DC Here I Come

Yeah, yeah, I know what your thinking, she got into a great DC school. No such luck, yet. Instead I have been asked by my professional society, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) to go to DC as part of their CVD (Congressional Visits Day). They try and get engineers and scientists to fly into DC and visit with their representatives. The goal is to try and personally meet with representatives and tell them what engineers' perspectives are on current issues in front of the Congress. I'm pretty excited. I get to go back to DC, which is one of my favorite cities and at the same time I get to do some good. I'll also be tacking on an extra day to visit schools in the area in case the Class of 2011 plan becomes a reality.

11 Rules of Life You Don’t Learn In School by Bill Gates

Chris' Blog: Entrepreneur and wannabe law student: 11 Rules of Life You Don’t Learn In School by Bill Gates

I really like Rule #11- Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

And we nerds, or geeks as I prefer, have our own vocabulary, so being nice to us takes extra effort.

Last Day of Spring Break Trip

Great Boston Weather

The last day in Boston involved meeting a friend for lunch in Chinatown and then getting off to the airport. Sounds simple, right? Well we didn't want to haul our bags around Chinatown so we decided to go to the airport at noon (flight was at 6pm) and check the bags early. Apparently the Alaska Airlines counter in boston wasn't opening until 2:30, so we had to bring the bags back to the hotel to leave with the bell-hop. I was really glad that I'm a Gold MVP with Alaska though. I looked at the 4 hour US Airways line and counted my lucky stars that I now get to skip lines at security and check-in. The whole bags fiasco took up an hour, but the food made up for it. My husband picked the place pretty much at random. I have no idea what it was called and could probably never find it again, but the food was good and VERY cheap. Like $5.99 for a turkey dinner sized platter with a pot of rice and and a pot of tea. The other strange thing was that since it was the Sunday of Saint Patty's day weekend, we were almost the only non-Chinese people there. Everyone else was celebrating elsewhere in town or at the parade.

5 lb. Lobster Appetizer

The night before we went to dinner as a group (all 45 of us) at Legal Seafoods. This chain restaurant was actually pretty good. As an appetizer they offered us a 9 lb lobster. Do you know how old that thing was and how long it survived before it got to that size? We just couldn't bear killing him, so the guys ordered the 5 lb lobster as an appetizer along with an assortment of crab cakes, coconut shrimp, and clam chowder all around. I had lobster ravioli for dinner which was quite unusual and delicious while hubby got Alaskan King Crab and filet mignon surf and turf, very typical for him. The best part was we weren't paying. No, not really, the best part was meeting with all of my friends that I've worked with as a volunteer over the years. God bless Skype, it's the only way I can afford to talk to my friends who hail from Croatia, Canada, the UK, Australia, Germany, and many MANY places around the world. Having these bi-annual meetings is really a chance to get a lot of good work done and enjoy the satisfaction of good friends, good food and new places. If only the weather in Boston had been better. They got 15 inches of snow this year, 9 of them while I was there!

USS Constitution Covered in Snow

Montien Thai Restaurant & Finale Dessert Mecca - Boston

Last night after a day of cabitzing around a conference table we headed downtown. The blizzard that has prevented all flights from arriving/departing the Boston airport also cleared most of the traffic from downtown so we were able to walk through the drifts in relative peace. After exciting the T we were only passed by the occasional snow plow or taxi. The tourist walking map that we had was less than useful, but the GPS we were using also proved difficult. The signals bounced off of the tall buildings and made us look like we were bouncing around in circles when we were standing still. We finally found a local who was out snow-plowing the sidewalk and got directions to our restaurant.

Dinner was 4 star thai food at Montien Thai Restaurant. They have a Thai menu and and American Thai restaurant which is nice. The food had huge portions and was yummy. The restaurant is in the theater district so seating a party of 20 required waiting until 8pm, but it was well worth the time. The restaurant also attracts a lot pre theater goers and college students so I would recommend coming later rather than earlier. The only downside to going to a distinctly ethnic restaurant is the dessert. There was of course no chocolate. Anybody who knows me knows that I am an absolute chocoholic. This required a trek through the slush over to Finale the dessert mecca of Boston.

My Dessert

Hubby's Choice, too fruity for me

Oh my God, I can now die happy. Chocolate Decadence, Boston Cream Pie, Ultimate Chocolate Cake, Molten Cake, Mousse, yum. The benefits of eating out with a bunch of people, you can snitch from everybody. Side note, dessert cost more than dinner. The Thai food was cheap with huge portions, we each spent like $20.00 on dessert.

I did end the night by getting soaked in a puddle, but at least I brought my flipflops to wear from the Arizona portion of the trip. I'll be fine. Although, I'll need to lose about 5 lbs from all of that dessert.

Cheers from Boston

When we arrived in Boston it was raining with wind blowing right through us. The shuttle driver said that it was 70F the day before we got here. Right now it is snowing and supposed to continue throughout the night. 10-12 inches, yay I'm somewhere where it is warm enough to snow. Not very impressed with the weather, but hey it's Boston. The city has lots of old pretty buildings so that's cool.

By the time I got here for my conference a couple of friends had already arrived. Two Germans, a Croatian, two Alaskans and a Bostonian for dinner. One request for cow and one vegetarian. So where did we go? Cheers. Wasn't too impressed as the place was mostly a touristy burger and beer joint. It was also freezing as the restaurant inexplicably had the AC turned on when it was 45F outside. Afterwards we warmed up at a local French cafe with coffee and pastries. Yum. Of course the Europeans complained about the coffee, but hey, at least it wasn't Folgers.

Now I have three days worth of committee meetings. Yay! A little break from Pre-L obsession. It will also be nice to be in the same time-zone for three days altogether after all of the travelling we've been doing.

University of Washington Law School

One of the UW Libraries

Ah, what a beautiful campus. Nice brick buildings and classically designed architecture. While UW is on the water you can't really see it unless your at the medical school or sports facilities. The law school itself doesn't really fit in with the campus aestetic. It is quite modern and when we were waiting for our appointment hubby noted that it felt like a hospital. After being told to wait for 15 minutes in a reception area for my appointment I was about ready to walk out and reject the school that had rejected me. I'm glad that I waited. After hearing the Seattle University law students comment about UW admissions staff I was ready to write the school off and not feel bad about not being accepted. I found that the opposite was true and that the lady who met with us was VERY helpful and friendly. She talked with me about the school itself, the area, Seattle, and my application. She gave me several great suggestions to improve my application and other insider tips on how to get into UW.

She also suggested that if I get into Seattle U. that I should consider attending, using that year to get good grades and my Washington residency and then applying to transfer. There are a lot of people that say that the only way law schools will accept transfer students is if they have compelling reasons to have to transfer like their family needed them to move to the area to be closer to a sick relative or that they had other serious reasons to move. The UW lady said that this isn't the case there and that they readily accept transfer students. LSAT and UGPA are less important because they don't count towards the schools 25-75% statistics and that those things are really only predictors of 1L success. Your grades in 1L are the real proof of your 1L success so that is what they really look for. That was encouraging. Getting Washington state residency also makes sense as the tuition will go down a lot if I am a resident. The amount of transfers is equal to the number of students necessary to achieve the desired 180 student class size. So say that UW admits 500 students and only 160 of them take the offer, they will take 20 transfer students to fill out their class. But, the flip-side of that coin is that if 200 students take the UW admission there will be no transfers or VERY few and VERY competitive transfers.

The other myth that the admissions counselor dispelled for me is the 70% residency preference. While historically UW has had a 30-70 ratio of out-of-state to resident admissions she said that this is not the result of an actual policy but the fact that most of their applications come from Washington residents and so a disproportionate amount of their admits come from Washington.

The rest of the school was very modern. The lawbrary is in the basement and I was afraid that it wasn't going to have any natural sunlight. This fear turned out to be unfounded. The law school is actually on a hill so one side is full of windows. There are also pyramid shaped skylights which let ground-level light down into the library. The one issue that I had with the library is that it is too small for the amount of books that it has. As a result the shelves are all smashed up together into a solid wall and then individual shelves are accessed by electronically moving the gaps between shelves to be between the shelf that you are interested in.

UW Library Shelves Crammed Together

UW is on Quarters - This is what 1L Finals Studying Looks Like

Library - Outside View

I was really impressed with the UW lockers, they were the biggest and nicest of all of the schools I visited. This was also true of the lawbrary study areas. The students had huge beautiful wooden tables with natural light lamps to work with. This was much better than the typical cubbies.

Nice Lockers!

In the end I had a 45 minute conversation with a very friendly and informative admissions officer. The students were taking midterms as UW is on quarters so I couldn't go in any classrooms as they were all being used by exam-takers. The environment was surprisingly low key for a bunch of students studying for midterms in law school. The downside of the exams was that all of the student ambassadors were busy so a guided tour was out of the question. We ended up wandering around and got a pretty good idea of the school. The main campus is really large, but I doubt I would use it very much as a law student. Still, its quite nice and beautiful. The area has tons of restaurants.

Pros of UW:

• Nationally recognized Tier 1 school
• Strong contacts with local IP firms
• Beautiful campus
• Big tables and natural light in the lawbrary
• Lots of faculty
• Modern and new facility
• Open to transfer students
• Students don't receive a GPA or class rank, this supposedly decreases cut-throat competitiveness and provides a more relaxed environment

Cons of UW:

• Most nearby housing is undergrad party apartments or Greek
• Rents in the area are supposedly quite obscene so a commute is probably unavoidable
• I would have to wait a year to reapply and be admitted
• Not a resident so tuition would be pricey the first year

Bye bye Seattle - Off to Boston

Seattle University Law School

Seattle University is nestled along the edge of downtown Seattle. A short walk will take you to Chinatown or other areas of downtown. A pretty thorough bus system will get you almost anywhere else. The law school itself is on the edge of the campus facing a road with not surprisingly a Starbucks and a few other stores. Beyond that are small little houses nestled in a residential neighborhood. I don't know what the rents are like, but the houses are really cute and nearby. It was Spring so the cherry trees were in blossom and everything was fresh and beautiful.

The school itself is relatively new, finished in 1999. Typical wood finishes throughout. Nice fully wireless with plenty of power classrooms and a pretty moot court classroom. The clinic is located within the lawschool building, but is accessed through a seperate entrance to give clients a little privacy from the law school bustle. 2Ls and 3Ls who have taken ethics can participate in the clinics which is a really cool opportunity. From my interview with the admissions counselor I found out that Seattle also has a 3 year legal writing program which is part of the GPA. This is unusual and gives the school a reputation for creating excellent legal writers. The 1st two years are manditory, with the 3rd year advanced writing program being optional.

Seattle University Courtyard

Seattle U. 1L Classroom

Interior View of Seattle U.

I asked the student who gave me a tour why she chose to come to Seattle U vs. University of Washington as she is from the Seattle area. She told me that she was an undergrad at UW and when she went in to talk to UW law they weren't very friendly and helpful. Seattle on the otherhand gave her a better vibe from the admissions staff. I have always felt that you can find out a lot about the school by the way the admissions staff treats you. I also had a really great talk with the Seattle U. admissions staff. An actual admissions staff person spoke with me and answered all of my questions for almost 45 minutes. I was very impressed after being basically rushed out of the building at all the other schools that I've been to. The conversation at Seattle U. was easy and unpretentious and it was very nice and conversational. I found out that 2/3 of the Seattle U. law students participate in the summer start program and that both part-time and full-time options of attendence are possible. This is really nice, as I would like to get a job to start getting experience throughout school. My dream scenario would be to pass my patent bar exam this summer, start work in a law firm and have my firm pay for my law school attendance.

The one beef that I have with Seattle U. is that the neighborhood that it is in isn't all that great. There isn't a big cultural enivironment. Restaurants were minimal and it seemed like most students commuted from a long distance. At least they all get nice big lockers.

Seattle itself was not as stressful to navigate as we expected. We brought the GPS with us just in case, but it wasn't completely necessary. We could have found everything without it. Traffic is quite horrible, so it would be nice to find a close apartment or something on a bus route so that I don't have to drive/buy a 2nd car. Seattle is a nice city, although it does have a lot of peeling paint and cramped areas. It is big enough that you'll probably find an area somewhere that you like. Coming from Fairbanks, AK though where everything is less than 15 minutes away, having a commute might be a big ajustment. The average commute in Seattle is something like 50 minutes. Ouch!

Pros of Seattle U:

• Staff and students were friendly
• They have an IP focus program
• They have tons of moot court teams, plenty of clinicals, electives are bountiful
• Students seem genuinely happy to be there
• Job prospects in Seattle for IP focus are plentiful and 1Ls at Seattle have about a 2/3 law related employment rate during their 1L summer, excellent
• Brand new building
• Part-time is an option
• Campus was beautiful
• Good job prospects for both summers and upon graduation-I was told that some Seattle firms throw out non UW and Seattle U. apps aka Gonzaga, *sigh*

Cons of Seattle U:

• Large incoming class of 300+, UWs is like 180
• Private so more expensive
• No real seperation between downtown and campus edge
• Long commute for many students as housing near downtown is pricy

Gonzaga Law

Gonzaga (view from Centennial Trail along river)

Center of Gonzaga looking up

Gonzaga's Court Room

After Alaska Airlines almost didn't get us there for our appointment, we finally made it into Spokane on a tiny little plane. Well Gonzaga wins friendliness and facilities awards. Their building is beautiful. Built in 1999, it is by far the most modern and in the best shape. It is very cosy and I could easily see myself spending hours in their lawbrary. Although, the natural sunlight wasn't as good as ASU's lawbrary. We finally went on an informative tour. The secretary at ASU and the self guided tour at UofA made me almost think that planned tours were a waste of time, but this one was good. Also, having the tour from a student ambassador really made it nice. I had most of my questions answered before I even sat down with the admissions folks.

Spokane itself is nice. The weather wasn't nearly as warm as Arizona which = good thing for hubby, bad thing for me. We had dinner at a nice Greek restaurant so one of the prerequisites of any new city has been met. Reliable access to Tzatziki.

It isn't a major city though so not a huge culture base. I kind of wanted to use law school as a chance to have my "big city" experience. I know that I might not have the chance in future once I get a "real" job and possibly a more labor intensive family than the cats.

On a side note, I would recommend telling your cab driver to have him take you on the "scenic route" you get to see more of the city and learn about Spokane driving rules. Apparently concrete barriers are not obstacles to prevent people from driving in areas and bushes are not really barriers at all, just scenery. And apparently driving on sidewalks is an acceptable side route. But for less than $15.00 it is certainly worth the thrill.

Pros of Gonzaga:

• great IP moot court team, rising IP program
• small debt burden on graduation
• hubby says to add trees as a benefit, meh, overrated
• beautiful city
• downtown appears to be a real cultural center
• it's a walking city
• boy scouts were on the tourist map...again hubby bonus...he's outdoorsey...blech, trees again.
• has 4 different seasons not just variations of summer
• close to Seattle
• small cost of living
• cheap housing
• has PF Changs, yummy
• has Greek restaurant...so does Phoenix

Cons of Gonzaga:

• Tier 3 reputation means its a regional school
• If I want to work in Seattle, why not go to school in Seattle?
• IP program isn't the strongest even though it's growing
• Practice in Spokane after graduation isn't likely due to job opportunities
• Job opportunities for hubby are slimmer
• Not at a major hub airport therefore more expensive to travel to Phoenix for nice weather
• No family/friends/aquaintances

University of Arizona Law School

Downtown Tucson

Don't blink, you'll miss it. Downtown Tucson consists of just three tall buildings all of which were specifically on our little driving map. I actually missed downtown the first time we drove through it. I made hubby turn around and prove that I had actually driven through it. Not impressed. Tucson may have all of the components of a 900,000+ person city, but they are really spread out. It doesn't feel like a downtown with a vibrant character to it. There is no walking downtown for a show, catching a nice diner, and then driving home. We want a different feel to a city. Also, unlike Phoenix, I didn't really feel that safe in Tucson. I actually locked the car doors when we started driving through. Peeling paint, not so nice businesses, and rock yards in front of the houses were not selling points.

The campus itself is much better. Some of their buildings are quite modern and the medical school is especially nice. After driving through the rest of Tucson, the area seemed quite nice actually. The law school itself will only exist as is for another few months. This fall's 1L class will move with the rest of the law school to an apartment complex for their 1L year while the building is being renovated. While an upgrade will be nice, it's still Tucson. As is the facility lacks power supplies for laptops in classrooms and also has a really weird classroom design where all of the classrooms are located outside of the main law building in little columns which resemble the legs of a spider. The lawbrary was unimpressive and dated, lacking natural sunlight and comfy workstations. Admittedly the admissions people were much better than ASU and answered all of my questions. They realize their facility's weaknesses and realize that the current setup doesn't match the way students study today. The new facility should be much better. Hmm...maybe if I was going to be part of the 2013 class and would matriculate post renovation. In the mean time, Tucson is now at the bottom of the wish list.

UofA Law School Courtyard

Pluses UofA:

• Slightly better ranking than ASU (doesn't make up for the facilities difference at this point)
• Slightly better weather (10 degrees cooler than Phoenix)
• Good clinical program
• Innovative 1L internship program was impressive. Most schools don't have something like this.
• Friendly and informative admissions staff who are really proud of their school and seem willing to go the extra miles for their students.
• Soon to be new building.
• Not a "regional" school despite it's reputation.

Minuses of UofA:

• 4k higher tuition than ASU
• It's in Tucson
• Typical student housing was not impressive
• Public transportation not the best
• Apartments for classrooms?
• Not near family

Arizona State University Law School

ASU Law Library

Beautiful new library with lots of natural sunlight. The law school itself is circular in shape and quite nice. The classrooms are around the edge of the bottom circle. Downstairs are student lockers and upstairs are faculty offices. The main floor also has several study lounges and a student cafe. The lawbrary is in a seperate building (pictured above) and has won several design awards. The natural sunlight is a big bonus. There are also Lexis/West-Law classrooms in the lawbrary.

ASU Law Library

The one downside was that the student ambassador who was supposed to meet us didn't and so we had a secretary giving us a tour. She worked in the admissions office but didn't know that much. I asked her several specific questions including, "What is the curve?" "Is the legal writing and research class graded as part of the GPA?" "What is the process for selecting electives?" and she couldn't answer any of them. I'll have to get in touch with a local student to try and get some represenatives.

A plus was of course the fact that is was 85F when we visited which was just gorgeous. Not too hot, and a big bonus over Fairbanks which was -30F when we left. Over 100 degree difference...wonderful! Hubby thinks that its a little warm and that the 100+ degrees in the summer won't be bearable. I'm hoping the relatives with the ski boat will help to change his mind.

Phoenix is also a pretty great city. The summers are rough, but I'll probably be in some air conditioned law office during the worst part of the heat. There is also plenty to do. We have relatives in the area so hubby will have people to hang out with while I have my nose stuck in a book. There are lakes nearby for water skiing. If snow skiing is your thing that is also a short distance away. Culturally Phoenix also has all of the benefits of being the 5th biggest city in the US. We went to an Eric Clapton concert and the Phoenix botanical garden while there.

Pros for ASU:

• Law Science and Technology Program - awesome for IP folks, offers IP certificates, technology ventures clinic, pro bono program
• Good job placement in AZ - peer career services with most CA schools so that those getting CA jobs after school can receive support
• Part of a nice campus, close by housing, vibrant city, biking/bus commute possible so 2nd car purcahse won't be manditory
• Near relatives
• Great school time climate

Cons for ASU:

• 100+ degree summer weather
• No trees
• Job placement outside of Arizona is less strong
• Admissions tour not very helpful
• No scholarship money...yet
  

It's Called a Buggy

Your Linguistic Profile:

60% General American English

15% Upper Midwestern

15% Yankee

5% Dixie

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Yes folks, you may think it's a shopping cart, but to those of us who spent any amount of time in the south it will always be a buggy.

Blogging Anonymously

My old hotmail address from back in high school is right in the URL to this blog. Anybody who even remotely knows me and is trying can find this blog. I have no real need for personal anonymity so the fact that I haven't put up my real name on this blog is mostly an indication that I don't want people looking me up in the phone-book rather than an actual attempt at anonymity.

As far as law school anonymity goes, I used to use acronyms like T2-D to indicate DePaul university, etc. I have gone back and changed these. This blog will not be anonymous in my choice of school and where I have gotten in/been rejected until later...maybe. I am considering referring to whatever school I go to eventually as The School, but that decision can wait. In the meantime you may all know that I have been accepted to Gonzaga, Temple, and DePaul and that I have been rejected/crushed by George Washington, American, and University of Washington. I still have 10 apps out. So, I am in at least at 2 T2 schools and one T3. Unfortunately I don't think that I can go to either of the T2s. Hubby flat out vetoed Chicago short of a Northwestern miracle acceptance (another fee waiver app) and Philadelphia is very far East for us. It's a shame as DePaul has a really cool IP program. I'm going to try and schedule a Chicago trip for us and see whether that changes anything.

DC is fine, I have interned there for two summers and we know the area and have relatives there. I'm very hesitant about Philadelphia. Ironic huh, I was born in Washington, PA. Despite the fact that I only lived there for 18 months, it would be sort of like coming home. We'll see. Right now, Spokane is looking very nice culturally. Keep in mind I am coming from Alaska. There is a reason I didn't apply to any CA schools. Too many people! Our big law school visit trip spanning Arizona, Washington, and Boston is coming up so look for pictures and comments about what a few schools are like up close and personal or as I like to say, beyond the viewbook.

June LSAT Changes

Not only is LSAC adding a new comparative reading question type, but they are changing up the regulations surrounding the testing environment. Gone are the days when people could use mechanical pencils and fancy silent timers. Now you can't even where a hooded sweatshirt.

Prohibited: weapons or firearms, ear plugs, books, backpacks, handbags, papers of any kind, calculators, rulers, timers, listening devices, cellular phones, recording or photographic devices, pagers, beepers, headsets, and/or other electronic devices.

Allowed: Tests takers may bring into the room only a clear plastic ziplock bag, maximum size one gallon (3.79 liter), which must be stored under the chair and may be accessed only during the break. The ziplock bag may contain only the following items: LSAT Admission Ticket stub; valid ID; wallet; keys; hygiene products; #2 or HB pencils, highlighter, erasers, pencil sharpener (no mechanical pencils); tissues; beverage in plastic container or juice box (20 oz./591 ml maximum size) and snack for break only.

This should hopefully make for a more quiet testing environment unless somebody brings along a noisy pencil sharpener. *sigh* Quiet, that would have been nice back in December. Evil proctor, making tapping noises through the whole test. At least I was taking the test in a location with like 10 other students, not one of the nightmare administrations with 200+ people and hours worth of administration. Maybe these changes will help me. So far I've only been practicing with an analog watch and a kitchen timer. At least I don't require a major timing strategy shift.

Oh and LSAC has released a new practice test for 2007 which includes comparative reading questions.

Rejected George Washington Law School

Well, D.C. is even less likely. It now exists as a far Far FAR away dream. George Washington was my top choice even though I only had a 5.25% chance of getting in there. Retaking the LSAT is looking like more of a possibility. Apparently a 160 LSAT score doesn't go very far. Goodbye dream or hello possibilities? Imagining my life as different than I planned it is difficult, but I may be happy with the way things turn out. Ironically, my body + soul magazine came today featuring articles on lifting your mood and the power of optimism.

Alaskan cold vs. The Rest of the U.S.

In the last week I have woken up to weather between -45F and -38F, today was a relatively balmy -18F when I sauntered out of bed at 9am, hmm...must have warmed up a bit while I slept in.

I had the pleasure last week at my real job of working a couple of contractors who were wanting to test some equipment at our facility. They met me in what I would call the equivalent of sweatshirts. I asked them whether they were ready to go and they said yes. I assumed they would be putting on their coats, but apparently said sweatshirts were their winter gear. So at -40F we all jaunted up to the roof of this 8 story building, me in my nice coat, gloves, hat, and scarf, and them in, well...sweatshirts and Old Navy gloves. Those poor guys. Not only were they freezing to the point where their fingers were numb, their nose hair had stalactites, and their glasses were unusable, but they had no idea how their equipment would handle the cold either. Apparently, they had left the equipment in the car over night. Bad decision. At -40F, LCD screens freeze, and it takes a long time for them to unfreeze.

Also, extension cords are not all created equal. In arctic environments flimsy plastic cracks. You need a different kind of extension cord to get power outdoors in the winter. Trust me, this is coming from a person who has to plug in her car everywhere in the winter. When I first moved to Alaska, I thought everyone was very environmentally friendly as they all plugged in their presumably electric cars. No, turns out the plugins in all of the grocery stores, workplaces, and homes, are merely to keep the engine warm enough to start in weather colder than 20F.

So when anybody asks me why on earth I would apply to law school somewhere as miserable as Seattle or Chicago I tell them that the weather could only get better. I currently live in a state where for much of the year it is too cold to snow. Think about that. Chicago, phh, when the dean called me it was 20 above zero, that's warm. And Washington sate, during their cold spell was 30. In Fairbanks Alaska, when it hits 20 above on a regular basis in the Spring, people start breaking out their shorts. This is part of the reason why Texas is not being considered as a law school destination and why hubby is only considering Arizona because of the proximity it has to his numerous male relatives, all of which have boats for his water-skiing pleasure.

Accepted...Why am I not more Excited?

Another acceptance, this time at Temple. Not sure I am that excited. I only applied there because I had a fee waiver. I don't think I could get hubby to move that far East unless we were going to DC. However, I'm beginning to feel more confident as my Chiasu chance of getting in there was only like 40%, so better things may yet be in store. I am 3-2 for acceptance v. dings. Still working on LSAT prep and beginning to feel out Patent Bar prep programs. Ouch, those are expensive and you have to be a current law student to get any discounts. What about us proactive students who are trying to take the test before school and get it out of the way with?

165 on LSAT

Took my first ever (other than the real thing in Dec.) timed LSAT today. I spent 35 minutes per section, no cheating, and had my 15 minute break after Section 33. I still was horrible on time on the reading comprehension and logic games sections. I finished both logical reasoning sections with 5 minutes to spare each, to go over questionable answers. It showed, I missed only 5 logical reasoning questions. I also didn't get to 11 questions on the test. Timing, timing, timing. Must study strategies for reading comprehension and logic games success now that it looks like my analytical reasoning is well in hand. Now, if only I could score a 165 or better on the real thing, I would be happy.

IP Law School Rankings

Current IP rankings from US News:Law Specialties: Intellectual Property Law Ranked in 2004*

1. University of California–Berkeley
2. George Washington University (DC)
3. Stanford University (CA)
4. Duke University (NC)
5. New York University
6. Cardozo-Yeshiva University (NY)
7. Franklin Pierce Law Center (NH)
8. Columbia University (NY)
9. DePaul University (IL) & University of Houston
10. Boston University
11. John Marshall Law School (IL)
12. Santa Clara University (CA)
13. Georgetown University (DC)
14. Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago-Kent)
15. University of Washington
16. Harvard University (MA)
17. University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
18. Case Western Reserve University (OH) & University of California–Los Angeles
19. Fordham University (NY)
20. Boston College & George Mason University (VA) & University of Texas–Austin & Washington University in St. Louis & Yale University (CT)
21. American University (Washington College of Law) (DC) & University of Pennsylvania

Actual rankings are slightly different as equally ranked schools bump others down, couldn't get the numbering right in the HTML. American University, etc. are actually 27th. Red = Applied in 2006 cycle.

Of course, there are those who believe that you should go to the best law school that takes you and forget about ratings. This site was written by an IP recruiter who is part of this crowd. I'm inclined to go with this plan, as having a portable, nationally recognized degree is what is most important to me. I have no idea where I'll be living after law school and I need a degree which will go with me anywhere.

Things that enhance chances of getting a good IP job: good technical background, good law school, and passing the patent bar. So in order to improve my chances at this point I can actually change items two and three. Working to get into a good school involves practicing for LSAT. I will be retaking the LSAT in June. After that I plan on spending the rest of my summer studying for and taking the USPTO exam (patent bar). It will be better to have this under my belt before law school than during school. I don't think I'll have extra time to study for this during law school, so having it out of the way will only be an advantage to me when trying to get the all important "first-job" out of school. Anybody have advice on how to prepare for the patent bar?

June LSAT Books

I am now armed and ready for intensive LSAT preperation. I have:

• Logic Games Bible


• Logic Reasoning Bible


• 10 Actual Tests (7-18)


• 10 More Actual Tests (19-28)


• The Next 10 Tests (29-38)


• The Official LSAT PrepTests 39-44


• The LSAT Explained...The Official LSAT PrepTest With Explanations Volume One


• LSAT The Official TriplePrep Plus w/Explanations


• LSAT TestPrep 5th Edition Classroom Test (from on-campus course that a friend took)


• The Princeton Review Cracking the LSAT 2004 Edition

Now, where to start? I guess taking one diagnostic test should be good. Will also be a good motivation to get my studying in gear. Now I have Intro to Justice, Latin, Thesis, and LSAT. Should be a fun couple of months till June.

Now, all I need is to find a PDF version of the answer bubble sheet so that I can completely simulate real test taking conditions. (Found. Available on LSAC website for free.) Oh yeah, I guess I'll need an annoying proctor to tap their pencil against the table for 6 hours too, then it would be JUST like the December test.

I love Ebay, it is a good source of cheap LSAT prep materials. But what I really need are tests 45-50, the most recent 5. I don't know if I can justify another $8.00 per test getting them from LSAC. Let me know if you aren't using yours anymore and we'll make a deal.

I am the weakest link: the culture of science in Russia

This roughly translates to: "There isn't one weak link in work!" Well in my case, sleep is my paperclip. I can put as much work in as I want, but if the time I spend working on school turns into me beating my head against the wall because I'm so tired, that isn't going to get my Latin lessons done or my thesis written.

Speaking of which, if any native Russian speakers want to comment on the culture of science in Russia, I would be most grateful. I am using primarily English language sources for speed sake, but my professor likes to see quotes in Russian not English.

My paper is seeking to outline the history of science in Russia and then show how this has over time created the culture in which scientists and engineers work today. Part of the reason I am interested in this is because of a congressional hearing I went to in 2005. I was sitting in on a session on how American organizations are trying to partner with Russians who are doing research. Their main complaint is that some of the most talented researchers are struggling to get funding for their projects because the whole peer reviewed grant system is strange to them. This makes sense when you look back at the history of the situation and you realize that for many many years, scientists have had government directives over what they should research. Putting together grant applications seems new and quite entrepreneurial to those who are used to a more authoritarian system. With the decline of the Academy and national funding, it is imperative that Russians adapt to the peer review system to be internationally competitive. Now if only I can express this, using appropriate quotations, in 30 pages of pure Russian, written at a level that is understandable to a native speaker. Wish me luck, I have 6 pages so far and it's due at the end of April.

Cold Calls from Admissions Folks

I now have readers from 5 out of the 7 continents! Now I just need to make friends with someone in Africa and Antarctica and I'll have truly global readership...cool. When I started this blog it was mostly a way to keep from constantly ranting to everyone around me about the law school waiting game. It's nice to know there is someone else out there that is reading this and hopefully benefiting. To that end I will try to provide some non-ranting actual content.

What to do when a law school dean calls you to tell you've been admitted to his/her school, but this is the first you've heard of it.

To start with, never accept the bait when they say, "I don't know where our school is on your wishlist, but I would love to help you make the best choice for you by providing you whatever information I can." Do not take this as a cue for you to explain or defend your choices, or even to discuss them. Simply stick to the conversation at hand and try and come up with a few intelligent questions to ask. Then ask for a contact name and phone number/e-mail so that once you actually come up with some questions that you would like answered you can call someone other than the admissions office.

If this is the first that you've heard that you are admitted express pleasure at your acceptance. This should be easy as I'm sure you're genuinely delighted that someone thinks that you're awesome. It's very flattering.

Good things to discuss with random phone caller, be they student or dean:

1. What special programs or courses does your school have in the Intellectual Property area (or whatever your field of interest is)? This one question actually took up most of the conversation and really helped me understand the school.

2. If you don't know a lot about the area the school is located in, this is always a good conversation starter. "I'm from Alaska so this is going to be a big change for me. What can you tell me about X city?" People love talking about their home towns and this can really tell you a lot. Not necessarily about the city. You will get a better idea how personable the administrator who is calling you is by how willing they are to chat with you. Students can often provide helpful info on where students live, rent prices, and other things that their professors haven't worried about in years.

If you are planning to vist, you might add.

3. While I am visiting, what are the "must sees" in your city other than the law school of course? I've gotten a few great restaurant recommendations this way.

Speaking of visiting law schools, we leave on March 9th, for our grand-tour. So I will be posting suggestions on how to maximize campus visits a little later.

Another Reason to Love Google

The only reason that I still use Outlook (until today) was that it allowed me to check all of my e-mail accounts from one source. I could check school, work, private x 3, etc. and then I could neatly drag and drop things into folders. Lately this has become quite bothersome as all of my e-mails, except one could be forwarded to my gmail account and organized with tags, grouped by conversation, and made easily searchable. Now Google announces in it's new features that:

Just launched!
Get mail from other accountsNow Gmail can check for the mail you receive at your other email accounts. You can retrieve your mail (new and old) from up to five other email accounts and have them all in Gmail. Then you can even create a customized 'From:' address, which lets you send messages from Gmail, but have them look like they were sent from another one of your email accounts. Please note that you can only retrieve mail from accounts that have POP3 access enabled. Learn more

Yay, I can now stop checking mail in Outlook. The only reason to do that would be to have my e-mail accessible while I'm offline, aka on a plane. It is nice to be able to catch up on old e-mails and send 15-20 in one fell-swoop when I land. But I'll gladly give this up to have all my e-mail in one easy to use place. Thank you Google, I love you even more.

I'm a J... now

I have a love hate relationship with my mailman. Yesterday he brought me two packages, good mailman. I love packages. But, last week he brought me rejection, bad mailman. Last night I received scholarship money and a nice shiny brochure, good mail man. I wonder which mail man I will get today? As if he has any control over whether law schools clear across the country love me. That I have this much emotion tied up in a person that I only meet when I'm playing hooky from work and happen to be home in the afternoon when a package needs delivered says something.

UPDATE: Mailman brought me nothing yesterday, not even a Victoria Secret catalog. I usually get at least 2 of those a week.

In other news, the University has finally changed my name from my maiden name to my married name in all of their systems. I'm officially a J... now. For your reference, I was married in 2004 and started the paperwork to do the change fall semester 2004. *sigh* There has been much drama between me and the human resources/registrar employees over this issue. Especially as I will be getting my diploma in May and there is no way I will accept it with the wrong name on it after they've had this long to fix the problem! Now if only I could get Blockbuster and Safeway to change it too. I'm getting tired of Safeway clerks saying, Mrs J..., say hi to Miss B... when you get a chance. They think I stole her card to get $0.25 off on my hot pockets or something.

Money Matters

T3-G finally sent me my admissions decision in the mail. Up to this point I only had an e-mail acceptance. And...money...woopee! $15,000 per year. Less law school debt=good thing. Still waiting on the rest of my decisions, 8 to go. The money was enough to inspire me to go to real estate websites and start browsing housing and moving options.

Accepted...and Ding

In at DePaul! I don't know how to feel about that exactly. I only applied because they gave me a free application fee waiver. But now I'll definitely have to check them out more thoroughly. They are apparently ranked pretty highly for Intellectual Property. This is going to make decisions time very hard. I really hope that my dream school comes back and says "Yes, we love you too." Otherwise deciding where to go/if I should delay is going to kill me. Unfortunately this school wasn't on the grand law school trip we're taking over Spring Break and it would be hard to convince hubby to go somewhere that he's never visited.

UPDATE: The pattern continues with another mailed rejection after receiving an e-mailed acceptance. I've yet to receive any good news by mail. Ding at American. Doesn't bode well for my hopes of being in D.C..

Weighty Matters

If the freshman 15 happen all over again in the form of the 1L 15, I better get a head start. My freshman 15 was more like the undergrad 40. Of course, I don't really have to lose all of that as I was pretty slim in HS. I had a pretty major lifestyle change going to college. I went from being a competitive swimmer with a mom to cook for me to a lump-on-a-log engineering/language student who never left her room when it was less than 60F outside (9 months of the year in AK). Still, working out has always lowered my stress levels and now that the sun is coming back the concept of salad as food for mammals other than rabbits is becoming more palatable, perhaps a healthier lifestyle will be more manageable. If I am going to be entering one of the most stressful periods of my life this fall or even next fall, I want to do it being the healthiest I can.

Unfortunately for me, I am a night person. Always have been, always will be. The idea of waking up early to exercise is just not going to happen. The last time I did that was back in the day when I thought ROTC was a good idea. But, by the time I get home at night all I want to do is eat dinner and go to bed as there is no sunlight. Now that the light is coming back, perhaps I'll have better luck with the post work exercise plan. Maybe once the snow melts in May I'll buy a bike! Wish me luck.

Glasses

After making a complete and thorough survey of all available eyeglass frames within a 600 mile radius (not hard to do in Alaska) I finally decided on the first pair of frames that I found at my optometrist. Talk about a waste of time. I went to like 8 stores and ultimately ended up where I started. However, I am now assured that the $430.00 I spent was not wasted and that there were in fact no better options out there.

They are apparently not pink, but berry in color. While anyone who knows me will tell you that my favorite color is unabashedly blue and that for awhile I had to make a conscious effort to buy clothes in any other color, apparently the color blue, no matter what shape it comes in, does not look good on my face. I am sad. So berry it is. In 7-10 days my frames will be returned to me with lenses inserted. Yes, I am in fact getting old.

Chat

I logged into the admitted students chat room for T3-G school last night. I didn't really have any questions that I needed answered coming into the chat, but ended up finding it quite interesting. At one point the moderator was asked about weather. She said that it had been really cold lately. Being from Alaska I asked her what cold meant there. She said, "Oh really chilly, like 20F." To which I responded, "Wow, that would be nice. It's currently -42F here, that's like 60 degrees difference." I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

I did get other questions answered. Where do people usually live? How successful are students at getting judicial clerkships? Why does your school have two years of LW&R and does that figure into GPA? What is your school's grading curve? (B-, ouch)

The admissions lady and I ultimately ended up being the only ones in the chat room at the end. She found out I was coming to visit the school and offered to have the school pay for my hotel room. SCORE! That's $79.00 that I can save for tuition.

The one question that I didn't really like the answer to was in regards to my plan to possibly delay a year. I asked her what my chances of getting in next year would be if I didn't matriculate this fall and she said that next year they are decreasing their entering class size significantly so admissions would be tougher. If I had a good excuse for why I was delaying they would work with me.

Ouch

So, in my effort to have a better chance at law school next year, I am slogging my way through preparing for the LSAT again. Today I took the Princeton Review's online timed LSAT. It's free and keeps me honest on the time. The news...157, three points lower than my real-live LSAT score of 160 in December. Hmm...already forgetting how to approach these questions. The main thing I noticed is that like the real LSAT, I simply ran out of time. There were 6 questions that I didn't even get to. I think that timing and practice are going to be the keys to improving my score this time around. In case your interested in the pain that is LSAT preperation, you can take the same free test by: logging into www.PrincetonReview.com. Click on the "Student Tools" link in the upper right hand corner. On the next screen, enter your username (email) and password in the sign in screen and then click "Sign In". On the following screen, select "Demo of Princeton Review Online for the LSAT". Now you're all set to start your online demo! Note that once you are signed in, you only need to click on the "Student Tools" link on the upper right corner to access your course links.

The Plan

Plan A) Get into great school this year on a hope and prayer.

If plan A fails, proceed to plan B.

Plan B) courtesy of the nice folks at Princeton Review

Jan - take practice LSAT (well, I took the real thing in Dec., so that should count as a good diagnostic)

Feb - start prep (slowly, but yes, will begin again, at least I now have copies of like the last 30 LSATs)

Mar - LSAT Registration Booklet, good sample questions and info on new comparative reading section to be included

Apr - Register for LSAT (assuming failure of plan A at this point)

May - Continue LSAT preperations, taking regular full length TIMED exams - this was my failure last time, I could get the questions right given infinite time. I hate timed tests.

June - take LSAT. New comparitive reading section to throw off all competitors, leaving me with perfect 180 scaled score.

July - Register for LSDAS (did that this year, good for five years, CHECK)

Aug - Get apps from schools. Sounds silly given that most are sent electronically from LSDAS anyway. But, let me tell you this from this year. If you ask for a brochure they often give you the little golden ticket of law school brochures, a FEE WAIVER! Trust me, I got one from Northwestern and it certainly wasn't based on my LSAT score, because I hadn't taken it yet. Brochures are also helpful when doing your personal statements.

Sep - Write personal statements, Update resume, Register for Oct LSAT if necessary (pray it is not necessary)

Oct - Send early decision applications.

Nov - Send remaining applications. (Hopefully having received tons of fee waivers after excellent LSAT performance, this will be a less pricey prospect.)

Dec - Sit back and relax. Reflect on the fact that I have not really lost a year as much as I have gained a year of employment and thus work experience for resume, good soft factors, and extra money in savings account to offset evil law school costs. I wonder if brains are insurable? Mine will be worth 150k after all of this is said and done, and that's not even counting undergraduate.

In need of study partner

In honor of my "big decision" I am putting out a call for all June 2007 LSAT takers and all class of 2011 1L wannabes. I am need of a study partner(s)/motivator(s)/cheerleader(s)!

LSAT Take Two

Chris' Blog: Entrepreneur and wannabe law student: Who Owns the Fish

Now that I've decided to retake my LSAT I have to start studying for it. The previous link came up on a search for "2007 June LSAT." It is a good example of the type of mental manipulation that the LSAT asks you to do sometimes. I immediately started doing a PowerScore diagram in my head. Maybe I'll sit down and actually solve it a little bit later.

The LSAT retake decision was a hard one. It means that I will have wasted all of my application money this year. I guess the preparation won't hurt me either way. If pigs fly I do get into my dream schools this cycle (unlikely given the rejections have already started) I won't have wasted that much, just time that would have otherwise been spent wallowing in the waiting process. Plus, with the new changes to the LSAT starting in June 2007, perhaps I have a better chance of scoring higher as all of the high powered/expensive test prep programs will be starting afresh in making preperation materials for the new comparitive reading questions.

So wish me luck! I am now completing my Intro to Justice, Latin I, and Russian Studies Thesis courses, as well as preparing for the LSAT (AGAIN!!!) in my copious spare time. Hmm...I was supposed to be spending this year taking good care of hubby so he doesn't feel neglected for the next three years of law school.

Who knows, I may yet be in the class of 2010. It still sounds cool. If not, "11" is a prime number and goes better with my number set so far "1" for high-school and "7" for college. All prime numbers. The engineer in me relishes the thought. Feeling better about delaying a year already.

In...Ding

At least my acceptance came before my first ding. University of Washington sent me a nice letter saying how they had way too many qualified people apply (2600) for their limited slots (180) and that they would like to talk to me about reapplying next year. I think I'll retake my LSAT in June and then reapply next cycle, but we'll see, I haven't found out whether I'm in at any of the other 11 schools that I applied to. I wonder if I can defer at any schools I get into this year so I don't have to reapply next year? Then I could try for other schools and keep my options open. In other news, I did get in to Gonzaga. I found out via e-mail invite to admitted students web cast. I expected to get in, so I wasn't uber exited.

I'm getting old

Went to the eye-doctor yesterday. I've been taking a pistol marksmanship class and have been having trouble with my eyes switching which one of them is in control. Apparently I am right eye dominant, but left eye strong so my brain doesn't know whether to use my dominant eye or my better eye and it gets confused. That is apparently why I've been having headaches after class. So I went to the eye doctor. In addition to this whole dominant vs. stronger thing I have slight astigmatism and am getting nearsighted. Based on the change in my eyes over the last two years my eyes are changing at a time when they are supposed to be stable. Dr. says that is because of school, studying with poor light, and straining my eyes from too much near work. He showed me what my eyes could see now and then put on the amount of power that I should have with corrective lenses, and poof I could see the blur turn to letters (albeit they were 10 ft. away, and when do I ever need to see that much detail). Scary as I've never thought I needed glasses.

The Dr. says that with planning on going to go to law school and a lot more "near work" aka studying in my future, he would strongly recommend wearing glasses during high eye-strain situations. Dark driving, large presentation rooms, shooting, or any other time when I need to "see like a hawk."

The good news is that I'm now justified in spending more than $6.00 on sunglasses. Bad news is that I hate the way most glasses look on my face. When I finally found a pair that look good on my face, they turned out to be pink frames. Hubby and Dr. swear they are purple, but they are still WAY too girly for me. So this weekend I'll be driving around town going glasses shopping.



PS Those are the frames, see they're PINK!

FAFSA...Done!

Apparently if you call the nice FAFSA people at their 1-800 number and give them all of your info, Student ID, DRN, Social, Birthdate, etc. the will add as many schools as you want over the phone. Just be sure you have their federal school codes in front of you. Took like 5 minutes on the phone and presto, my problem of applying to more than 6 schools and deciding which to send FAFSA info to is gone! Yay. Now, I've just got to figure out how to get some decisions out of these schools.

The Hidden Law School Deadline

Everyone knows when their applications are due. The deadlines are clearly printed on the applications. But, there is another, hidden, and far more sinister deadline that is cleverly hidden on most admission websites. The financial aid deadline of March 1st. Even more sinister is the fact that this is the date that the school needs to receive the data from FAFSA, meaning you really have to have everything done and completed by February 14-15th. Even more frustrating is the fact that FAFSA only let's you send reports to 6 schools. Meaning, unless you start the process back in January, get the reports sent to the first 6 schools, and then make a correction and have the report sent to additioanl schools, you will miss the deadline for any schools above your top 6.

I have been blessed/cursed with a lot of application fee waivers. For $12.00 worth of LSAC fees, sure, I'll apply. Even better, if you throw in 25 free iTunes downloads for simply applying, I'll apply. But, this has left me applying to 14 law schools. I'm debating whether to put the top 6 that I want to get into on my FAFSA list, or the top 6 that I think that I will get into. It would be horrible to get into a school, but not be eligible for need based aid because I missed the deadline. Hmm...I guess I'll compromise and put my top 3 picks, and my top 3 probabilities on the list. Ok...FAFSA sent. Now I just have to wait a few days and start seeing if schools got the info so I can replace them with other schools that need the information.

This is so silly. The information is sent electronically. It doesn't cost the government any more money to send the info to 12 or even 50 schools than it does to send it to 6.

Another Engineer & Future Lawyer

It is dangerous to troll the blogosphere as you will inevitably get sucked into someones archives. I spent the better part of the last few weekends reading Suasponte's archives, in order, from start to finish. Now I've discovered that there is another blogger out there with a similar background. From Engineer To Lawyer

Lucky Number

Both my birthdate and my husbands are lucky numbers. Hmm...I never knew that. Now what should I use my luck on? I've always been unusually blessed when it came to winning random door prizes. I hope I haven't used it all up. I still need some to get into law school.

Law School Cost Benefit Analysis

Take that top 10 law schools.
http://www.ilrg.com/schools/analysis/

New IP Legislation

And this is why I want to be an IP lawyer. I want to work in this field!

Senators Propose Legislation For Better Intellectual Property DefenseManufacturing.Net - February 8, 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) – Manufacturers need a more focused defense from the government in the battle over intellectual property theft, two senators said, citing the billions of dollars in losses from piracy and counterfeiting.

Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, outlined new legislation that would target the loss of intellectual property theft, replacing the current system that involves nine different agencies working on the issue. Taking a cue from the international approach to combat money laundering, it would also try to partner with other countries to help companies remain competitive.

“If we’re going to make it as a nation, we have got to look at developing the infrastructure of competitiveness. The world has changed,” Voinovich said.

Intellectual property loss affects manufacturers large and small. A U.S. Chamber of Commerce study recently found counterfeiting costs U.S. companies up to $250 billion a year and linked the loss of 750,000 jobs to fake merchandise.

Ford Motor Co. estimates it costs them about $1 billion annually in lost sales, undermining vehicle safety and undercutting the billions of dollars it puts into research, design and production.

“We cannot allow intellectual property thieves…to prey upon the unsuspecting American consumer,” said Joe Wiegand, Ford’s global brand protection manager.
The proposal fits into larger concerns on Capitol Hill over the Bush administration’s handling of trade issues. Some lawmakers have tired of dialogue and want more action on the nation’s soaring trade deficits and lost manufacturing jobs, which critics have blamed in part on unfair trade practices by foreign countries.

“I’m not a protectionist. I believe in competition. But I also believe that all competitors ought to play by the same set of rules. That’s not happening today and that’s unacceptable,” Bayh said.

© 2007 Advantage Business Media. All rights reserved. (copied here in case the link breaks)

Labor Calls Me

Labor me vocat is the first sentence of real Latin I learned, as it was for thousands who learned from Wheelock's Latin textbook. It translates to Labor calls me. This is true, I need to finish two latin lessons and have a couple chapters of Justice reading to do. Not to mention the thesis that I haven't touched since last November.

See, you can come from T4 and do great things

Good thing I kept Gonzaga on my list of schools to apply to. I really like Spokane. The whole ratings game was starting to get to me though. I saw my future washing away if I was tempted to go to a T4 school. We'll have to see what happens. I haven't been admitted anywhere yet. Of course, I haven't been rejected yet.

Law student honored as chair - News

Getting ready for trip

Plane Tickets - check
Rental car - check
Hotels - check

Now all I have to do is how to see Seattle, Phoenix, Tucson, Spokane, and Boston in one week and still have sanity left. So much for Spring Break. And this trip totally leaves out visiting any D.C. law schools. Oh well, I've spent two summers interning in D.C. I know what the city is like even if I haven't visited the schools.

You Are Jupiter

Hmm, this is amazingly accurate.

You are exuberantly curious - and you love to explore newness. Enthusiastic and optimistic, you get a kick out of stimulating intellectual discussions. Foreign cultures and languages fascinate you. You love the outdoors, animals, and freedom. Chances are you tend to exaggerate, so try to keep a lid on that. If you do, you'll continue to be known for your confidence, generosity, and sense of justice.

What Planet Are You From?

What does this mean?

Letter from A. University today. I was expecting an admissions decision. Instead it is a letter from the financial aid deparment telling me that "During the admissions process, you will receive information regarding these merit-based departmental awards." Does this mean that I've been admitted? They never even sent me an e-mail that said my application was complete. Hmm...

! You are most Like A Sapphire !

Dark, mysterious - but unforgettable. You have a deep beauty. Delicate, and shy you try to stay away from the limelight but often your intelligence puts you in at the deep end. You're like a Sapphire, because, your beauty is priceless. You're intelligent, full of opinions, and not big-headed about it all. Sometimes you need to put yourself out there, as you can be a bit shy. Congratulations ... You're the mysterious gem everybody wants to have and learn more about.

Which gem are you?

The trickle begins

The trickle of complete notices has begun. Three so far. Unfortunately the ones that really matter haven't said boo to me yet. Oh well, that's what I get for sending in my apps in Jan. rather than Oct.