Introduction

Tomorrow begins my journey from an every day citizen to a lawyer.  At least that is the goal of attending law school.  Many people undertake this journey every year but not all of them finish the journey.  For one reason or another, some fail out or drop out of law school.  I do not desire to be one of those people; instead, I want to complete the journey.  This blog will document my journey along with observations of what law school, especially California Western School of Law, is all about.

This blog has a couple of goals:
1.  To share my experience with current and future law students along with anyone else curious about the experiences of law school.
2.  To aid in maintaining some sanity throughout what is supposed to be one of the most stressful times in my life.

This week all 1L students begin classwork with "Introduction to Legal Skills."  First-year law students begin class one week earlier than second- and third-year students.  The purpose behind the class is obvious in the title - to introduce students to legal skills, especially those beginning skills the students will need for their classes. One of the assignments for the first day is for the students to write down short, intermediate, and long range goals for law school.

Along with writing down our goals, we are also supposed to write down our concerns and doubts with attainment of our goals.  Throughout my Naval career, I had to set and attain many goals, so writing down goals for law school was old hat for me.  However, writing down my reservations for goal attainment is not a task I normally undertook during my Naval career, so this aspect was a little daunting for me.  (Realize, I always look for external obstacles to goal attainment; looking inward to internal goal obstacles is not routine and is how I looked at this assignment.)

My number one concern for surviving law school is my educational background.  I did not attend an undergrad university like most law students.  Now my degree was conferred by an accredited institution otherwise, this blog would not exist.  However, my degree in Applied Science and Technology was obtained via five different universities over a span of twenty years.  I obtained credit from just about every manner in which you can obtain college credit:  I have credit for classes taken in a classroom, I have credit for classes taken on-line, I have credit from DANTE examinations, I have credit from CLEP examinations, I have credit from attendance of Naval schools, and I have credit from courses which were self-paced without an actual instructor because these courses were taken underway on a submarine.

The manner in which I obtained my degree gives me concern because I feel I may not have the study acumen necessary for law school.  Of course, hearing stories of the parties and tomfoolery of some colleges soothes that concern somewhat but not enough to rid my subconscious of the doubt.  I am positive though, I will adapt and establish the study routine necessary for law school success.  I just hope those habits are developed sooner than later!

Another reservation I have about attending law school is my age.  I will be one of the oldest students in my class.  This fact shines the spotlight on several concerns.

First, will my memory be able to handle the stress and knowledge overload?  Some say, you can't teach an old dog new tricks.  Of course, that saying is not necessarily based on the fact the dog can't learn new tricks.  The dog might just not have a desire to learn those new tricks.  Second, will I be able to connect with my fellow students even though I could be the father of some of them?  I did connect with a few students during the Summer Enrichment Program, so this fear might not really be a valid fear.  Third, will my body be able to handle the stress such that I don't get sick and fall behind?  This might actually be my biggest fear.  I've planned out my days to ensure I work out three times a week.  I feel exercise will be a key factor in minimizing sick days and injuries.  The next step will be plan execution.

This first assignment was a good exercise for me.  Acknowledging reservations and concerns is the first step in planning to overcome those doubts or, maybe, even avoiding turning the fears into reality altogether.  A realization of possible faults can aid in developing the resolve to defeat those faults which might hold you back from your dreams.

My plan for this blog is, at a minimum, one entry per week.  I will not make guarantees.  Guarantees can only be made when you have a beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt the guarantee will in fact happen.  Or guarantees can be made when your confidence is sufficient enough that the likelihood of failure is slim.  I can do neither when it comes to this blog.

Feel free to comment.  Your feedback will be appreciated.