Tips and Techniques

As I said before, I found the A.I.E. seminar very helpful and it provided many different tips and techniques that I think will make my transition to and through law school pretty seamless. Some suggestions include:

• Start practice exams early. Now, let me clarify. First, you would want to get copies of exams fairly early, in order to beat the rush later on. As far as begining practice exams, you certainly don't want to wait until two weeks before finals. Four to six weeks prior may be better.
  
  
• Structure your time. This includes study time, class time, and play time.
  
  
• Get help before it becomes a problem. I think this is especially important for minority students because I've heard on countless occaisions that law school can be more difficult for us. If you have an academic support department, that's a good place to start.
  
  
• Educate yourself early about the Bar exam. If you know the jurisdiction you would like to practice law, begin researching the requirements. If you think you'll want to practice in multiple places, research them all to determine the best way to go about planning for taking each Bar exam.
  
  
• Think of yourself as a professional. Professionalism begins day one in law school. Whatever you do in law school, good or bad, will follow you into the profession.
  
  
• Bring a digital clock during exams. Apparently some have problems reading analog clocks or the anxiety of test taking makes it a bit difficult. Honestly, I could totally see myself having this issue.
  
  
• Go over exams with professsors. This includes any practice exam questions you undertake, as well as your actual final. This will hopefully help guide you to what it is the professor is looking for in exam answers. I honestly wonder how easy (or hard) this might be. I guess I will find out in the next couple of months, eh?
  
  

So, do any current 1L's (now 2L's) or future 1L's have any suggestions that might help one get a leg up in law school? If so, please share!

CLEO- A.I.E. Program

Hello All,

As promised, I want to give you the lowdown on my experience at the Council on Legal Education Opportunity's ("CLEO") Attitude is Essential ("A.I.E.") Seminar I attended in Atlanta over the past weekend.

I love the fact that CLEO brings together so many diverse people, from so many different walks of life, who all share a common goal- wanting to be a successful law student. I met a lot of great people, most of whom will be my peers in the legal profession.

Highlights of the seminar included-

• Mock Torts and Criminal Law classes.
• A panel discussion about how to obtain success in law school.
• A presentation on reading and briefing cases, and legal writing.
• A workshop on strategies for legal thinking.
• A discussion on ethical issues and law school.

I found the mock classes to be the most helpful. We were given cases to read and brief about a week before the seminar. During the mock class, which were taught by actual law professors, we discussed the cases we were given to brief. Some professors called on people randomly, while others took volunteers. Some even made you stand up to give your answer. It makes me both excited and nervous to be in class on the first or second day. I doubt I would be a volunteer, but in the event I am called upon, I will make sure I am prepared, because professors can be brutal if you give an incorrect answer, or if you are obviously trying to BS your way through a question.

I also found the ethical issues and law school workshop very insightful. It discussed things like social networking websites and how they can be used for good and evil, and it also discussed the Character and Fitness portion of the Bar. It definitely shed light on the importance of staying out of trouble (criminally, financially, and otherwise), because even if you pass your Bar exam, if you are found to not be fit of character-you will have essentially wasted three years of your life, and a ridiculous amount of money that you will STILL have to pay back.

There are definitely other tips and techniques that I took away from the seminar. I've decided to share them over the course of the next couple of days. I'm doing this mostly because I need something to do as I await my last day of work, LOL! So, stay tuned!

The Home Stretch

You have no idea how excited I am about the fact that I will be on my way to College Town in just a matter of days. Twelve days to be exact! I still need to finish packing, but I have plenty of time. Honestly, this job is REALLY getting on my nerves! I spend eight hours a day sitting in front of a computer doing absolutely nothing useful. I've already completed all the necessary planning for my transition to College Town and for law school and I'm afraid I've run out of useful things to search on the Internet. How sad is that?!?!? I continue to tell myself that the money I'm being paid to keep this seat warm is totally worth it. Hell, at this point, I'm damned determined to ride out the last eleven days, but I realize that I'm going to have to get creative, LOL!

As always, I'm down for a challenge!

Free Study Aids- Thanks Kel

As I've said before, I follow other bloggers who are in law school and thus far, they have provided useful insight into what I can possibly expect to encounter during my time in law school. Well, leave it to Kel to step it up a notch and offer up her 1L study aids to rising 1L's. She doing so by holding weekly drawings. I think it's a terrific ideal and may even carry on the tradition. Now, on to the rules....

• You must leave a comment on her blog in order to enter the drawing.
• You may not win two weeks in a row
• Only rising 1L's please
• If you have a blog, Kel would appreciate a shout out so that more 1L's can enter

Winners will be announced on Sundays. Good Luck!

$$$

Over the last few days, I've been trying to recount the amount of money spent towards anything law school related since my decision to pursue a J.D. Honestly, it makes me a teeny tiny bit sick to my stomach. Being that I am solely responsible for not only supporting myself, but also my child, I have to be extremely discerning about where I choose to spend the dollars I earn. It is not to say that I regret any of it, because I don't, but it is to say that anyone who is thinking about making a decision to pursue a J.D. degree needs to take into account that doing so is far from cheap.

***

At this point I know of the expenses I've already incurred such as, a KAPLAN prep class, application fees, LSAC report fees, travel expenses (should you choose to visit various schools), my seat deposit, my security deposit for housing, deposits for utilities, postage costs for external scholarships, and moving expenses. I know there will be additional expenses once I get to College Town and am trying to plan accordingly.

***

Then there's that situation where you aren't allowed to work during your first year. Honestly, the concept on its face is a bit foriegn to me because I was one of those people who worked full-time, sometimes with overtime, and carried a full undergrad schedule. It was alot, but I made it work and was pleased with the results. Initially, I thought I would buck the trend and get a little job anyway....but after talking to several law students, it became clear that being hard-headed probably wouldn't serve me well in this situation. "So, you mean to tell me that I'll have to rely solely on LOANS TO LIVE?!?!?!?" The thought still makes me shudder...just because it's not the way I've been used to living.

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So, now I'm working on adjusting my spending habits. I anticipate doing things like clipping coupons, cooking more often (YIKES!), staying FAR away from malls and other shopping centers, and creating a budget that I can hopefully stick to. At this point, I look at it as a challenge. I always LOVE a good challenge!

My feelings are hurt (not law related)! RIP MJ

The world lost a legend today and I'm SAD about it!

***

I don't know about you, but I grew up with Micheal Jackson (circa Thriller). He's the only music artist who's poster graced my bedroom wall. I watched his videos and memorized dance steps. He's practically the key influence of most of the music artists out today. Of course, I don't know Micheal Jackson personally, nor did I ever have the pleasure of seeing him perform in concert, but I know that he was THE BEST and there hasn't been anyone who could even touch him in his ability to produce music that touched people across the globe.

***

I blog about this because I am a hard core music fan. I like good music- not this "pseudo-gansta, bling-bling, pop that booty" bull**it played on the radio today, but music that is timeless, memorable and keeps generation after generation grooving. I think the music industry has suffered a tremendous loss. As tragic as it is, Micheal passed away while preparing to get to the place that truly made him happy- being on stage and performing for his fans.

***

He will be missed.....

Anxiously Waiting

All this waiting is SOOooooo for the birds! On the other hand, I imagine that in a few months I'll be wishing that I had all sorts of idle time. In the meantime, I've managed to find a few things to distract myself while I await the beginning of my law school career. First, I am currently planning a birthday/going away party. This party is actually scheduled to take place this Saturday...and I am going semi-nuts trying to get everything situated. It's been a decent distraction, I must say, however, it has affirmed the fact that I DO NOT enjoy event planning and would never pursue it as a career.

***

Next, I will travel to Dallas to visit my friend, hopefully see my brother and favorite cousin, AND catch Mrs. Beyonce Carter in concert. This trip shall be deemed "The Last Hoorah!" as I have no clue if/when I will be able to travel for leisure once I begin the next phase in my life. I enjoy Dallas and would hope to someday make it my permanent home. As far as the concert, I told myself the next time Miss B was in concert, it was imperative that I be in attendance. I am a huge fan and as concerts go, it's certainly money well spent.

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The following weekend, I will travel to Atlanta to attend the A.I.E. (Attitude is Essential) Seminar sponsored by CLEO. I am excited to meet other 0L's and hope to make connections with other minority law students. Plus, I'll be in the ATL! Last year, I ventured out a little bit and it was fun. I imagine this year will be the same! I'll let you know all about it!

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Once I get home from Atlanta, it will be time to pack up, as I will have less than two weeks until I move to College Town. Can you tell that I'm sooo ready to go, already??!?!?!!