Thoughts

Yes, it is true. I am officially going to law school. There has been speculation of this fact for sometime, but lay the rumors to rest. I got in. Here is my story. I will warn you, it is a long one.

[More:]

The setting is my office at work last Friday afternoon. My phone rings near 3:15pm on the dot.

"Hi, my name is [insert admissions personnel here], were you still interested in starting in May?"
"Yes, I am."
"Ok, here is what I can do...if you have a fax machine I can send over your letter of acceptance right now."

Isn't this how we all dream of being courted? So matter-of-factly?

"Oh, yeah. Please fax it over."
"No problem. Now all we'll need is your tuition deposit. And we need you to get that here by Monday."

Yes, you remember correctly. It is after 3pm on Friday and she wants this check on Monday. That makes perfect sense...

She faxes the materials to my parents' house as I figure they will want to see it and that way I can finish doing what I need to get done at work. Long story long, they have questions. Why does it say that you can only do weekends locally, not night classes? Will you have to drive the 90 minutes to class each day it meets?

I become the go-between in my own matter. It was not 15 minutes ago that I received word of my acceptance to law school and I am already a puppet, who didn't see that one coming? So these questions get passed to me and I have to call the school to get answers. Eventually the woman asks if I can just swing by the Admissions Office on Monday or Tuesday to get any questions answered, make sure that check arrives on time and get my schedule made. Sure, in the middle of the day on Monday I will up and leave work, drive the 90 minutes and come see you.

The weekend passes in a blur. My world came crashing down when the 'rents said the documentation does not support our earlier understanding that I would be able to take night classes here in town while I maintain my 40+ hours in the office. The future holds a lot of driving; it would not be such a bad thing if I had not been expecting the local alternative.

I figure I should at least explain that part to you. I have been accepted to The Thomas M. Cooley Law School which is located in Lansing, Michigan (90 minute drive). "Thomas Cooley" offers classes at Oakland University (10 minute drive). I think you can see where my preference lies.

With my parents, I sit down on Sunday and compile a list of questions for my Monday meeting. First and foremost in my mind is "Why does it say that I can only take weekend classes at Oakland?" I travel a good amount for work and it is generally on the weekends. Law school is significantly more strict on attendance than most if not all undergraduate programs. I need to be able to take night classes. If I have to drive to Lansing to get that question answered, so be it.

Ok, so I have all weekend and then to top it off a 90 minute drive to compound the anxiety over this whole ordeal. I arrive at the Admissions Office and my day takes a 180. I can take night classes at Oakland, though only for 1 year (1 year part time as I am. 1 semester full time). That is what I was lead to believe originally. That is good news.

Thomas Cooley is trying to move their main location from Lansing to Oakland and make Lansing a satellite, but that initiative is currently in front of the Bar Association pending decision. It would be fantastic news if that passes. As it stands after that first year I will then need to make that drive to Lansing for my classes, if Cooley moves I will be able to finish how I start: here at Oakland. That would be great.

Terms are 15 weeks: 13 weeks of instruction, 1 week of review and 1 week of studying leading to the exam. Classes meet once per week for three hours. Each first year student is required to take an Intro to Law class which is only two hours. If I miss one of my normal classes more than twice, the school automatically drops me from the class. If I miss the Intro course more than once, the school automatically drops me from the school...

Most of the frantic panic is gone. I will not be taking that heavy of a schedule so hopefully I will be able to focus on what I need to get done.

With a 2 class, 6 credit, semester I can expect to finish in 5 years. That is a long time, I understand that. I do believe, however, that this will be the best schedule for me. My job is priority number 1, I think my sanity will rank number 2. This class schedule should allow me to keep up with both of those top priorities. The end will justify the means anyway, right?

...I start Monday.