My Day as a Pretend Law Student

Today was Admitted Students Day and boy was it a loooong day. I came home so exhausted I just shoveled some Taco Bell into my face and promptly went to bed. Thank goodness I have a loving husband who would take care of our baby while I was incapacitated. WHICH I WAS. I have not been so tired since the first trimester of my pregnancy. I slept from 6:30 to 9:30 pm and I am still barely functioning. Attempting to speak to my husband who saw what appeared to be a Hollywood zombie version of his wife stagger meekly out of the bedroom is taking every fiber of my being. Mostly I just say "Unnnnnngh." I want to write it all down while it is still fresh, however, but I will promptly pass out again after I am done. The thought of brushing my teeth physically hurts me, I am THAT tired.

The day started off pretty awesome, with the best thing it can start with, FOOD. We dished up breakfast and saddled up to tables with ambassadors who immediately started fielding the millions of questions we all have. I met a guy from Stanford who was SO frustrated that he hadn't yet heard from Harvard. Others talked about how they got into Columbia and all these other places that sound impressive, but are still considering Home State University. Well then. Home State U was my ultimate pie in the sky choice, and I just kept saying how I had gotten accepted by pure magic. I don't know where they got those onion potato things, but goddamn they were fantastic.

The Dean popped up and introduced himself and talked about the top six things the school is committed to affecting with its students. The effect of its graduates on the world as opposed to the other way around is a huge commitment Home State U makes. One of the six things was Bio/Medical, which I am hugely interested in. During the faculty panel I asked about what sort of jobs I could work in if I chose to emphasize Bio/Medical and the professor-guru of the field got all excited and told me to come see her sometime. Sounds like I would have plenty of work if I dug myself into that little niche.

I am also extremely interested in criminal law, and spent a few minutes speaking to the president of the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center. I am pretty certain I will do their clinic, though the judicial clinic sounds great too.

I attended a mock criminal law class and the professor was absolutely fantastic. If any of the other professors are half as kick-ass as he is, I am in for a seriously amazing experience.

Of course the school was wooing the undecided, so their information was biased, but the more I heard the more I was certain about my choice to attend there. About half the students are married and a large number with children, so right off the bat I have some things in common with people and a wealth of resources. The environment is incredibly collegial rather than competitive. The faculty to student ration is 8:1, which is the second best in the country. AND the professors are perpetually available to students for anything from help reviewing class materials to chatting about the game last night. They were very serious when they talked about their open-door policies, and said not enough students take advantage of that availability.

I see so many opportunities to give back to my community, and I am not worried about finding a job when I am done. Out of last year's graduating class, only 2 people are currently looking for work. The rest are employed. The salary rates are not super sexy, but I am not doing this to make the big bucks anyway and that is largely just a reflection of the current economy which is on its way up. I am not kidding myself, I know it won't be easy, but most things I do aren't so I am up for the ride.

I made my first law school friend, someone I started the day chatting with and happened to walk out with. We even exchanged phone numbers so we can help each other navigate through the coming months.

I was right, this day made me more excited than ever to begin law school. I know I am doing the right thing and I know I am doing it in the best place for me and my family. That kind of clarity is rare for me, so it feels pretty great.

Now I am going to bed. Again. I really hope I don't wake up in the middle of the night unable to sleep.