Journey to JD Part 4: I'm Making A Move

After graduating from my masters program in December 2020 I had to take a breather and truly decide what's next. I gave myself four months to figure out what I wanted to do.

My options were:

1. Reapply to law school.

2. Keep working as a VISTA and when my service term ends find a job in the legal field.

3. Go get my paralegal certification.

It took four months to make my decision and I chose option 1, to reapply to law school. I knew that my reasoning for even considering options 2 and 3 were out of fear. I was thinking maybe I should build my resume a little more or maybe my MPA degree won't be enough for law school admissions counselors. I spent day after day overthinking and trying to talk myself out of applying to law school and making the other options work; but all signs were pointing to law school.

In January, I buckled down and got to applying. An unexpected blessing came my way as I got some of the applications for free from an LSAC fee waiver. Once the fee waiver ran out I did have to come out of pocket for the rest of my apps, but every little bit counts.

One thing that I was not expecting to be so challenging was retelling my story of why I was academically dismissed from law school the first time. There is literally no way to hide it and for some schools there is an entire separate application for readmit students. I decided that it was no point of me trying to sugar coat and make this story sound cute or pretty and I laid it all out on the table.

I submitted everything the first week of March and then sat and waited. By April acceptances were supposed to be rolling in, but all I was receiving was rejections.

Grant it I knew that the process was not going to be easy, so at first I did not break down. I was rolling with the punches and kept reaffirming that there will be one school that accepts me and these other places just are not meant for me.On April 16th I got my first acceptance letter!

Shortly after jumping up and down, screenshooting, and celebrating with my family and friends. I got an email saying disregard that email, that was not meant for you; and two days later I was rejected from Mercer University.

And this is when I broke down. All the confidence I had about getting back into law school flew out the window. I cried on the phone to my mom telling her that I did not think I would be able to get back into school. I began to believe that maybe this was not for me. I panicked and wasted a lot of money by going back on LSAC and applying to any and everything. All in all I spent $685 on law school apps (apps + CAS reporting/ and yes this is with the fee waiver that I got for the first 6 applications).

Day after day I received rejection after rejection. I began to revisit my options and had decided on getting a job in the legal field. It was not what I wanted to do but I was settled on that decision.

At the end of May I got the best news of my life. I was accepted into Southern University Law Center. All of the excitement and energy I had when I got my letter from Mercer was not there. It wasn't that I did not want to attend, I was just scared to get happy. I honestly did not think it was real. I waited to tell anyone because I was waiting to make sure I did not receive another accidental acceptance.

Well it's currently August 15 and its really real! I just completed my first week of school. I literally packed up and figured out this move in a month. Thank you to all my family and friends who supported me in this journey.

This process has been a challenge and I know there are many more to come, but I am thankful that I did not give up and did not let these schools count me out.

Whenever you're feeling discouraged remember it only takes one yes to cancel count all of the no's. I applied to 25 schools and was accepted into 3. If you believe in yourself and work towards your dreams they will come true.

Check out my vlog where I take you on this trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana: https://youtu.be/CP3b794qm6w

Mood: Makin' a Move - Lady Bri