The Monster that is Law School.....

Yes, that is the best way that I can describe it. Law school is a BEAST! Particularly, when you have other things going on in life- like raising a child, trying to maintain some level of health and sanity, keeping a household afloat, etc.

As a result, I've neglected this blog for the whole year of 2010. For that, I apologize.

I'm not sure what made me do it, but I was sitting in Mediation class (tsk, tsk) today, and I decided to Google my blawg site. The first hit was another blawg site, that made mention of my blawg and a few posts within it that they found helpful. The author also made note of the fact that my last post was after I finished my first semester of law school. The last line- "I hope she's doing well."

Honestly, my intention was to be consistent in my posts until the point of graduation. However, when you get in the thick of law school, you learn really quickly that if you don't absolutely need it, you can do without it (like Cable TV, for instance). Luckily, I do keep a personal journal, so my journey through law school isn't completely lost, but it doesn't address my intention with this blog, which was to provide guidance to those who are curious about what it's like to be in law school.

So- with all that being said. I'm going to try this again! Starting today....

Currently, I have a lot on my plate. Aside from my usual class work (15 hours), I am in the final stages of planning a scholarship banquet, which is one of my duties as the Vice-President of my school's chapter of the Black Law Student Association. Additionally, I am finishing up a draft opinion for the State Court of Appeals. Lastly, I have a couple of interviews later on in the week to which I need to prepare.

One of the habits I have not yet been able to break is NOT taking on soooo much! Right now, this is too much. Unfortunately, I can't just stop, mostly because each of these tasks are stepping stones to more opportunities. On the other hand, my inability to stop could be a symptom of my need to overachieve.

Luckily, as most law school students will tell you, the first year they scare you to death and the second year they work you to death. So far it's proven to be true, which makes me anxious to get to the third year, where the claim is that they bore you to death. Since this is the hierarchy of law school, at times it makes me feel bad to even begin to complain, but then I have to remember that I'm not the average law school student. My days never end when I leave these halls. I still have parent-teacher conferences to attend, dinner to cook, and stories to listen to regarding the latest playground shenanigans....and the shenanigans that I'm hearing about makes me wonder about the state of our children. However, that's a post for another blawg!

I've vowed to myself that after this scholarship banquet comes to fruition, I will narrow my focus to my studies. By that time, most of the items on my list will have been crossed off and the only thing left to do will be to prepare for finals.

I will post again, and soon! I suppose I could give you a somewhat brief review of what I've been doing since second semester of my first year. My mentor reminded me a few days ago of just how much I have accomplished, especially considering my non-traditional law student status. She then urged me to give myself a well deserved pat on the back, lol!

Now...back to reading for Employment Discrimination...YAY!

One semester down, five more to go!

Overall, it wasn't as bad as some would have me believe. It was certainly a grueling 16 weeks, but it should be expected, as it is preparing me for what life will be like once I become a practicing attorney.

Finals time definitely made being on campus an anxiety-ridden experience. I made it a point NOT to spend too much time on campus. I did a lot of studying at home, which is HARD when there are so many distractions, like cleaning, the laundry that sat on my couch for WEEKS, and my television. However, the thought of flunking out of law school, wasting 16 plus weeks of time, and not to mention the student loan debt I'd already incurred, kept me quite motivated to remain focused on the task at hand.

Like all other law school students, I created outlines and used supplements and flash cards while studying. I also took practice exams, which for torts was a hilarious experience because I spent the night before my torts exam dreaming about the practice exam. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep, but once I cracked open the three page hypothetical, I was grateful that I'd taken the time to look at the practice exam because it was extremely helpful.

Overall, I feel like I had a good grasp of the material and I didn't have any real problems with issue spotting in the torts and contracts exams. Civ Pro was pretty straight forward and I actually enjoyed it (yeah, how weird is that?!?). I tried not to talk about the exam with my colleagues and you would think every law school student has heard that piece of advice at least once- but there was always someone who walked out of the exam room and immediately began talking about this, that or the third on the exam. I closed my ears and exited the building.

So, now comes that waiting. It seems our grades won't be posted until the second week of January, so that is plenty of time to wonder how well I did or didn't do. I'm trying not to think about it. Right now, I just want to enjoy the holidays and spending time with lil' mama.

Merry Christmas!

For the Single Parent....

Well, with less than four weeks left before the end of the semester, I have thought about and put together a list of things that I think a single parent should consider before and during law school to make for a smooth transition for parent and child(ren) in the situation. The majority of these are tried and tested, so I hope it helps.

• Prepare. You can do this by putting aside as much money in savings as possible, saving money by buying certain things in bulk (such as personal items you use everyday, canned goods, paper products), lining up day care providers and others who would be willing to keep your children if you are in need, as well as anything else that might need to be handled based on your situation.
  

• Be honest with yourself about the challenge. Law school is not like anything else you have encountered in life. Even if you feel you are the brightest and the best, you will at some point be put in a position where you will question your decision, even if for a nanosecond. You must be prepared to feel overwhelmed and sometimes unprepared, however, you must continue to move forward because as long as you stick with it, it will get better.
  

• Be honest with your child(ren). If they are at an age where you can talk with them about your transition to law school, then it is good to have the dialogue. I have talked to my daughter about things ranging from our need to change our spending habits, to the time I have to devote to studying. However, I don't allow law school to take all of my time and I make it a point to make the time we spend together a special time for us both.

• Manage your time. As a parent, you have a lot of responsibilities which include taking care of a household, your children and yourself. Remember that your "colleagues" may not have these same responsibilities, which affords them the opportunity to "live" in the library. You have many more responsibilities than most of your classmates, and your time has to be delegated amongst those responsibilities. While you want to devote time to your studies, don't let that sidetrack you from everything else in your life.
  

• Don't be afraid to ask for help. This is probably the most important. I can honestly say that I have had sit downs with upper L's, professors, career support staff and financial aid in the last four weeks. Why? Because I needed help, be it with studying certain concepts learned in class, understanding an assignment, wanting to get information regarding networking opportunities, or needing additional financial help. I wasn't afraid to ask and asking was all it took to get exactly the help I sought. It most certainly alleviates a great deal of stress and allows me to remain focused on doing my best in law school.
  

• Take advantage of any and all offers of assistance. This deals with things outside of the realm of law school. More specifically, help in the form of government subsidies. My daughter has health care coverage and child care through government subsidies, and our household receives food stamps. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't too keen on the idea of going to FSD to secure these items, however, I had to put my pride aside for the sake of my daughter. She needs to have health coverage and we have to have food. Furthermore, it is one less thing to have to stress about and allows me to remain focused on doing my best in law school, which is my goal. Besides, I was in the work force for 10 years paying into this system. Why shouldn't it return a benefit to me when I am in a time of need.
  

With that being said, I encourage all single parents who are interested in going to law school because it is doable and you can succeed. Now, I must get back to studying for finals. Ta-Ta!

It took a little while, but I think I got the hang of it.

So, it's the end of week seven. I've completed my first memo, finished my Torts and Contracts outlines, and am almost finished with my Civil Procedure outlines. I feel like I've finally gotten the hang of life as a law school student. It has been a tremendous amount of work, which forced me to be honest with myself about a few things very early on in this process. In week three I made the decision to drop two credit hours. I was taking on WAY too much. My situation is unique because I'm not only a law school student, I'm also a single-parent. Most single-parents choose not to be a full-time day student because it is extremely challenging. The challenge can be even greater if you lack a support system. I knew beforehand what I was getting in to by relocating and essentially leaving my support system behind. I discussed my concerns with my institution before making the commitment to attend, and they have kept their end of the bargain by being extremely encouraging and understanding when I come to them with any concerns. Plus, my daughter has truly been understanding and supportive of her mommy. I can't thank her enough.

In week five, I think I was beginning to at least get comfortable with everything that embodied law school. I definitely didn't feel like I was drowning in a sea of legalese and massive reading assignments. I took a weekend trip home, which I think I desperately needed. I saw some familiar sites, visited some friends, and felt refreshed by time I made it home. Now, don't get me wrong, I did not take the weekend off! I went to my favorite library and did a few hours of studying, so that I wouldn't feel guilty later on.

By week six, I had lunch with a professor and my TA, and gotten to know most of my "colleagues" in my section. It seems I spend a ridiculous amount of time with my nose in a book, or researching online, or writing a memo, or working on an outline. The days go by sooooo fast, to the point where I can not believe that I'm almost halfway through this semester.

At the beginning of this week, I took a practice Mid-Term. The results were not so hot, but it does provide guidance as to where I need to be once finals rear their ugly heads. At this point, my plan has been to do weekly cumulative reviews of the materials and try to get in as much practice as possible between now and then.

I suppose I should be glad it only took seven weeks, I still have eight more weeks until finals, so wish me luck!

I should be reading.....

But, I feel as though I have been neglecting my blog. I want folks to know about my adventures thus far, so I'm taking a little break. It's been less that an hour since my last class of the day (Contracts..yippee) and it's just a little bit past the lunch hour, so I think I'm entitled to a little personal time to do what I want to do. So where do I start??

Okay- as promised, I want to talk about Law Preview.

At this particular moment, I can say that it is currently helping me. I have a general understanding as to what is going on in class. I think I'm a little less lost than some other folks in class, so I think that helps. Also, they provided a nice schedule to follow for studying, which I'm glad I have and plan to follow pretty closely. Additionally, they provided a few supplemental study materials, which I actually cracked open while trying to understand my first Civ Pro assignment. Some of the cases I'm going to encounter in class have already been discussed in Law Preview so hopefully at those moments things won't seem so daunting. I'm sure at the end of the semester, after the final exams have all been graded and posted, I'll know whether the class was truly beneficial to me.

Next- Orientation

Overall, I had a really good experience during Orientation. It was over the course of three days and it provided A LOT of information. Some information was repetitive because of all the law school prep I've been doing over the summer, some was school specific. I was able to meet my classmates and befriend some 2L's and 3L's, which is always a benefit. I also identified individuals whom I would probably steer clear of, for various reasons. I will refrain from sharing any stories at this point, however, if I happen to cross paths with any of these individuals I've mentally noted in the future, and if from that interaction a story arises, I will be sure to provide you with a story that I'm sure will be entertaining.

First Day of Class

I'm not sure why my schedule is constructed so that I don't have class until 3pm on Mondays, but I'm seeing the bright side in this because I am able to read, study or review for practically a whole day OR if I'm ahead, I can just rest. My daughter will be at school and my house will be silent. At any rate, class doesn't start until three and I only have one- Civil Procedure. The class that seems to leave me with the largest question mark at the end. LOL. I'm told that is supposed to be my state of mind and eventually I will have an AH HA! moment. I'll let you know when it comes, lol!

First Week of Class

By the end of the week, I felt indoctrinated in the law school process. My week was full of emotional highs and lows (mostly feeling either rested or exhausted). All and all, I feel like this is more than doable. It will take alot of work, which I am more than prepared to do.

Parent v. Law School Student

I'm surprised that being a law student has not yet interfered with my ability to be present for my daughter. I imagine that conflict will probably appear closer to exam time. My schedule has me in school when she is in school and studying after she's asleep. To celebrate our first day of class, I took her out for ice cream, but I paid for the celebration later on in the week, since the break away from our schedule found me having to "catch-up" on reading until about Wednesday. It was a sacrifice well worth it.

So far my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. I hope that continues to be the case. I'll keep you posted.

PTI (Pardon The Interruption)

Yes, I know I've been MIA....it's been due to reasons beyond my control really, reasons I will attempt to explain very soon. I have SO MUCH I want to share, so please STAY TUNED!

Whew!

Hey folks! I made it to College Town, finally!!!! Moving actually went very well, surprisingly. My daughter is absolutely ecstatic about her new home, as am I. I spent the first couple of days unpacking and getting familiar with our new surroundings. I enjoy my new neighborhood, which is really quiet and very conducive to studying. I also LOVE the fact that I can get anywhere in College Town in 15 minutes or less. On the other hand, I don't like the fact that I no longer have a job. It's the oddest feeling ever! I'm extremely risk-adverse and am having an issue adjusting to the fact that I'll have to live on loans. Luckily, I got an increase in my child support, so I felt extremely blessed about that. Tomorrow is the first day of Law Preview, and in true procrastinators form I have not even begun briefing the cases for the first day of class. I'm going to get it done tonight, I promise. In the meantime- I hope all the other 1L's out there are having as smooth a transition as I am thus far! Good Luck!

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.

***

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.

***

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!

***

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??!?!?!!

Class Schedule...CHECK!

Well, one more piece of the puzzle has revealed itself. I now know what my first semester 1L schedule looks like! YAY! I was placed in the section I requested (score!) and now I have some sort of idea of the time constrains I'll be dealing with my first semester. Overall, I am happy. I'll have time to study, workout, cook a decent dinner for my food-loving child and hopefully NOT fry my brain before finals arrive.

***

It is now 47 days until I relocate to College Town. Unlike some, I've given myself about three weeks to get acquainted with my new home. I'm sure I'll need to know the location of a bank, a grocery store, a Wal-mart (they have those in every town, right?), and whatever else might come to mind. I certainly don't want to feel rushed in this transition. I already have enough anxiety as it is.

***

I am currently reading "Getting to Maybe" and am finding that it has some really useful information regarding the nature of the law school exam and how one should go about analyzing hypotheticals presented. I can absolutely see why this book is mentioned so heavily on forums and various blog sites.

***

I'd like to thank everyone for the comments on the blog. I really appreciate that folks are at least a little interested in what's going on in my lil' ol' life. I especially appreciate those who share their experiences, because I think something can always be learned from the experiences of others. Keep it coming!

Law Preview

I first heard about Law Preview (www.lawpreview.com) while reading "Law School Confidential" (a book I would recommend to all 0L's and anyone who is considering attending law school). It's basically a mini law school boot-camp that provides an overview of the subjects taught in the first year of law school. It takes place over the course of six days and they have classes all summer at various law schools across the country. Now, like anything else that has to do with law school and law school prep, this course isn't cheap. However, some super sleuthing allowed me to come across a need-based scholarship that would cover most of the cost of the class. Aside from filing out the application and providing supporting documentation, the only requirement is that once you become an attorney, you "pay it forward" and provide legal assistance to three needy people, free of charge. How great is that?!?!

***

After reviewing the website, reading the testimonials, and even emailing one of the students that attended the course, I became convinced that it would be something that would definitely give me an edge. I feel as though I need all the help I can get and I want to have a certain level of confidence once the "games" begin. Not to mention, if you attend the course, you get discounts on your first semester books AND free study aids.

***

So a couple of months ago, I sent in my application for the scholarship and imagine my delight a couple of days ago, when I received an email saying that I was chosen for the scholarship! I'm sure it's going to be a hectic week, full of lots of work, but I'm really excited to attend and will definitely make the most of the information I receive.

***

I will definitely provide a play-by-play of the course. I think it will be interesting!

Twiddlin' my Thumbs

The waiting is EXCRUCIATING! I continue to count the days (64...argh!). I have most of the major details handled....and so I wait. I wait for my schedule, because I am highly interested in knowing which section I'll be assigned to. I've sort of decided in my head which section I want...and may even "ask" for that particular section, if it isn't selected for me. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but I am interested in being taught by a couple of professors that stood out to me on the couple of visits I made to my institution. I figure, I'm paying a ridiculous amount of money to be educated, so I should at least have the right to request a section. Besides, it's for a valid reason...I'm not trying to be paired up with a buddy or anything like that.

***

I wait to apply for my GRADplus loan because I still need to get my child care cost figured out. I have to submit additional paperwork and my distance from the school is posing a problem in that regard. The hope and plan is to have it all taken care of by Aug 1.

***

I wait to put in my letter of resignation from my current job. My boss is located in a completely different state than where I work, so I don't see this person on a regular basis, as a matter of fact, I've only seen this person once since beginning this job last year. The situation is really different than anything I've experienced in my working career, and getting someone to replace me won't be simple, for various reasons. That being the case, I will try to provide at least one month's notice.

***

Aside from waiting, I've been taking care of all the odds and ends. I actually had to get inoculated. Apparently, you must have at least two Measles/Mumps/Rubella shots on record in order to register for classes....well, Milla only had one on file. So- I had to face my fear of needles, twice over since the nurse was nice enough to recommend I also get a tetanus shot. My arm was sore for like three days...horrible!

***

I also took an opportunity to speak with some of my friends/ex-coworkers regarding their experience in law school. It was really just to pick their brains to see what they felt worked for them in law school as far as study habits, and how they were able to make the most of their experience. They know me, my work habits, and my abilities, and so their confidence in my ability to do well in law school was extremely encouraging.

***

64 days can't seem to pass quickly enough,

And so the waiting continues....

Daughter Enrolled in School....CHECK

As a parent of a school aged child, the most important item that has to be taken care of where she is concerned, is getting her enrolled in school AND finding additional child care. Here's the deal, my plan is to treat law school as if it were an actual job. Right now, I clock in at 8am and clock out at 4:30 pm. My daughter's regular school day runs from 8:20 until about 3:20, so to cover the time before and after her school day when I need to be at work, she participates in a before & after school program, which allows me to drop her off as early as 7am and pick her up as late as 6 pm. The school she will be attending seems to work on a similar school schedule and luckily, it has a similar before & after school program. I was able to get on the waiting list (in the top 5). I also found what seems to be a decent home day care that is down the street from her school, in the event the waiting list doesn't work out in my favor. The best part of all is that our home, her school, and the back-up daycare are all on the same street, just a couple blocks away from one another! A mother's dream....lol!

***

My daughter is actually excited about moving and starting a new school. She's already decided how she's going to say goodbye to her friends, and she even informed her current teacher about her upcoming move a couple weeks ago. I'm glad I won't have to deal with any tantrums or general anxiety about our move...one less thing to worry about...thank God!

***

I'm sure some are probably wondering about the cost of the above-mentioned child care options. Well, as always, child care isn't cheap. It's probably going to cost about $200 + a month, depending on which route I choose, but I think it's great that my school will allow me to add my child care costs to my cost of attendance.

***

At this point, things are moving right along and I'm to the point where I am counting the days, 86 to be exact. I'm still as excited as ever!

Place to Live?...CHECK!

So, it seems that each step thus far in the process of preparing for law school comes with its own set of issues. This week, I had to deal with the complications that came with securing a place to live. After making a visit a couple of weeks ago, I was settled on our future home. This time I even submitted my application BEFORE leaving town (didn’t want to make that mistake twice). I emailed the woman who showed me the property to make sure she had everything she needed to process my application and it looked as though things were moving along pretty smoothly. That is, until I received the lease agreement. The rental amount on the lease was 25 bucks more than what she initially told me. So after an email and two phone calls, she tells me that her owner assigned all of the units that rented for the price we discussed and the more expensive units were all she had available. I respond by telling her to remove my application because I wasn’t interested. I mean, I’m on a budget and the most irresponsible thing I could do is accept a price that was outside of my budget. Besides, I had other options.

About an hour later I get a phone call from the owner of the property. She was interested in what happened to make me withdraw my application. I told her the situation, I found information on the internet that quoted a specific price, emailed her property manager who confirmed the specific price, viewed the property with the manager who once again confirmed the specific price, but then I end up with a lease locking me in with a different price, which I didn’t plan on paying. The owner was really nice in explaining that basically her property manager screwed up. The price on the lease is apparently what the unit rents for presently, and the price I was quoted might have been a winter special. Regardless, I wasn’t going to pay more than what she verbally quoted me, on more than one occasion. The owner apologized for her manager’s mistake and agreed to change the paperwork to the verbal quote. Problem solved!

This is definitely a situation that has some characteristics of a hypothetical that could be used in a contracts class, LOL! Tokyo Kiss got me thinking about it after the whole “unsigned check in the mail” debacle. What if I really wanted the unit for the price quoted? Would I have a cause of action to get the unit at the price verbally quoted? What if I signed the lease without paying attention to the altered rent amount? Ok, I’m going to stop now, LOL!

All the Pieces are Coming Together!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter holiday!

I spent a portion of my holiday looking for a place to live during my time in law school. Since I have a child, I have to take so much more into consideration when looking for housing, such as neighborhood schools, whether the location is kid-friendly, and the overall size of our home. We are both particular about our space, lol! Luckily, College Town has extremely affordable housing, so finding a nice duplex, townhouse or condo in a nice neighborhood, with a decent school nearby wasn’t too hard to come by. My daughter endured an almost two hour car ride to and from College Town, as well as a directionally challenged mother who did her best to navigate in an unfamiliar town. By the end, I was decided on our future home, which had all of the things we needed to live comfortably for the next three years. So begins the application process for that and spending more money….YAY!

Approximately two weeks ago, I attended the Admitted Students Reception. My intention was to put my seat deposit down while I was there. It would have been the smart thing to do. It definitely would’ve saved $.42 cents on postage, but for some reason I decided against it. Even though when asked, I was telling everyone I spoke to I was 99.89% sure I would be attending, the .11% of doubt was enough for me to leave without securing my seat. I realize now that I was extremely nervous about everything. Putting the seat deposit down would make all of this FINAL! I would be a law student. That realization was absolutely overwhelming and for two days I was nervous wreck!

I didn’t understand why I was reacting in such a way because going to law school is something I’d been working so hard for and now it was all coming together. I had accomplished another goal. I’d been accepted, all I had to do was say, “Yes, Take my money. I want the seat!” So after two days of fretting and sorting through all of the nervousness, I wrote the check, put it in the envelope, and stuck it in the mailbox…but something still wasn’t right. Did I sign the check?

OMG! Are you kidding me! So, I examine the carbon sheet in my checkbook…and all signs pointed to an unsigned check. Apparently something subconscious was going on, but I was in no way amused. I call the school, let them know there’s a possibility that they’ll receive an unsigned check and I’ll be putting a signed one in the mail- ASAP!

That .11% of doubt cost me $.84, 2 envelopes and a little bit of embarrassment. One of the admissions folks tried to convince me she sends checks out unsigned “all the time.” I doubt it, but I’m glad she tried to make me feel better about the situation.