Welcome Kamryn,
There are various levels of "biting the bullet" so I encourage you to evaluate grad schools and lawschools and evaluate the academic side of things as well as other factors that may be a part of your Big Picture life goals in choosing schools. The same applies for work. I say start with determining what your Big Picture life goals are (in next couple of years, 5 years and long-term), prioritize them and *then* choose. You always want to go to a place with a good name if you can (you will not believe how many doors it will open) but at the same time consider other things too. For example, when I chose grad schools, I wanted to be in Cali but I also wanted to go to a good school so I only applied to the really good grad programs in Cali (b/c it was more important for me to have a balanced life than to be in upstate NY somewhere battling the cold ... of course now I do just that in Chicago). When I applied to lawschool, it was important to me that I be able to have a life (at some point) while in lawschool so I knew that I would only apply to good schools that were in major cities or at least in places where I could have a life. I also knew that I was not going to want to have to take 100,000 in lawschool loans alone so I went to a school that offered me a scholarship. It just happened to be a good school too (which was a requirement for me b/c you pretty much work just as hard in *any* grad or lawschool program so you might as well go somewhere that is going to work for *you too* well into the future after graduation). When I chose a firm I knew that I wanted to be able to start a family w/in 5 years or so so I didn't choose a firm that would require me to work late hours and on the weekend b/c I knew that work being my all (which is what it would have been if I would have been working all night long b/c it is virtually impossible to start and cultivate a relationship that way - unless he works all of the time too ... at least that's my opinion) - anyway I would not have been happy. I still make the *same* salary as the folk billing in excess of 2000 hours per year but my billing req is lower and my firm is just as prestigious. So all that is to say that it will be difficult and you have to work hard no matter where you go but figure out what it is that you want out of life and find places (schools/work) that *also* allow you to work toward your *other* non-work goals (if you have any). I write "if you have any" b/c for some, it *is* their short-term and 5 year goal to basically go in, work, work, work and do whatever they think it will take to make partner and forsake other things for awhile ... and that is fine too b/c that is *his/her* plan and what is important for him/her. So it does not have to be as bad and all places are not created equal in all ways.
Good luck!
SC
Quote:
Originally posted by Kamryn
Everything you all have said is so true! Being the new girl at work is not easy, especially if you're the new black girl. People are always testing our endurance.
I'm preparing to go to grad school and law school in the near future, and here I thought I was going through h*** as an undergrad! Shoot! I'm just getting started...  I guess I better do as my professor says and "bite the bullet!"
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