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“The officer who fired the fatal shots at the 16-year-old, however, was cleared of all charges by a grand jury.” 

W T F

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Law School Waitlists: The Waiting Game

So you got an e-mail saying the school can’t take you right now. Don’t fret! There is hope! And don’t worry, you’re not alone. 

Don’t Be upset. It’s not a Rejection! Waitlists are a Not Yet. 

Note the Enrollment Deposit Date. These are normally around April, but vary by school. Mark it on your calendar, set a reminder on your phone, SOMETHING. This is the day schools will know if they have a spot for you, and they will try to fill them quickly after. 

Charge Your Phone. When the schools call to take you off the waitlist, they will not call twice. They may not even leave a voicemail. If you don’t answer, they’re going down the list to the next number. 

Consider Re-Taking the LSAT. It’s not unheard of for people to get off the waitlist by increasing their LSAT. Schools want to protect their admissions snapshot, so jump a little higher. 

Don’t Sign A Lease. Should be self-explanatory. If you’re waitlisted in Georgia, but have been accepted to a Florida school, do NOT sign a lease in Georgia. Also, do NOT sign a lease in Florida. The costs of breaking a lease after the initial security deposits will break you. 

Also, Congratulations to everyone who has been accepted outright to their schools! You’ve earned it! 

#law school #lawstudent #law school application #waitlist #1L #acceptance season #rejection season

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I'm a paralegal in ON who works at a law firm (almost year and a half) and I'm considering writing the LSAT and attempting to get into law school. A lot of your posts seem to be about how much of a shock law school is. Do you think the past job experience would make law school less terrible for me? What do you think of paralegals going to law school?

Paralegals are literally the only people allowed to get up one day and say “you know what, I think I’ll go to law school” - because you’ve seen the other side, the day to day, the stress, the anxiety, and thought “fuck, I could be so good at this.” 

I think the biggest difficulties paralegals face in law school (and I went to school with a few) was the fact that law school takes a very education-first approach to the practice of law; you are going to get lectured at about ancient cases because they are going to be focused on molding your mind, not your practice model. And as someone who has seen the practice of law first hand you are probably going to have to adjust your expectations on what that first year of law school looks like because it will be nothing like your office and you will want to pull your hair our screaming “who the fuck cares about the rule against perpetuitites!?!”

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Hey! I am planning to write the LSAT in June. Do you have any advice? I started last month, so far I have relied on the Powerscores and just started to do to prep tests but not timed. I plan to start timing in April. Thank you!

Fantastic! It’s never too early to start studying! Definitely take a timed test so you have an idea of the marathon your mind is about to run. The best advice I received was to get good before getting fast. That said, in the actual exam, I preemptively bubbled in the last few answers I knew I wouldn’t get to. It was better to chance it than leave them blank. You sound like you have a good schedule in place. Good luck in June!

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Personal Statement Anxiety

As someone who took two years drafting multiple versions and drafts of my personal statement, I know it’s daunting. I had some life experience, some professional experiences, and some leadership experience. The usual. 

The hardest few sentences of the piece were always about an experience I no longer want to define me, but is still something I overcame. An abusive partner. 

Even in the era of #MeToo and budding ears for these stories, mine felt out of place in a school application. There wasn’t a way to fully explain the circumstances. The more I had to think about it, the more I had to relive it. How do I explain that I was convinced I had Alzheimers? How do I explain that I had to beg a male friend not to walk me home out of fear of being seen? How do I explain the worthlessness? So I put it off more and more. 

Everyone who read the abuse pieces didn’t like their inclusion because it didn’t fit with the image they have of me today. A strong and capable young woman. I wasn’t always that way. My life took a dark detour. I had to pull the sun from the sky to be who I am today. Only the shadows beneath my eyes when the light hits them just right give any inkling to the life I will never live again. 

Ultimately, I only had two pages to present myself to a board, and keeping with the theme of “Experience over LSAT,” I focused on the professional and the capable, “I know what a 30(b)(6) deposition is,” content. 

#gapyear #emotional abuse #personal statement #law school #me too movement

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Getting Ready To...

#WhenYourLSATIsUnderwhelming #lawschool #PreppingToStompTheGame #soml

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2/19/18

The day I received my first admission letter! I jubilantly walk-ran up and down the halls to find an attorney to confirm the language. We then proceeded to jump up and down in excitement. Two years of actual application anxiety washed away by my first success.

#PickUpEverythingAndMove? #IWasAboutTo

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When you don’t have the LSAT, have the Experience 

As someone who has spent the last two years of my life making up for the fact the LSAT and I don’t get along, of course I am going to tout Experience. 

If your LSAT score isn’t the highest, fret not, here’s a few facts that help me sleep at night:

Your Personal Statement is full of “I can survive in the legal field” instead of “I hope to survive in the legal field.” Schools don’t like high attrition rates. 

The kid with the 165 LSAT score is going to have a flashcard for a Complaint. 

Mentally committing yourself for 5 hours a day feels like a vacation compared to actual firm life. #12hourdays #Only8arebillable #cry

You’ve had at least eight months to absorb and apply concepts others have to cram before the final. 

You’re going to stomp Civil Procedure. #HonorsAspirations

Property Law fucks everybody. There is no escape. 

#HotShot #Law #LawFirm #LSAT #1L #lawstudent #legal #lawyer

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A little about me. I’m the one on the right with the sassy look permanently etched onto my face. Apparently not many women do the eyebrow raise as involuntarily as I do. My father is a Naval Officer, so I have moved every two years and I have a questionable high school reputation to prove it (Paternal Impermanence). Through these stories, you’ll see (or if no one reads these, I’ll see) that I will always try first. Which means I fail often. It’s a blessing to know failure because it doesn’t scare me. My mother is my Chess Queen, always cool, capable, and solid. She carried our family when my father was away and I strive every day to match her complexity. 

Moments after this photo was taken, an African man approached my friends and I, asking us to take his picture. Naturally, we obliged. He posed in front of the Christmas tree alone and we asked where his phone was. He didn’t have a phone or a camera. He did have an e-mail. I wasn’t giving this guy my e-mail so I stepped back. My friend snapped the photo. Then he gestured to the girl above and insisted she take a photo with him. Awkward. 

#LittleDidYouKnow

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Eskketit

 I made this blog when I moved to Atlanta in September of 2016. It is now March of 2018. I blame tumblr mobile for not letting me see this thread. 

From a gap year to a two year hiatus, walk with me through moving to Atlanta on my own, prepping for the LSAT, running down hallways, impressing partners, disappointing partners, trial preparation, and panic attacks while waiting for my schools to tell me where I’m moving for my legal education.

I’m looking at you Georgia State. I’d like to know if I can stay in my apartment. Do you know how hard it is to find an affordable 1,200sqft apartment with a sunroom and fireplace in Atlanta?

#LookingForLifeWhileLookingAtLaw #law #1L #LSAT #law student