2017 and Growth

I am so happy to announce that I have submitted all of my law school applications. I can honestly say that it was the best feeling ever. It felt as though that I had done something major. Almost like having a baby minus the pain of pushing out a baby. However honestly speaking, uploading and filling out the info on the LSAC website was a bit tedious because it was going slow, but I honestly would do it all again. I choose to stay in state for law school because of money. Law school itself is expensive. However, when you add in the cost of living for certain places, it could possibly require me to take out more loans. Plus, the schools that I have chosen have all of the programs that I am interested in. I am very excited about the possibility of taking on a new challenge. But after going through this experience I have learned to just ask about certain things. I had a college where I would have had to pay for an application fee, and I honestly thought they might say no, but I called and asked and all I had to do was send an email. It’s always the little things that make me happy. That’s the type of attitude I want to continue in the new year.

Every year I see people post about “new year new me”. I am one of the people who believes that one does not need the first of the year to change. However, I believe that the “new me” develops when we least expect it. I know for me, that’s exactly what happened. I honestly came into 2016 with no expectations of changing. Even though in the beginning of 2016, I knew I was studying abroad. I did not anticipate the inner change that I would go through. That change brought back the idea of me going to law school because the girls that I was staying with was talking about grad school.

After going through this year with a variety of experiences. I can honestly say that after completing my study abroad, I am a new me. I’ve grown into the person I had always imagined I would be. Since I’m shy I am thinking of the many times that I spoke about my feelings more times this year than I ever had in my life. Also I see myself feeling more comfortable about speaking what’s on my mind and not filling ashamed of it. Maybe it was my internship or studying abroad, whatever it was I am so happy for what 2017 is going to bring. I know that I will have my frustrating moments and there will be times that I am doubting what I am doing. However, I know that I will remain on the path that I was meant to be on which is helping those who want it. My personal best advice to those entering into 2017 is to go in with goals, but allow them to grow so that while achieving a goal, you are learning something about yourself as well.

LSAT Blues

Back in September of 2016 I took the LSAT for the first time. I prepared the best way that I could through practice. I was not nervous nor was I panicked while taking the exam. I went in and left knowing that I had tried my best. The best feeling was walking away knowing that I just did something major. I then went home and took a nap before starting my school work. Then the real game began… waiting.

The weeks following me taking the LSAT, I focused on school and went on about life. However, when the day came that received my scores were posted I was nervous and excited. But I did not check the second they were posted because I was nervous. Finally, after a few days I went to my email to check the score and I was expecting the email to contain a link to see my scores, however it had my actual score in there. When I saw the score, I thought it was pretty good, until I looked at the score ranges. Sad to say I scored below the national average. Like many people, I was sad then I had to think of an important question, do I want to continue on with law school? I actually struggled with the decision for well over a month because I thought that I would not get in to any law school.

I had even heard of how many schools take everything into account other than your scores, but my GPA is not the highest and to me it felt as though I had not done much in my four years to gain acceptance to these schools. There would be times when I would have no motivation to do my work. Even when I was getting hundreds of emails to apply to law school I was still not encouraged to apply. However, I was talking to someone and they talked me through why I even wanted to go to law school in the first place, but I was not convinced I should still try. Even when my professor mentioned that standardized test did not determine my success in the future or even how well students would do in graduate school, still did not motivate me as much. Hearing a particular song by Jhene Aiko actually did. The lines of the song that randomly popped into my head were:

If there’s one thing that I learned
While in those county lines
It’s that everything takes time
You have gotta lose your pride
You have gotta lose your mind
Just to find your peace of mind
You have got to trust the signs
Everything will turn out fine

So why aren’t you smiling? Why aren’t you smiling?
Life can get wild when, you caught in the whirl wind
Lost in the whirl wind, you’re chasing the wind.

That’s when I refocused myself and began to put my all into it. I realized that not getting a high score was not something that defines who I am and that this was just one of many road bumps that I would be encountering throughout law school. Unfortunately, when I decided to refocus on law school, undergraduate classes began to pick up so I have to prioritize a bit. But I have begun to narrow down my school list and have begun the fun process of applying to schools, having my resume looked over, and personal statement reviewed. Even though I still, have a lot of work to do because its nearing finals, I am very confident that I will be able to finish all of my applications before the New Year is out. Even though my first LSAT did not go as well as it could’ve, I know that I can still do great things.

So my tip for escaping the LSAT blues is to remember it may seem bad now but it gets better. Sometimes you have to fail to be where you want to be. When you fail you learn, then improve and finally kick major butt in accomplishing your goals.

Lyrics came from: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jheneaiko/ways.html

Road To Law School Entry 1

From as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to help people. However, I was always unsure of the career path that I wanted to take. When I was younger I thought that I wanted to be a teacher, a hair stylist, a doctor and a writer. While in high school, I believed I wanted to be a stripper because I thought school was too hard and that college tuition was too high. Since I have no upper body strength, I probably would not get far. On the other hand, I always held in mind that I wanted to help people because I felt that I could be that difference in someone’s life.

            Now that I am a college senior, I have kind of decided what I wanted to do. First, let me give you a brief overview of how I arrived at that point. When I was in high school, I contemplated the idea of what I wanted to do, I decided on law school. Why that I don’t remember. But I remember being accepted into a mock trial experience and it truly was one of the best weeks of my life. Also, during high school I did a year program at the district attorney’s office to learn about the different opportunities in the DA’s office. Still by that point I had not confirmed I wanted to go to law school. Even for my first two and a half years of college I had not really given it any consideration because I was shy, quiet and was never fully able to communicate my thoughts. However, after studying abroad I learned that I could not be afraid of failure, rather just take things one step at a time. I made it official that I wanted to try for law school after I talked to a second year law student, who was doing the 2L certification, told me to still apply although I was a little “behind” since he himself did not take the LSAT until February of his senior year and entered law school that fall. 

I know for a fact that this will not be the easiest path that I am going to take, but I am ready. I like to think of all of the opportunities as being waves in the ocean. Side note I love water, although my zodiac sign is a fire sign it truly keeps me calm. The waves in the ocean come at times when you least expect them. Sometimes they can be big or little. But one enjoys them no less. That’s how I see opportunities, as waves that are meant to be enjoyed before they are no longer there.