Amy, 3L

number of days left: 10
number of exams left: 4
avg. number of hours of sleep per night: 4.5
number of shots of espresso I've had today: 6
number of hours I was at work this morning before someone finally told me it was Wednesday, not Tuesday, like I had written on all of today's perishable food: 4

All in all, I'm actually doing pretty well. My study schedule is on track, which is all due to my study groups. I'm telling you, a well-structured study group that isn't afraid to hold each other accountable and tell you to stop messing around and get to work is AMAZING!

I'm beginning to realize that after next week, I won't see some of these people again for a long time, if ever. We've all been looking forward to the end of August 2010 for so long that it hasn't actually registered that when we're done, we're done; we're not coming back. There is definitely a bit of sadness in that, but I'm so excited to see all the crazy wonderful things my incredible fellow students are going to do in the future.

For the immediate future, however, I've basically moved into the law school buildings. We have a kitchen, couches, TV for study breaks/procrastination, and air conditioning. If only there were showers, I'd never need to go home. There's a scary thought. I'm basically paying monthly rent for a shower at this point. It's OK, 10 days... 10 days...

I have only 16 days of (academic) law school left!!! I think that fact has really helped me break through the mental wall and get myself in gear to prep for finals. Two in-class exams and two take home exams stand between me and co-op. (And a quick visit home. Minnesota State Fair, here I come!)

Now if I could only figure out what's going on in International Law...

As an follow-up to last week's post: I was on the train with my huge backpack the other day. It was rush hour, so the train was packed with people. It's common courtesy in these situations to offer your seat to anyone who looks like they could use it. I feel a tap my shoulder; a little elderly man (easily in his 70s) is there, offering me his seat! Apparently the bag looks as heavy as it feels!

I recently remembered that we can post pictures in our blogs. Coincidentally, I recently got an Iphone. (Yay for not-quite-graduated-yet presents from the family!) So I'm putting it to good use.

Here's one of our new classrooms after both of my professors finished explaining the day's topics visually.

Yes, that is one of the last remaining chalkboards known to mankind, and no, I couldn't read it either.

This is one of my favorite lounges to study in...

...or nap in, as the case may be.

You can't help but look cool when wearing this:

You can't tell from the picture, but that thing could squash a small child if I'm not careful. Don't laugh, that will be you soon.

So what's in there? My books for this quarter.

I weighed them. 19 pounds. No joke.

Moral of the story: Don't get a new toy (such as an Iphone) during your last month of law school; your productivity will tank. I'm just saying.

I am now officially one month away from being done with law school classes forever! While this is exciting, it's also very scary, because it means finals are coming up fast. Most schools have 13-14 weeks to complete their classes; we do ours in 11-week quarters. I never realized how short 11 weeks could be before coming to NUSL. It's definitely a positive as well, though. If you end up not being as excited about a class by week 5, you're basically halfway through it anyway.

I'm dealing with MAJOR super-senioritis and I'm not sure what to do about it. I'm pretty sure that my chosen remedy of numerous "So you think you can dance" episodes from my DVR isn't working. Mainly because I've run out of them. I'm just glad I took five classes over the winter quarter so that I only have four now. But at least I'm not one week away from the bar exam like most of my law school friends!

Because I'm feeling kind of random, here are some random tidbits I've picked up over the course of law school:

- Find a place with laundry in the building or a laundromat no more than a block away, especially for your 1L year. It will take too much time otherwise, and you won't have any spare time. It will not end well: You will end up either wearing dirty clothes or blowing your budget on new ones.
- Law & Order will be ruined for you if you go to law school. (Conveniently for you, it was just canceled.)
- Go to class even if you haven't done the reading. You might learn something.
- If you're not one for group studying, get over that. It's a really valuable way to talk about legal concepts and flush out answers to questions. You'll know the material so much better if you can help explain it to someone else.
- If you're not a coffee drinker, become one.
- Guys, pick-up lines using legal terminology don't work. OK, maybe they work sometimes.
- You will begin to see potential lawsuits EVERYWHERE!
- Law school is a lot more fun than you think it will be.

I've been in the (air-conditioned) library for about three days straight now. I get here as early as possible and don't leave until I absolutely have to. Yes, I have a window unit a/c in my apartment, but when it only takes it from 87 degrees to 80 degrees, does it really matter?

The 4th was great; I didn't do any work for three days! BBQs and hanging out with friends was pretty much it (plus logging some hours at the part-time job). I saw an actual movie in an actual (air-conditioned) movie theater! I felt human again! Boston is a great city to be in for the 4th. The Boston Pops play down by the river and the fireworks are great.

So... I should probably get on that "passing summer classes" thing.... if I don't pass out from heat exhaustion first.

So I've chosen my last co-op. I'm going to be at Greater Boston Legal Services in the Health & Disability Unit. I'm super excited about this opportunity, because this is the type of work that I came to law school to do. I will have actual clients and my own caseload. The office seemed very relaxed when I went for the interview. I loved it so much that I accepted and canceled my other interviews.

One of the interviews I turned down was a law firm where I think I had a good shot at an offer. This co-op decision was really a turning point for me in that way. For the first time, I had to put my values where my mouth was and turn down a moneymaking opportunity for something else I really feel called to do. I don't think anyone who's been reading this blog is surprised by my decision; I'm really happy with it. But it's bigger than that, I think. It's about me really accepting and embracing my social justice and civil rights side without apology or regret. I'm wholeheartedly an NUSL public interest hippie and I'm completely ok with that.

This is not to say that choosing a law firm or corporate in-house counsel work is automatically evil. Many of my friends are looking at these types of jobs and many firms do a lot of pro bono and public interest litigation. Corporate social responsibility is a quickly growing field. You have to figure out what you want and what's best for you. I'm just saying that not wanting the six-figure job is ok, too.

OK, co-op found. Next up: registering for the bar exam. And passing my summer classes. I probably shouldn't forget about that.

We turned in our fall co-op applications last week! It's a lot of paperwork and decision making on top of academic obligations, but I think I'm most excited to have turned them in because it's the last time I have to do it. The ten of us who are technically in our fourth year here are starting to feel like school may never end, so it's super exciting every time we do something for the last time.

Now comes the interview/offer/acceptance cycle, which usually is quite a whirlwind. It only lasts about ten days to two weeks for most people. I applied to public health law-related co-ops exclusively. The JD/MPH program requires that our third or fourth co-op be in the public health field, so that really helped me narrow down my options this time. There are quite a few qualifying co-ops: Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health, Boston Public Health Commission, Greater Boston Legal Services Health Unit, and a few law firms that focus on health-related litigation.

Speaking of applications and interviews, I'm starting to really look for positions that I'm interested in (and that are hiring). Up to this point, I have refused to stress out about post-grad employment. I'm still refusing, it's just not working as well as it used to. Economy and job market issues aside, there's this fear that I'm not qualified for the jobs I really want. I don't think I'm alone in this fear and the rational part of me knows that it's ridiculous, but it's still there. There's nothing to be done except dive in to the world of resumes and writing samples and interviews head on and apply everywhere. And invest in a good bottle of wine for the day when an acceptance letter comes.

P.S. Celtics, I still love you (because you have KG), but I'm really disappointed. Please use the off-season to think about that.

Only 186 days until football season! (which means that it's only 185 days until we find out if my Vikings have a starting QB)

I'm feeling a little philosophical today. I'm starting to really think about finishing school and not having school loans to pay rent, etc. Instead of getting money, I'll be paying it. (Ideally, I'll have a job.) The truth is, I'm kind of looking forward to finally paying for my education, albeit a small portion at a time. The opportunity to go to grad school would not have been there without that that loan money, so I'm more than willing to start paying it back.

I've also been thinking about paying it forward. Many generous people gave money for scholarships in undergrad and law school. I know that I eventually want to be able to help do that for someone else, but more than that, I feel that it's a responsibility. Someone provided for me, so I can't turn away and not give for someone else who needs tuition. I was always taught that to whom much is given, much will be expected. Sadly, higher education is still a privilege, and not a right in this country. OK, so I'm not wealthy and I don't live in a brand-new condo, but I have to keep reminding myself that I am privileged to be here. It's hard to remember that when you've got 300 pages of reading and co-op applications due (today!), but I'm trying.

And Celtics, your plan to let the Lakers get over-confident and then annihilate them in Game 7 is working beautifully.

The most surprising thing about the second week of classes? I still like Trusts and Estates. Those are words I never thought I would even think, let alone post on the internet for the world to see, but there you have it.

The least surprising thing? Ten days in and we're already feeling behind. If you're headed to law school, get used to that. You'll (most likely) never be able to read every single word of every single assignment, but you learn to read quickly and efficiently after a while. Hopefully before the end of the first year. I was talking to someone yesterday about how after three years of law school, we finally feel ready to tackle the first year!

I guess I'll take that newfound confidence into the bar exam, then. I'm starting to wrap my head around the fact that I am going to have to take that beast of an exam relatively soon. It's coming up for me in February, and the application to take the exam takes forever to complete. I think I'll start by working up the nerve to at least look at the application. One step at a time.

Oh, and what happened, Celtics? Don't worry; they're just building up to a dramatic series win in Game 6... right, guys?

So we had our commencement ceremony last Friday. We got our purple academic hoods and diplomas holders, and even though mine was empty, it was a memorable moment.

Until four days later, when I was back in class at 8:30 am. Yes, I knew that was part of the deal when I signed up for the JD/MPH program, but that didn't make that day any easier. I'm getting back into classes. A couple of the DAs at my last co-op talked me into taking Trusts & Estates, which I think will actually be entertaining and useful eventually, especially if I end up practicing with elderly clients.

I also just realized that co-op applications are due in a week. It's hard to believe that it's already that time again. I'll be going out on co-op for the fall quarter, and I'll finally be done with law school in November. Then it's just two and a half months of bar exam studying, and then I'm done. And by then hopefully I'll have a job. Then I'll really be done. Suddenly it feels like I'm not anywhere near done.