It's the end of February. Spring break has begun, giving me a chance to reflect a little on the intense six months or so that have gone by at NUSL. The many classes taken, cases read, social events attended, people met, and projects accomplished make it difficult to describe the experience easily or briefly. With that excuse, I won't attempt to do either.
The class of 2013 is somewhere around 220 students. We are broken up in to 12-15 person sections called "law offices" (LO). The members within each law office share a schedule and will work on a social justice project throughout their first year of law school. The social justice project involves analyzing, investigating, and making recommendations on an issue to a client organization. Prior to coming to NUSL, I was told that the social justice project can be pretty intense and that some LO's end up having strained relationships.
My LO is looking at the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act law that was passed last year and analyzing how it affects low income elders in Massachusetts. It has been intense and the program has asked more of us than it seems we have time for. However, I've been blessed to work with a great group of people. We can disagree openly for the benefit of our product. I admire the people I work with and have been positively influenced by the unique experiences that each of them bring. One previously worked in government, another with HIV education in Africa, another with business, another was a teacher, and another has a strong commitment to making sure that each person gets heard, etc.
My classes last semester were tough. In addition to Social Justice and Legal Writing, I studied torts, civil procedure, and property. In general, the reading was plentiful and classes were more interesting than I had imagined they would be. Torts was my favorite due to my professor and the way that cases were written. Professor Parmet, my torts professor, has a knack for public speaking. She is short and thin physically, but her animated personality was huge and sometimes intimidating. Her wit was sharp, probably from years of piercing holes in the arguments of her students and boldly voicing arguments that none of us dared to make. While she was tough and detail oriented, she made torts fun and interesting.
Civil procedure, a class that is notoriously confusing and complicated, was taught by professor Lucy Williams. Professor Williams has her roots in poverty law. Before attending her class, I read other student's comments about her on ratemyprofessor.com. The positive comments stated that she is sweet, teaches a lot of material (more than necessary), and is passionate about the subject. The negative comments said that she is all over the place and changes the subject all the time. The positive comments were true in my experience. The negative comments were less true about Professor Williams and more true about civil procedure as a subject. As a subject, civil procedure is all over the place. Civil procedure involves interdependent rules, statutes, and case law that guide procedure in all phases of civil litigation (lawsuits that aren't criminal). Because everything is interdependent, it is difficult to provide an explanation of one rule without going into another interacting rule. It's confusing until the very end, when it all comes together as we were assured by Professor Williams. Her teaching style was helpful as she treated civil procedure as a profound, interesting, and urgent topic. She always stressed that the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure book didn't provide answers as much as it provided room for making arguments.
My property class had its own benefits. Professor Baumann gave a lot of flexibility in creating arguments and experimenting with the doctrine. She was less about providing us with clear answers than allowing us to make arguments (as long as they were sound). I enjoyed the idea that property is not as concrete of a concept as we generally believe. Rather than being one unified concept of ownership, we walked away from class knowing that it involves a group of rights and responsibilities such as the right to exclude others, the right to include others, the right to transfer ownership, etc. Some of the terms in property have remained the same since the 1600's or earlier in England. For that reason, many terms in property have no connection to our common understanding of the words as they are used today. Fee simple, fee simple determinable, and to the heirs of his body are commonplace terms in property law that seem strange and nonsensical outside of law school. That made the subject a little more difficult. Professor Baumann emphasized the importance of the underlying reason for the rule or statute. If the reason or purpose of the legal rule wasn't present, we could argue that it should not apply to the current facts.
Two of my professors relied on what is known as cold calling. This is a teaching method where professors will call students and ask them questions about the cases, usually without warning. Because we are in class with about 75 students, cold calling is an effective incentive for completing the assigned reading. It can be nerve wracking or incredibly rewarding. To ease some of my nerves, a classmate and I discuss cases at the gym in preparation for class. It's been really helpful so far.
Exams were a marathon in themselves. The exams are presented as a several page story or fact pattern. Tucked away in the fact pattern are legal issues. Our task is to identify the issues, state the applicable legal rules and caselaw, and then analyze the issues through those rules. For each class, it's a four hour process that results in 12-18 double spaced pages being written at NUSL. Don't ask me how. It just kind of happened.
With last semester down and half of this spring semester to go, I feel like I'm more familiar with what is required for law school. To describe it in one sentence, it has been more work than time allows. The great part about it is learning to figure it all out and feeling capable after pulling it off. The difficult part is how overwhelming it can be and maintaining a sense of vigilance, knowing that there is not enough time to do an amazing job on every task. So far, I'm still really glad to be here and have enjoyed everything it has to offer.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Moving in and meetings...
In the years I've been in Charlotte, enjoying lunch a few times each week with friends was typical. Giving hugs to friends and family had happened every time we parted from a gathering. Because this was still the case during my last week in Charlotte, it didn't feel like I was leaving my home of four years. Everything that was usual for me in Charlotte was happening for the last time, in a while at least.
After a 15 hour drive from NC to MA, Boston greeted me with a drizzle of rain and the most concentrated group of welcoming people with impressive backgrounds I've ever met. I feel a little starstruck, hearing about the work that most of my peers have done before they came to NUSL. At the same time, it's very inclusive and my new friends have been interested in my background as well. The upper level students that I've interacted with have been giving me the inside scoop on my professors. It's going to be a great year.
After a 15 hour drive from NC to MA, Boston greeted me with a drizzle of rain and the most concentrated group of welcoming people with impressive backgrounds I've ever met. I feel a little starstruck, hearing about the work that most of my peers have done before they came to NUSL. At the same time, it's very inclusive and my new friends have been interested in my background as well. The upper level students that I've interacted with have been giving me the inside scoop on my professors. It's going to be a great year.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Summer, where did you go?!
With the end of summer, there have been a new round of changes. Freedom schools is finished, I had my last Toastmasters meeting (finishing the competent communicator's series), my last show with The Flash Alchemy (a Charlotte band I play with), and I've moved from the Wright's home (a family that put me up over the summer).
Each morning at Freedom Schools, we started the day with breakfast, singing, dancing, and a read aloud guest. The point was to create an atmosphere of positivity and encouragement. It's called Harambee (Huh-Rahm-Bay). The day continued with reading and activities. With a group of ten middle schoolers, we finished a book each week. In many of the books, the characters encountered issues that come with being an adolescent in the inner city. Working optimally with each individual was a learning process for me. For some students, a little quiet reminder of how great they usually do was enough to stop a behavior from developing. For a few others, it seemed like all the consequences, incentives, and praise available to me were not enough. If I have gained one belief from this experience, it's that teachers and students have huge challenges in front of them and deserve all the support we can offer. After seven weeks of reading and being creative with behavior management, Freedom Schools is done and I'm on the cusp of my first semester at NUSL.
We've already been assigned a lot of reading. It's exciting, although I feel a little overwhelmed. In addition to reading a few cases in the orientation material, my professors have assigned anywhere from 15 pages to 137 pages for each class. Fortunately, I'm not alone.
I've been able to connect with some really great classmates over facebook and our school's social networking site. They feel the excitement and weight all at once as well. I've gained quite a few tips and resources from many of my future classmates already. I can't wait to meet them in person. Move in day is the 28th and orientation begins on the 30th.
Each morning at Freedom Schools, we started the day with breakfast, singing, dancing, and a read aloud guest. The point was to create an atmosphere of positivity and encouragement. It's called Harambee (Huh-Rahm-Bay). The day continued with reading and activities. With a group of ten middle schoolers, we finished a book each week. In many of the books, the characters encountered issues that come with being an adolescent in the inner city. Working optimally with each individual was a learning process for me. For some students, a little quiet reminder of how great they usually do was enough to stop a behavior from developing. For a few others, it seemed like all the consequences, incentives, and praise available to me were not enough. If I have gained one belief from this experience, it's that teachers and students have huge challenges in front of them and deserve all the support we can offer. After seven weeks of reading and being creative with behavior management, Freedom Schools is done and I'm on the cusp of my first semester at NUSL.
We've already been assigned a lot of reading. It's exciting, although I feel a little overwhelmed. In addition to reading a few cases in the orientation material, my professors have assigned anywhere from 15 pages to 137 pages for each class. Fortunately, I'm not alone.
I've been able to connect with some really great classmates over facebook and our school's social networking site. They feel the excitement and weight all at once as well. I've gained quite a few tips and resources from many of my future classmates already. I can't wait to meet them in person. Move in day is the 28th and orientation begins on the 30th.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Summer: A Seasonal Pregame to the Fall
In nearly the same week, I finished undergrad at UNC Charlotte and gave my last tour with the Levine Museum to a group of high schoolers. I feel surprisingly good about it, considering the sense of personal value that both experiences gave to me. It's the end of an era, but new challenges will follow. I'll be sharing my joy for reading at a literacy camp this summer and then pummeled with books and assignments in the fall at law school. In preparation for the demands of law school, my simple goal is to live a healthy lifestyle. By the standards of my peers, my lifestyle is not unhealthy. But it won't give me the limitless enthusiasm needed to encourage and challenge ten kids at the literacy camp this summer and it won't provide the tenacity that law school will demand. The goal is wellness and it will help other goals. With a summer of full time work with youth, this sunny season is a sort of pregame to the upcoming fall in Boston.
The literacy camp that I'm working at is called Freedom Schools. It's a program that encourages self esteem and the appreciation of reading for reading's sake. It appears to be more about fun than academics and it's not institutional. That being said, there is structure to the day. It starts out with dancing and singing, followed by a reading curriculum, and lastly some sort of activity in the later half of the day. I've got a lot of respect for the program and my coworkers are wonderful people. We start training next week.
So, among all of this, my simple goals when not at work include:
- making running, yoga, and mindfulness a priority in my life.
- developing productive conflict resolution skills so that conflict is a source of personal growth rather than a drain.
- getting to bed at a reasonable time on nights when I'm not playing a show.
That's all. It is doable.
While this post is a little more self involved than previous writings, I believe that it's important to be in the right mindset for an environment as challenging Northeastern law.
The literacy camp that I'm working at is called Freedom Schools. It's a program that encourages self esteem and the appreciation of reading for reading's sake. It appears to be more about fun than academics and it's not institutional. That being said, there is structure to the day. It starts out with dancing and singing, followed by a reading curriculum, and lastly some sort of activity in the later half of the day. I've got a lot of respect for the program and my coworkers are wonderful people. We start training next week.
So, among all of this, my simple goals when not at work include:
- making running, yoga, and mindfulness a priority in my life.
- developing productive conflict resolution skills so that conflict is a source of personal growth rather than a drain.
- getting to bed at a reasonable time on nights when I'm not playing a show.
That's all. It is doable.
While this post is a little more self involved than previous writings, I believe that it's important to be in the right mindset for an environment as challenging Northeastern law.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Talking my way through Boston...
A few weekends ago, I left the Queen City to visit Boston for the first time.... ever. Before my trip, I was in the awkward position of planning to attend a University that I never visited. Although I've heard only great things about Boston and Northeastern, the school's admitted student open house offered a chance to see for myself. With a travel voucher from the University, I booked a hostel reservation and round trip air fare to Boston! My trip was characterized by stimulating conversation and exploration.
Leaving Charlotte on a United Airways flight, I anticipated all the people I would meet in the city. Little did I know that the socializing would start sooner than expected. Sitting next to me was an older couple from Athens, GA visiting their daughter in Boston. The man was a paper machine repairman. These machines actually turn trees into liquid pulp into paper. He excitedly told me all about the process. With a specialized trade, it's taken him all over the states. Even though I don't have cable to watch an episode of "how it's made" on the Discovery Channel, I received an education on the topic of paper over the course of the flight. It was interesting. He and his wife made me an itinerary of activities to do in Boston. With only two days to visit, I was only able to do one of them.
After arriving, I took the subway to Northeastern University and walked in the rain to take care of financial aid concerns during business hours. Looking down at my itinerary of things to do from the friendly couple, I decided to cross off the first suggestion and check out the Museum of Fine Art across the street from Northeastern. This museum was HUGE! They had an exhibit of exotic musical instruments and ancient art from various world religions or civilizations. These ranged from Chinese Buddhist relics, inscriptions from Egyptian tombs, and Spanish Christian paintings and sculptures. With only two hours, I didn't have enough time to see everything. Strangely, I bought an umbrella from their gift store, of all places, to protect my nice jacket from the elements and went back out in the rain.
In order to save myself several hundred dollars(seriously), I stayed at a hostel rather than a hotel. The room was shared among 6 men. Two of them were from England and one of them was from Atlanta, GA. We talked about accents and American History. Apparently, the age old question of what Brits think about the fourth of July is a mixed bag. One of them felt a little rejected in Boston as an Englishman while the other one didn't know what the heck that guy was talking about. My Georgian friend and I shared the opinion of the latter. Let's let sleeping dogs lie.
The first night at the Northeastern open house included a Diversity Reception to expose admitted students to race, gender, and sexual orientation student groups. Although I didn't identify with any of the communities, I attended the reception to meet classmates and enjoy an open bar. Students of all years were in attendance to welcome newcomers. Some third year students already had employment established before graduation thanks to the Co-op program. They answered my questions about student clubs, housing, Boston, and maintaining balance as a first year law student. It was a great primer to the following day.
The following day, I randomly sat next to another incoming NUSL student visiting from Minnesota at the Hostel's breakfast. After talking about the south and our aspirations over some fruit loops, we walked to the University. A friendly group of current students greeted us. Some of them, I met during the prior evening at the diversity reception. We were given a quick walk-through of the library and law school services. The urban campus is characterized by grey brick paths and pretty vegetation. It's surrounded by historic buildings while the grey brick buildings on campus give a contemporary, if not futuristic twist. I met some more students from California, Massachusetts, NC, Hawaii, New York, Rhode Island, and Minnesota.
After the tour, we were given coffee and invited to a series of lectures about the University. The first talk was meant to sell NUSL as a school to undecided students. The speakers mentioned everything that makes NUSL unique from its coop program to its students to its professors. With a hefty private school price tag, the next speaker sought to quell some fears about money. The financial aid office explained our options for financing school along with the government support available to public interest attorneys. The last event was a panel discussion by current students about the Co-op program. The amount of responsibility that these students were able to carry was very impressive to me. They worked positions in immigration law, judicial internships, public defense, and anti-human trafficking efforts in India.
Following a long morning of being told why Northeastern is a fabulous school, we were set loose to ask questions of professors and current students in a reception. I also met more prospective students who had impressive backgrounds. At the reception, the conversation drummed up excitement. I spoke with a first year student who was already tasked with investigating prosecutor misconduct in New Orleans, and another who was researching legal issues concerning veterans and mental health. I finished the day by having sushi with a fellow incoming student who grew up between Jamaica and Florida and worked with carbon trading in Switzerland during undergrad.
Hearing the stories and goals of so many people fills my heart to the brim. After a weekend of meeting like-minded students, I'm sure that this is the right school for me.
Leaving Charlotte on a United Airways flight, I anticipated all the people I would meet in the city. Little did I know that the socializing would start sooner than expected. Sitting next to me was an older couple from Athens, GA visiting their daughter in Boston. The man was a paper machine repairman. These machines actually turn trees into liquid pulp into paper. He excitedly told me all about the process. With a specialized trade, it's taken him all over the states. Even though I don't have cable to watch an episode of "how it's made" on the Discovery Channel, I received an education on the topic of paper over the course of the flight. It was interesting. He and his wife made me an itinerary of activities to do in Boston. With only two days to visit, I was only able to do one of them.
After arriving, I took the subway to Northeastern University and walked in the rain to take care of financial aid concerns during business hours. Looking down at my itinerary of things to do from the friendly couple, I decided to cross off the first suggestion and check out the Museum of Fine Art across the street from Northeastern. This museum was HUGE! They had an exhibit of exotic musical instruments and ancient art from various world religions or civilizations. These ranged from Chinese Buddhist relics, inscriptions from Egyptian tombs, and Spanish Christian paintings and sculptures. With only two hours, I didn't have enough time to see everything. Strangely, I bought an umbrella from their gift store, of all places, to protect my nice jacket from the elements and went back out in the rain.
In order to save myself several hundred dollars(seriously), I stayed at a hostel rather than a hotel. The room was shared among 6 men. Two of them were from England and one of them was from Atlanta, GA. We talked about accents and American History. Apparently, the age old question of what Brits think about the fourth of July is a mixed bag. One of them felt a little rejected in Boston as an Englishman while the other one didn't know what the heck that guy was talking about. My Georgian friend and I shared the opinion of the latter. Let's let sleeping dogs lie.
The first night at the Northeastern open house included a Diversity Reception to expose admitted students to race, gender, and sexual orientation student groups. Although I didn't identify with any of the communities, I attended the reception to meet classmates and enjoy an open bar. Students of all years were in attendance to welcome newcomers. Some third year students already had employment established before graduation thanks to the Co-op program. They answered my questions about student clubs, housing, Boston, and maintaining balance as a first year law student. It was a great primer to the following day.
The following day, I randomly sat next to another incoming NUSL student visiting from Minnesota at the Hostel's breakfast. After talking about the south and our aspirations over some fruit loops, we walked to the University. A friendly group of current students greeted us. Some of them, I met during the prior evening at the diversity reception. We were given a quick walk-through of the library and law school services. The urban campus is characterized by grey brick paths and pretty vegetation. It's surrounded by historic buildings while the grey brick buildings on campus give a contemporary, if not futuristic twist. I met some more students from California, Massachusetts, NC, Hawaii, New York, Rhode Island, and Minnesota.
After the tour, we were given coffee and invited to a series of lectures about the University. The first talk was meant to sell NUSL as a school to undecided students. The speakers mentioned everything that makes NUSL unique from its coop program to its students to its professors. With a hefty private school price tag, the next speaker sought to quell some fears about money. The financial aid office explained our options for financing school along with the government support available to public interest attorneys. The last event was a panel discussion by current students about the Co-op program. The amount of responsibility that these students were able to carry was very impressive to me. They worked positions in immigration law, judicial internships, public defense, and anti-human trafficking efforts in India.
Following a long morning of being told why Northeastern is a fabulous school, we were set loose to ask questions of professors and current students in a reception. I also met more prospective students who had impressive backgrounds. At the reception, the conversation drummed up excitement. I spoke with a first year student who was already tasked with investigating prosecutor misconduct in New Orleans, and another who was researching legal issues concerning veterans and mental health. I finished the day by having sushi with a fellow incoming student who grew up between Jamaica and Florida and worked with carbon trading in Switzerland during undergrad.
Hearing the stories and goals of so many people fills my heart to the brim. After a weekend of meeting like-minded students, I'm sure that this is the right school for me.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Northeastern this fall...
This break has been a good time. With lots of music and slow mornings, it's probably been too enjoyable. I've got two books to read, two papers to write, and two presentations to be prepared for by Monday..... I'm hoping for a late Christmas miracle on this one. But regardless, it'll get done.
(receiving Northeastern decision letter. Photo courtesy of Jessica)
With the current job woes that are being faced, working a full time internship will help me build relationships with future potential employers. Also, my resume will enjoy a year of real world experience before graduation. In addition to the connections and experience, it will be a reminder that studies go beyond academic evaluations and will have a real world impact.
During undergrad, having a volunteer or intern position has been helpful with work ethic and grades. Writing a paper or speaking about something seemingly irrelevant to the present becomes an exercise in organizing ideas, summarizing, or communicating clearly- probably one of my larger insecurities and, as a result of giving it extra attention, is also one of my unacknowledged strengths. Thumbing through distant, unrelated history becomes a practice in reading comprehension and an attempt to know the world a little bit more than my own experience allows. Having a co-op or a clinic will be a reminder that any seemingly irrelevant task is building a relevant skill for future use.
Their co-op and clinics should also be an adventure. Their clinics during the semester include: Domestic Violence, Criminal Advocacy, Poverty Law and Practice, Prisoner's Rights, and Health Law. The kid in me is stoked about waking up early in the morning, wearing a suit, walking around beautiful buildings with manila files under arm, and approaching each situation or person as if that's the most important part of my day. It'll be interesting when my expectations meet reality.
Other reasons I'm stoked: Northeastern has a strong reputation for public interest law. Following graduation, their students seek employment in government, nonprofit, or judicial clerk positions at a rate of five times the national average. I'm excited to be in the company of people who are pursuing public interest as a priority rather than a last resort.
Writing has helped me procrastinate long enough. I've got to get to some work. Dr. Tom Hanchett's "Sorting Out the New South City" is on my reading list today. I'm really curious about the book. He's the historian from the Levine Museum and the book is about Charlotte's urban development between 1875-1975.
(receiving Northeastern decision letter. Photo courtesy of Jessica)So, my plans for the fall are to head up to Boston and attend Northeastern University School of Law. They have a unique Co-op program along with a strong reputation for public interest. The second and third years are broken up into quarters. Every other quarter, second and third year students work full time in a legal placement of their choice. This program excites me for several reasons. The first relates to employment.
With the current job woes that are being faced, working a full time internship will help me build relationships with future potential employers. Also, my resume will enjoy a year of real world experience before graduation. In addition to the connections and experience, it will be a reminder that studies go beyond academic evaluations and will have a real world impact.
During undergrad, having a volunteer or intern position has been helpful with work ethic and grades. Writing a paper or speaking about something seemingly irrelevant to the present becomes an exercise in organizing ideas, summarizing, or communicating clearly- probably one of my larger insecurities and, as a result of giving it extra attention, is also one of my unacknowledged strengths. Thumbing through distant, unrelated history becomes a practice in reading comprehension and an attempt to know the world a little bit more than my own experience allows. Having a co-op or a clinic will be a reminder that any seemingly irrelevant task is building a relevant skill for future use.
Their co-op and clinics should also be an adventure. Their clinics during the semester include: Domestic Violence, Criminal Advocacy, Poverty Law and Practice, Prisoner's Rights, and Health Law. The kid in me is stoked about waking up early in the morning, wearing a suit, walking around beautiful buildings with manila files under arm, and approaching each situation or person as if that's the most important part of my day. It'll be interesting when my expectations meet reality.
Other reasons I'm stoked: Northeastern has a strong reputation for public interest law. Following graduation, their students seek employment in government, nonprofit, or judicial clerk positions at a rate of five times the national average. I'm excited to be in the company of people who are pursuing public interest as a priority rather than a last resort.
Writing has helped me procrastinate long enough. I've got to get to some work. Dr. Tom Hanchett's "Sorting Out the New South City" is on my reading list today. I'm really curious about the book. He's the historian from the Levine Museum and the book is about Charlotte's urban development between 1875-1975.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The application nightmare, an initiation of sorts...
After much reflection about my desired purpose and future, I began the law school application process last fall in 2009. My friends Brandon and Jana have also shared in the madness of grad school applications. I've known Brandon since 2006 through Student Life at CPCC. He was the AmeriCorps Vista with Service Learning. He's also applying to law school. Jana, I met last summer. She's a seasoned nonprofit veteran and a strong advocate for individuals living with autism. Her goal is to bring her administrative and direct service experience together through a career of social work.
In the late summer, I began writing my statement. My statement opened up with an attention grabbing scenario after the six Marine snipers were killed in Haditha. Our unit arrived in the Al Anbar province shortly after and was tasked with a mission in response to that event. It was an uneventful mission although the news attention made it noteworthy for an essay. An uneventful raid can still sound pretty exciting. After that introduction, I wrote that my military experiences at home and abroad moved me to a life of service. Since returning, I've taken steps to prepare for a life of advocacy through civic minded involvement. The rest of the essay outlined that involvement.
It took a while to polish and trim the essay to the required two pages for most schools. On one side, it was a fun writing exercise. I exchanged drafts with my friend Jana, a nonprofit veteran and future student of Social Work. We mutilated each other's drafts, explained concerns, and found unexploited strengths. Aside from getting each of us into school, it was a refreshing practice with giving and receiving constructive criticism. The essay forced me to focus my goals and intentions into a definition. By late October, my drafts were done and it was application time.
LSAC, the Law School Admissions Council, has a very helpful system to help with the application process. It's a central website where you submit your transcripts, letters of recommendation, personal statements, etc. Then, applicants select the schools they wish to apply for, fill out an electronic application, and LSAC sends out your paperwork.
The LSAT was probably the biggest weakness in my application. It was a tough test. Part of me enjoyed the half day of word puzzles and mild pressure. The other part was looking forward to it being over. My mindset was probably most helped by the following words: "Tomorrow, when you take the test you won't be able to prepare anymore. Adding up the extra prep time you could have spent won't help you at that point. Appreciate that fact and have fun." All in all, it was a relief to have that test done in September.
In a way, I felt like the whole process was an initiation into the law school experience.
The acceptance and denial letters have been trickling in since December. Brandon and I have been updating each other on our schools and sharing an occasional beer to talk about the future. Initially it was a little scary. Schools that were a reach like Fordham and Illinois sent me denials while a few of my safe schools sent me acceptances like Charlotte and NCCU. With a rough job market, the school I go to and connections I make will be especially critical. Since the beginning of the application process, I was especially interested in Northeastern and Chapel Hill. Not knowing from either of them stressed me to make contingency plans just in case. Fortunately, I received an acceptance from Northeastern this spring and celebrated with my friend Jessica over a cigar. She was kind enough to hear my excitement about the future while we walked and puffed on UNCC's campus. High fives were shared with other friends on campus as I spread the news.
Since that time, it's been solidified that I'm going to Northeastern. They have a really unique program. I'll rant about why I'm stoked for that school later. I'm excited and owe a gazillion thank you cards to the folks in student life at CPCC, my supportive friends, family, and former professors at CPCC and UNCC.
In the late summer, I began writing my statement. My statement opened up with an attention grabbing scenario after the six Marine snipers were killed in Haditha. Our unit arrived in the Al Anbar province shortly after and was tasked with a mission in response to that event. It was an uneventful mission although the news attention made it noteworthy for an essay. An uneventful raid can still sound pretty exciting. After that introduction, I wrote that my military experiences at home and abroad moved me to a life of service. Since returning, I've taken steps to prepare for a life of advocacy through civic minded involvement. The rest of the essay outlined that involvement.
It took a while to polish and trim the essay to the required two pages for most schools. On one side, it was a fun writing exercise. I exchanged drafts with my friend Jana, a nonprofit veteran and future student of Social Work. We mutilated each other's drafts, explained concerns, and found unexploited strengths. Aside from getting each of us into school, it was a refreshing practice with giving and receiving constructive criticism. The essay forced me to focus my goals and intentions into a definition. By late October, my drafts were done and it was application time.
LSAC, the Law School Admissions Council, has a very helpful system to help with the application process. It's a central website where you submit your transcripts, letters of recommendation, personal statements, etc. Then, applicants select the schools they wish to apply for, fill out an electronic application, and LSAC sends out your paperwork.
The LSAT was probably the biggest weakness in my application. It was a tough test. Part of me enjoyed the half day of word puzzles and mild pressure. The other part was looking forward to it being over. My mindset was probably most helped by the following words: "Tomorrow, when you take the test you won't be able to prepare anymore. Adding up the extra prep time you could have spent won't help you at that point. Appreciate that fact and have fun." All in all, it was a relief to have that test done in September.
In a way, I felt like the whole process was an initiation into the law school experience.
The acceptance and denial letters have been trickling in since December. Brandon and I have been updating each other on our schools and sharing an occasional beer to talk about the future. Initially it was a little scary. Schools that were a reach like Fordham and Illinois sent me denials while a few of my safe schools sent me acceptances like Charlotte and NCCU. With a rough job market, the school I go to and connections I make will be especially critical. Since the beginning of the application process, I was especially interested in Northeastern and Chapel Hill. Not knowing from either of them stressed me to make contingency plans just in case. Fortunately, I received an acceptance from Northeastern this spring and celebrated with my friend Jessica over a cigar. She was kind enough to hear my excitement about the future while we walked and puffed on UNCC's campus. High fives were shared with other friends on campus as I spread the news.
Since that time, it's been solidified that I'm going to Northeastern. They have a really unique program. I'll rant about why I'm stoked for that school later. I'm excited and owe a gazillion thank you cards to the folks in student life at CPCC, my supportive friends, family, and former professors at CPCC and UNCC.
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