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!

CLEO

I decided not to attend the summer institute. While I understand it would give me a six week head start on my first year, it would then leave me stressing over my finances. If given the choice, I would rather stress over law school, figuring it out as I go, than stress over my financial situation. At least the stress over law school can be alleviated with the help of professors, classmates, law school staff, or even a little exercise. Financial stress is a beast all its own and since I have no one I can call my own personal ATM, it just wasn't practical to give up the 2k for the seat and the additional income on the back end for something I can surely figure out on my own.

I sent a very gracious email thanking them for the opportunity, but declined due to financial reasons. I do still hope I can go to one of their weekend programs. Last year's was SO fun!

**Update** A couple of days ago I received a letter offering a seat in this Summer's AIE program, so I'm super excited about that!**

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.

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!