MizShay (2022-2023)

*01/01/2010 - Bummed by my LSAT score. I am a single mother, working full time. Its tough trying to balance all my responsibilities and trying to find time to study. But I will not let this end my dream. My son inspires me to strive for higher heights. I will be retaking LSAT in June. I

*01/02/2010 - Not too happy with my score but I went ahead and applied anyway. I believe I will go to law school this year. However my backup plan is to retake the LSAT in June. I spoke with some of the schools and they are willing to wait till i retake the LSAT and then process my application. The admissions counselor from Western State has been great and I am looking highly at going there. JMLS is also a favorite of mine.

*02/16/2010 - Depaul was the first to reject me. The letter came in about 3 weeks after I submitted my application. I guess my score was all they needed to turn me down.

*02/20/2010- I dreamed that I got accepted at John Marshall. Hopefully this dream becomes reality.

** I don't really care about big Law School names. Life has taught me that you can make it anywhere. Hard work makes the difference. I am a firm believer of that. I embrace obstacles and I challenge myself, wherever I find myself. Nothing is insurmountable and there are no barriers in my book. I came to the USA and I soon realized my BA degree was not really recognized here. I struggled to get a decent job and finally I got one as a paralegal in a law firm. Today, I am one of the hardest working and one of the most valued at my firm. I did not let the 'stereotype' of a foreign degree stop me. I worked hard until I came out on top.

*03/13/2010 - Got accepted into JMLS Scales Program. Can anyone tell me more about that? Whats the success rate?

*07/15/2010 - Took the 7 week SCALES ( Summer Classes to Assess Legal Skills). It was very intense and stressful but I made it. It requires absolute dedication and hard work BUT its very doable. My situation was compounded by the fact that I was still working full time and still a full time mother. My mornings started at 4.30am. I had to get my son ready and get him to daycare. Work begun at 8.30am and then off to the Library at 5pm to get ready for class at 6pm. Classes were from 6-9pm Mon-Thurs. Then I had to make a mad dash to pick my son up from my friend's. I got home after 11pm every night. My weekends were spent juggling motherhood responsibilities, reading for the week and doing assignments. I almost ended up being sick around finals week but I knew I had come too far to give up.

*07/19/2010 - My grades came in and I passed!!!! I was in disbelief for a couple of days. I kept checking the school's website to be sure I wasn't dreaming. So far the grades have not changed. I went home picked my son and gave him the biggest kiss. I told him your mom is going to be a lawyer.

My dream had come true. I will never back down from hard work and I will work at my dreams till I make it. Hopefully I can teach my son that too.... consistency, perseverance, diligence, discipline and faith can move mountains.
I AM GOING TO LAW SCHOOL!!!!!!

Lessons Learned:
*The LSAT is not everything. I scored a 143 in the LSAT but I made an A and B in the the classes I took. We took 4 classes taken in 1L and you had 7 weeks to learn, understand and apply. We were only responsible to take finals for 2 and the passing GPA was a 2.5. It sounds easy but its a lot of hard work. Very very very hard work. 2.5 might sound easy but its very very easy to fail. Law school is not the same as regular college. But you can do it.
* Aim, strive, achieve
* Scales is a great program. I found out most students who take the SCALES program end up being in the top 10% of their class. I now know what to expect in law school and have an idea on the basic concepts. I am glad I undertook this program.
* Do not let anyone choose for you what you can be. I am a perfect example: Single working mother. I work full-time because I get no support and I took these classes at night. I had to bust my ass to get in but it was well worth it.

ONCE AGAIN I AM GOING TO LAW SCHOOL!!!! YIPEE!