sorrowmonkey | Entries tagged with school

Spirits are high before class today. Lots of smiling and chattering. Happiness that we are in our last week, or just fatigue? Really, we all look a little rumpled. Even the folks here in work clothes look like things are coming apart a bit. Still, almost done, and then the grinding road to finals.

Current Mood: determined

[Poll #867069]

Current Mood: difficult

Today...

I got up about 7:00 AM, since I'm buried in homework (particularly this damned legal memo). After taking the dog out, running the moldy pumpkin outside, making coffee and bacon, and bringing up the dog bed from the wash, I finally accepted that homework was going to have to happen. That was probably sometime around 9:30 AM.

I read over the cases (again). Sometime around noon, we ran out to get videos from Best video. I was also hoping to find a notary for the pistol permits, but there are apparently scarce here (ironic, since it is actually easier to become a notary here than in PA). I also wanted to get money orders to go along with the permits. However, eventually we got hungry after looking for the natural foods store and ended up buying wings at Archie's. I think we got home somewhere around 2:30 PM (where does the time go?). Then I read the cases (again, this time with a highlighter).

Finally, I started writing. At this point, I have about four pages, and a complete paper that technically covers the material. However, the page target is eight pages, and my memo is pretty vague on a lot of stuff. It's going to require a bunch of work tomorrow, but at this point I at least have something. I think I can fix some of the worst holes with the cases I have, but I'm also fairly concerned that I'm going to need to bring in some more. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of cases on point in the applicable jurisdiction, which means I'm going to have to look farther which opens up a whole new can of worms.

I know I'm not really stupid, but I certainly feel like I am right now. I used to think I was a pretty good writer, but it's horrifying to me how much I struggle with this stuff. It's not even like I need to worry about the organization that much: every legal memo has exactly the same structure.

Argh.

I also need to fix my citations tomorrow. They are mostly okay, but our prof is obligated to be a stickler about them, so I need to get out the book and go over everyone one of them to make sure. That doesn't worry me, it's just proofing. Still, it's another half-hour task in this project, and I can't really do it until I have all the content squared away.

Current Mood: determined

Amusing tidbit from class today...

There is a rabid left-wing liberal who sits next to me in class (he actually works on the Thornton campaign). While discussing a case, he ran out of people to blame. He couldn't blame the plaintiff, and he couldn't blame the defendant. The professor spent probably five minutes trying to extract the entity of absolute responsibility. After hemming, and hawing, he suggests George Bush is responsible.

It couldn't be an act of God, it must be Bush's fault.

Current Mood: amused

So, someone in my classroom smells strongly of horse. I have not be able to figure out who, but every few minutes, a wave of "horse" blows through. Whoever, it is, I am sincerely jealous. I miss horses.

Current Mood: amused

So far, I have read about 75 pages of law text today, and briefed one case. I achieved a bunch of other stuff, but that's about it on the homework front. That leaves 153 pages to read, 24 cases to brief, and 33 questions in the text for this week.

Luckily,

zohra has a lot of painting to do. And, we got to have dinner with the duke and duchess across the street before their vacation.

EDIT: (August 27, 2006 1:38 AM)

I'm getting ready to turn in, and my brain is all melty. I didn't get any more reading done, but I did brief 8 cases. I have about 11 questions to do tomorrow, and then I will be caught up for Monday. But, if I don't get ahead on the stuff for Civil Procedure (the rest) I will be hosed. There is no way that I can read 150+ pages, and brief 16 cases, and a bunch of problems on Tuesday after work. I can probably do some of the reading on the train, but if I don't get some of those cases briefed tomorrow, I'm going to be sad.

Some of those briefs, especially the later ones, pretty much suck. I will want to revist them later, but at least I have a draft framework for each one. I always think I understand the reasoning (and perhaps I do), but it really seems like my reasoning sections of the briefs are short or vague. Since that is arguably the most important point of the brief, that's not really a good sign.

At some level, a lot of this is catch up. We are supposed to stay 35-50 pages ahead in the book from what we finish in class. The first week instructions didn't has us farther than 25 pages in any of the books, so it isn't much of a surprise that we have ground to make up. I can't see how we could really get through 16 cases in one two hour class, but I don't want to find out the hard way, either.

Current Mood: busy

Just finished my homework.

I did one case brief this morning (took about an hour). I spent about four hours up at the school for the second half of the orientation, and then came home. I goofed around with

zohra and the neighbors for about two hours or so, and went back to the grindstone about six o'clock or so. Since then, I've briefed three more cases, and worked on six legal problems. This should get me through tomorrow.

I think the briefing is going faster now (I've done six cases now), but they could all be crummy and wrong, too. Still, it was evident that I've been putting more effort in than my colleagues: they were largely dazed in clas on Saturday. For now, I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

Time for bed.

Current Mood: accomplished

So, I just got home a little while ago from my first day of law school (orientation and my first class).

It was a bit of a mob this morning, but there were a luck of 2nd and 3rd year students helping to organize things. Everyone was very nice, and I have to say that is a huge weight off my mind. My professor for legal studies was sick, so we ended up going to Professor Hogan's class. I'm not sure if it's because the other students hadn't done their homework or it was because I'd read ahead in civil procedure, but most of his class wasn't really new to me. I got to see the Socratic Method in action, though.

After the various talks and stuff (we have 129 students in our class, out of 2900+ applications, 12% minority, 50% female, etc), we had some beer and played kick ball. The final score was 9 to 8 in my team's favor. I even scored a run, which I thought was hilarious. I did get my white slacks a bit dirty though.

Now I'm home, and I've had a shower. It's a little hard to believe, but I'm still riding the wave.

Current Mood: pleased

New Connecticut Legal Trivia:

If you're going to sleep it off in the car, don't put the keys in the ignition.

Current Mood: thoughtful

I have books, and such books do I HAVE!!!

After my optometrist appointment, and visit to the vampires at Quest Diagnostics,

zohra and I wandered up to Quinnipiac. I picked up a copy of Black's Legal Dictionary and nine of my eleven textbooks (two are on back order). Luckily, I have all of the books I need to do for my homework due the first week. The law school clearly starts two weeks before everyone else, which is sort of sad, but I am getting a little excited about it anyway.

We just got done picking up the Budget truck for moving the new hutch, and we've cleared a spot for it. I marked all of my books so that no future confusion of ownership can occur, and

zohra is making dinner. I've been working on an off throughout (from home!), but I seem to have acquired a sinus headache somewhere along the way.

I need to collect up all of the tie down straps and stuff for tonight, and then maybe I'll lie down for a bit.

Current Mood: accomplished

I got my email and other network access information for Quinnipiac today. SQUEEE!!!

Current Mood: bouncy

This morning has been a series of small shocks...

I opened the back door to get dog food; I looked up, and there was a gigantic turkey and a couple of chicks. I unfortunately didn't get the camera in time, but the chicks were so cute.

Next, I read that parsedgarnish indulged in "squee." To be fair, our copy of Han Aapke Hain Koun is coming next week.

Finally, the headline on My Yahoo is that al-Zarqawi is dead. Good riddance to another rat bastard in the world.

It does sort of make me trepidatious to leave the house though. It's getting difficult for "my poor nerves," and I may have to indulge in "twichings and flutterings" if it keeps up.

Oh, last night I found out that fall classes for Quinnipiac part-timers are Monday and Wednesday, 6-10pm, and Thursdays, 6-8pm. In the spring, apparently the short day is on Tuesday instead of Thursday. Also, apparently in most of the classes, the final exam is 100% of the grade. A little scary, but to be fair, that's pretty much how the Bar works.

Current Mood: giddy

So, I got a letter for a law school in New Jersey today. I still get a lot of promotional material from law schools, even this late in the admissions cycle, but I just toss it. I'm not moving to Albany, or Minnesota (or New Jersey, for that matter), so I just don't care. Still, today I opened one that didn't have marketing material. It had an admissions letter, a application fee and deposit waiver, and a scholarship offer from a school I had not applied to.

So, I figured they were one of a number of low rung law schools trying to fill out their student body. There's no real shame there, the school that I've chosen is actually not in the top 100 schools; I'm going there because it is the second closest law school to my house. However, this "spotaneous admission" school is actually rated fairly well. They are actually one of the top 75 schools in the country.

I'm flattered, actually, but I'm still not moving to New Jersey to go there.

Current Mood: amused

I'm in shock, although due to a relatively pleasant cause.

I got a letter yesterday from the University of Connecticut thanking me for my application, and letting me know that they would let me know by the end of April.

Today I got a letter from Quinnipiac, my preferred school, thanking me for my application, and offering me a seat in their part-time evening classes in the fall. Also, they enclosed a little note explaining the scholarship that they have awarded me as well.

I'm going to law school!

Wow.

Current Mood: shocked

( Boyish or Girlish Quiz )

I'm so glad that zohra is home! I'm glad she had a good time with svava, but I just miss her so much.

So, I need to submit my law school applications today. The second letter of recommendation came in yesterday, so today it's just finishing up details and paying fees (yay). I'm doing some final proofreading of my attachments, since they are going to reflect my writing ability so much and are the only personal part of my applications.

Scary.