Just last week, our wonderful Admissions director, Karla, announced her upcoming retirement. To our sadness, it appears as if there will be a change in the admissions staff in the future. Karla has done such a wonderful job of recruiting us all to Washburn Law. She always created such a personal connection with each incoming student, and her help was always greatly appreciated. We look forward, however, to the search for a new admissions director. I know that Washburn will do their best to fill the large shoes that Karla is leaving behind.

All of us Ambassadors are planning on banding together to facilitate the new transition. The good news is that many of the current ambassadors are returning for another year, myself included. I’m so excited to see the new ambassadors joining our ranks for next year! Although we will be sad to see the shift in the staff of the admissions office, there will be plenty of combined experience to carry us over. In the meantime, we all await the approaching weeks of finals, and look forward to even more their ending! 

The title of this article is ironic considering that I am planning a wedding in the next few months, I feel like the majority of my extra time is spent doing things for said wedding, such as registering for gifts. However, this article will not be devoted to registering for gifts, but instead for the 2L and 3L classes that will take place in the next couple of weeks. (Hence my terrible segue from gift-registering to class-registering.)

 The classes in your first year of law school are pre-set and pre-scheduled with the section to which you’re assigned. This is common practice for all accredited law schools that follow the ABA guidelines for 1L curriculum. However, the real freedom comes along about this time of year when the current 1L’s and 2L’s receive their schedules for the upcoming fall and spring semesters.

 My personal strategy was to get my upper level requirements over with as soon as possible. Others chose to focus exclusively on bar preparation courses. Whatever method there is to your madness, picking out a schedule can be rewarding, challenging, or exhausting depending on your class goals. One thing that has really helped me out is by finding a faculty advisor (usually you’re required to do this if you’re getting a certificate of some kind) and letting them know your plans prior to enrollment. I’ve been talked out of classes that really wouldn’t be a good fit for what I want to study, or even encouraged to take classes that I have absolutely no interest in, but will serve me well in actual practice. (Taxation of Individual Income that has your name all over it!!)

 The best advice I can give is to make a plan, meet with your advisor, and register as soon as possible when you’re allowed to do so. As incoming 1L’s, the great news for you is that you don’t have to go through this whole process coming in your first semester, so keep an eye out for classes and professors about which you’d like to learn as you begin your time with us. 

As tax time rolls around and people start filling out their FAFSA’s for student loans, it also seems as if many regional organizations and law firms begin to roll out the scholarship awards as well. One common misconception that I had coming into law school is that the only scholarships available to you are those that you receive just before you enter your 1L year, and if you miss those then you’re relying solely on student loans or other sources of income. This is not true whatsoever!

Washburn Law does give out many generous scholarships to their incoming students, which does make for an exceptional value. However, the admissions staff continues to work for you even after you’ve been admitted. They constantly monitor for scholarships in the area. It seems like once a week an email goes out reminding students of local and national scholarships that are available to us. My advice to an incoming student would be to set aside some time your 1L year to maintain your resume, prepare cover letters, and apply for these scholarships. The money is there if you’re willing to put in the work. Even students with less-than-perfect grades have an opportunity for these scholarships, as they can be targeted towards students from a certain part of the state, students involved in their communities, students who demonstrate financial need, students who are active in in promoting diversity, non-traditional students, etc.

You get the idea. Go for that extra $100, $1,000, or $10,000, because any amount can help with your long-term financial plan. 

Hello out there,

My apologies for the slow start this semester. And when I mean “slow start,” I mean hardly not catching my breath until now when we’ve started discussing midterms and spring break!

I’ll give you a quick update on what happens in the life of a 2L at this point in the school year. There’s a motto that we lovingly use, and it sums up law school pretty well as a whole.

“1L year they scare you to death; 2L year they work you to death; 3L year they bore you to death.”

While that’s not always true for every person, I will say that as a 2^nd Semester 2L I’m definitely feeling the “work you to death” part of that statement!

It seems like now is the prime-time for law students to be involved in their different groups, jobs, competitive teams, class-loads, etc. Some of my very close friends are busy writing and editing comments for the Law Journal with aspirations of being published. Others are sending out resumes with the hopes of obtaining a summer job. Others are scurrying to find their replacements for the jobs they have now so they can move on to a new job for their 3L year. Others are having late-night meetings for competitive teams like Moot Court or Trial Team. Even the 1L’s are on the verge of finishing their first years. They are preparing to turn in their final brief in legal writing. They later will defend their brief through oral argument performance in front of their professors. The 3L’s are beginning their Bar Review Classes and pushing through to graduation.

Things don’t slow down for anyone this time of year! In the meantime, I’ve enjoyed seeing all you prospective students and admitted students at the events both on and off-campus. As I get back into the swing of regular posts again, I wish you all the best at this time of year. May you all stay calm, cool, and collected as we push towards the 2^nd half of second semester!!

Dear potential students,

If at this time of year any of the law students you’re friends with disappear into a tornado of copy-making, text books and outlines, flash-card making, hypothetical writing, and large quantities of caffeine, do not be alarmed. Men instantly seem to develop excessive facial hair, the sweat pants are broken out, and earplugs suddenly are on short supply at the local store. Are we planning for an academic apocalypse? Not quite – the time has come for finals!

Personally, when faced with all of the havoc associated with this cheery time of year (sense the sarcasm) the most inspiring thing to me is you- the potential student and current applicants. Every time I give a tour or make contact with a potential student, I’m reminded of all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the admissions process for law school. How many dollars did we all spend in application fees, LSAT certification and testing?  How many hours did we spend speaking to current students, visiting different law school campuses, and seeking the best program for our needs? I know that when I was doing practice LSAT’s and didn’t get the score I was wanting, I was instantly discouraged and worried about my prospects as a law student.

While you may or may not be at this point in your search for a law school, this encouraging message comes from the other side. We experience the same fears and insecurities once we’re in law school. We worry about making grades, getting scholarship money, passing the ever-looming ahead Bar examination, and finding a job after graduation. While these concerns never sound appealing, it’s all part of the journey. It’s practically a rite of passage. There has been and always will be a continuum of students seeking admittance to law school, trying to survive law school, trying to pass the bar, and then trying to have the most professional and respectable career possible. Again, this may seem discouraging, but I happen to take perhaps a minority position on this point. Thousands have people have done this before us, and thousands of people have survived. Thousands of people have gone onto their successful careers as attorneys with all the pride and responsibilities of our profession. Every single one of them was once in our shoes- no matter how stressful that may be at the time.  

My hope for you, potential student, is that you embrace the chaotic and sometimes stressful events going on in your lives. I will try to do the same. Just know that you are on a path that has been traveled before, and there is plenty of guidance along the journey. I thank you for being my inspiration to embrace the chaos found within finals week, and hopefully sometime in the future you will be in my shoes and will ride the waves of these challenges smoothly. 

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind, but it has been great visiting with all you potential students out there at various events! Most particularly we had a great time at the K-State tailgate before the KSU/OU football game. While the game turned out sadly for my K-State Wildcats, we ambassadors were so excited to meet with those interested in attending law school and their families. We also had an event just this past Friday for high school students who were interested in attending law school after they graduate from their undergraduate institutions.

 I’m always so encouraged to see these students who are anxious to get on the pre-law or the law school track. Sometimes we tend to get a little pessimistic and worn out while in law school because of all the work we’re doing throughout the year. However, being with these potential students is really energizing and shows me that people want to be in law school. Current law students should feel grateful that we made it here in the first place.

 Here’s a highlight of the biggest points I try to pass on to these potential students. I took some of this from an email I sent to a particular potential student earlier this weekend.

 What skills are you preparing yourself with? No matter what you study, the grades for law school applicants do matter. The way you can prepare yourself for your interests in law school is to build your skills so you can market yourself better. Everyone in law school will have an undergraduate degree in something, so the main question is how did you equip yourself to be a skilled worker? Get involved! Take some leadership experiences! Volunteer in the field of law you’re interested in working in! If you don’t know what kind of a lawyer you want to be yet, then get involved in a variety of ways and start to feel out what you like best!

 These are some ways that will help you be a better consumer when it comes to finding a law school that’s right for you. It’s so much easier to get excited about a school’s particular programs if you’re able to say: “Here are my experiences, here’s what I’m interested in. How can I fit in at this law school when I want to go into this type of law?” You’ll find your admissions process much more informative because they can tailor your wants and needs to what you’re interested in and get you on your way.

 As finals start to come up, let’s all try and focus and keep our noses in those books so we can all make those grades! Have a great week. 

Blog readers: Today, Oct. 27th, a Washburn Law rep will be at the University of Florida's Graduate & Professional School Day.  This event will be held in the J. Wayne Reitz Student Union Grand Ballroom, from 10:00am-2:00pm. 

If you're considering law school, need information on Washburn Law's programs/opportunities, or have questions about all things Washburn Law, this is your chance to get what you need.  So come on out & stop by the table later today.

See you all there,

~Maryam

As promised, I will be in Tallahassee one more day, so be sure to come stop by the Washburn Law table.

Today, Oct. 26th, I will be at the Florida A & M University's 2011 Law Day from 10:00am-2:00pm in the HM Efferson Student Union Grand Ballroom. 

Hope to see you there!

~Maryam

Hello, blog readers!  Those of you in the Tallahassee, FL area will have not one but TWO opporunities to visit with a Washburn Law admissions representative this week! 

TOMORROW, October 25th from 10:00am-2:00pm, I will be attending the 2011 Florida State University Graduate and Professional School Expo in the Oglesby Union Courtyard.  Although tomorrow's forecast looks like it will be another gorgeous day in Tallahassee, if it rains, the event will be moved to the Oglesby Union Ballrooms.  So rain or shine, you can get your questions answered and find out more about why Washburn Law is the place you want to be!

See you tomorrow,

~Maryam

***P.S. For those of you who are unable to make it out to FSU's event tomorrow, I will be in Tallahassee on 10/26 as well; so stay tuned to find out more! ***

Hello, dear blog readers!!  TOMORROW, October 20th, I will be attending the University of Houston's Annual Pre-Law Day at the University Center (Houston Room), from 11:00am-5:00pm.  This event's sure to have something for everyone interested in law school! 

I hope those of you in the Houston area will come out and stop by the Washburn Law table.  I'll be happy to meet you, answer your questions, and give you some materials on the wonderful programs and opportunities available to you at Washburn Law!

See you all there!

~Maryam