shakabuku (2022-2023)

Dear fellow applicants, future applicants, lurking admissions officers, and lurkers in general:

Welcome. Since personal information is being removed from individual profiles with a gleefully paranoid frenzy, I thought Id take the opposite approach and post some crazy details that you wont see anywhere else. Road less traveled and all It's not that I'm not paranoid about being identified -- I am just as paranoid as the next person. The difference is that I am crazier than the next person so...

The main purpose of this "extracurricular activity" is to not-so-subtly woo admissions officers with my fantastic craziness and utter charm. Besides, there's nothing else to read on here anymore anyhow so I might as well entertain.

As you can see from my GPA and LSAT score, I am not the cream of the crop. I am OK with that. I'm not all that competitive. I go to a good school -- not a great school -- and I do OK. I've learned a lot; but mostly I've learned that I don't know a lot. Some people call me a human encyclopedia what can I say? I like my facts but there is a lot to know about the world outside of encyclopedias. For instance, I did get an A in physics but I have not yet figured out how to complete my 40 hour take-home research methods final in approximately four hours, though I am certain it can be done if only I can just master that space-time continuum thingymajig. At the same time, I only got a B- in a political theory class that resulted in my life-altering conversion to (and proselytizing on the behalf of) the Church of Masochistic Academics.

I am applying to law school because, despite being older and slightly more cynical than when I first dreamed of a legal career, I am still idealistic and hopeful that I can change the world in small but meaningful ways for the people around me. Go ahead and giggle -- I'm OK with that too. You can mock me -- hell, I mock myself. I still have dreams and I'm not ashamed of them. Law school will not crush me. It will not make me bitter and jaded. I've experienced enough of life's harshness that I would be bitter and jaded already if it was going to happen. That and, um, law school is three years versus six years of grad school did I mention Im not too shabby at arithmetic?

About me: I am crazy and poor. Neither of my folks went to college. I don't know how the hell I got into the school I'm at right now but I'm fortunate to be here despite it being populated with spoiled, ungrateful children. Truth be told, they are part of the reason I have no interest in T1 schools. Sorry! Let me be with my people -- I am a commoner and I want to be among commoners. (My apologies, dear advisor. I know you hoped to push me into the elitist ranks. I am an anti-elitist elitist - but thanks. You know I adore you even though you are purely elitist.) I dont aspire to make millions of dollars or marry blueblood, I just want to make a decent living while challenging myself and maybe bettering society. And I dont want to become my mother but you cant really help me with that

Keep those fee waivers a-comin'. I may not be the brightest but I do know how to balance my checkbook. If I have to choose between applying to School X and paying my electric bill, well I do need to keep my laptop charged.

And one final message: Show me the money, honey. That thing about money not growing on trees? Engineers are still working on that and I dont think theyve made much progress, so I will have to attend law school the good ol fashioned way by going insanely into debt, whoring myself, or marrying a sugar daddy.

Love,

shakabuku

27 February:

I realized I need some time away from school. Since I'm a non-trad student, "time" is costly, so this was a tough decision. But I miss work, being an adult, earning money, having a life, etc... I may apply as a part-time student at a local school for the next cycle. Or I may reconsider going full time somewhere else. If I do reapply, I'll probably study and retake the LSAT. Or... [fill in the blank]. It's funny -- I've been convinced that I should go to law school for my entire life, but I am just so damn tired of being a student right now.

6 December:

Took a break from a few dozen projects to type uber-important message for "extracurricular info" section because all that empty space looked lonesome. Procrastination is fun.

2 December:

I'm still behind in the application process. The official GPA verdict is in -- and not nearly as scary as I thought it might be. The personal statement is gathering dust. I'm not all that certain about a few schools on the list. (Plus I've received a few fee waivers that I might throw in to the mix - what the heck.) One school has emerged as my #1 pick but I'm still open to other possibilities. I've got two strong LORs. Originally, I thought I'd max out the four limit and even throw in a few targeted letters for good measure but I've decided against that. I think these two should paint an adequate picture of where I've been, how far I've come, and give credence to where I hope to go. I hope to have everything complete by the end of the month.

Free apps: Lewis & Clark, Willamette, Quinnipiac, St. Thomas, Ave Maria, Arkansas, Hofstra, Case, Campbell... (OK, know what? I'm going to apply to most of these -- yeah, I'm that easy. Who knows...)

22 October:

All of this -- the score, my ambivalence, the odds -- seems to point to waiting a year and reapplying. The thing is, I don't want to have to go through all of this again. So, maybe I'll apply to a few schools and see how it goes. I've narrowed it down to ten schools now and will probably apply to five or six.

21 October:

I just checked my e-mail and saw that LSAC sent my score yesterday. I've got a lot to think about. Apply now or wait, study, and re-take it? Hmmm....

14 October:

With about a week to go until September LSAT scores are unveiled, I've been thinking about some of the schools on my list. I just removed my preference tiers because I hate the whole rankings game. There are some schools that I'd be thrilled to attend despite the perception that they occupy some lowly stratum. I'll narrow the list after I learn my score and have a better understanding of my odds.

1 October:

I survived the LSAT yesterday! I can't say that I did well but it's over and it's time to move on to other considerations. I removed a few schools from the list and added a few. I'll be paring it down in the weeks to come.

24 September:

Being something of a procrastinator (and rebel), I haven't studied for the LSAT. Today I took the free practice test that accompanies the LSAC info book and got a 161. (I really shot myself in the foot on one of the logic problems and didn't have time to answer 8 or 9 questions which really cost me -- so now I need to devote some serious time to reintroducing my mind to logic games and time management.) Overall, I am not entirely displeased with the score but I do hope to do better on exam day. Six days to go...

25 August:

I registered for the LSAT recently. My GPA sucks because, quite frankly, I never cared about grades. Now that I've begun researching law schools, I realize that UGPA is an important factor and understand that I have effectively eliminated any possibility of getting into a top tier school. Fortunately, I'm not really that interested in them anyhow.