The OutOfTownStateSchool saga continues

So I've already talked about how incredibly difficult it was to turn down admission to OutOfTownState school. Unfortunately, today I had to do it three more times.

I was a little suspicious when I got a packet in the mail with some info, including my small section assignment. But I figured that mailing could have been in the works for a few weeks and potentially predated my contacting the Assistant Dean to let her know I wouldn’t be attending in the fall.

Then I got an e-mail from her about some changes to my small section schedule. And that made me nervous. So I e-mailed her to make sure she’d gotten my original e-mail. Out of office reply. I tried e-mailing the Dean herself. Out of office reply. Finally, as instructed in the out of office reply, I e-mailed the third in command at admissions@outoftownstateschool.edu.

It’s been excruciating. I know I shouldn’t feel bad or guilty about deciding not to go there, and that it’s their job to put so much work into trying to convince someone to come to their school. I will just be glad when this is all over.

In the meantime, I really wish the law school I will be attending would hurry up and send me my schedule already. I noticed that there’s three sections of Civ Pro that start at 8:00 a.m., and if I’m going to be in one, I need time to emotionally adjust to the idea.

Update: Third in command wrote back. He was very gracious, and wished me the best of luck in my all pursuits. Huge sigh of relief.

Adventures in spontaneous lying

I officially retract the request for sainthood in my previous blog post. I just told a bald faced lie to the Dean of Admissions at OutofTownStateSchool.

A couple of weeks ago, they sent out a semi-threatening e-mail, asking people to re-confirm their intent to attend based on data they had from LSAC saying that a large percentage of their incoming class had put seat deposits down for other schools. At the time, this didn't technically apply to me, since I hadn't put my seat deposit down for ITSS, and they didn't require a response till June 9, so I thought I had plenty of time to put down my seat deposit, kind of sit on the decision for a while and make sure I was doing the right thing, and then reply to OTSS, telling them I regretted to inform them I would not be attending by the date they'd requested.

My well-laid plans were completely ruined when I received a personal phone call today from the Dean of Admissions of OTSS. To begin with, I shouldn't have answered the phone in the first place. I normally don’t answer phone numbers I don’t recognize, but with job hunting and law school admissions I've become accustomed to having to do so. So when she asked me point blank if I was coming, as a knee jerk response I said yes. Translation: No, but after all this work and the money I paid for my seat deposit, I'm not ready to give up my right to change my mind. Then she asked if I had seat deposits at any other schools or was on any other wait-lists, and I also said yes. I told her that I'd been admitted to another school at a very late date, and that put me in a difficult position of having to make some quick decisions (that part is true). And then she went on about how the Assistant Dean was out of town for the rest of the week, and she had access to all the e-mail correspondence. I did my best to get out of the call by saying that I would touch base with her early next week when she got back.

I feel terrible. Particularly because part of the reason that I couldn't bear to tell her I'm probably not going to OTSS on the phone is that I like her so much. She reminds me of my mom. With an office. I planned to just e-mail the form back to the Assistant Dean, who I don't even really know, and let her put my name on a list of ungrateful admits not accepting their generous offer of admission. And then I would never hear from them again. When I sent in the form telling BsHomeTownStateSchool that I wouldn't be attending, the avalanche of correspondence came to an abrupt and final end. They didn't ask me for reasons or make me feel bad. It was the cleanest of clean breakups. I was irrationally afraid that if I told her on the phone, she would ask me why. Did I not like the students I met? Enjoy the classes I went to? Get a good enough tour?

So now I need to just rip the band-aid off and e-mail the assistant dean. And then stop answering calls from mysterious out of town area codes.

Yessssss!!!!!!

Sorry about the multiple exclamation marks... but I feel like my long-awaited admission to InTownStateSchool allows me that indulgence. Finally, finally! My growing depression over not having received that admission letter, combined with B's law school graduation extravaganza have kind of put a damper on my blogging - sorry about that.

Going into B's ITSS graduation, I still didn't know I was accepted. The admissions department had ironically guaranteed they'd have all decisions by May 9, the day of the graduation, so I figured I might have been able to call and find out that day, but I decided against it. If I hadn't gotten in... well the negative consequences for the weekend go without saying. And if I had, I didn't want to steal any of my graduating friends' well-deserved thunder.

As we walked into the law school for a post-graduation reception, we walked in right past the admissions office. I muttered a highly inappropriate, profanity-laced comment under my breath, and B smiled indulgently and said, "Let's hope they aren't taking the day off."

It turns out they weren't. At 4:32 p.m. on Monday, I got an e-mail from the director of financial aid, congratulating me on my admission, and going into a bunch of FAFSA stuff. Wait what?! My admission? To ITSS? I kind of floated around the office in a fog for another half hour and then left the office to celebrate, nearly getting in four accidents while I left voicemails for B, my mother, my sister, and my other sister.

The next morning I called to confirm, and yes, I was officially accepted to ITSS College of Law, and my letter had been mailed on May 6. I hunted everywhere for the mystery letter, and was just on the brink of abashedly requesting they resend it when a Gchat popped up from roomie that started out, "You're gonna kill me but..." It turns out she had checked the mail on Friday and left it in her car, and had just the last night discovered my letter. I assured her that my thoughts were anything but murderous; I was just glad the missing letter had been found alive.

So, letter in hand, I am please to announced that I have (finally) been admitted to InTownStateSchool College of Law's 2011 class!

Getting into my 1st ranked 2nd choice school - and infiltrating Barrister's Ball

An Acceptance Letter!
Ah, so bittersweet! Literally a couple days after the U.S. News (I have mixed feelings about U.S. News, more on that another time) law school rankings came out, showing my second choice school shot up this year, I was accepted there. Not the letter I was hoping to get, but I was happy nonetheless. I had pretty much decided I wasn't going to get in, and was wondering why it was taking them so long to send me a rejection letter, so this was a nice surprise to say the least. Also, since it was a numerical long shot, it makes me feel good about the long hours spent obsessively pouring over my personal statement and resume. Despite the fact that I don't particularly want to go to OutOfTownStateSchool, I was really happy that I got in, and glad to have a solid backup plan.

Another good thing about getting into OutOfTownStateSchool is that, while nothing is for sure in the law school admissions process, the general consensus from people familiar with our state law schools is that it almost certainly means I will get into InTownStateSchool. OutOfTownStateSchool is considerably harder to get in to.

Also, I got the letter less than a week before preview day, and it was too late to make plans to go. Well that's the official story. The unofficial story is that it actually coincided with B's 3L Barrister's Ball. Before I lose all credibility as a serious law school applicant, let me just say that I thought that would beat out any scripted admitted students weekend as far as researching what it would really be like to go to InTownStateSchool. Plus, I can visit OutOfTownStateSchool on a day where class is actually in session, and have an excuse to take a day off work while I'm at it. And truth be told, I just really wanted to go to Barrister's.

Barrister's Ball Reconnaissance
I've been to Barrister's Ball (aka "Law School Prom") at my undergrad school, but needless to say under the circumstances, I approached this one with a much more observant albeit champagne-influenced eye. B and his 3L friends, who I've gotten pretty close to over the past year, enjoyed giving me commentary on all the law school archetypes. The girl who presented the 3L slide show was unanimously "the prettiest girl in our class," and last everyone heard, was dating the guy who is the biggest jerk (the tacky wide pin-stripe suit type) in B's Public Defender Clinic. The older, heavy-set guy in the bow-tie tux, dancing with three girls most of the time was apparently, "that guy." Meaning, from what I gathered, that he was one of the self-proclaimed cool kids (to use the word "kid" loosely) in law school, and planned all the social events, ski trips, etc. B and I both love to snowboard, so I was always confused as to why he consistently turns down these invitations. Now I see why.

I also met the nicest 1L whose name completely alludes me, who came as the date of a friend of one of my friends. I feel bad that I've forgotten her name, because she wants me to look her up if I get into InTownStateSchool, so that we can be law school BFFs, forever.

Open letter to my first choice law school...

Dear InTownStateSchool...

Please, for the love of God, send me a letter of acceptance. Do you realize that it's March 24th, and in less than a month, seat deposits are due for BsHometownStateSchool? I may go there if I have to, but I don't want to! And I realize that U.S. News ranks OutOfTownStateSchool higher than you, but I don't care. I want nothing more than to pay you thousands of dollars to experience endless hours of torment in the mid-1970's architecture of your halls. I know I spurned you for undergrad, but please don't hold that against me. I was just 18, and hungry for adventure. I may have had my fun with LargeCaliforniaPrivateSchool, but now I want to settle down with you.

Do you know how much flack I've taken for openly saying you're my number one law school choice? My two best friends from undergrad, one who's at a top 5 and the other who's at a top 25 school practically staged an intervention last time they were in town. But I stayed strong. I emphatically stated my practical and financial reasons for choosing you. And I stand by those.

So please, not to get all Meredith Grey on you, but choose me. Pick me. I promise to work hard, and have a positive impact on your bar passage and employment statistics, so you'll continue to have more people like me pounding down your doors for years to come.

Love,

Shells

Are you sure you want to do this?

I seem to be getting that a lot lately in reference to law school... Generally by very well-meaning people, such as my boss, and my boyfriend, who I shall refer to hereinafter as B, the former being a practicing lawyer, and the later being a bar-bound 3L. My response is generally yes, but I reserve the right to change my mind before first deposits are due - second deposits even.

Honestly, I appreciate them asking. A lot of thought has gone into the decision to apply, and if I go through with this, I want to know I did it with my eyes wide open. I feel like I probably have a better grasp of what it's like to be a law student and eventually a lawyer than a lot of people applying. I've watched my two best friends from undergrad go through their first year, and had a front row seat as B has gone through his second and third. Our relationship was pretty new when 2L Spring exams rolled around - we almost didn't make it! Also, I get the mid-career practicing attorney perspective daily from my boss. Although admittedly, he does have a pretty sweet gig. All of which, could one day be mine... or at least, sort of mine, if I come back after school as an Assistant General Counsel. A lot to think about.