Quote of the Day

Mr. describing the relationship between him and his lawyer bff.

"He's my friend, but I don't like him."

I think that's hilarious. God, I love my husband.

LSAT... Eww.

I took the LSAT last June and I would just like to say - "THANK YOU, BABY JESUS" that it's behind me! However, I know that not everyone is as fortunate as I am to have kicked the LSAT's ass with only minor psychological trauma and one teeny, weeny anxiety attack.

I remember scouring every law blog on the web last year searching for LSAT advice from those who had triumphed before me. And since the June exam is only days away, I figured I would add some of my own advice for the benefit of any law school hopeful who happens to stumble across my page. :)

(1) For the love of God, TAKE A PREP CLASS.
I know they are expensive. You should of seen the look on my husband's face when I told him I needed $1,500 so that I could take an 8 week course - on top of my full-time school load and job.

"By the way, honey, youre going to need to be cooking dinner for yourself and JV three nights a week while I'm in LSAT class til 10pm. You might want to start figuring that out now."

Justify the expense with reminding yourself that law school is a financial investment (hellooo, crippling student loans), and that the very first step you take towards your law career is one of the most important.

I took a Test Masters class and I picked them based on their local reputation. I had a couple friends in law school who took their course and swore by it. Other people I knew who took Kaplan or Princeton Review werent as happy with their experiences, plus Test Masters was cheaper. The end result? My score went up 14 points from the diagnostic exam!
(2) Undergrads: If your school offers courses in Logic, TAKE THEM.

Lucky for me - I was a philosophy major. Majoring in philosophy will NOT get you a job, but it WILL help you with reading comprehension and analytical skills. For my degree, I was required to take Logic 2. Hardest...class...ever. It was horrible. However, being the introspective philosopher that I am, I realized how much it could help me with the LSAT later on. So, after my required logic class was over, I signed up for Logic 1 as an elective. I know, I'm a nerd. But a nerd with extensive logic training. And a great LSAT score. :)
(3) You only get what you give.


Time yourself doing sections. Take practice tests. Study on the weekends and late into the night. Dream about Logic Game strategies. Immerse yourself in the painful world that is your life pre-LSAT and embrace it.
Learn it. Live it. Love it. Well, you don't have to love it -but my point is that you actually have to STUDY for this exam (even if you're one of those people who never study and still pull As). I studied for a solid six months, mostly emphasizing on the games section. In the two months before my exam, I was a total basket case. Mr. asking me what I wanted for dinner had the ability to send me into hysterics, tears, and hyperventilation. Seriously. I lost ten pounds, became mentally unstable, and the bags under my eyes were so bad that it provoked more than one "You look so tired" comment. And I'm not even going to go into my first ever (and hopefully last) anxiety attack, which occured just days before the exam. After it was all said and done though, I can say that I gave the test everything I had... and it was the first time in my life where I felt like hard work really does pay off.
(4) Don't freak yourself out.
Worry about yourself, not anyone else. It doesn't matter what your friends are scoring on their practice tests and it definitely doesn't matter what the kid next to you in prep class is doing to study. Everyone is different with varied strengths and weaknesses. Figure out what you need to do to get the best score you can, and then do it.
That being said, be careful not to let studying for the LSAT take over your life completely. I think I was a little guilty of this and it definitely led to me freaking myself out. Try and remind yourself that this is only a test and while it does dictate whether or not you get accepted to law school next year, your score will not ruin your life. You still have your health, family, friends, and alcoholic beverages. You will live through this, I promise. And if you bomb it, you can always retake it next time! Hopefully you won't have to though.

NOTE: The freak out can continue even after you have taken your test. I went back and forth over cancelling my score until the last possible second. Mr. was the one who took the phone out of my hands as I dialed LSAC, "Let me get this right. You want to cancel your score so you can spend the NEXT six months obsessing over game strategies and logical fallacies? Umm, no." Good thing he talked some sense into me, because I ended up getting my highest score ever!
(5) Take a break.
I solicited advice from every lawyer and law student I knew in the days before my test. When my husband's 3L friend echoed the advice of my Test Master teacher in saying "Make sure to take a break from studying in the days before your test, that way you're not burnt out from the material", I took a mental note to disregard it. After all, I live my life burnt out and I had soo much I still wanted to go over before I took the most important test of my life so far.

But when my aunt (who is a successful attorney) called to wish me luck the week of my LSAT, she said the same thing. I told her that I had heard that advice before, but I just couldnt bring myself to neglect studying the test material so close to the exam when I had spent the last six months living and breathing it. She told me to shut up and listen to her because she was the succesful attorney and I was the lowly pre-law student. Yes maam. So I willed myself to spend the day before my test blackberry picking with my husband and son, cooking large amounts of comfort food, and watching trashy tv. And you know what? It helped! Clearing my head from the material for a day helped me to calm down and mentally prepare myself for the impending doom. Bonus: I found that I was able to identify question stems easier after giving my brain a day off!

GOOD LUCK!!!

0L SUMMER READING

Ten Rules for Admitted Students Day

1. Do NOT bring your parents.

No matter how close you are to them, even if they'll be paying for school, or if they insist to attend with you... DON'T DO IT. You'll look like an asshole, I promise. The first impression you'll make on your future classmates is either (A) you're a baby who needs your parents to hold your hand through life, or (B) you're just an idiot.

2. Be friendly, but not too friendly.

DO make an effort to meet current and prospective students, professors, etc. DO NOT become a stage five clinger to any one person (or group of people). Also, fight the urge to tell people a summary of your personal statement/life story, personal details about your life, or friend request them of facebook the minute you get home.

3. Turn your cell phone off.

Obviously. You don't want to be the rude 0L that faculty hates before you even step foot on campus as a legit student. Manners, people.

4. Make a good impression.

Shower. Dress nicely. Smile. Be friendly. A first impression is hard to live down. And since you're going to be selling your soul to law school for the next three years of your life, you want to make a good one to the people you will be stuck in hell with.

5. Dress appropriately.

People need the most help with this one, I think. At my Admitted Students Day, the attire was all over the place. I wore a dark skirt suit and heels, but removed my jacket early on because it was pretty hot (and it didn't seem necessary to keep on). Most people wore a variation of business casual and looked really nice. However, there were a few people who literally showed up in t-shirts, shorts, and sandals! I remember thinking "WTF! I would never let that hobo be a lawyer!!". Don't be that guy/girl who shows up without shaving and looks like a bum... you'll always be thought of as a bum.

6. Observe your classmates.

This is fun. Do you like people watching? I do. Instead of being loud and obnoxious, I approached my Admitted Students Day quietly and stealthily observed all my soon-to-be frenemies. It's one of the few times people will have their guards down during law school, take advantage of it and figure them out.

7. Don't ask too many questions.

You don't want to reach gunner status after the very first day. If you have loads of questions, save them for a private one on one... otherwise you'll be the first name added to Asshole Bingo when school starts.

8. Introduce yourself to professors and faculty.

Why not? Now is your chance to talk to them before the fear of the Socratic Method sets in. Don't be scared, they were 1Ls once too.

9. Get a feel for the area.

While you're in town, drive around the campus' surrounding area. Are there good places to grab lunch nearby, or will you be better off bringing your lunch everyday? Do you like their library, or would you rather find a quiet park/bookstore nearby to hangout between classes? Figure everything you can out ahead of time. When August rolls around, you may not even have time to eat/shower.

10. Don't jump to any decisions.

Admitted Students Day should not make/break your descision to attend a particular school. Instead, take everyting into consideration (location, scholarships, area of law you want to practice) and make an educated decision based on everything together.

HAVE FUN!! IT'S YOUR LAST CHANCE TO SMILE BEFORE 1L :) 

The End Is Near...

I'm graduating sooo soon!!

And my seat deposit for law school is due almost exactly one month from now. I've officially heard back from all my schools and even though I was rejected from the highest ranked school in the state (where I go now), I am pleased with the schools I got into.

Mr. and I have agreed on a law school for me to attend in the fall and - lucky for us - it's only minutes from the beach!! Being an island girl at heart, this is something to be very, very excited about. I know law school is going to be three years of brain torture, but I can't help but be really excited about this next chapter of our lives... in a new home and town... by the BEACH! :)

Feel the Love

My closest friends describe me as a total romantic. And I love any excuse to dress up, eat chocolate, write a love letter, and snuggle with my favorite husband. Plus, red is definitely my color. So, naturally, Valentine's Day is one of my favorite days of the year.

This year, I thought I would share some of my favorite love quotes.

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"Across whatever desert it is, I send you my love."- What Dreams May Come

"I am no one special. Just a common man with common thoughts. I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I've succeeded as gloriously as anyone who ever lived. I've loved another with all my heart and soul and for me that has always been enough." - The Notebook

"You're everything I never knew I always wanted." - Fools Rush In

"They say that when you meet the love of your life time stops, and that's true. What they don't tell you is that once it starts up again, it moves extra fast to catch up." - Big Fish

"If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you." - Winnie the Pooh

"Stop talking about love. Every asshole in the world says he loves somebody. It means nothing. What you feel only matters to you. It's what you do to the people you say you love, that's what matters. It's the only thing that counts."- The Last Kiss

"Love me and the world is mine." - unknown

"Maybe mistakes are what make our fate... without them, what would shape our lives? Maybe if we never veered off course we wouldn't fall in love, have babies, or be who we are. After all, things change, so do cities, people come into your life and they go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love will always be in your heart... and if youre very lucky, a plane ride away." - Sex and The City

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and them subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether you roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love"which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what's left over after being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards eachother underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two." - St. Augustine