Amy, 3L

What's better than a fancy cocktail party/dinner at the federal courthouse with some of the biggest names in the Boston legal community? Not paying a cent for it. NUSL gave out 50 free tickets for students to attend the Anniversary Celebration on Saturday night. Despite thinking it might be kind of stuffy, I actually had a really good time. There were older and newer alums, as well as quite a few big, important people. I sat one table away from the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. It was a good chance to flex our networking muscles, too. I ended up talking to an alum I had met before, a partner at one of the big Boston firms. We got to talking about the health law division at his firm, which is of course somewhere I would love to end up someday with my dual JD/MPH degree. Gotta pay those loans back somehow!

It was great to hear some of the reasons these people think NUSL is so unique. I think we sometimes get tired of explaining or defending our law school and the way it does things (no letter grades, co-op, etc). I wouldn't have it any other way, but it was nice to spend the evening with people who already "get" NUSL's public interest vision. (By the way, I heard that NUSL was just named the top public interest-focused law school in the country!)

At the end of the night, getting all dressed up was totally worth it. I mean, come on, have you ever had crab w/ chardonnay sauce?

Like everyone else in America, my thoughts have been dominated by last night's election. I think I’m experiencing some post-election letdown. I was actually a little surprised by how emotional last night was for most people. The history of the moment finally hit me, and yes, I'll admit it, I cried. As a biracial woman, I'm aware of the many sacrifices others have made so that I could even go to the polls yesterday, let alone those who paved the way for Barack. My 85-year-old grandfather got so excited that he had to go get his oxygen tank! He truly never expected to see a black president in his lifetime.

So what does this have to do with law school? I'm getting there. As I sat there listening to the "Yes We Can" chants, I started to think "now what?" There are no more rallies, no more exit polls, no more Sarah Palin SNL skits (although I'm still crossing my fingers on this last one). It's been a long race, and I am glad it's over, but now the real work begins. And I'm not talking about Obama. I'm talking about what we need to accomplish within our own spheres of influence.

Most of you reading this either are or will soon be attending law school. That's an opportunity that most people will not have, and one that I'm grateful for (even though sometimes it feels more like punishment then a privilege). I believe that to whom much is given, much is expected. We have a responsibility to use the opportunities we're given to help others less fortunate and fight injustice. We will have knowledge and tools (and hopefully jobs) to open doors and make change of our own. So no matter which candidate you support, please keep this in mind when choosing a law school.

If you agree with what I've written, NUSL could be the perfect place for you. If you think I sound like a tree-hugging hippie (which of course I do because it's only the first day after the election), then NUSL could also be the right place for you. There are other students here who would agree with you, and at least one of them also writes a blog on this site. And he happens to be a good friend of mine, so I can say that.

See, it was only mostly off-topic…

For those of you considering coming (or have already decided to come) to Boston from other parts of the country, there are a few peculiarities you should be aware of.

- Unlike the NYC subway, "express" is not a necessarily a good thing on the T. The Green Line can be frustrating sometimes, but there's cheap and decent housing out there. You'll be tempted to talk on your cell phone on the parts of the T that run above ground. Don't. No one wants to hear about how your significant other doesn't consider your needs in the relationship. (True story, sat next to this girl for 20 minutes. Pretty sure he's not so significant anymore.)

- People definitely look at you funny when you randomly talk to them or try to help them out. Being from the midwest, I do this regularly, but then again, I'm ok with people looking at me funny. It's ok, they're just not used to it.

- The accent: I still don't understand some of the things people say, but this I do know: It's not chowder, it's "chowdah." You just have to accept it and move on.

- It's a old joke, but it's true: if you don't like the weather in New England, wait five minutes. Good tip: Always carry an umbrella. A quality umbrella. The wind here is no joke sometimes.

All this being said, I love Boston and all the weird little things about it. I still smile and say hi to strangers. It's a good place to be yourself and be challenged by those who are different from you. And I hear the baseball team's pretty good...

I think I've been more productive during my spring break than I have been all semester. Seriously. Moral of the story: class just gets in the way of getting schoolwork done. I've made major headway on three research projects, done all of my laundry, cleaned my room, caught up on my emails, and even watched a movie! Lesson learned. I don't think I'm ever going back to class again. I may fail, but at least my life will be in order when I do so.

I've hit that point in the JD/MPH year where I feel like this will never end, that I'm going to be in school forever and there's no end in sight. We were warned that this would happen at some point, and I think most of my classmates are there too. The good news is that the dual-degree program adds an extra six months to our tour of duty, and in this economy, putting off a job search for another six months is a very good thing. Also a good thing: We'll be heading back to NUSL in only two months! I never thought I'd say this, but I really, really, really miss law school. I'm actually excited about taking evidence this summer! OK, I'm off to have my head examined...

I'm finally back at NUSL! I can't tell you how nice it is to be back. I've honestly missed reading cases and debating legal policy. (I'm aware of how sick this sounds.) There's been some reverse culture shock, I won't lie. The paperwork and administrative junk we've had to go through coming back from Tufts hasn't been fun, but I'm hoping that's mostly done now. Emphasis on "hoping."

As far as Tufts goes, we're all done with classes over there except for our thesis-like project. That's been a headache and a half to get approved, but I'm almost there (I think). I'm anxious to start with the project itself, get into the work and get my hands dirty, so to speak. I'll be conducting interviews with court personnel (judges, probation officers, attorneys) to evaluate a mental health promotion program in the juvenile courts.

One of the downsides of the JD/MPH program is that I've had to switch rotations, so I'm now in summer school. I've never done a summer quarter with classes, so this should be interesting. So far it's ok, but as the 4th of July and other summer events get closer, I think I'm going to really miss the freedom of summer co-op. I'm taking Evidence, Juvenile Courts, and Administrative Law, along with the MPH project and a part-time job. So much for relaxing. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, though. I think the 11-week quarters will fly by a little faster than the semesters did. OK, back to reading juvenile death penalty cases on a beautifully sunny afternoon...

What a difference a vacation makes! I'm feeling much more human now. Co-op has started and I'm having a great time going to work every day and not having to come home to a bunch of reading and research. I'm loving my co-op at the Attorney General's Office, especially because I'm using some of my MPH knowledge (finally!). It's nice to be out in the "real world" working on things that have an effect on more than just my evals.

I've also rediscovered this thing called "reading for fun." I vaguely remember it, and it's quite enjoyable. Not that law school ever really stops. I'm going to take the MPRE (one of the numerous standardized test hurdles) in November and get that out of the way while I'm not in classes. We'll see how that works out...

Maybe this is the result of twelve consecutive months of full-time classes, but I feel generally unmotivated right now. Even sitting down to write a blog entry is like pulling teeth. I think this happens to everyone now and then, but it's annoying. I think of things that need to be done, add them to my to-do list, then find something really interesting on the Food Network, and the night is gone. (Provided I'm not running to my part-time job.) I wish I could just accept this and revel in my (hopefully brief) slacker status because I'm not in classes, but I can't. An unfortunate side effect of law school, I guess. That and feeling naked if you're not carrying around a casebook that weighs more than a small child.

In other news, football season has arrived! And I might get to see more than two Vikings games on TV here this year! Now all I need to do is find my Adrian Petersen jersey and some potato lefse, and it'll be almost like watching it at home.

I wonder how many people reading this will actually be curious enough to Google "lefse"?