Please State Schools... Can you Spare a Decision

Okay, patience - not my gift. Not even close. But honestly, it's February 10th and I really thought I'd be done with my law school application cycle and have a good idea of where I'll be spending the next 3 years. Oh, but no! I am still waiting on 3 decisions - South Carolina, Alabama and Ole Miss. It does not appear that SC has even begun to send out any decisions. Funny that the private schools get theirs out first. I am blessed in that I know I'm going to law school, but the unknown gets frustrated. Funny, I never thought that I was a planner until now. This is definitely something I cannot be spontaneous about. My first seat deposit is due on April 1. Surely I'll know something by the end of this month. Surely? Maybe? Hopefully? Or not (I thought that in December and January too) Stay tuned...

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,

I have [mostly] been very good this year. I have not been mean to people [much]; I have not talked about others behind their backs [I do it to their face]; and I have not lost my patience [yet today]. Santa, I need you right now to come through for me. My list isn't very long and I'll try not to be selfish and ask for too much. So, here it goes:

1. Acceptance letter to University of Alabama School of Law
2. Acceptance letter to Cumberland School of Law
3. The house to magically be ready to put on the market at the beginning of January
4. Acceptance letter to Mercer School of Law
5. Acceptance letter to Stetson School of Law
6. A buyer for the house - I'm okay with anytime between now and April
7. Acceptance letter to Charleston School of Law
8. Sanity for my co-workers, because some of them are off-the-wall crazy
9. Sanity for me to deal with my co-workers

That's all Santa. See, I didn't get greedy and ask for world peace or the end of world hunger. I didn't ask for an acceptance to USC (because I know they won't start until January so I'll save that one for the Easter Bunny). I know that I am blessed with many things - a relationship with Jesus (which is the most important thing); a loving husband; a fantastic mom and stepfather; great (most of them) step-siblings; a job; a house; and wonderful friends. I count those blessings and am thankful for them daily. But I've been very good this year. Please Santa, please ... If you can't bring me everything, I'll take 1, 2, 4 and 6.

Your Friend,

Gerri

Waiting is the hardest part

Tom Petty said it best. Patience is not my strong point and I'm well over a month in to the law school application process with all my apps being complete. I have too much nervous energy to be healthy and need an outlet. I had truly hoped to have at least one response by Thanksgiving and we all know (if you missed the parade, check your calendar), turkey day has come and gone. With each passing day, the anxiety continues to build. How many times can you hit Refresh on your email or swear your postal clerk is stealing your mail? I'm still not entirely convinced of the latter though. I had everything ready to apply to Georgia, which has never been on my list. Why? Because they are sending out decision letters in droves. But as I finished putting everything together I sat back and rationality kicked in. Shocking, I know. I don't want to live in Athens, even for 3 years. Even now, I'm not excited about Georgia and I am very excited about the schools I have applied to. So, I decided I'm not going to waste my time, the admissions committee time, or the money to apply simply to get an answer. If I were going to do that, I'd hedge my bets and apply to FL Coastal, Phoenix, or Charlotte - all of which I'd be almost guaranteed acceptance. Cumberland said mid-December and that is really not that far off. Charleston said the first of December and heck, that's now. So, I'll keep waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Nothing worth having comes easy, so I'll take the hard part right now.

Holy Scholarship Batman!

Okay, I checked my email this afternoon and had an email from the Admission Director at Florida Coastal School of Law. After a review of my file, they were offering me admissions with a yearly scholarship. Unfortunately, it is for Fall 2008 admission and with a house to sell before we relocate, that is not a possibility. Still, it's great to know that I'm wanted somewhere. I still intend to retest in October, just to hopefully raise my score some and make me more competitive through the selection process. This pumps me up and gives me a lot of hope.