The Summer Before Law School

My summer associate position only has two weeks left! It's crazy to think how fast the summer went by. In a little over a month, I'll be back on campus for my last year of school.  We are moving out of our apartment close to campus next week, and I've been reflecting on the past 2 years that I've spent in Los Angeles so far as I slowly pack up my life once again.

Two years ago, I was about three weeks out of moving to Los Angeles and starting school. I was just starting to think about packing. I'm proud of where I am now and could never have imagined where my life would be today as I was getting ready to say goodbye to the only city I ever called home. That summer was intense, amazing, busy, and wonderful.

I spent lots of time with friends.

I went to the Chihuly Museum in Seattle, one of my bucket list items.

I coached a swim team and they made it to finals at KCAC.

I went to outdoor movies at a brewery

I celebrated the 4th

I spent time with my favorite person ever, my dog Cooper.

I drank beers by lakes.

I went to baseball games.

I relaxed and relaxed and relaxed.

I think that sometimes there is a notion that you must start preparing for law school in the summer so that you can be ahead of the curve by the time you arrive in September. I think that mindset is entirely wrong, and potentially dangerous. You need that summer to rest, have fun, be spontaneous, and totally and completely nourish your mind and body before school starts because once it does, you are going to have to dive head first into freezing cold water and try to swim upstream. Law school is stressful. Between the first day I started and today, my body started giving me stress signs that I never thought existed. I have developed tension headaches (usually around finals time), I started getting migraines (so far I've had 3), I experienced one true panic attack, my skin developed a rash, and I sometimes get heartburn. I realize I just made myself sound like a 70 year old man. While this isn't how I feel everyday, I never felt any of these symptoms before law school! I consider myself a generally healthy person. I drink lots of water, I try to eat healthy, I work out, I get 7 hours of sleep a night Yet, my body was still trying to tell me something was wrong. I recently started to take up Yoga for the very reason that I know I need to do more to help relieve the stress and anxiety in my body. Sometimes the only true medication for stress is to take a complete vacation from all that is stressful. I am excited to do that in August when I will be off work but before school starts.

However, if there is one thing I can tell any person who is preparing to start school in the fall, it would be don't think about it yet. Enjoy your time with family. Go out with your friends. Hang out at the beach. Read for fun. Binge watch a Netflix show. Start running. Take up Yoga. Go on a road trip. Hike. Spend time outdoors. Finally check off those bucket list items you've been longing to do. Decorate your apartment. But please, please, please do not spend the remainder of your summer worrying about class rankings, reading internet blogs of how to be at the top of the 1L curve, or god forbid thinking about OCI. You will have plenty of time to do all of that come the time school starts. Orientation will prepare you for class. And you'll be just fine.

Choosing UCLA

It's crazy to think that just two years ago, I had absolutely no idea where I would be attending law school. At this time in 2012, I was finishing up studying for the October LSAT. UCLA was on my radar - but so were a lot of other schools. I hadn't decided if I wanted to stay in Seattle or take a chance and move away.

And here we are, two years later. And in two years from now (at almost this exact time) I will be getting my BAR exam results (which will hopefully be a happy day). WHAT?! Life is crazy!

So why did I choose UCLA? I'm pretty sure this question was asked in every single interview I've had in the past two months. But there were a lot of decisions that went into my choice and I was trying to choose between five schools, but in the end...

I knew I wanted to stay on the west coast. People will give you mixed reviews about going to a school in the city that you want to practice. I think that this is generally good advice because it is easier to get a job in the city where your school is (merely because the career services office does most of their outreach in that city). However, I wasn't sure if I wanted to be in Seattle or LA. I got into a few schools on the east coast/midwest as well, but when it came down to it, I knew that my life would be revolving around the west coast (best coast, duh) and so I decided to stay on this side of the US. And I'm very happy with that decision. That being said, I don't think location should be the deciding factor, especially if you get into a highly ranked school because it doesn't matter as much. (I mean if I got into Yale, I would move in a heartbeat...obviously).

I visited and loved the faculty and students. When I sat in on a class, the guy sitting next to me just started chatting with me. I could tell that the people in that class were all friendly. I didn't get any ultra-competitive vibes. Instead, people were literally asking others for notes right in front of me. And the teacher that taught that class was hilarious.

I found out I was accepted because the Dean of Admissions personally called me. And I later found out that he calls every single student. No other school did that for me! I thought it was extremely personal and so awesome! That was a true testament to how much the administration cares about the students, and I have found that to be true since attending.

Beach 12 miles away and sun 300 days a year. Umm what can make you more relaxed than taking a break to lay by the ocean? Or even stepping outside from the library and having it be sunny? It does make a difference. (However, I have discovered that studying and the beach do not mix.)

Seattle, I love ya, but I needed to get away. I had lived in Seattle for my entire life before moving to LA (aside from a 3 month study abroad in Rome). When else was I going to be able to easily pack up and move away? I don't have a family, kids, etc. But that brings me to my next point...

My boyfriend also got into UCLA. My boyfriend and I have been dating for five years, so I'm not going to lie to myself and say that he was not a factor in my decision at all. We did all 4 years of college long distance. We did not want to do long distance anymore. And we both felt like we were at the point in our lives and our relationship where we could factor each other in to our decision. We both knew we wanted to go to grad school (he got his masters in engineering) and so we applied to schools in the same cities. We both got into schools in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Michigan. So that basically narrowed our decision down to Los Angeles and Seattle (sorry Michigan). While we both had to make the decisions for ourselves (and we made them at different times), we both did. One of the factors we thought about together was that this would be a chance for a new adventure for the two of us. It has 100% held true and brought us even closer together than before.

[money also had a factor in my decision - and I think that is one of the most important factors in anyone's decision - but I don't want to talk about it here. Feel free to e-mail me with more questions!]

That brings me to...

With the benefits of hindsight, am I happy with my decision? - ABSOLUTELY! I do not regret it at all. Today I walked through campus on my way home and took some pictures. How could you not fall in love with this place?

Day In the Life of a Law Student

Before you go to law school, you have no idea what you are in for. People try to tell you it's bad. Less people tell you that it's good. But the typical, average day of a law student (at least this law student) goes as follows!

7:00 - 9:00am - wake up and immediately make coffee [just a sidenote - I hated coffee until I started law school]. Get ready for my day, read some blogs, skim over any reading that I may have forgotten about over a long break from class

UCLA Pool where I love to swim 

9:00am - noon: During 1L I had class during this period. This year, I don't actually start until 10:35 earliest. I try and go for a run or to the gym before my 10:35 classes

I can't complain when I get to walk by this everyday 

Noon - 1:00pm: Lunch period. Law school IS like middle school and you actually have a lunch break where no one meets for class. This is typically when all clubs hold meetings or events. Most of those meeting include free food, so it's pretty easy to get a free lunch almost every day (if you try hard enough. and you really like pizza).

1:00 - 6:00pm: Afternoon classes or library time. On tuesdays, I have class until 7:30 unfortunately. But during my breaks in between I usually just go to the library and do my homework for tomorrow.

UCLA Law Library

6:00 - 7:00pm: Make dinner or run errands, chores!

My favorite (and quickest) dinner = basil, tomato,
mozzarella and balsamic glaze

7:00-9:00pm: On busy weeks, I will have to continue to do homework or finish reading for the next day until 9. People say that you should treat law school like a 9-5 job. For some people, that might work. But for me, I've come to accept that it will not be like that for me. I tend to work better with some intermittent breaks scattered in between.

This is what our dining room table looked like last
 year when we were both in school (B has since graduated) 

9:00 - 11:00pm: Watch TV! Or read! My time to do whatever I want and try and wind down from my day. Main goal = don't think about law at all :)

Unless it is Suits, that is... 

Surviving Law School Stress

I thought I would do a post on my top 10 tips on how I manage stress in law school. I think one of the the hardest part of law school is attempting to stay calm when everyone else around you is freaking out. This especially happens towards the end of the semester when everyone starts going crazy because finals are approaching. This list is geared towards finals, but these things apply everyday too!

1. Take time for yourself everyday. You need to do something that you love to do for at least 30 - 60 minutes of your day that has nothing to do with law school. Watch that terrible but amazing reality TV show that makes your brain go numb. Surf the internet. Bake. Plan a vacation you want to take somewhere someday. During finals, I would watch one of my favorite TV shows every night before bed to attempt to silence my mind before I went to sleep (sometimes it worked, sometimes not).

Fiction books > case books 

2. Exercise: The best way to handle everything is to get your heart rate up and you will feel so much better afterwards. If you don't like going to the gym or are not a runner, just go on a brisk walk! It's a perfect study break and keeps you from going crazy.

Taking advantage the year round sun in LA by hiking

3. Always have something non-law school to look forward to on the weekend: Before finals started looming (i.e. November/April), I would make sure that I dedicated either a full day of my weekend or at least half of the day to do something fun. I usually used my time do explore LA, watch football, or de-stress on the beach with a good book. But you need that large portion of time to unwind. And something to look forward to during the week!

My boyfriend and I went on a brewery tour of LA

4. Keep your non-law school friends close: I love the people I've met in law school so far. I know that they will be close friends forever. However, sometimes you just need to vent to people who do not know what you are talking about to make you realize that your problems are much smaller than you think they are. A good vent session with my best friends back home or my boyfriend does wonders for my stress level.

My best friend from high school visiting

5. Remind yourself of the big picture: During 1L, you will be bogged down in reading appellate cases upon cases and you can forget what it actually means to be a lawyer. Volunteer with a clinic, go watch a professional talk at lunch, do something to remind yourself that you will (probably) not be spending the remainder of your life reading cases from 1902.

6. Remind yourself why YOU came to law school: If you go to school that really stresses OCI (on campus interviews for large, private law firms), it can be easy to forget why you came to school in the first place and get caught up in what the school seems to be throwing at you. If you want to do criminal law, public interest, government work, don't give up on that because you feel forced into the private sector.

7. Reward yourself: I usually choose chocolate to reward myself! Food always makes me happy. And during finals, do whatever it takes to make yourself happy.

The best gelato 

8. Once you take a test, move on: I think that one of the worst things that you can do is talk about an exam with your friends afterwards. Every administrator and professor will probably tell you this. You will probably ignore it and as soon as you exit your first final, you will run up to your friends and talk about what you were unsure of. Then your friends will mention something that you did not write about and you will start freaking out because you think you are wrong. It's a never-ending cycle and so pointless because the test is over and there is nothing else you can do about it!

9. During finals, consider finding a different study location away from the library: During finals, that place can just be swarming with extra stress. Sometimes, I feel like the minute I walk in the door I am 10x more stressed than I was before. Coffee shops or public libraries are good alternatives!

10. Do what feels right for you, not what everyone else is doing! What may work for everyone else (and me) might not work for you.

Hello blogging world :)

Good Morning! I'm Alex...

I am so new to this. I don't even know where to begin. So I guess I'll start with a little bit about myself... 

Age: 23

Current Location: Los Angeles, CA

Born and Raised: Edmonds, WA [about 20 minutes away from Seattle]

Occupation: Current 2nd year law student, hoping to become some sort of litigator one day. 

How I spend my free time: exploring los angeles, going on runs, swimming, reading, watching way too much crappy reality television, trying new places to eat, attempting to cook, taking pictures, trying to plan new adventures in other parts of the world that I don't have time/money to go to. 

Law School: UCLA School of Law

College: University of Washington 

Major: Political Science & International Studies

Football Team: Seattle Seahawks!!!!! 

Current Goals: To finish 2L year stronger than last, to run a 1/2 marathon without stopping on February 1st, to find a job, to read more in my free time, and to create this blog!

Recently, my morning ritual has changed from watching TV while I get ready for my day to drinking coffee and reading blogs. I decided that it was time to start my own! I have no idea what I am doing, how to make this blog look prettier without spending money, or how to even see if people read/care about what I write. But if anything, I will be able to look back and get a glimpse of what my life was like at age 23. 

I choose the name "searching for sunshine" because that is one of the reasons I moved to California. However, I've realized that I actually miss the rain and that sunshine just means being happy. I hope to write about my experiences in law school and college, how to stay sane when you are surrounded by stress and craziness, how I attempt to stay healthy, how I am going to train for my first 1/2 marathon, what life is like in los angeles (or what it's like moving to any big city where you don't know many people), why I am obsessed with Seattle, how I stay happy, and everything in between. 

I can't wait to get started & thanks for following along :)