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5 Life Tips for Balance in Law School
By Claudia Ojeda • March 19, 2018 •Law School, Other Law School Issues
As a second semester 3L, I've learned some nuggets of wisdom along the way that I hope to pass on to current and future law students so that you can get past the “surviving law school” stage and actually thrive in it and in your personal life as well. All of the tips on this list are things I’ve incorporated into my life and daily routine, I hope they’re useful to anyone reading this post! In no specific order, here it goes: 1. PROTECT YOUR HAPPINESS: I recently read a book on happiness and the flaws of having a goal-driven…
Creating Balance through Routine
By Elizabeth Tolon • March 06, 2018 •Ms. JD, Law School, Pre-Law, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
As I go through my final semester of law school, I reflect on what I’ve learned since starting two and a half years ago. For me, law school has been challenging, invigorating, fun, and full of surprises. When I walked into class on my first day of law school, I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea what textualism meant or how the Rules of Civil Procedure influence litigation. I didn’t know what the Socratic method was and I didn’t understand the curve. After my first day of classes, I felt a little like Elle Woods after…
Selfie with no Filter: the 1L Life - Know Yourself.
By Britt Wiegand • February 28, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Other Law School Issues
“If you were an ingredient in a salad, what would you be?” Immediately after my mentor posed the question, I started desperately hoping she didn’t expect me to come up with an answer. We were discussing an upcoming interview, and this was way out of my comfort zone. Questions like this terrify me. Even though I can prepare all the typical responses about my strengths, weaknesses, and five-year goals, these types of questions make me feel like the interview committee has some sort of inside joke that I’m not in on. She quickly continued with what she would say in…
You’ll Pay For This: What In The World Does Your Student Loan Statement Say?
By Kerriann Stout • February 28, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Other Issues
I would compare reading about law school loans to watching a car accident happen. You don’t really WANT to watch it, but you also can’t seem to turn away. This month, I am rewarding your curiosity with a more in depth analysis of how student loans work. As you may recall from last month, I spent a good deal of time (almost 2 years) after graduation completely avoiding the fact that I had student loans at all. A big part of the reason I was so scared to even look at my student loan accounts after I graduated was that I…
Making Peace with Testing Accommodations
By Katherine Macfarlane • January 28, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Other Law School Issues
I dreaded law school exams, but not because of the exams themselves. I received testing accommodations in law school, which meant that I took my exams in a room far away from the place all of my classmates took theirs. They noticed my absence. “I didn’t see you in the Contracts exam,” my classmates would tell me. Over the course of three years, I told only one friend about the accommodations room. My testing accommodations were a closely guarded secret. I was ashamed that my testing experience was different, and afraid that my good grades would be attributed to the…
Selfie with no Filter: the 1L Life - Cut the Comparison
By Britt Wiegand • January 28, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Other Law School Issues
The Trap I just finished my first semester of law school (woohoo!) and felt great. I had set a goal for a gpa (despite knowing that gpa goals aren’t the best type of goals) and beat it by .09! I know, beating something by not even a tenth of a point sounds like a tiny achievement. But, given the law school grading curve, I was pretty pumped. After getting grades back, I felt proud. I told my parents and fiancé, and I was feeling excited about heading into semester number two. And then (dun dun dun)… I went back…
The Best Way to Leave the Law When You’re Burned Out? Don’t.
By Amy Impellizzeri • January 26, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Other Law School Issues, Issues, •Women and Law in the Media, Other Issues
In 2009, I took a one year sabbatical from my 13+ year law career. I turned out the lights in my 42d floor office at 4 Times Square and left. Just a year. Nine years later, I often joke that I’m still on that one year sabbatical. The truth is, I’ve transitioned away from the active practice of law, and nine years has given me a fair perspective to understand how and why that transition has been so successful. In nine years, I’ve worked on the executive team of a pioneering start-up company, negotiated publishing contracts and a literary agency contract, launched…
You’ll Pay For This: The First Step Is Admitting You Have a Problem
By Kerriann Stout • January 25, 2018 •Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Other Issues
I owe $226,020.79 in federal student loan debt for my legal education. Let’s start at the very beginning. I was extremely fortunate to have my undergraduate education paid for through a mix of scholarships and parental-aid. When I graduated with my shiny new B.A in Modern Languages and Cultures (yeah, I know), I had no clue what I wanted to do, and I had no concept of how different my life would be with student loans breathing down my back. In my infinite 21 year old wisdom, I decided “I don’t know what I want to do, so I will…
Becoming a Pre-Law Leader on Campus - #MsJDPreLaw Mentoring Hangout (Ep. 02)
By Gennie #MsJDPreLaw • January 20, 2018 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Legal Academia, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, •Curriculum and Classroom Dynamics, Internships and Clerkships, Other Law School Issues
Watch the second episode of our #MsJDPreLaw Mentoring Hangouts on "Becoming a Pre-Law Leader on Campus"! This will be live-streamed at 12pm ET on Saturday, January 20, 2017, at tiny.cc/msjdprelawepisode2. Guest speakers are: Erin Callahan: Ms. JD Board Member. She was the President of Women in Law and The Student Bar Association at Dedman School of Law. Erin recently left the insurance industry and is now in private practice at a small firm in Houston, Texas. Moniel Sanders: Class of 2019 undergraduate at Indiana University Bloomington. President of the Pre-Law Black Law Student Association at Indiana University Bloomington. Margaret Zhu: Class…