Now, For Something NOT Law Related

I know that this is a blog all about my law school journey. And I normally wouldn't just post anything up here. But I have to say it...

How beautiful was Kate Middleton's Dress at the Royal Wedding today?

I'm not one of those people with Royal Wedding mania, I swear. I didn't stay up to watch it, and I don't have "William & Kate" tchotchkes on backorder from all of the different vendors selling t-shirts, mugs, coins, or even refrigerators.

But I am a girl, and most girls dream of marrying a prince someday. And even if they just dream about marrying an average Joe, they most certainly have visions about what dress they're going to do it in. I think that her dress was gorgeous...I've always been a fan of the v-neck lace overlay gowns (seriously, ask anyone who's ever watched "Say Yes to the Dress" with me).

Anyway, I'll be going about my day today without staying glued to the near-constant media coverage of the event, but I did just want to share how pretty I thought the dress was. Picking Sara Burton (from Alexander McQueen, I called it!) was a good choice.

But What I Really Wanted to Be....

Yes, I'm going to law school. But what I really wanted to be was:

A prima ballerina!

Unfortunately (or fortunately, really), falling flat on my face -- not once, but twice! -- during my recital in fifth grade helped to change my mind.

My Final LSP Accuracy

Well, the cycle is over. I've put in my deposit(s) at SMU, and withdrawn every where else. Now it's time to evaluate that handy little tool, Law School Predictor (LSP). A lot of you may remember that I seriously advocated to use of this website to determine where you should target your applications. Here we'll find out how accurate it actually is!

In any given cycle there can be a number of game changers, and no cycle can be predicted with 100% accuracy EVER. I got a few surprises during my cycle (dinged at Samford, whaaaat?), but for the most part everything went pretty smoothly.

So, here we go. In this following list, the outcomes that surprised me are bolded. Please note: not every school is represented on LSP.

               Iowa:   Deny (8%) → (withdrew)
               Wake Forest:   Deny (7%) → Waitlisted

               Southern Methodist:   Consider (25%) → In 

               Case Western Reserve:   Consider (31%) → Dinged

               Loyola Marymount:   Consider (27%) → (withdrew)

               San Diego:   Consider (17%) → (withdrew)

               Baylor:   Consider (24%) → In

               Kentucky:   Consider (16%) → Dinged

               Penn State:   Consider (31%) → (withdrew)

               Arkansas - Fayetteville:   Strong Consider (37%) → In 

               Santa Clara:   Consider (30%) → In 

               DePaul:   Admit (49%) → In 

               Pacific:   Admit (57%) → In 

               San Francisco:   Strong Consider (44%) → Waitlisted 

               Akron:   Admit (81%) → In

               Arkansas - Little Rock:   Admit (>95%) → In 

               Memphis:   Strong Consider (67%) → (withdrew)

               Ole Miss:   Strong Consider (70%) → Dinged

               Pacific*:   Admit (90%) → In 

               Samford:   Admit (87%) → Dinged

               Southwestern:   Admit (>95%) → Waitlisted

               Texas Tech:   Consider (55%) → Dinged

               California Western:   Admit (>95%) → In

               Campbell:   Admit (78%) → Waitlisted, then Dinged

               Dayton:   Admit (>95%) → In 

               Texas Wesleyan:   Admit (89%) → (withdrew)

               Thomas Jefferson:   Admit (>95%) → In 

               Whittier:   Admit (>95%) → In 

               UC Irvine:   (no predicition) → Dinged

               Phoenix:   Admit (>95%) → In

               Western State:   Strong Consider (>95%) → In

* = Pacific is listed twice, once on the Top 100 list, and once on the Unranked list. Each time it had different data listed, so I just put it down both times.

These results show what happens when I click the URM box. Some schools looked at me as a URM, and some didn't...it depends on if they looked at me as "Hispanic" or "Central American." Mexicans and Puerto Ricans are the two latino ethnic groups that get the URM boost a majority of the time; other latino groups (like Guatemalan) are not considered URM, and thusly are SOL. If I had entered my data without checking the URM box, a lot of the considers became "weak consider" or "deny" choices, instead, and some of my admits turned into "considers."

Overall, I'd say that my cycle went well, with a couple of good surprises, and a couple of not-so-good surprises. I think that LSP was a fairly accurate tool, and it definitely helped me focus on where I could/should apply. I'd recommend that any law student take a look at the LSP results for their data before sending out their application.

If you want to get a more thorough picture of all of the schools I applied to, when my applications went out, and how much money I got at each school, you can check out my LSN profile.

Growly Notes for Macs

I know, I know, it's kind of not cool anymore to love your Mac...it's conformist and lame. But I can't help it! I love my Mac! I love the simplicity, the software, the way that macs work with other macs, the way that you can actually learn about your mac because of the intuitive interfaces, the fact that they have a great lifespan, and (most importantly) the fact that they very rarely, if ever, get viruses.

I have helped my sisters through enough malware and viruses on their PCs to know that Macs are the way to go if this is something you're worried about.

The one thing I don't love about it, though? No OneNote! I get so jealous every time I see my sister (a Twenty-Something Intern) using that fabulous program. And every law student that I've talked to has raved -- absolutely RAVED -- about the ease of using OneNote to help build your notes and outlines for classes during 1L. And so, even though I love my Mac, I honestly considered switching to a PC for law school just so I could run OneNote (and have more tech help on campus, and run ExamSoft, etc.)

I checked out a couple of substitutes, and considered running OneNote through Parallels, but none of them just seemed that attractive. Parallels seriously slows down your computer, and the other programs I tried were all missing...something.

LUCKILY, I stumbled upon this WONDERFUL substitute. It's easy to use, almost just as user-friendly and easy-to-manipulate as OneNote, and best of all, completely free! Mac users rejoice, I give you: Growly Notes!

You can add text, data, pictures, movies, sound clips, links, calendar entries, and a million other things to your notes in Growly Notes! It's easy to organize your notebooks and outlines exactly how you want them, you can use the click-and-drag method to do just about anything within the program. And it's so pretty!!

If this colorful view isn't your cup of tea, you can always change it to "serious" mode, which is a little less fun -- all business in serious mode! But either way, it gets the job done. You can add as many sections or pages as you want to each different book, and the pages can look however you want, you can choose for a multitude of templates.

So far I've been really pleased with Growly Notes. I'm able to compile all of my different lists and thoughts into one organized place, which helps clarify my thought process in the end. I like that you can add any pictures or PDFs to any page wherever makes the most sense to you and layer images and text beautifully and seamlessly. I don't like that it's difficult to share notebooks with someone who doesn't have a Mac and Growly Notes.

I think that this program will come SUPER in handy for classes. And if it doesn't, well, at least I didn't waste the $65 that Circus Ponies would have cost me.

Networking Suggestions: Joining Your Local Bar

And by "Bar" I don't mean the place you go to knock back a few pints (duhhhhh).

(A small disclaimer: I work at a local Bar Association. But that doesn't mean that the following advice isn't great advice.) 

Local Bar Associations are AMAZING networking opportunities for law students (or soon-to-be law students). There are events every month for local attorneys and judges to attend, and if you're there too you'll be meeting the people who (someday soon) could be giving you a job -- or at least an interview. While meeting them in a social setting like this doesn't guarantee you a job, it does give you a leg up on the competition...unless you make a drunken fool of yourself at a Bar event.

So don't do that (you would be surprised at how regularly this actually happens).

A lot of local Bar Associations even waive their membership fees for current law students, but even if you have to pay a fee to join, I would argue that it's well worth it. At these social events, whether they're dinners, luncheons, meetings or cocktail hours, you're getting invaluable face-time with major players in the local legal field.

In my experience, a majority of the lawyers and judges who come to local bar events are ECSTATIC when they come across someone considering going to law school. They give great advice, and often make suggestions as to where you might find work after 1L. I, personally, have been guaranteed three 1L SA interviews in my hometown, should I choose to return during the summer. All before having set foot in a classroom. How many people can say that?

Aside from the networking events for the general membership, each Bar Association has "sections" devoted to specific practice areas. It would behoove any person considering law school, or in law school, to attend the section meetings that interest them. Often times food is provided, and you get to hear amazing speakers in areas of interest to you specifically. Most Bar Associations have a Young Lawyers Section, as well, which gives you the opportunity to chat with people who were recently in your shoes, and get some great tips and tricks from them.

Lastly, a TON of Bar Associations offer scholarships and stipends to law students that have ties to the local area. You don't have to be a member to apply for any of them, of course, but it couldn't hurt, and oftentimes helps! If you're a member of your local Bar then you'll be getting emails/newsletters about the different opportunities, which will make your search for the money that much easier. And may I say, my firsthand experience shows that most of the scholarships offered by the local Bar Association have very few applicants...you've got a good chance of winning it just by applying. Honest.

All in all, I can't say enough about the wonderful opportunities that working for (and being a member of) a local Bar Association has afforded me. I'm more aware of the opportunities that exist for local scholarships and writing competitions, and I'm much more savvy (and comfortable!) in my interactions with attorneys on both a social and professional level now. I'll definitely be joining the Dallas Bar Association the minute I get to Texas, and would encourage people considering law school to do the same in their respective cities/counties.