From the Single Mom's Law School Experience, then "Almost Attorney" to FINALLY an Esquire!: Exam Time

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Exam Time

As exams approach, students stress level ratchets up by levels that even the most ignoramous can sense. What is funny to me is how we students start trying to clarify what will be on the exam, how the exam will work, so on so forth.

My exams this semester are interesting. Two professors said the exams are written and "easy." Well, nice......One of them is a take home exam in which we have seventy two hours to write our responses and turn it in. The other exam is open book, open notes..........how hard can that be?

My final for Law and Education....not sure what will happen with this one. This professor is new to our law school this year..... One thing that was awesome about her is that she said that there would be one large question that dealt with policy. She is posting the question on her website on Friday so that we can access it and write it beforehand. Which is good and bad.....because it will be indicitive of how she writes questions, but also, she will likely expect more. Oh, and it is open book, open note.

The other exam is for my Crim Pro Class....I have no idea what she could possibly test us on........there is not much substance in that class. Very policy driven............not sure the status of whether this is open book or not....should be interesting to find out.

My Professor for the 1st Amendment class laughed at me. I said, I know the paper is due the 19th, but what time? You want it by 5, or 11:59 pm......for some reason this amused him greatly. I thought it was a fair question since he said to email it to him.

Most exams I have had in my law school journey have been closed book....which means mad rush to memorize EVERYTHING you can so that if some obscure thing is tested, you can pull it out of the file in your brain and amaze the professor with your legalease......I have always found this arbitrary. The truth is, in the field when you practice, you are going to have to go looking for answers more often then pulling it out of your brain.........so the exam period, especially when it is closed book, closed note is arbitrary and makes no sense.

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FAQ

Lots of people ask me: how do you do it? How do you attend law school and raise a child alone? My answer is simply that you prioritize. You approach school as an 8 to 5 job. I take Friday evenings and Saturday's off. Study a bit on Sundays. For me this works. It means not being a part of the "social" things at school, and that time between your classes is in the library studying. But that's okay. You will have different goals then the students who are single with no children.

How do you afford it? Student loans........yes, you heard me. My reasoning is that my earning capacity will double, but likely triple, which means that I can afford to take on the debt to pay for a better future for my daughter and I.

Does you daughter resent you studying? No. Sometimes she gets frustrated, but she really does understand the bigger picture. She is my biggest supporter. I have learned to include her by taking her to class with me when I can, by having her help me study with flash cards, and by taking her to appropriate events at school. In fact, I did an incoming student panel one year, and the administration of the school had her speak as well. We are a team, and that includes this journey.