Yesterday afternoon I received a phone call from my daughter's school nurse. Apparently my daughter wasn't feeling well. Symptoms were headache and vomiting. Great! Luckily, I have enough sick time (although sometimes I wish they would give a separate allowance of time specifically for use for the children) and the call came towards the end of the day (and I was really ready to go home). What struck me about the whole situation is that most of the time I found myself thinking about how I would feel if/when this happens while I'm in law school. Overall, it's not a huge deal because my daughter is my number one priority and she'll be taken care of no matter what I have going on, but I just thought it was funny that my head was in that particular place.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
So far, so good!
The last couple of days have been very interesting and have produced many new developments. First, I received a phone call from one of my school choices advising me that I have been offered a seat for the Fall semester. EXCITING! Honestly, at this point the acceptance was merely an ego stroke, because I think I know where I will be attending law school (approx. 90% percent sure).
Second, I toured the campus of my 90% school and was BLOWN AWAY! The city is quaint and has everything you need. If you like to shop, the mall is nice. If you like nature, there are plenty of walking and bike trails. The cost of living is extremely affordable. The public school system is excellent. The campus was bright, clean, and modern. Add to this the fact that the students and faculty were all very welcoming. It just so happened that one of the Student Ambassadors I met with has a 5 year old daughter. Apparently they were running late and were unable to get the tike to daycare, so while I'm in the admissions office, in walks this cute little girl. All of the adults greet her by name and immediately offer her candy and a drink. It was really refreshing to see the exchange because it showed me that I didn't need to feel uncomfortable about bringing my little girl into the admissions office if I ever needed to. At this point, I don't have any reason NOT to attend this school, however I hold out the 10% because I believe that you can never be 100% sure about any decisions made in life.
Third, I received a letter in the mail from CLEO, advising of my acceptance into the CLEO Summer Institute. The program boast of a scholarship upon completion (ranging from 1K-5K), which is matched by my 90% school. Also, it is an excellent opportunity to get a head start on the teaching methods used in law school and while I am happy that I got accepted, I'm bothered by a few things. First, I have to pay a total of $2K by February 23 in order to hold my seat. I have the money, but it is money that is set to go towards my credit card debt, debt I'm trying to rid myself of before I move on to law school. Second, it is going to require me to be out of state for six weeks. This is a problem because it means I would have to quit my job 9 weeks earlier than I initially planned. Quitting my job earlier would take a huge chunk of money out of my pocket, further hindering my ability to rid myself of credit card debt. You may say, but you'll get a scholarship, Milla! True, but because I am not considered low income, the most I could hope for is 1K from CLEO and 1K from my school. At that point I've only recouped what I paid to reserve my seat. On the other hand, if you look at from the standpoint of gaining the knowledge and what it's worth- I've already located a program that teaches the same thing for 1/6 of the time, 1/2 of the cost, and is scheduled during the period AFTER I plan on resigning from my job.
So now I wonder how other future 1L's made the decision about which school to choose. How do you know when you've found "the one"?!
And, if anyone has an opinion about the my CLEO debacle, please feel free to share. I would appreciate another perspective.
Second, I toured the campus of my 90% school and was BLOWN AWAY! The city is quaint and has everything you need. If you like to shop, the mall is nice. If you like nature, there are plenty of walking and bike trails. The cost of living is extremely affordable. The public school system is excellent. The campus was bright, clean, and modern. Add to this the fact that the students and faculty were all very welcoming. It just so happened that one of the Student Ambassadors I met with has a 5 year old daughter. Apparently they were running late and were unable to get the tike to daycare, so while I'm in the admissions office, in walks this cute little girl. All of the adults greet her by name and immediately offer her candy and a drink. It was really refreshing to see the exchange because it showed me that I didn't need to feel uncomfortable about bringing my little girl into the admissions office if I ever needed to. At this point, I don't have any reason NOT to attend this school, however I hold out the 10% because I believe that you can never be 100% sure about any decisions made in life.
Third, I received a letter in the mail from CLEO, advising of my acceptance into the CLEO Summer Institute. The program boast of a scholarship upon completion (ranging from 1K-5K), which is matched by my 90% school. Also, it is an excellent opportunity to get a head start on the teaching methods used in law school and while I am happy that I got accepted, I'm bothered by a few things. First, I have to pay a total of $2K by February 23 in order to hold my seat. I have the money, but it is money that is set to go towards my credit card debt, debt I'm trying to rid myself of before I move on to law school. Second, it is going to require me to be out of state for six weeks. This is a problem because it means I would have to quit my job 9 weeks earlier than I initially planned. Quitting my job earlier would take a huge chunk of money out of my pocket, further hindering my ability to rid myself of credit card debt. You may say, but you'll get a scholarship, Milla! True, but because I am not considered low income, the most I could hope for is 1K from CLEO and 1K from my school. At that point I've only recouped what I paid to reserve my seat. On the other hand, if you look at from the standpoint of gaining the knowledge and what it's worth- I've already located a program that teaches the same thing for 1/6 of the time, 1/2 of the cost, and is scheduled during the period AFTER I plan on resigning from my job.
So now I wonder how other future 1L's made the decision about which school to choose. How do you know when you've found "the one"?!
And, if anyone has an opinion about the my CLEO debacle, please feel free to share. I would appreciate another perspective.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
All it takes is a little effort!
Yesterday evening I attended an online chat with one of the schools to which I have applied. It was an opportunity to ask any questions I thought I might have and to also get $50 bucks off my seat deposit in the event I was accepted and decided to go to this particular school. I have attended several chats with a few schools and it never ceases to irritate me when folks sign on and ask questions that are specifically answered on the school's website. Usually, when those questions are asked, the moderator will say....go to this link-it's on our website! How much thought have you truly put into attending a school if you haven't even glanced at their website??? Then I begin to wonder what the moderator (usually an admissions director) thinks about one's lack of preparation for something as simple as an online chat? Do they correlate that to the effort one might put forth in law school? I doubt it- but I'm sure at the very least they, like me, feel some sort of irritation.
Meanwhile, I received a very nice, personalized, hand-written letter from my 80% school. I especially appreciate the personalization. I was reassured that I wouldn't be the ONLY single parent on campus AND the other parents provide support for each other with things like babysitting! Music to a mother's ears! They put forth the extra effort and it really makes me feel that they truly want me to attend. I think the only reason I haven't totally committed is because I have yet to receive any scholarship information. Supposedly I should know something by mid-February.
I have planned a campus visit for next Friday and it's possible they can convince me without the scholarship information. ;-)
Meanwhile, I received a very nice, personalized, hand-written letter from my 80% school. I especially appreciate the personalization. I was reassured that I wouldn't be the ONLY single parent on campus AND the other parents provide support for each other with things like babysitting! Music to a mother's ears! They put forth the extra effort and it really makes me feel that they truly want me to attend. I think the only reason I haven't totally committed is because I have yet to receive any scholarship information. Supposedly I should know something by mid-February.
I have planned a campus visit for next Friday and it's possible they can convince me without the scholarship information. ;-)
Monday, January 12, 2009
Odds and Ends
This morning I had a meeting with my attorney (yes, the irony) to discuss my court ordered parenting plan. Many years ago I felt it necessary to file for sole legal and physical custody of my daughter as a C.Y.A. measure. I'm very glad that I did it, for many reasons, but now today my attorney and I are discussing the additional hoops I may have to jump through in order to attend law school.
I made a choice to forgo applying to the school that was in my city because I didn't feel like I would succeed there. To me, it wasn't a very welcoming environment and after visiting as many times as I had over the last 3 years, you would think I would have felt SOME level of comfort. At any rate, the school I am 80% sure I will be attending is approximately 2 hours away from my current residence and of all the schools I applied to, it's the second closest (the closest is about 1 hour away).
I realize this is just one more thing that I- a single parent and aspiring law student- have to deal with when trying to make this transition. Now I have to draft a letter to my child's father, advising him of the move and what little details I have about it. My only hope is that I don't get any resistance from him. I secretly believe he expected me to fail and not amount to anything once we split, so I'm sure he will not be happy to receive my good news.
We shall see......
I made a choice to forgo applying to the school that was in my city because I didn't feel like I would succeed there. To me, it wasn't a very welcoming environment and after visiting as many times as I had over the last 3 years, you would think I would have felt SOME level of comfort. At any rate, the school I am 80% sure I will be attending is approximately 2 hours away from my current residence and of all the schools I applied to, it's the second closest (the closest is about 1 hour away).
I realize this is just one more thing that I- a single parent and aspiring law student- have to deal with when trying to make this transition. Now I have to draft a letter to my child's father, advising him of the move and what little details I have about it. My only hope is that I don't get any resistance from him. I secretly believe he expected me to fail and not amount to anything once we split, so I'm sure he will not be happy to receive my good news.
We shall see......
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The Amazing Blogosphere
It's amazing how many different blogs there are from folks sharing their experience in law school. Most of them are interesting and unique and have provided me with a great deal of information regarding what I need to plan for and what to expect once I become a 1L. I have decided to follow a few because their stories were especially interesting to me, some because of their candidness with their experience thus far and others because I identified with certain personality traits or thought processes and am interested to know how they navigate the maze that is law school.
Meanwhile, I continue to "mailbox watch" and two days in a row I've opened an empty mailbox...the good news- no bills (YAY!) and no letters of rejection, the bad news- no letters of acceptance. The thing is, even if I did get any letters of acceptance, I'm about 80% sure that I'll be attending a school that has already accepted me. Why am I so worried about the others??? Maybe I should shift my "mailbox watch" to the scholarship information that should be coming from my future professional institution.
In the meantime, if anyone has any advice as to what I can do to distract myself from the "mailbox watch" I will be forever grateful.
Meanwhile, I continue to "mailbox watch" and two days in a row I've opened an empty mailbox...the good news- no bills (YAY!) and no letters of rejection, the bad news- no letters of acceptance. The thing is, even if I did get any letters of acceptance, I'm about 80% sure that I'll be attending a school that has already accepted me. Why am I so worried about the others??? Maybe I should shift my "mailbox watch" to the scholarship information that should be coming from my future professional institution.
In the meantime, if anyone has any advice as to what I can do to distract myself from the "mailbox watch" I will be forever grateful.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
I Decided....part two
CLEO
Last summer I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a weekend in Atlanta courtesy of CLEO. CLEO is a program that mentors minority, rural, urban, and low-income students who aspire to become attorneys. The program was centered around the application process and provided assistance with personal statements, how to choose schools based on your UPGA/LSAT scores, and discussed the financial aspects of applying and attending law school. The information I received from the program was the BEST part of the weekend. The second best part was my hotel stay (a NICE hotel) and my meals were free. While I was responsible for my airfare to Atlanta, upon completion of the program I received a $200 stipend. It was all worth it and I'm sure its addition to my law school application showed I am truly serious about attending law school and becoming an attorney.
LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION
Letters of Recommendation (LOR's) are an important part of an application. It is really the only part of the application where admissions committee will get a different opinion regarding one's success in law school. Usually the LOR will come from a former professor. It is wise to select professors who can speak specifically and positively about your work ethic and quality of work. If it's a situation where you've been out of school for a while, then an LOR may come from an employer.
I selected three professors and an attorney that worked with me at the law firm to write on my behalf. After choosing my LOR writers, I put together a packet of information to send to each of them. The packet included a personalized letter outlining why I selected them to write the LOR and what I wanted their letter to highlight for the admissions committee. I also included a REALLY rough draft of my personal statement, my resume, my transcript with the classes they instructed highlighted, the LSAC LOR form and a pre-addressed, stamped envelope for them to send their letter to LSDAS. I wanted to make the process of writing the letter as convenient as possible by providing them with a good amount of material to refer to when writing their letter and I also eliminated the need for them to have to look for or purchase envelopes and stamps to send the letter.
THE APPLICATIONS
I'm really glad the application process had been streamlined through the Law School Admission Council. Here you are able to pull up the applications, input your information, save it for later-if needed, and send it electronically. Some schools received the application instantly. The most important thing is make sure you fill-out everything truthfully and proofread the application before sending it.
LAW SCHOOL FAIRS/VISITS
I absolutely recommend visiting any law school that you may think you want to attend. It gives you the opportunity to sit in on a class, speak to students, and tour the campus. I have done this several times and in cases where I really thought a particular school was one I wanted to attend, after the visit, I felt the exact opposite and vice versa.
Law school fairs provide an opportunity to meet admissions personnel face to face, ask any questions you may have about the school, and hopefully make a positive impression. I attended several law school fairs and usually targeted the same schools. I was happy to see when some admission personnel remembered my face or remembered me specifically. It definitely helped to bolster my opinion of the school and helped me to determine whether I would be treated as a person rather than a number when/if I became a student.
AS A PARENT
When going through this process, I thought about my daughter every step of the way. I explained as much as I could, as best as I could being that she's only seven years old. She's even visited a law school with me, which I have to commend her for because listening to various professors and deans speak for about two hours is NOT what a seven year old yearns to do at ANY time. I made sure she knew I was proud of her for sticking it out with me.
One of the questions I asked all the schools I have applied to is "how well does the campus tolerate children?" While I don't plan on having my daughter on my hip, I know there may be a moment or two when I will have to choose between not coming to class or coming to class and bringing my daughter with me. The answer to this questions had varied from one extreme to the other, but the vast majority have answered that the campus is mostly tolerant of children being on campus and understands that at times it may be unavoidable. Knowing that was extremely comforting.
And so, now we wait! Of the eight school I have applied to, I have been accepted to two. I await a reply from the remaining six. While I am happy that I haven't been rejected yet, I'm much more anxious to have all eight letters in my hand so I can make a choice and send a seat deposit. FYI- I am a little impatient. At any rate, as promised, I will keep you posted!
Last summer I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a weekend in Atlanta courtesy of CLEO. CLEO is a program that mentors minority, rural, urban, and low-income students who aspire to become attorneys. The program was centered around the application process and provided assistance with personal statements, how to choose schools based on your UPGA/LSAT scores, and discussed the financial aspects of applying and attending law school. The information I received from the program was the BEST part of the weekend. The second best part was my hotel stay (a NICE hotel) and my meals were free. While I was responsible for my airfare to Atlanta, upon completion of the program I received a $200 stipend. It was all worth it and I'm sure its addition to my law school application showed I am truly serious about attending law school and becoming an attorney.
LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION
Letters of Recommendation (LOR's) are an important part of an application. It is really the only part of the application where admissions committee will get a different opinion regarding one's success in law school. Usually the LOR will come from a former professor. It is wise to select professors who can speak specifically and positively about your work ethic and quality of work. If it's a situation where you've been out of school for a while, then an LOR may come from an employer.
I selected three professors and an attorney that worked with me at the law firm to write on my behalf. After choosing my LOR writers, I put together a packet of information to send to each of them. The packet included a personalized letter outlining why I selected them to write the LOR and what I wanted their letter to highlight for the admissions committee. I also included a REALLY rough draft of my personal statement, my resume, my transcript with the classes they instructed highlighted, the LSAC LOR form and a pre-addressed, stamped envelope for them to send their letter to LSDAS. I wanted to make the process of writing the letter as convenient as possible by providing them with a good amount of material to refer to when writing their letter and I also eliminated the need for them to have to look for or purchase envelopes and stamps to send the letter.
THE APPLICATIONS
I'm really glad the application process had been streamlined through the Law School Admission Council. Here you are able to pull up the applications, input your information, save it for later-if needed, and send it electronically. Some schools received the application instantly. The most important thing is make sure you fill-out everything truthfully and proofread the application before sending it.
LAW SCHOOL FAIRS/VISITS
I absolutely recommend visiting any law school that you may think you want to attend. It gives you the opportunity to sit in on a class, speak to students, and tour the campus. I have done this several times and in cases where I really thought a particular school was one I wanted to attend, after the visit, I felt the exact opposite and vice versa.
Law school fairs provide an opportunity to meet admissions personnel face to face, ask any questions you may have about the school, and hopefully make a positive impression. I attended several law school fairs and usually targeted the same schools. I was happy to see when some admission personnel remembered my face or remembered me specifically. It definitely helped to bolster my opinion of the school and helped me to determine whether I would be treated as a person rather than a number when/if I became a student.
AS A PARENT
When going through this process, I thought about my daughter every step of the way. I explained as much as I could, as best as I could being that she's only seven years old. She's even visited a law school with me, which I have to commend her for because listening to various professors and deans speak for about two hours is NOT what a seven year old yearns to do at ANY time. I made sure she knew I was proud of her for sticking it out with me.
One of the questions I asked all the schools I have applied to is "how well does the campus tolerate children?" While I don't plan on having my daughter on my hip, I know there may be a moment or two when I will have to choose between not coming to class or coming to class and bringing my daughter with me. The answer to this questions had varied from one extreme to the other, but the vast majority have answered that the campus is mostly tolerant of children being on campus and understands that at times it may be unavoidable. Knowing that was extremely comforting.
And so, now we wait! Of the eight school I have applied to, I have been accepted to two. I await a reply from the remaining six. While I am happy that I haven't been rejected yet, I'm much more anxious to have all eight letters in my hand so I can make a choice and send a seat deposit. FYI- I am a little impatient. At any rate, as promised, I will keep you posted!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
