Moving Out of State

So you've committed to your selected law school, however its in another town, state, Country!!! what now?
Moving all your precious belongings can be frustrating. So here are some steps that you can take to ensure that this process goes as smoothly as possible.

1. Start your housing search at least 3 months in advance
2. Contact your school to find if they have any housing options available
• Some schools have their own websites for off-campus housing and some schools offer on campus options for their law students
3. Create a budget
• Take into consideration the cost of living for your new area (my new state was a whole lot cheaper then my previous state so that helped out a lot)
• You can have a month to month lease or a six month lease if you are waiting on school loans to pay for the apartment
4. Consider if you would like to live alone or find a roommate
• Some schools offer roommate options 
5. Look up online reviews of your selected place
• One of my biggest concerns was pest control, I was coming from a big city to a more suburban town with a different climate so I had to make sure I would not see any critters in my new apartment
6. Visit your new town and schedule viewings if possible 
• I actually did not have chance to do this and views all my prospects through the 3D options online, and some realtors sent me actual video of the apartment which was really helpful 
7. Dot your I and cross your T's 
• Make sure you read all the terms of your lease, and understand exactly what you are signing before you agree to it.
8. Look out for scams!
• A lot of people will try to take advantage of your out of state status and issue faulty complexes be sure to do your research before sending money to anyone!
9. Figure out how you are going to get there
• Are you shipping your belongings? Are you flying?
• Figure out the costs: I was able to ship my entire car stuffed with some of my things from PA to FL for only $400, and flew down, the entire thing cost me $500.
10. Enjoy your new spot, go out and explore the area before school begins. 

Finding an internship after first year law

One of the biggest concerns that many others in law school have is landing a good internship. After your first year, it will be highly difficult to find an internship. Most of them are geared towards second and third year student, however all hope is not lost. If you want to land an internship during your first year, here are some tips.

1) Start your search early on, a month before winter break is ideal.
2) Do not be so set on a particular internship, aim for many different kinds
3) Get your resume tweaked by your schools career center, they are usually very helpful
4) If you land an interview, send a thank you card afterwards
5) Ask around; (I landed my first year internship by asking a classmate what they were doing with                    
      their summer)
6) Do not be picky about whether or not the internship is paid more than likely it will not be paid
7) Do not be so bummed if you do not get an internship your first year, its only your first year have      
     fun!

*If anyone can think of any more great tips send me a message, I'll gladly add them.

A Job and School is it possible?

 Most law schools will allow a student to work 20 hours if they attend full time. I personally did not work while attending my first year of law school, however I know some classmates who did. If you pick the right position you should be able to keep up with your course work and complete your duties at the job.So here are some helpful tips for those who plan on working.

1) Find a job that will allow you to study while you work
2) Do not let the job stress you pass your regular school work
3) Stick to your allotted hours (especially if this job is tax deductible and not contracted work)
4) Put your education before your job. Law school is your career, not your job. Remember that!
5) Report the job to your school
6) Report the job on your bar application

If anyone can think of any other great tips, shoot me a message I will be sure to include it!

Finances and Law School

One of the hardest part of my first year, in addition to studying harder than I've ever had to in my life, was handling my finances. I attended law school as a full time student, and thus was only allowed to work 20 hours per week. I decided since this was going to be the year where I focused primarily on my studies I did not obtain a job. To make matter worse, I moved from Philadelphia to Orlando! So how did I handle a new city with no job.... Student loans and scholarships!

I obtained my apartment prior to moving to Orlando. I got a quaint one bedroom for $1K. What I should have done was prepay the entire 6 month rent with my student loans, but I decided to pay it monthly. The reason why this ended up being a failure is in between of paying rent and utilities life happens. For me Life included my car needing a whole new engine, and having to use half of my precious rent and utilities money on a new engine! If I had pre-payed my utilities then I would have to make do with what I had. Since I did not I ended up crying to my mama and fiancé to make the difference. I know that many people do not have others to fall on so here is my advice that I am happy to give and did not take on how to budget yourself during law school.

Step 1:

• Figure out how much funds you will receive per semester 
• Realize although a semester is about 3-4 months you will need funds for 12 months
• Include in your budget in addition to rent and utility bills funds for food, gas, and some fun
• Include cost of furniture and other necessities if you did not move with them 

Step 2: 

• Arrange with your landlord to pay your rent every six months 
• Budget six month of utilities, move it into a separate account so you will not accidentally spend it 
• Break down your budget so that you allocate wiggle room in case of emergencies (like my engine fiasco) 
• Remind your friends and family that you have no job and cannot lend them anything!
• Every penny counts! 

Thats all the advice that I have, if anyone has any questions let me know, I'll be glad to answer. 

First year Blues

Congratulations! You've been accepted to law school!.....
You are a mix of emotions including excited that you got accepted, enthusiastic that you get to accomplish your dreams, and worried that you will not be good enough.
Fast foreword to orientation, you are bombarded by your future professors and classmates asking questions, and jamming down all this new information down. I know what you are thinking, will you be able to accomplish all of this? How are you going to study all this new information? How will you know if you are doing enough? Well, buckle down I will pass down the secret formula to doing well in your first year.

Before I break down the secret I need to include this discretionary information. Doing well in law school is subjective, unlike any other schooling or programs you have done, this will be completely different. Most law schools only have finals and no mid-terms and definitely no homework. You will be teaching yourself the information, and regurgitating it to your professors during class. You are basically learning a new language. The best approach is to do all your required readings, and give yourself homework. So here we go the secret steps to doing well your first year.

Step 1:

• Read twenty pages ahead before every class 
• Brief the cases in between those pages
• Take notes as you read

Ste 2: 

• Include any clarification on any notes that you previously took 
• Overlook your previous brief
• Start an outline out of the rules and any important cases be sure to include your notes

Step 3: 

• Review your outline once a week when you add new materials 

If you follow these steps then as you add new information, you will retain the old information. The earlier you start this process, the better you will do for your midterms or finals. In the end you will only be tweaking your outlines to have dire information that you cannot remember. If you need a little bit more boost you can study using study guides such as Emanuel or Glannon guides. 

Extra Tips: Cramming will only get you a C at best, some people are ok with receiving such a grade because it is considered passing so suit yourself. 

Meet with your professors during office hours to learn their writing style. Every professor is different, for example I had a professor who preferred us to start our essays with "you have asked us to..." while another professor would have given a paper that started such a way an F. Tread carefully. Good luck, and send me questions, I am happy to help.