient ass for the last year. You all never failed to remind me of the goal I set, and have no accomplished, for the year of 2016.

A great deal of support came from my family; dad, mom sister, grandmothers, aunts, uncles, cousins the list is just as long as the thanks yous that follow. There were definitely times were I was so drained, so stressed and so fed up with studying, applications, and endless waiting that they became my vent outlets (DON'T DO THIS. take it out on a pillow, a Netflix binge or idk a run?) Through all of the stress, arguments, tears, frustrations, smiles, laughs and so much more my family never failed me or my dreams. For that alone I cant thank them enough.

Bianca (my lovely lovely older sister) doesn't realize how much she has inspired me to further my education. She recently completed her masters and I am so unbelievably proud of her beyond all words. She was someone who enjoyed school but didn't really fall in love with it until she realized her passion for teaching. She took the initiative to further her degree by diving head on into a masters program, she worked her tail off.. got a 4.0 and graduated. Her graduate school journey pushed me to fight for mine, especially when I decided that I needed a year off (might I remind you, not everyone agreed with my decision to do this.. it actually made me work harder to prove doubters wrong). Most importantly though, her journey, dedication and passion to chase her dream, have been my guide. Now, its my turn to do the work, earn the degree and follow her footsteps in terms of furthering my education (and lets be honest, I chose law school so that I could out do her a little bit.... what else are little siblings for other than giving the golden child a run for their money?)

Friends, co-workers- All were never ending support systems and thankfully still are; whether it was proof reading resumes, personal statements, listening while I struggle between schools or finally making an option, they never failed to understand how important it all was to me and never faltered in standing by me even if they hadn't heard from me in weeks. 

So here is the moral of this little thank you post... even though you put in the work to study for good grades, took the LSAT, completed the many many parts to the application, paid the fees to submit those terrifying apps, and hopefully got in... you cant take all the credit. Regardless of who it was that supported you through it all, they deserve just as much credit as you do (and believe me you deserve some damn good credit for all the work thus far). Those same people whether it be your parents, grand parents, friend, significant other, co worker, boss, peer, professor, who ever really, those support systems will continue to be there throughout your next three years. DON'T LET GO OF THEM. Acknowledge them, thank them and, most importantly, lean on them because you're going to need them. So thank you to my entire support system and thank you to my readers as well for letting me share my journey. It may not be extravagant but its mine and I'm proud of it.

xoxo

Class of 2K19 - But Which School Do I Choose?

By the end of February I received my final acceptance letter. At that point, I had been accepted into the 7 schools I applied to and I could hardly contain my emotions. The first acceptance letter I had received was from my #3 dream school.... two things happened: 1) I almost fell on the floor in shock 2) I started crying. It was at that exact moment that I realized that not only was I going to law school, I was one major step closer to achieving my childhood dream. From then on the acceptance letters kept rolling in.. each one made the decision harder and harder especially once I found out that I got into all of my dream schools. I didn't know how I was going to choose and I honestly wasn't ready for to decide right away. 

I had so many different opportunities laid out in front of me with absolutely no idea which choice was the best one for me. I was overwhelmed with all these options and at one point I felt that having too many choices was much more stressful than having one or two (but I was beyond grateful for having choices). I think a lot of what made the decision so difficult was that I wasn't expecting to get into all the schools I applied to yet alone my top three. I was just hoping that I'd get into at least one of the 7 schools and that would be where I would go rather than having to go back and forth between all of them.

Too many choices, too many opinions?

I was constantly seeking advice from friends, family, co-workers about which one I should choose, which would be the best place to earn my degree and where I'd be happiest at (if I'm going to spend the time and money these next 3 years, I don't want to be miserable... this should be a great experience - even if its going to be a lot of work). There was a divide when it came to opinions on whether I should attend the school close to home or the one states away. Their inputs made the decision a bit harder, but I asked for their opinions and that's what I got. It was almost as if I was looking for someone to just choose for me because I was so stuck on what to do..

It wasn't until I really started to stress out that I received the advice I needed to hear. One of my best friends reminded me that this choice was, and had to be, solely mine. While she would sit and listen to me sway back and forth between my options (what a peach she is), at the end of the day the decision was mine and mine only. It was a choice to be made with only my voice in mind because at the end of the day, it was going to be me putting in the countless hours of work, not my family, not my friends, not my coworkers. I would be studying for exams, writing papers, reading pages upon pages; completing the internships/externships;  becoming involved in student organizations; networking myself; walking across the stage; taking the bar and; creating a life long career in the field of law. The decision had to be my own or I may regret it.

I was definitely taken back for a second because she's one of the people I turn to when big decisions have to be made. Kind of like two pea's in a pod thing where we lay everything out and then she says "H, I think this would be your best bet" and I either follow her advice or do the complete opposite and get the comical "maybeeee that wasn't the best decision" conversation (I prefer these, they make better friendship stories). Overall though, this wasn't going to be one of those moments or talks, and she was right for making it this way. I too easily got caught up in what everyone else thought rather than sitting down to sort out what it was that I wanted out of these next 3 years. 

So what did I do? I took the advice from yet another friend and literately made a pro's and con's list. Both schools had so many pro's but the pro's were different from one another. For one school the pro's focused way more about the academic opportunities like the ability to earn my masters for the same price and concentrating in my two areas of interests. Whereas the pro's for the second dream school, while it still had one of the areas of interest, focused a bit more on the location along with academics. But compared to the first school, it did not offer a masters for the same price and only was known for one of my areas of interest.

 I also noticed that for the school closest to home my con's were silly like "living at home", "not getting out of my hometown" "nervous about not being able to study while living at home" these things were so trivial and selfish compared to the larger picture of where I was gaining a degree from and what that school had to offer me academically. This wasnt undegrad... living at home was not going to mean I missed out on anything. In fact, it will probably be beneficial in the long run. After I sat and looked at the list and put down as much as I could, I had an idea of where my heart was leading me. So in order to make it more concrete, I needed to go for a visit.  so it was off to the admitted students day :)

The Visit.........

I'd been itching to get out of my hometown for the longest time. Part of that is because I enjoy new places. The other part is because I was afraid that if I stayed close to home I wouldn't be the independent, outgoing person that I am.. Silly I know I mean you are who you are but I've definitely notice that sometimes where you are plays a role in how you present yourself.. I guess I was concerned that staying close to home meant pushing pause on my personal growth. I though that if I went away, I would further find myself in this big crazy world along with getting my degree.

I invited my dad to join me at admitted students day. In all honesty, I was a little hesitant on going because part of me really was hoping to get out of our area and go to the school states away. But when I walked in those doors, I knew that this was the place for me. The building was brand new, but it was comfortable, built for the law students who spend all their time there. The professors were warm, welcoming, eager to learn even the slightest about all who attended. I would say that my biggest fear was sitting in on the actual law class that day, I had no idea what to expect. I pictured Elle Woods being cold cut called on and having to leave the class. But the professor, while she did call on students at random, was warm and encouraging even while she continuously hammered at a student for more information. Sitting in on that class removed a lot of my preconceived notions about how dreadful it would be. Talking with other attendees, current students and faculty/staff removed my feelings of unease. I felt comfortable here and I hadn't even enrolled yet. I knew that I could grow here not only as a student but as a person. Even though I hadn't officially made my decision, I felt like this was where I belonged.

My top dream school had so much to offer just 20 minutes from home. I had endless support here and a lot of the stress of finding housing, keeping the fridge stocked and reliable transportation would be taken away because my family would be here to help.. and for me that's a huge thing because classes in general will be stressful enough. But the most important thing that helped make my decision is which school would help me achieve more than just what occurs in the classroom...This school will prepare me for so much beyond academic.. It will prepare me for my future, my dream. I fell in love with the school all over again that day and even as I sit here typing these words my heart goes racing and a childish grin spreads across my face..... just thinking about all that has yet to come excites me.

I am beyond confident. proud. excited. about the decision that I have made. SU Class of 2019, I'm coming for ya!

Tick Tock Goes The Clock, The Admissions Waiting Game

My last post What in the Heck am I going to write about? discussed in great detail (my apologies for how long it is) the resume, supplemental statement and personal statement. I know I said it before, but I really cant tell you how important it is to edit ALLLLLLLLLLL documents, questionnaires, recommendation information, basically ANYTHING you are submitting in your application. Remember that whatever you are submitting is a representation of yourself, if its sloppy it just may make the school you are applying to think you could careless about this great opportunity. Take the time to take it seriously and make it show that you have taken the time to make sure it is error free. 

Another nice feature about LSAC is that you can preview your entire application before you actually submit it. I made SURE to preview it EVERY TIME I MADE AN EDIT. This way I could see the changes and make sure the changes were in fact correct.

The day finally came for me to submit my first round of applications..... I can't even describe all of the different emotions that I was feeling... Nervous was easily at the top of the list but so was anxious. I was hoping that all my hard work over the past year would pay off but then again I was nervous that it wouldn't be enough. Although at the end of the day, I was proud of how far I had come and I knew that no matter what it was all worth it. The tears, frustration, anxiety, all of it got me to this point of just pushing the "submit" button. There were many times that I doubted myself... I took a gap year with a plan to retake the LSAT, a plan to apply to school, and the final plan of going to law school in the fall. At this point, I could check off two major things on my goals list but from there I could only sit, wait and hope for the best. My part was done, the rest was up to the admissions council. 

 Here is how I rated my schools:

1. Dream School

2. Dream School

3. Dream School 

4. 1st Safety School

5. 2nd Safety School

6. 3rd Safety School

7. If this was the only school I got into, I was going.

The # 1 & 2 schools were tied in terms of if I got into both I didn't know what I was going to do because I loved them both equally, whereas if I got into one over the other, I would most definitely be beyond thrilled to attend either. The # 3 dream school was just a little bit under the # 1 & 2. If I didn't get into either of my top dream schools but I got into 3, I would be just as happy. The school had my program of interest and was in a great location. Its actually one of the schools I first came across where I found my area of interest. But my heart was pulling for either my #1 or 2. The rest were safety net schools just in case. 

So I pushed the button one by one and before I knew it all 7 of my first round apps were on their way through the admissions cycle. It had been one hell of a bumpy ride up to this point but I was so proud of myself for pushing through and really giving every portion my all. Now all I could do was wait... and wait.... and wait... Some schools gave me a 4 week window period, others gave a 6-8 weeks.. it was safe to say I would be checking my online status checker several times a day along with finding ways to unwind after these last few months whether it was: getting lost in books, binge watching  netflix, sippin on a glass of wine, walking with the pup, a night out with friends... whatever it is it's well deserved. 

Side Note: Make sure to take some time for yourself after you submit your applications. YOU NEED IT & YOU DESERVE IT. Regardless, you have put in so much time and effort into every required detail of the law school application whether its the LSAT, the Personal Statement, the Questionnaire, any and all of it... you need some time to unwind. So take some time to unwind and do the things you love, you'll regret it if you don't.  

So as you know, (that is if you actually read my about me page), I enjoy reading. If you're a reader like me, then check out these books. Some are fictional but deal with law in some way, shape or form.

Books I've Already Read:

Rogue Lawyer- John Grisham ( ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK)

Defending Jacob - William Landy (Also really really loved this book)

To Kill A Mocking Bird - Harper Lee (read this back in high school and will be revisiting it this summer)

Gideon's Trumpet - Anthony Lewis (I read this for an English course in undergrad but would like to go back and re-read it. I don't think I valued it enough the first time around)

Books I Want to Read:

Eyes of  A Child - Richard North Patterson (ugly custody battle gone wrong)

Treason - Don Brown (Brown Navy justice through JAG)

A Man in Full - Tom Wolfe (deals with race, the law and much more)

If none of these capture your attention, check out this link, 50 Best Legal Novels, which lists many many more law related books! 

Well for now that is all. Be sure to check out previous posts dealing with the LSAT, LSAC, and so much more :)