This week involved the first significant assignment we have done thus far. I spent the previous weekend working full steam ahead in an Organizing and Outlining assignment that required briefing 13 authorities, those are published court cases from around the country, state statutes, and law journal articles, and fabricating an outline that addressed our given clients concerns. It was anywhere between 30 and 40 hours of leg work total. Honestly I stopped keeping track. I am sure that will need to change if I ever make it out of here alive! I finished a whopping day and a half early and had time to do a little bit of editing. Not much really, but some. It was important to me to go over the given grading criteria checklist one more time, and I still have no idea if I got any of it right. We will recieve our critiqued papers back in just over a week. That is precious time that I could really use to start on the next phase which is working the outline into a draft memorandum. I know, fun stuff right! I actually had a solid moment of elation as I typed out the final paragraph though. It was the strangest feeling I have had in a long time. It was part euphoria and part will this suck ass, lol. But alas it was done and all 30 pages were turned in electronically. Ah that final click on the keyboard.
This was the week I went without sleep, I mean really went without sleep. I put in in 14 to 16 hour days all week, and because I didnt have the weekend before to stay ahead of the daily class assignments I spent most of the week just trying to stay above water with current class content. By the end of the week I was behind and had to use canned briefs to follow along. Oh I went back this weekend and caught up on the ones I missed just because I dont want to be that kind of student, but it was a blistering pace overall. I managed 4 1/2, 4, 3 1/2, and 6 hours sleep from monday through thursday in that order. I was a walking zombie on Thursday and still couldnt stop.
I did my best to Skype with my boys this week, but I just couldnt do it every night with the schedule I was running. I didnt think anything was up, but I was getting edgy and cranky after two nights without talking to them. Of course I didnt realize this until after I got back to my regular schedule of talking to them. Hard to get this paragraph right. But there was other "issues" that I found out about back home. It didnt bother me as much as I thought it would. One door closes and another opens up. also I hit the 100lb mark in the weight loss department and so that was pretty cool. Nothing fits me anymore, but I dont care, I just tighten the belt a little more each day :-) It is important to note here that my nights would have been much harder for me over the last month, especially this last week, without the help of some awesome friends during the day and those whom I confide in in the wee hours of the morning. You know who you are, and I hope you know that I am greatful. Probably more than you actually do know.
Friday was supposed to be a huge day of release. Had big plans to go to the local bar and just let off some serious steam, but of course our wonderful professor surprised us all with his friday morning lecture. He decided to show a timely piece on alcoholism and lawyers! Perfect timing. This was a cold splash of water on my concious plans for the evening. It was pointed out that somewhere in the neighborhood of 25% if all lawyers suffer from alcoholism. Dare I say a sobering statistic. I went out with friends anyway. It weighed on my mind though - mission accomplished professor!
Saturday was pure bliss. Slept in - actually got about 8 hours of sleep. Yay me! I did no work related to law school - I did feel a bit guilty a couple of times throughout the day though. Watched a movie and did some chores and running around - errand stuff. Ended the day with a fantastic little gathering at a friends house. We watched some college football and each of us made a mexican dish to share. The ladies termed it a "fiesta" and oh my god wasnt it awesome to have some relatively home cooked food. I slept for about 8 hours and then hit the library for another 10 hour workday at the library on Sunday with the "ruckus room" crowd. I know I am leaving some stuff out, when it comes to me I will put it down. Getting ready for a great week!
Lesson learned this week courtesy of Professor K : The study of law is not an individual thing, you are most successful when you surround yourself with like minds and collaborate and discuss the issues.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
First 3 weeks
I am here in Vermillion South Dakota attending USD School of Law, writing this blog from my already too familiar carrell (desk for those none laws - yeah I didnt know either, lol) on a Friday night. So let's recap the last few weeks shall we, for posterity's sake anyway.
Week 1:
I arrive early and am soon swarmed with the rest of the nervous mass. We mingle for a bit and then recieve our marching orders and welcome packages. The schedule for the week is not at all like an orientation week in undergrad. we have actual classes that attempt to prep us in some rudimentary manner for what will soon follow. There are numerous meet and greets with staff and it becomes apparent fairly quickly that this is not at all what I had anticipated. The Dean, who later in the week invites the whole 1L class to his house for dinner, is a very welcoming and pleasant personality as is the vice dean. The staff are all quite cordial and encouraging. I thought that from reading the various books, if you are contemplating law school in any serious fashion you know which ones, regarding law school life that things would be considerably different. Don't get me wrong though, the expectation is that there will be a lot of work and there is even for an orientation week, but I kept going back to what one of the professors said "We believe you all can graduate or we wouldn't have chose you." She is a fantastic lady and has proved initially to be very good at what she does. We have several meet and greets with local lawyers who put on luch service for all the 1Ls and it is surely meant to be a snapshot of what is to come. I find myself quite tired by the weeks end, but assignments are due for the first classes on Monday and I proceed to spend almost 18 hours working on the next weeks workload. Oh did I mention that I did all that was required of me using my android phone because my financial aid doesnt disburse until the following monday - so I must wait for a lap top, good times :-)
Lesson: Culture shock! Be prepared for it.
Week 2:
Honestly it is a blur. I find myself, along with many others questioning my decision to attend. I am missing my boys who are back home with my new ex-wife. There is that gripping feeling of homesickness and frankly a fleeting moment of returning. I guess driving 1900 miles out here from Maine was worth more than just having a vehicle to use while here because the thought of driving back home is quite the deterrent. I find myself lost trying to read and do case briefs. I had this grand notion of reading all summer long and getting my reading speed up to par, but that was lost in all the happenings of my summer "festivities" from hell. so now I am thrust into the mix and it takes me an average of 1 hour and 15 minutes to do a brief. Seriously? I am struggling initially to follow most of whats going on, but the professors are doing a great job at not launching us at full speed. As a teacher I recognize the build up that is there, even if not by design I am thankful for it. I have met some wonderful people from all walks of life, and I can honestly say they are some of the nicest folks. There is less competition at this point and I am hopeful it will remain that way, as a matter of fact most of the students are quite helpful. There are quite a few Non-traditional students here as well. Way more than I had anticipated. That is helpful to say the least. I am doing a good job with getting names down, but being the only one from Maine I think I stick out like a sore thumb hahaha. Wicked! Lots of strange looks, and what made you choose here. then I go down through my condensed reasoning - generally centering on money and ratio. I have had the pleasure of discovering a local watering hole that seems quite exclusive to law school and with the help of my newly found friends from Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota (ay) and North Dakoda (ay) we proceed to unwind in fine fashion. Twice that week. Buy your return flight tickets early, because the price will definately not improve hahaha.
Lesson: homesickness and self doubt will happen if you travel away from family - even for those older students.
Week 3:
My reading speed has increased - you have no idea how great that actually is (I was quite concerned that I might have had some long lost learning disability that went undiagnosed). I am able to focus a bit more although I am still dealing with seperation from my boys and other recent events and the material is starting to make more sense to me. I am starting to enjoy the topics and such, and I feel like I belong. I am working out regularly with my new trainer adn am seeing some really great results, not to mention the added benefit of more energy!! My days are still long. I go to the gym at 6 am and am at school from 8 until generally about 6pm when I head back home to Skype with my boys. By 9 (my time) I am thinking about many things and trying to watch just a smidge of ESPN - man how I have missed that all these years! I get to talk to friends and family after 9 due to my cell phone plan and that is a big help. Sleep is getting better and I am now able to say I have progressed from 4 hours a night the first week to about 6 hours a night this week. I am starting to settle into a routine, which is helpful as well. Study groups are helpful, and I need to get back to them. It is much easier to figure out what is going on if you have the opportunity to talk it through with others.
Lesson: You must schedule your hours, days and weeks wisely it will make all the difference!
I will end this entry with a quote one of the powers that be gave us the first week;
Q"How do you eat an elephant?" A: One bite at a time
And that appears to be the only way to get through the emmense amount of material that I am going to be expected to know in December.
Week 1:
I arrive early and am soon swarmed with the rest of the nervous mass. We mingle for a bit and then recieve our marching orders and welcome packages. The schedule for the week is not at all like an orientation week in undergrad. we have actual classes that attempt to prep us in some rudimentary manner for what will soon follow. There are numerous meet and greets with staff and it becomes apparent fairly quickly that this is not at all what I had anticipated. The Dean, who later in the week invites the whole 1L class to his house for dinner, is a very welcoming and pleasant personality as is the vice dean. The staff are all quite cordial and encouraging. I thought that from reading the various books, if you are contemplating law school in any serious fashion you know which ones, regarding law school life that things would be considerably different. Don't get me wrong though, the expectation is that there will be a lot of work and there is even for an orientation week, but I kept going back to what one of the professors said "We believe you all can graduate or we wouldn't have chose you." She is a fantastic lady and has proved initially to be very good at what she does. We have several meet and greets with local lawyers who put on luch service for all the 1Ls and it is surely meant to be a snapshot of what is to come. I find myself quite tired by the weeks end, but assignments are due for the first classes on Monday and I proceed to spend almost 18 hours working on the next weeks workload. Oh did I mention that I did all that was required of me using my android phone because my financial aid doesnt disburse until the following monday - so I must wait for a lap top, good times :-)
Lesson: Culture shock! Be prepared for it.
Week 2:
Honestly it is a blur. I find myself, along with many others questioning my decision to attend. I am missing my boys who are back home with my new ex-wife. There is that gripping feeling of homesickness and frankly a fleeting moment of returning. I guess driving 1900 miles out here from Maine was worth more than just having a vehicle to use while here because the thought of driving back home is quite the deterrent. I find myself lost trying to read and do case briefs. I had this grand notion of reading all summer long and getting my reading speed up to par, but that was lost in all the happenings of my summer "festivities" from hell. so now I am thrust into the mix and it takes me an average of 1 hour and 15 minutes to do a brief. Seriously? I am struggling initially to follow most of whats going on, but the professors are doing a great job at not launching us at full speed. As a teacher I recognize the build up that is there, even if not by design I am thankful for it. I have met some wonderful people from all walks of life, and I can honestly say they are some of the nicest folks. There is less competition at this point and I am hopeful it will remain that way, as a matter of fact most of the students are quite helpful. There are quite a few Non-traditional students here as well. Way more than I had anticipated. That is helpful to say the least. I am doing a good job with getting names down, but being the only one from Maine I think I stick out like a sore thumb hahaha. Wicked! Lots of strange looks, and what made you choose here. then I go down through my condensed reasoning - generally centering on money and ratio. I have had the pleasure of discovering a local watering hole that seems quite exclusive to law school and with the help of my newly found friends from Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota (ay) and North Dakoda (ay) we proceed to unwind in fine fashion. Twice that week. Buy your return flight tickets early, because the price will definately not improve hahaha.
Lesson: homesickness and self doubt will happen if you travel away from family - even for those older students.
Week 3:
My reading speed has increased - you have no idea how great that actually is (I was quite concerned that I might have had some long lost learning disability that went undiagnosed). I am able to focus a bit more although I am still dealing with seperation from my boys and other recent events and the material is starting to make more sense to me. I am starting to enjoy the topics and such, and I feel like I belong. I am working out regularly with my new trainer adn am seeing some really great results, not to mention the added benefit of more energy!! My days are still long. I go to the gym at 6 am and am at school from 8 until generally about 6pm when I head back home to Skype with my boys. By 9 (my time) I am thinking about many things and trying to watch just a smidge of ESPN - man how I have missed that all these years! I get to talk to friends and family after 9 due to my cell phone plan and that is a big help. Sleep is getting better and I am now able to say I have progressed from 4 hours a night the first week to about 6 hours a night this week. I am starting to settle into a routine, which is helpful as well. Study groups are helpful, and I need to get back to them. It is much easier to figure out what is going on if you have the opportunity to talk it through with others.
Lesson: You must schedule your hours, days and weeks wisely it will make all the difference!
I will end this entry with a quote one of the powers that be gave us the first week;
Q"How do you eat an elephant?" A: One bite at a time
And that appears to be the only way to get through the emmense amount of material that I am going to be expected to know in December.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Getting Started
I have decided to start this blog because as I went through this process I found very little information from a non-traditional student's point of view. So it is my intention for this to be an accurate journal of all my experiences that surround this quest. If someone finds it helpful or entertaining than it will have been worth my time!
Well what can I say that will be short and to the point. I am a 34 year old teacher who has decided to switch professions. After a number of years and lots of soul searching I have decided to go big! I have spent the last three years focusing on getting into law school. And it is a process let me tell you!
Order of operations;
1. Figure out if this is really what you want. I mean really!
2. Make sure your family is on board and supportive.
3. Focus on the LSAT - to date the most nerve racking, hardest SOB of a test that I have come across. No lie.
4. Start looking at schools. Decide what you want to specialize in if at all. Decide how much debt you are willing to take on. Decide how far away you are willing to go from your family.
5. Apply. Apply to way more than you think you want. (first time through I only went for four - not enough to make an informed decision)
6. Pick the school that fills as many of your needs as possible!
7. Line up financial Aid and don't cry when you sign for your first loans and realize that that is how much you paid for the first 4 years of your undergraduate degree.
8. Secure housing if needed.
9. Decide how you will communicate with loved ones back home - and put that framework in place early so you don't have to screw around with learning it while at school.
10. Take a deep breath and try to remember the reasons you started on this path.
So at this point it is a waiting game. I am about 10 weeks out from making the leap. I am nervous and anxious and frankly a bit scared. The unknown is pretty freaky for me as a non-traditional who has spent over ten years making my life nice and comfortable. So as I get ready for this to happen, I must add that I am also dealing with some major life changes on the homefront. I need to make sure that my mind is clear and I am focused on the goals I have set. I have reviewed in my mind and with certain friends and family the decision to still go at this time. I have the best intentions for doing this - My kids! I sit on the launch pad waiting for the rockets to fire. At this point I feel like I'm on auto pilot in many areas of my life. 10,9,8,7 ......
This is the start of my great and difficult adventure. An opportunity that not everyone gets to take. I hope you will follow along and keep me company when you can and I will try to paint a picture of just how things are going for me.
Well what can I say that will be short and to the point. I am a 34 year old teacher who has decided to switch professions. After a number of years and lots of soul searching I have decided to go big! I have spent the last three years focusing on getting into law school. And it is a process let me tell you!
Order of operations;
1. Figure out if this is really what you want. I mean really!
2. Make sure your family is on board and supportive.
3. Focus on the LSAT - to date the most nerve racking, hardest SOB of a test that I have come across. No lie.
4. Start looking at schools. Decide what you want to specialize in if at all. Decide how much debt you are willing to take on. Decide how far away you are willing to go from your family.
5. Apply. Apply to way more than you think you want. (first time through I only went for four - not enough to make an informed decision)
6. Pick the school that fills as many of your needs as possible!
7. Line up financial Aid and don't cry when you sign for your first loans and realize that that is how much you paid for the first 4 years of your undergraduate degree.
8. Secure housing if needed.
9. Decide how you will communicate with loved ones back home - and put that framework in place early so you don't have to screw around with learning it while at school.
10. Take a deep breath and try to remember the reasons you started on this path.
So at this point it is a waiting game. I am about 10 weeks out from making the leap. I am nervous and anxious and frankly a bit scared. The unknown is pretty freaky for me as a non-traditional who has spent over ten years making my life nice and comfortable. So as I get ready for this to happen, I must add that I am also dealing with some major life changes on the homefront. I need to make sure that my mind is clear and I am focused on the goals I have set. I have reviewed in my mind and with certain friends and family the decision to still go at this time. I have the best intentions for doing this - My kids! I sit on the launch pad waiting for the rockets to fire. At this point I feel like I'm on auto pilot in many areas of my life. 10,9,8,7 ......
This is the start of my great and difficult adventure. An opportunity that not everyone gets to take. I hope you will follow along and keep me company when you can and I will try to paint a picture of just how things are going for me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)