Stir it up, little darlin'
So here's how I ended up in law school:
I was 28 and burning out fast in my job as the executive director of a very public and very political non-profit organization when I registered to sit for the LSAT. I signed up 4 weeks prior to the exam with no concrete plans to do anything with the results, whatever they may be. I didn't study for the LSAT, and I barely knew what to expect from the exam.
Over the next couple of months, I tossed around whether or not to apply, whether or not to attend if I got accepted. I had a busy life in my hometown - my job, my friends and family, my condo, my on-again/off-again boyfriend. While I knew that I needed a challenge and I desperately wanted a chance at a career I would love, I knew that going to law school would lead to some pretty significant changes in my life. I had been batting around the idea of law school since my first days as an undergrad, but I always found some reason to put it off.
I applied to one school within commuting distance, and I was accepted. I still hadn't decided for sure whether or not I should go. I remember discussing the dilemma with one of the members of my board of directors, and he said, "Amanda, not going to law school would be like playing baseball your entire life, getting called up to the big leagues, and turning them down. You have to go. You'd be a fool to pass up the opportunity." And I knew he was right. I decided to stop putting it off, take on the law school bull by the horns and hope for the best.
So I started law school in the fall of 2002. And the significant changes I anticipated materialized in more ways than I imagined over the next three years. Eventually, I left the condo, the boyfriend (after I married him and divorced him in my second year of school - he hated everything about my being in law school), and finally left my hometown. I kept the dog and moved to Indianapolis. The physical changes alone were significant.
But what I have personally gained in law school has been beyond my expectations. I have made wonderful friends and have had the opportunity to meet, be taught by, and work with amazing and brilliant minds. I have had excellent job opportunities teaching me about the practice of law outside the classroom. I have not always been the most dedicated or the brightest student, but I have worked my ass off interning at a prosecutor's office and clerking for two great firms, and that hard work has paid off for me. I am a very different person today than I was three years ago, and those changes have been for the better. Most of all, I am happier than I can remember being in a long time, and I am optimistic about my professional future. Being an attorney will be a good thing for me.
A friend of mine asked me a couple of days ago if I would do it all over again. I didn't hesitate in saying that I would.
I was 28 and burning out fast in my job as the executive director of a very public and very political non-profit organization when I registered to sit for the LSAT. I signed up 4 weeks prior to the exam with no concrete plans to do anything with the results, whatever they may be. I didn't study for the LSAT, and I barely knew what to expect from the exam.
Over the next couple of months, I tossed around whether or not to apply, whether or not to attend if I got accepted. I had a busy life in my hometown - my job, my friends and family, my condo, my on-again/off-again boyfriend. While I knew that I needed a challenge and I desperately wanted a chance at a career I would love, I knew that going to law school would lead to some pretty significant changes in my life. I had been batting around the idea of law school since my first days as an undergrad, but I always found some reason to put it off.
I applied to one school within commuting distance, and I was accepted. I still hadn't decided for sure whether or not I should go. I remember discussing the dilemma with one of the members of my board of directors, and he said, "Amanda, not going to law school would be like playing baseball your entire life, getting called up to the big leagues, and turning them down. You have to go. You'd be a fool to pass up the opportunity." And I knew he was right. I decided to stop putting it off, take on the law school bull by the horns and hope for the best.
So I started law school in the fall of 2002. And the significant changes I anticipated materialized in more ways than I imagined over the next three years. Eventually, I left the condo, the boyfriend (after I married him and divorced him in my second year of school - he hated everything about my being in law school), and finally left my hometown. I kept the dog and moved to Indianapolis. The physical changes alone were significant.
But what I have personally gained in law school has been beyond my expectations. I have made wonderful friends and have had the opportunity to meet, be taught by, and work with amazing and brilliant minds. I have had excellent job opportunities teaching me about the practice of law outside the classroom. I have not always been the most dedicated or the brightest student, but I have worked my ass off interning at a prosecutor's office and clerking for two great firms, and that hard work has paid off for me. I am a very different person today than I was three years ago, and those changes have been for the better. Most of all, I am happier than I can remember being in a long time, and I am optimistic about my professional future. Being an attorney will be a good thing for me.
A friend of mine asked me a couple of days ago if I would do it all over again. I didn't hesitate in saying that I would.
posted by Amanda at 8:31 AM
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