Attack of the Law School Spammers!
“Sickofit.” Definition: One word used to describe an annoyance that one is sick of. Example: “These law schools keep spamming my email and I’m sickofit!”
Yesterday alone I received 15 emails from various law schools, some of which I’ve never even heard of. (Oh yeah, and one from Harvard).
Receiving these emails while I’m *still* in review at 5 law schools has been especially anxiety-inducing. On my blackberry, the sender typically reads “law school” and my heart sinks.
The bulk of these spam emails are sent to me because I am registered to attend a LSAC law school forum in the coming weeks. The schools are inviting me to stop by their booth and are making it easy for me to find them by providing turn by turn directions to their forum-day location. (As if there isn’t an exhibit map with law school directory available for me anyway).
I am looking forward to attending the forum. In addition to the opportunity to meet and speak with law school representatives from almost every ABA-approved law school, workshops are offered throughout the day. Some won’t pertain to me (ie. LSAT 101) but the financial aid workshop should be worthwhile. For a listing of all the LSAC forums taking place around the country, click here. Here is a isting of the times for the various workshops at each LSAC forum. To learn how to get the most out of an LSAC Law School Forum, click here.
Midterm Ramblings
This week and next I’m stressing over, studying for, and taking midterms for six classes (while working more than part-time). Ugh. I guess I better get over the concept of being tested over everything I know and it making or breaking my course grade because law school grades are usually based 100% on the final exam. Mindlessly reviewing flashcards with terms and definitions, however, is something I hope to leave in my undergrad past. It seems a lot of my undergraduate courses have been all about remembering key concepts and then regurgitating the facts or definitions on exam day. I’m looking forward to law school so that I can learn and then apply my knowledge.
I’m also very distracted right now by the fact that I’m “in review” at all but 3 law schools I applied to. I keep trying to ban myself from logging in but can’t resist. I’ve also become obsessive over every detail of the status checker. For example, whether a dollar figure or just zeros are in the seat deposit column, etc. Actually . . .this just gave me an idea. Perhaps I should be taking print screens of every status checker each time I log in and then compare for any differences or clues. Yep, I’ve lost it.
Another distraction has been, “The Good Wife.” I did not tune in last season so I’ve slowly been working my way through Season 1 DVD’s and hope to eventually catch up in time to watch Season 2 from the CBS website and/or when it originally airs. I love how Alicia is emerging as a powerful, independent woman. She’s handing a lot of different issues that have been thrown at her and I think a lot of women can identify with this.
One thing I’m sick of right now is the snarky attack-ads for the midterm elections. My head is spinning with all of these evil candidates trying to sink our economy and overtake the world. This is why people dont’ vote. We are all confused. We are so scared of making the wrong choice we make none at all.
Ooooh, one thing I’m very excited for. I have decided to undertake another major research project similar to the one I did last semester on judicial selection. This one, for class credit, will be focused on women lawyers and why nearly 50% of law students are female yet far fewer than half of practicing attorneys are women. Should be interesting.
Anyway, back to midterm studying . . .
Good Luck October 2010 Testakers!
Its been 102 days since I took the LSAT and ya know what? Life is good and I survived it. To be honest, waiting in anticipation for my score was actually more difficult than the actual test. Sunday you will be glad its over. The worst thing you can do is sabotage your own success – so don’t be nervous. Tell yourself that this test only determines whether or not you have to take it again. (DO NOT tell yourself it determines the rest of your life).
Remember, you prepared hard, your ready, so show ‘em what ya got!
The Weirdness in the Rankings
I will be the first person to admit that I’m attracted to hype. I was “that” girl in high school that had to rush out to get the new “it” item the most popular girl in school coveted. I read Car and Driver vehicle rankings, Cnet reports on techie toys, etc. Unfortunately U.S. News and World Report has got me by the tail, too. Law school forums like top-law-schools.com make considering a Tier 2-4 school taboo. Cruel bloggers (none of which are worth linking to) snort their nose up to anything below a top 20 law school. I started to think about what made these rankings so important? Similar to car reviews, I naively assumed that some honest soul had taken the time to rate the schools on important standards which really matter and would impact the quality of the education, integrity of the school, and potential for success. WRONG!
A good example of this can be seen in examining Tier 2 schools like Indiana University – Indianapolis, Lewis and Clark, and Chicago-Kent School of Law. According to this chart which shows the history of the rankings from 2002-2008, it wasn’t until 2003 that these schools were ranked at all (in other words they were Tier 3 or Tier 4 schools). What caused the jump? All of them (and others not mentioned) either built, remodeled, or added a new law building prior to jumping up in rankings. Hmmmmmm.
I didn’t see anywhere in the USN&WR methodology about new buildings. Perhaps new buildings attract applicants with higher gpa and lsat scores (a variable that is factored into the rankings). Perhaps its an extreme coincidence. USN&WR does factor in faculty resources and library facilities. Peer assessment is also a varaible, which seems arbitrary considering most alums are going to rate their own alma matter favorably. This isn’t to say that bad schools are being ranked higher than they should be or that good schools are suffering in the rankings. I merely just want to point out the fact that rankings should not be over emphasized. Trendy fashion, on the other hand . . .
UPDATE: This article published by the National Jurist does a great job of laying out the issues in the U.S. News & World Report Rankings, including the fact that there is a lot of “massaging of data” since no one verifies the data submitted is correct or meets specific guidelines.
There are no squirrels in the city.
Since my first law school acceptance (with a full tuition scholarship) I have been spending a lot of time investigating this particular school. The more I research, the more I love it. It’s quickly moving to the top of my list. I try to keep the fact that I could attend for free out of my mind. I want to decide that I love the school because I truly desire to attend – not because it’s the least expensive option.
The only downfall thus far that I have found is the fact its in a large city. I’m a small town girl and have never had to rely on public transportation. I get impatient on those rare occasions when I’m stuck in traffic (small town version of being stuck in traffic is getting behind a tractor or horse n’ buggy).
Most importantly, there are no squirrels in the city. On my current campus I keep a peanut butter jar filled with nuts to hand feed to the squirrels who greet me between classes. I will really miss that.
I’m also the proud “mother” of two Great-Danes. While small dogs can get along just fine with city living, these giant ponies can’t. The kids are huge and their happiness is important to me. This surely would mean that I would have to live far enough outside of the city to find suitable housing and then commute up to an hour into the city for school.
I won’t let these issues keep me from attending this school if it is truly where I want to go. But these are just some preliminary concerns.
Vote for Me! A plea by Law School Dreamer
Dear friends:
I hope that you continue to enjoy my blog even half as much as I enjoy posting. I have a small plea that will only take a moment of your time. www.AdmissionsDean.com is running a contest called the “Vicious Cycle” Awards. There are several categories that I would like to be entered, namely the “Biggest Gunner” category (c’mon we all know I’m that person – after all I had my personal statement written six months before applications became available and jumped out of bed before sunrise on September 1 to submit my apps!) Or perhaps the “Most Organized” category (yeah, I’m a total “Type-A”). The problem is, I can’t enter myself. I need my loyal blog readers, fans, and supporters to click on one of the category links above and type in my profile name (LSDreamer) into the thread. You can nominate me as many times as you like and in as many categories as you like. On January 1st, the top three nominees will be named for a final round of voting. Additionally, the law school applicant whose profile receives the most views by February 28th will be entered to receive a $200 gift certificate to www.lawbooksforless.com.
Thank you for your consideration,
LawSchoolDreamer
