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Ms. Pre-JD: Learning the Value of Authenticity in 2017
By Nikki Datta • December 05, 2017 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Law School, Pre-Law, Issues, Mentoring and Networking
After reading the application requirements for the 2018 Writers-in-Residence program, I was reminded of career advice I received this past Summer that permanently changed my path: “You have to be really good at what you do and you have to look for opportunities to expand what you do.” A simple answer from Esta Stecher, in response to someone asking the million-dollar question: “How can we become as successful as you have been? Any tips?” The answer was so simple that you could hear the eye-rolls from people around me, as they remarked on how obvious the advice was. For me,…
App Happy: The Personal Statement
By Tatum Wheeler • November 18, 2017 •Law School, Pre-Law
Que the Sports Center theme music. This critical portion of the application often draws looks of panic from applicants and many ambiguous answers from admissions departments. The Personal Statement should seemingly be simple. Who has a better understanding of who you are and why law school is right for you right now than you? Unfortunately, it often does not feel this way. What It’s Not: A personal statement is not a statement of purpose. A statement of purpose, typically used for graduate school admission, provides a summary of your experience in the context of your professional aspirations. It essentially sums…
Ms. Pre-JD: Reflections on Becoming a Ms. JD
By Nikki Datta • November 06, 2017 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Pre-Law, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Other Issues
Now that we are so close to the year’s end, I thought it might be time to reflect on what I’ve learned about becoming a woman with a JD this year. Through conversations with attorneys, both candid and hyper-professional, personal experiences, and discussions with other pre-law students, I’ve found that the personal is often the political, and many of the things I’m struggling with now are not unique to my path. Some of the best advice I’ve gotten this year from other women with JDs… Plan for where you want your life to go, both personally and professionally – that…
Want Career Advice? Look Within First
By Ani Torossian • October 11, 2017 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Legal Academia, Other Career Issues, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, •Curriculum and Classroom Dynamics, Internships and Clerkships, Issues, Mentoring and Networking
Most likely, we are all familiar with Robert Frost’s famous opening stanza: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth.” And most likely, we have been confronted by analysis paralysis at one point or another in our lives. It oftentimes casts a shadow on the plethora of career advice received from various sources – fellow students, professors, seasoned attorneys, mentors who…
Ms. Pre-JD: Lessons from the MCCA Pathways Conference
By Nikki Datta • October 05, 2017 •Writers in Residence, Law School, Pre-Law, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
I had been planning for this month’s post to be about getting organized, because that’s what I’ve been working on in my personal life. In the last few days, though, I was inspired to rewrite. I spent the early part of this week volunteering at the MCCA Pathways Conference, and although I didn’t have much time to sit into sessions, I was able to learn quite a lot. Make success inevitable. Almost everyone is intimated by the prospect of networking, including myself. As a volunteer at Pathways, though, I was joined by a friend of mine who introduced herself to…
Failure Turned Inside Out: I Don’t Scare Easy
By Patricia Jjemba • October 05, 2017 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Other Law School Issues, •Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking
Name: Joy Harper Professional Title: Vice President Capital Markets Tax Sector: Asset Management Law School: Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State Specialization: International Tax and Taxation of Financial Instruments and Products Trusted Advisor “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” Any Godfather fan knows that Don Vito Corleone was, frighteningly, a man of his word, but it was his trusted advisor who ensured that Corleone escaped legal reprimand for his chilling antics. Joy Harper became enamored with the advisor’s innate ability to problem solve as a means to effectively advocate for his boss Corleone. Mix that along with her…
Ms. JD Pre-Law: “Table of Contents”
By Genevieve Antono • September 10, 2017 •Ms. JD, Conference, Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Legal Academia, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Politics and Government, •Other Career Issues, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Curriculum and Classroom Dynamics, Internships and Clerkships, Other Law School Issues, Issues, •Mentoring and Networking
Are you a pre-law student or professional? Read this post first! Hello and welcome to Ms. JD Pre-Law! Our goal is to serve as a resource to, and build a supportive community of, pre-law women around the country. Whether you're a college freshman just starting to develop an interest in the legal profession, or if you already know that you're going to law school this Fall—we have something for you! In addition to organizing in-person events, we also regularly post interviews and other articles on the wider Ms. JD blog. The list below serves as a helpful index to many…
App Happy: Graduate School Edition
By Tatum Wheeler • September 08, 2017 •Law School, Pre-Law
September is upon us. Many schools have officially opened their applications for the 2018-2019 law school admission cycle, and the LSAT is just around the corner. In this next App Happy post, we’re going to take a deeper look into application consideration for students with graduate school backgrounds. Note: This post is the result of a thoughtful question from reader KHAMILTON16. Thank you for reaching out! If anyone else has a pre-law question, please comment below or reach out to me directly. Additionally, please note that I have not attended graduate school and thus am relying on other's advice. I…
Failure Turned Inside Out: Failure is a State of Mind
By Patricia Jjemba • September 05, 2017 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Nonprofits and the Public Interest, Other Career Issues, Law School, Pre-Law, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, •Internships and Clerkships, Other Law School Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking
Name: Ryan S. Ragland, Esq. Professional Title: Municipal Trial Counsel, Hamilton County Public Defender Sector: Public Law School: The Ohio State University Years Practicing: 1.5 years Area of Specialization: Criminal Defense “I am passionate about making sure they are humanized.” Full disclosure: the woman I am featuring in this month’s edition of Failure Turned Inside Out is one of my best friends in the entire world. And while I may be a bit biased here, I think that her poise, maturity, and depth as a human being is awe-inspiring because these characteristics speak to the qualities that true carriers of…