Law School
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Journey to JD: When You Fail Law School
Law school is hard. Everyone knows that, but it’s not just hard academically, it’s difficult on an emotional level. Students are used to being the smartest in the room and we’re stripped down and re-structured so that we can think like a lawyer. This teaching model was very much created with one type of student in mind. When we are not like the “typical” law student we can struggle mightily to succeed. Today we have a guest post from J, a current law student, who wants to share that struggle with us. I think it’s important for us to see the grit, determination, and fight we often have to do as…
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A Balancing Test: Managing Busy Schedules as a 2L/3L
When you’re a 2L or 3L, everything may seem like chaos—not because you’re new to school and anxious but because as the second and third years begin you’re suddenly thrust with a lot of work and responsibilities that didn’t necessarily exist when you were a 1L. You have a normal course load, plus most of time you have new duties on a journal, clinic, student org, internship during the semester to keep your skills strong, social life, responsibilities at home, and oh—you may also need a job to pay a little thing called rent. It’s a lot. The spring semester of my 3L year I remember flipping through the pages…
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Balancing Act: Dealing with the Guilt & Frustration Attached to your Finances
I was running out of data on my phone early this month and had to resort to reading during my commute. Usually I have a book, but this past week I decided to read my “guilty pleasure” magazines and I’m so glad I did! I’m a long-time subscriber to Glamour and was so impressed by this article on finances. The author focuses on helping young adults establish some financial standards for themselves, but through her writing she also revealed some struggles that first-generation professionals experience. I kept thinking, “omg, this is a struggle so many of us experience!” Yes, I said omg because somehow growing up in the Midwest I…
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Must Have School Supplies for Law School
Ok so all the summer students have left the building and I am super sad that it’s back to business as usual—meaning, I’m the one in charge of all the business. So sad to not have anyone to help out here and there… But the end of summer also means that I get to stock up on school supplies! I know, I don’t technically need them as my agency provides basics but I so much prefer to have my own things, you know? Since the new semester is starting, I thought I’d share some must-have school supplies. I’m trying to not be obvious about it because like duh we all…
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Conquering the Beginning of Law School
School is going to start soon! For so many reasons, I still distinctly remember starting my first day of law school. Probably it’s a mixture of disbelief that this was actually happening and also coming out of a really horrible summer that very literally could have cost me being able to attend law school at all. So, I remember how excited I was to start, but also how ill-prepared I was for what was about to happen. Story of my life. But I want you to be super-prepared. I want you to go in so confident about what’s going to happen that all you have to worry about is your…
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#Top5: Second Anniversary!!
I cannot believe I have been working at this for 2 years! Insert screaming ghost emoji here. Two years of being inspired and motivated and moved to tears by so many incredible, intelligent, passionate, hard-working, dedicated women. When I first started this blog I didn’t know what would become of it—I had always blogged for fun, but this had/has a purpose; a large mission that many, many times I wasn’t sure if I was capable enough to carry. Because in the end, who am I to provide this advice? But every time (and this is no exaggeration) –every time—I had a doubt, I would get little bits of encouragement from readers. …
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Summer Series: The Journey to Law School
Our Summer Series for Summer 16 comes to an end! This series highlights different Latina students and law grads as they embark in their summer jobs and/or bar prep all across the country. We hope to provide a variety of work experiences, options for a healthy work-life balance, and general motivation through different guest contributors to help you to take charge of your summer and professional goals! Today we hear from Nataly, a rising 1L, committed to immigrant and farmworker justice as she gears up for her first semester of law school while balancing the guilt that comes with bucking our traditions: Earlier in the spring, I opened up an email from the school I…
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Ending Your Internship with the Necessary Follow-Through
It’s incredible how fast ten weeks goes by! If you’re an intern you’re probably just one or two weeks away from wrapping up your summer gig. Believe it or not, there is a good way and not so good way to end your internship. The not-so-good way is that you leave your office without a way to maintain a connection. Even if you don’t like the agency or have decided it’s not the practice area for you, the legal community is small and you should always make it a point to grow your professional network system and many students fail to do this right at the end of their stint.…
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Summer Series: Learning & Growing, the difference in your summers
Our Summer Series continues! This series highlights different Latina students and law grads as they embark in their summer jobs and/or bar prep all across the country. We hope to provide a variety of work experiences, options for a healthy work-life balance, and general motivation through different guest contributors to help you to take charge of your summer and professional goals! Today we hear from Celina, a rising 3L, who shares her unique summer experience as a Fellow working on Trans Asylum cases: My name is Maria Celina Marquez and I am a rising 3L at The George Washington University School of Law in Washington, DC. This summer, I am interning in…
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One Week to Go: Conquer the Bar
You have one week to go. It’s super tense right now, I know–this was me, one week before the bar: Don’t panic. That is what I keep telling myself. don’t panic b/c it distracts you. just focus. not easily done. I have been in my apartment for five days. I have not stepped foot outside my home in five days…and I probably won’t until Saturday. study study study. But sadly today I reviewed subjects that are not my friends: Commercial Paper, Secured Transaction, and Corporations…basically all business related shit. After reviewing I about freaked out when I tried to do an essay because I could not answer it! I was…