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Bar Exam: Maintaining Focus
So, all you bar preppers, you’re really in it now. A full week in, I remember feeling like I didn’t know anything and getting scared sh*tless, just knowing that I wouldn’t pass. The entire summer, other than studying, my main thing was keeping my anxiety at bay. And I didn’t always succeed. It was rough. For some, this will be the big barrier you face this summer. The emotional toll studying for the Bar takes on you. There’s a constant barrage of thoughts: what if I don’t pass; how will I earn a living; am I wasting my time; how can I overcome the pain if I fail? It really…
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Why is Law School Terrible?
In college I attended a conference where a student discussed how he was finishing his 1L year. And he made the joke almost all law students have made since the invention of law school, which was DON’T GO! And everyone laughed, but I remember the guy’s eyes flashing with a glint of a little desperation, but then he smiled again and said he was joking. But was he? Are we just joking when we tell people not to go? Why is law school so horrible that we dissuade others from attending? I’ve covered before why the advice for most people to not attend law school doesn’t really apply to Latinas.…
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Value Your Time: Learning to Say No
Learning to value your time is a skill. When you’re new to the profession you may add too much to your plate because you want to impress the higher-ups, or you want experience, or you just don’t know if you can really say no. I totally get that it’s not easy to recognize when some opportunities are just not right for you. But not knowing when to say no (even as a student) can lead to you wasting your time, feeling demoralized, and neglecting other, more important, projects. I learned this the hard way when I was a 3L: My law school had a pretty prestigious trial advocacy fellowship (that…
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When You Can’t Afford College
First, big ups to Latino USA who discussed navigating higher Ed last week and inspired this post. I recommend everyone to give the episode a quick listen. The story talks to different Latinx students finishing up their college degrees and the problems, mostly financial, that they face. Memories came flooding back as I remembered my Junior year in college and how a ton of missteps and bad luck made it so financially difficult that it looked like I wouldn’t be able to finish school. I never connected the dots that this may be a common theme many of us experience, but the fact that Latinx students struggle to graduate proves…
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Eye on the Prize: What to Focus on During Law School Finals
While most of us are impatiently waiting for spring to get here, most law students are gearing up for finals and I do not envy you. I remember how overwhelming spring semester can be because not only do you have finals and other normal life responsibilities, but you also are prepping for the summer, and probably are dealing with oral arguments, maybe for the first time if you’re a 1L. It can just feel like too much. It’s normal to feel beyond stressed and overwhelmed, but it is also possible to manage everything that you have to do—very difficult, but possible. Here is what you need to keep your focus…
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Play to Win: Using Respectability Politics as a Tool
I think one of the biggest things I struggle with here is how much I seem to push assimilation and accepting business norms. I dislike that I do it because when we abide by certain business norms set by those in power, we may end up believing (or portraying to others) that those norms are better than our own cultural standards. Or worse, we fall into a trap of believing that we’ll be accepted by those in power. I try to find a balance of discussing how most norms and ideals are created and enforced to advance those in power while at the same time, I take up a lot…
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How Much Should You Bare: Law School Essays
Recently, the discussion made the rounds about how students of color feel forced to discuss their trauma to receive admission or financial aid or some other form of access to higher education. Most of us have a general sense that we have to discuss something bad in our history to show why we’re “worthy” of admittance. It seems to be a trend in higher Ed to have to show your grit, which almost always comes from some negative experience. It’s bogus to have to reveal such personal and troubling histories to strangers and if you have to do it frequently (scholarship apps, different applications, etc) it can take a toll…
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Find your Focus: Law School Finals
I’ll be honest and tell you that I do not envy law school students this time of year. Ok, I rarely envy law school students lol BUT this time of year is especially harrowing. There are so many deadlines and pressures looming over you. It feels impossible, even though it’s not. For those about to start to pressure-cooker that is law school finals, know that it’ll be ok and you’ll get past it–all you have to do is focus on exams. “No duh,” you say. But here’s the thing, often we are so overwhelmed (or confused) that we fail to study in a productive way. I remember going into my…
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Put in the Work: Preparing for Finals
We talk a lot about stress in law school, especially during finals time because guuuurrrl it is stressful! Beyond anything you experience in college. It is a mental mind melt and it can feel confusing as to why it feels so rough. Trust that you’re not alone in feeling frustrated and that it’s very normal to feel like you’re at a loss during finals. You’re about to go into exams without any real idea of how well you understand the concepts you’ve been learning. It’s all riding on these grades and not only is it curved, but you also have to worry about format. Issa lot. But it’s not impossible.…
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Grit is not Enough
Are you gritty? Do you persevere above all obstacles to reach your goal? Chances are, if you are heading to law school, the answer is yes. We are so full of grit, y’all! Grit (perseverance and passion) is a quality characteristic–and students of color, living in poverty have it by the boatload. Yet, we place too heavy a burden on students of color when we focus on grit as the sole reason of why they succeed. Because when we only focus on the individual, we take away the responsibility schools and other systems of power have to help our communities. And grit isn’t enough for students to overcome those barriers.…