lawyerinprogress

[lawyerinprogress]

Deleted scene from the fontaine archon quest

[lawyerinprogress]

Do you remember how when you were little, you didn't care if your hair was messed up? If there was dirt on your knees and something sticky on your fingers?

You didn't care if your jeans got grass stains, or if you had dog hair on your Sunday clothes.

You picked a shirt because it had your favorite animal on it. You didn't even try it on.

You never thought twice about how you looked when you put on your bathing suit, too excited about jumping in the pool.

You hadn't paid much mind to the people whispering about your body yet, though they’d been at it since you were born.

You were too busy having fun.

Your parents would fuss over you so. They'd tell you to wash your face. Fix your hair. You can't go to your friend's house looking like /that/.

You didn't worry about your appearance, but your parents taught you that appearance was something only children could ignore.

Put something decent on, for crying out loud. Stand up straight. Don't breathe through your mouth. You didn't want to look sloppy. Lazy. Crazy. Slutty.

Now, you're all grown up. You have mirrors in your bedroom, in your bathroom, in your car. You check whether the flawed parts of you look any better today when you brush your teeth. You wonder how people see you when you walk into a room. You worry if the outfit you picked will make you feel confident when you look in the mirror.

[lawyerinprogress]

It’s useful to choose a career or field you think you want to work in, look at what level of education you’d need from that field, and go from there. The National Bureau of Labor Statistics is awesome because it gives an overview of a ton of careers, shows you jobs that are similar to one another so you can see if slightly different positions sound more enjoyable to you, tells you what education you’d need, and shows you what the job prospects are. The best advice will come from people who work the jobs you want.

I recommend this approach because most people attend college to get a job in something related to their degree. It can suck when you realize you’d have to go back to school for your dream job. I’m in law school and deeply enjoy it, but I was unsure of where my education/career would bring me and must’ve changed my mind 50 times in the 5 years between undergrad and law school. And who knows if I’ll enjoy being a lawyer! The uncertainty is just how life is, and it’s okay.

You can’t predict the future. If you’re unsure of what you want to do, I do think a BS will serve you better than a BA. Many jobs have specific course prereqs that only students pursuing a BS will take. I’d recommend a BA over a BS only in two situations:

A. You have identified the career field (roughly) that you want, and people in that field have the BA you intend to pursue

Or

B. You 1) intend to go to grad school, 2) you think your GPA will be significantly higher if you get a BA rather than a BS, and 3) you know for a fact that you don’t want to get into a scientific field (or you’re okay with returning to school later).

My advice comes from being a former teacher, an education/career coach, and my own experiences with school. Good luck!

Does anyone have advice on how to figure out what you want to major in? I thought I wanted to major in psychology, but im realizing I would have to get a phd to do the job I want.

[lawyerinprogress]

I’m going to my first big lawyer party, hosted at the house of the top donor to this group I’m in😳😳😳😳😳😳 there will be live music, they’re providing free Ubers for everyone wh… whaaaaa

[lawyerinprogress]

Lawyer who is like visibly trying not to cry and teary-eyed and snifflign and drawing shaky breaths and hands trembling and constantly wiping his nose on his sleeves but he’s winning the case

[lawyerinprogress]

college is like. i am the stupidest person in the world. i am a god. i am universally loved. these people only tolerate me because they live with me. everyone in this library desires me carnally. i am repulsive. i am myself. i am as far from myself as i have ever been. i am an adult and i have never left the womb. 

[lawyerinprogress]

my masterpost | my studygram | ask me anything

[click images for high quality]

[transcript under the cut]

Other advice posts that may be of interest:

How To Study When You Really Don’t Want To

Active Revision Techniques

How To Do Uni Readings

How to Revise BIG Subjects

Common Study Mistakes

Keep reading

[lawyerinprogress]

I love wrapping up in a heated blanket on the couch with a space heater aimed right at me. I’ll read a good book while my pets sleep next to me, or watch horror movies with my family 🍄🍂 Even studying feels cozy in autumn.

colder weather calls for black coffee and beautiful architecture. what’s your favorite autumn activity?

[lawyerinprogress]

I went over some cases in torts with a friend at a crepe cafe. 🤤

[lawyerinprogress]

Top ten quotes from law school, week one:

“So the rules thus far are ‘don’t be late’ and ‘don’t be absent from class,’ unless you are absent because of circumstances outside your control. In that case, notify me before class. If I walk in here and you are not in your seat, and I don’t already know why that is the case… I will assume that you are dead. We will hold a brief service in your memory and then continue on, as we know you would want.”

“Yeah I mean if you don’t know the answer that’s fine, but I’m gonna make you pick the next person I call on. It’s a social experiment I run. I like to see if people pick their friends or their enemies. Wildly amusing. Anyway, be prepared for that.”

“So as the plaintiff’s counsel, you review all the possible venues and pick the one that’s the fairest to everyone….. haaaaahahaha I’m just kidding. You rig the court in your favor as much as you possibly can.”

“You’re supposed to go to a basement during a tornado. Why don’t y'all have basements?” “Can’t watch from a basement” “You’re going to die”

“My own law professor once described admiralty jurisdiction as ‘shit that happens on boats’ so [writes ‘boat shit’ on the board]”

“So then Congress gave itself a raise and America shouted, ‘Give it back you evil bastards!!!’ so loudly that they did.”

“I will provide you with pizza. For beverages, you’re on your own, but please abide by Baylor policy. Which is that we can’t have FUN.”

“And WHAT do we find outside the cities????? C O W S”

“All the desks on the third floor are reserved for 3Ls in practice court. Since you’re dying like, 100% of the time, they kindly give you a place to die. Sometimes you can see the lost souls wandering past the balconies….”

[makes a list of twenty-four things that could go wrong] [writes TRUMP in all caps as number twenty-five]

[lawyerinprogress]

my masterpost | my studygram | ask me anything

[click images for high quality]

[transcript under the cut]

Other advice posts that may be of interest:

How To Study When You Really Don’t Want To

Active Revision Techniques

How to Revise BIG Subjects

The OSCAR Revision Model

The Diffuse Mode of Thinking

Keep reading

[lawyerinprogress]

How I'm managing to organise my life and achieve my goals

A year and a half ago, I was a mess. I didn't have any hobbies or anything I was passionate about, not even my degree excited me. I failed 6 courses out of 10.

This year, I managed to pass all of my courses, achive an A1 level in japanese, start reading, painting and writing, learn programming in LaTeX and Python, and do a research project in astrophysics. I am nowhere near being brilliant or smart, but this system has helped me a lot:

1. First of all, I write all of my life goals. Everything I'd like to achive or do, from writing a book to buying a house. I write every little thing, as unrealistic as they sound.

2. From those life goals, I make a list of yearly goals. Not all of your life goals might be realistic at the time (maybe you don't plan on buying a house until you finish your degree, for example), so just write the ones that are doable for your next year. This goals have to be a bit more especific and they have to take you closer to your life goals in the long term. For example, if you plan on publishing a book, your yearly goal might be to write your first draft, or take a writing course.

3. Then, having my goals for the year, I break them down into monthly goals. Some of them might be reserved for the summer, or for a specific month. I only plan in more detail the following month. From the book example, a monthly goal could be to write a certain number of pages or write the outline of the novel.

4. Now, I write my daily and weekly goals for that next month. These ones have to be VERY specific. I first make a weekly routine, where I put everything I need to get done each day: on mondays and wednesdays I workout for an hour, on tuesdays I practice piano for 20 minutes, everyday I read for half an hour, etc. I try to make each day of the week balanced and also write quantifiable goals.

5. When you have organised your entire life, there comes the easier part: to-do lists. I use a calendar where I write for each day some other stuff I need to get done. Appoinments, uni stuff, trips, etc. For instance, I usually have a lot to do for my uni courses and I have to study daily. What I do is organise all the work in my calendar, making sure each day is not packed with stuff (if I have homework for different classes, I try to do each in a different day of the week). Now, each day you check your schedule for that day of the week AND also your calendar, and make a to-do list for the day. This way, on each day you only have to check the things you already wrote and foccus on DOING THEM, and not thinking about what you should do (which takes a lot of energy). With this small daily effort, you will get ahead on many things. Also, when I have to do lots of stuff (in exams season for example), I sometimes write my to-do's down by the hour, so that I can't even get distracted.

[lawyerinprogress]

a uni survival guide: tips from a phd

if there's one thing i know about, it's college. i've done it, i've taught it, i've lived and breathed it. these tips are for first years in particular, but honestly for everybody. i think it's so important for people to have balanced lives in these years -- academics are not everything. you know what didn't help me in the real world when i was afraid i wouldn't live through it? my fancy college note-taking format. you know what did help me? the friends i made there who i knew would get on a plane and fly across the country in a matter of hours if i told them i needed them.

academic

- figure out where class is held ahead of time: don't be that kid who's late on day one, i beg of you

- use the writing center: especially for basic grammatical editing, which a lot of professors don't have time to mark on papers

- speak up in class: talking through ideas helps you work through them, and asking questions about something you don't understand can open up great lines of conversation

- find a regular schedule that works for you and stick to it: my college schedule was morning free time, class, lunch, class, practice, homework. that consistency was a life-saver

- keep a planner: it's so important to have a central place to track deadlines, assignments, and engagements

- annotate your reading: when you're stressing about a paper topic, being able to go back to what you've highlighted and written in the margins is a life-saver

- color-code your coursework: i use the same color highlighter, pen, and notebook for any given class. it's super helpful

- if you can't focus while studying with friends, don't: i reserved group studying for days when i didn't have important work because i can't be in a room with other people without talking to them. if your school has one, the quiet floor of the library is your best friend

- treat yourself to a "fun" class: art was always my place to just sit back and chill, a way to end the night all zen in the darkroom instead of conjugating russian verbs in a fluorescent-lit cinderblock prison. for you, it could be gym, it could be pottery, it could be some random course about, like, the history of cooking or something -- explore!

- profs are people too: don't be too nervous around them. also, know that if you're struggling -- even b/c of something in your personal life -- you can admit it, and they'll almost always understand why you missed a deadline or bombed a test

- go to office hours: it's the only way to get to know professors in big courses, and it's so helpful for both your grades and learning how to navigate relationships with authority figures

social

- don't let academia keep you from your friends: it's a case-by-case basis, but sometimes it's okay to let the reading slide and spend time with friends. i graduated seven years ago and my college group text still talks every day. that's so much more important to me than the fact that i never finished brideshead revisited

- joining a club is one of the best ways to make friends: i played ultimate frisbee through college and it was the source of so many lasting relationships, as well as the way i met all my local friends when i was abroad

- say yes to things you don't know if you'll like: you'll surprise yourself. me? turns out i love drinking games. and theme parties. and skinny dipping. and rock climbing

- don't be that person who looks down on their peers for partying: honestly? that person kind of sucks. you don't have to party if you don't want to, but actually, a lot of those people are super nice and also good at school -- don't just write them off!

- show up for your friends: go to their games, their concerts, their art shows, their standup nights. show them that what matters to them matters to you, too

- set aside a night to do a group activity with others: whether your vibe is wednesday night trivia, a weekly "terrible movie" showing, or a get-high-and-watch-nature-documentaries-type thing, these are great ways to liven up the week and de-stress

- this is a great time to figure out who from high school really matters to you: you don't have to force relationships that were built mostly on convenience if there are friends at uni with whom you click more. people you became friends with purely based on the coincidence of where your parents lived do not have to be your forever friends. they can be! but they don't have to be

personal

- don't expect too much of yourself: a 4.0 is not the end-all, be-all. if your family or somebody tells you it is, tell them to call me, and i will personally talk some sense into them

- take advantage of university support services: mental health counseling, free yoga classes, multi-cultural societies, etc

- drink water: please, please don't get kidney stones in the middle of the semester, says the girl who got kidney stones in the middle of the semester

- let yourself take breaks: if you need to lie to a professor and say you're sick when really you're just feeling down and you need to sit in bed and watch a movie, that's totally valid

- don't freak about individual assignments: my students come to me freaking over a B+ and i tell them, honey, no job interviewer is ever going to ask you about your second paper from communications 101. i wish i'd known that

- go see speakers if there's someone interesting coming to campus: these talks are always cooler than you expect. i'll never get over the fact that i didn't go see anita hill when she came to my undergrad

- do your laundry on the same night every week: i can't explain why this is so helpful but it really is

- keep up on the news and the memes: read the school paper, the school blog, the memes page -- college politics and inside jokes are fun and convoluted and fascinating

- set the groundwork for long-term self-care: all of the above is really just to say -- university isn't just for learning about the french revolution, it's also about learning how to balance, how to handle failure, how to ask for help, how to make a salad that doesn't totally suck, etc

[lawyerinprogress]

studyblr asks (feel free to add to the list)

What year are you?

What’s your major/what do you think you want to major in?

If applicable, what is your thesis about?

Do you think you picked the right major?

Ultimate educational goals?

Career goals?

Do you think your goals are realistic?

What classes are you taking right now?

Favorite class out of everything you’ve ever taken and why?

Least favorite class ever and why?

Current favorite class and why?

Current least favorite class and why?

Favorite STEM field?

Favorite humanities subject?

Class that you’ve always wanted to take but never had the chance?

Do you use caffeine and if so how much daily?

What’s your preferred method of taking in caffeine?

Have you ever tried study drugs?

Are you a homework-in-the-morning kind of person?

Do you listen to music while you study?

Crowded area or quiet place?

What’s your preferred writing implement?

Do you need to work out before you can study well?

Describe your perfect study environment.

Are you procrastinating right now?

What was the last thing you procrastinated?

Are you a perfectionist?

Do you like easy classes or do you feel bad if you’re not working hard?

Are you a good test taker?

What are you the proudest of out of all the assignments you’ve ever had?

Do you talk to your teachers/professors a lot?

Describe your favorite teacher/professor and why you like them.

Describe your least favorite teacher/professor and why you dislike them.

Have you ever thought about becoming a teacher/professor?

Most profound thing ever said to you by a teacher/professor?

Best feedback you’ve ever gotten on something academic?

Worst study habit and how are you working on it?

Are you an in-class fidgeter?

How’s your handwriting?

Write “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” and post a photo.

Neat or messy notes?

A lot of notes or the bare minimum?

Post a photo/scan of your notes from your favorite class.

Are you a doodler?

Post a photo of your doodles if you have any.

Do you have pre-test rituals and what are they?

Are you a tangent-question asker?

Do you make jokes in class?

How many hours do you spend on academics per day?

What’s something more important to you than school?

[lawyerinprogress]

You are allowed

nay, encouraged to…

buy books you’ll never read

abandon books halfway through

read your favorites over and over again

read ‘easy’ books

read books you don’t totally understand

just look at the pictures

start in the middle

take notes

break spines

read the book after you saw the movie

skip the boring parts

keep books out of sentiment

bring a book everywhere

read comics

return books to the library unread

The point, my dear reader, is joy.

[lawyerinprogress]

08142021. Some daily journaling to get my anxiety out.

[lawyerinprogress]

my quick tips for working / studying from home

- get dressed and style your hair as if you’re going to school/work - even use the same perfume/ cologne as you normally do  (trick your mind into being motivated)

- plan things out - everything (plan out your week, day, meal, etc. you can make these as specific as you’d like. this will help you stay on top of your work as well as stay healthy, especially if you live alone.)

- make studying/ working the first thing you do each day - best if you can start in the morning (minimize the tendency to procrastinate)

- just start - don’t worry too much about perfecting or finishing anything yet (if you don’t start then there’s nothing for you to perfect or get done. and it will never get done)

- listen to old and simple (aka non-distracting) podcasts, Youtube videos, or café/ chattering white-noise, etc. simply leave them as background noise to create an illusion of being outside your room (bring the presence of people to you. my favorites lately have been slam poems from 2016, Mae Martin’s stages, and Awsten Knight’s crackhead podcasts)

- set timers, for both study sessions and breaks (so that you don’t overwork, burn out, or procrastinate. the Pomodoro technique works great here)

- take advantage of the comfort of your own home (light a candle, have crunchy snacks, play loud music, review notes out loud while pacing around, wrap yourself in a blanket burrito, study on your bed if you can focus there like me, etc. basically anything you can’t do in a classroom, office, or the library)

- if you miss your friends, call/ text/ facetime them, make a study group chat with them, etc. (that is what technology is for)

- choose recreational activities/ self-care for your breaks instead of going on social media (go on walks, make small art, play an instrument, stretch, take a nap, etc. I usually reach for my guitar, brainstorm writing ideas, or sketch very simple line art.)

- if you want to go on social media, do it during meal times - or the 15 minutes after your meals that you can’t work just yet (it also doesn’t make you feel like you’re wasting time)

- study in different rooms for a change of scenery (dining room, living room, the patio, etc. I have an armchair next to the window that I study in whenever I need some sunlight and don’t have to write anything down. however, if you need a designated place to focus on your work, you can also use these alternative spaces as designated “relax” or “creative” place for your breaks)

- use this as an opportunity to take care of yourself (get enough sleep, drink water, exercise, talk to your family, take your meds, be mindful of your mental health, etc.)

Feel free to add your tips. The current situation sure is unpleasant but it is unavoidable. All we can really do now is take care of ourselves, others, and try to make the best out of this.

Good luck to everyone and stay safe! My heart is with you all 💕