Law School
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One down, 11 to go.
I hope everyone is sticking to their resolutions or making moves to accomplish those goals! We’re excited for the start of a new month and are ready to double-down on work to help move us towards some of our objectives for 2015. One goal was to wake up earlier to catch a ride with my husband to work. That may not seem meaningful, but driving to downtown Chicago gives us an extra 20 minutes of quality time together and I get reminded regularly how much I love this city–exhibit A (which doesn’t do the city justice): As it’s the last Friday of the month, we’re sharing some of our…
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Great Grades, Now What?!
A few weeks ago we talked about steps to take when you receive not-so-great grades in school. The likelihood of not doing as well you expected is very high in law school for various reasons. But that’s not to say that no one will do well. In fact, I know many Latinas students (both current and former) that excelled in school and that is worthy of acknowledgement! Aside from recognizing the fruition of hard work, there are still steps you have to take to ensure that you continue on a successful path. When I was in school, a friend earned very, very, very good marks, but was at a loss…
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Not so Great Grades and Law School
Grades are in for many people, and others are anxiously awaiting the final verdict. Today’s post isn’t very happy because it’s about dealing with the aftermath of not-so-great grades (“NSG grades”). First, NSG grades happen, so please don’t be too down on yourself. Remember that law school is usually graded on a curve, and it’s based on one anonymous test graded by one person. This one grade doesn’t signify your worth or your capabilities in school, or as a future attorney. But unfortunately, the reality is that many people will not get the grades they expected, and for all those usually straight-A students, these grades may be the worst you’ve ever earned.…
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Breaking Law School Barriers III: Letters of Recommendations
This series, Breaking Law School Barriers, tackles the big and small issues that come into play when you’re deciding if you’ll even attend law school. The purpose is to give practical advice for college students, and for current law students and attorneys to give suggestions about their real world experience. Today we want to discuss letters of recommendations (LORs) for your application. It can be awkward asking for a letter, but if you build solid relationships with your professors and advisors, you’ll have a better chance of obtaining solid letters that will help get you admitted. Most schools require at least two, and generally want it from a professor, not…
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What Did You Miss?
We’re so excited for 2015! We have a lot of fun and informative plans in store for everyone! Though we’ve only been sharing information for the past four months, we wanted to share our favorite posts thus far: For prelaw students: our first part of the Breaking Barriers series. For law students: creating institutional change at your school even when faced with resistance. For attorneys: navigating the rules of professional etiquette, starting with your wardrobe. For those creating work-life balance: What to do when family obligations become obstacles. Of course my ultimate favorite is our mission statement! We’ve had a really great four months and look forward to the New…
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Setting and Achieving Goals
We’re keeping things a little light and easy since we’re easing back from the holidays, and are eagerly waiting for the New Year. During the new year, I really love taking this time to assess my current station in life and see where I can create change and improvement. I know some find New Year’s resolutions a little cheesy, but I think it makes sense to start the year with a clean slate and make an effort to progress in either our personal or professional lives. The problem, of course, is the difficulty in creating healthy habits (or stopping bad ones). So today we’re offering a few steps to take…
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Before and After
Seven years ago, my husband (then boyfriend) and I celebrated our first Christmas together after finishing my first semester of law school. I recently stumbled across a picture of our tree: I have to smile at the sparseness of the apartment; the newspaper wrapping paper; and the window treatments because the apartment was always freezing! The struggle was real! Aside from upping my decoration game, this picture reminds of the difficulties of that first semester. During the midst of my first semester finals (and almost all the other final seasons thereafter), I always felt this constant pressure of anxiety that I’m sure many people feel. Would my grades be good…
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Breaking Law School Barriers II: Hidden Costs
This series, Breaking Law School Barriers, tackles the big and small issues that come into play when you’re deciding if you’ll even attend law school. The purpose is to give practical advice for college students, and for current law students and attorneys to give suggestions about their real world experience. For those that have started the law school application process it’s likely that you already know this–even applying to law school cost money. Seriously, as a college senior applying for law school, all I could do from giving up, was keep hoping that I would be given extra hours at my part-time job so that I could afford what…
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Gift Guide for Law Students
We’re sharing some gift ideas for law students! If you’re in the midst of finals, you may not have been able to give suggestions to family/friends that ask you what you’d like for the holidays. So today’s gift guide has ideas for useful presents that can come in handy for most law students. Gift Cards: Gift cards to restaurants and coffee shops are great, but you can also consider giving a gift card to Amazon or any store that sells text books at much cheaper rates than school bookstores. I know, text book purchases aren’t very fun, but any little bit helps, right? Coffee tumbler: Coffee is a given and…
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Easy and Healthy Snacks for Stressful Times
For people that knew me in law school, they may laugh that I’m about to encourage people to eat healthy during law school finals. I would laugh too. Not only did I tend to not snack healthy during school, but I wasn’t eating healthy–period. So, I totally understand how during this time in school, you’re more likely to say, “screw it,” and go to bed instead of packing a healthy lunch for the next day. Or more likely, say, “screw it,” and eat the free pizza that the bar prep course/student organization is offering instead of staying cooped up at the library. But it’s not just easy to eat poorly…