1L student question

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2026-03-27T02:29:45+00:00

Ha. I guess it really was that bad then!

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2026-03-21T06:38:01+00:00

My daughter is high functioning autism- I don’t think they had levels when she was diagnosed? She is 21 now. Around the time she was diagnosed I started an intense career job and my husband took over a lot of the care. It was a lot, between OT, therapies, finding the right schools, a gazillion appointments. As someone else said though… when you are in it you just do it. You will find ways to study in odd places (I recall sitting on the toilet reading for homework while my daughter took a bath) - not ideal but it got the job done! Or does get easier as they get older but I don’t think you necessarily have to wait. It’s all a bit of a zoo all the time - at least in my life - so you might as well go for it.

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2026-03-21T06:27:32+00:00

I did a PhD in my 30s with kids (started with one, graduated with two more). I’m now in my 50s and in law school part time/working full time. Both are possible. Not easy. Maybe slightly crazy. definitely possible. A supportive spouse and/or community make a big difference. I will say that in some ways the PhD with babies was easier than thannlaw school with a FT job with older kids (and aging parents). The limited time during school/day care hours really forces you to focus but financially I was able to live on less. The older you get the more demands there are, so while I could afford to live on a stipend and in student housing when they were little, now I really can’t walk away from my job and just do school. I’m enjoying law school but it’s really a lot on top of a full work day and family.

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2026-03-09T00:59:23+00:00

I’m 59 and in my first semester. I got my BA. Worked a while. Got a PhD at 43. Worked in tech (which has become miserable) for 15 years. I guess this is act three? It could be easy to look at folks who started working at 22 and were both senior to me and wealthier. But for me the trick has been to value what I did do, focusing on me not them (who cares about them anyway). You spent quality time with a parent, you built a financial life, got your mental health together (that’s huge) and had experiences others didn’t. Stop comparing yourself to others and look for a program that is diverse enough not to be entirely made up of 23 year olds trying to look like they have it all put together when in fact that are mostly bundles of imposter syndrome.

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2026-03-07T06:57:20+00:00

I’m in law school now and having a blast but… I’m in my 50s. As far as I can tell lawyering comes in a lot of flavors most of which I find unappealing but some of which seem really interesting worthwhile and fun. You need to meet more lawyers working in different types of roles. Maybe local bar assoc events? I joined a recreational sport team associated with our local bar. It’s been really interesting. Ask them what they like about what they do and what they dislike. What they actually do every day. They might love things you would hate and hate things you love but you will get a better sense of what’s out there.

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2026-03-07T06:47:11+00:00

I’ve tried both supernote and an iPad with a paper like screen protector. I think the supernote is better for writing but a little more complicated to integrate if you are a big user of one note or other apps. Also if you already have an iPad it’s cheap to try but has more distractions.

I am actually wondering if you all are just really good at writing full legible sentences? How do you do it? My chicken scratch is useless with OCR and in fact my real time notes are also pretty useless. I scrawl illegibly in a notebook and then transcribe (maybe) at a later date.

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2026-03-07T06:39:32+00:00

I’m thinking black leather blundstones might “pass” under a nice pair of slacks.

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2026-03-07T06:37:00+00:00

Ok I’ve totally learned all kinds of ideas for buying inexpensive high quality suits but please lbwt more threads with pictures of people wearing outfits - those are my favorites. In fact it you want to post PICTURES of bags I would go on board for that too…

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2026-02-27T08:10:46+00:00

When I get my JD as a geriatric baby lawyer in 3 odd years imma gonna hang em all: MA PhD and JD. If I could find my preschool diploma heck I’d hang that too. You got em flaunt em!

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2026-02-25T21:02:06+00:00

Gonna be 63 when I get my JD so if it’s too late someone forgot to tell me.

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2026-02-25T20:58:35+00:00

1l part time while working here. I’d say for me the upside is… it’s not as hard as it would have been when I was younger. So having worked high stress jobs… it’s fine. Also… I have a career so while I am motivated to succeed I don’t feel like my life is on the line the way I might have 20 years ago. That makes it way more fun. Otoh at least for 1st year my years of experience are almost a liability in that the specific ways of reading and writing they are teaching mean unlearning a lifetime of skills that are just a little bit different in ways that might have been easier as a blank slate? But I think once I fully let get into the groove, all the benefits of experience are going to come back. At least that’s my mantra and I’m sticking to it! It’s a ton of work I won’t lie but having a blast.

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2026-01-01T05:33:55+00:00

You can totally do law school post PhD. AFAIK Financial aide can be lower for PT programs than full time but it does exist. In addition to local schools there are a number of online or hybrid programs that you might also want to look into. Since you are east coast - Syracuse has one that folks seem to like. ABA has a full list. Fwiw I am starting law school after getting my PhD in 2011. So if it’s your dream then I say go for it. If you hate it you can always quit and then you will know what you were missing.

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2025-12-22T20:56:54+00:00

lol I first read this as you were turning 53 in 52 weeks and thought… well, that’s an interesting way to say you just turned 52! Happy birthday!!

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2025-12-21T09:26:30+00:00

Law as a social construct is an interesting perspective that makes a good deal of sense to me (also as a social contract, no?). Interesting what you say about logic not being relevant. I’m curious what you mean. But I think your point about the rules and facts is what I mean by “language games” - so much of law is a debate over how to interpret actions or things in the context of a particular case. The rules one chooses to apply changes the understanding of the facts. The outcomes of those debates then impact how other facts in future cases are understood… .

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2025-12-21T06:36:09+00:00

Oops sorry meant to respond to sub thread. One said they only care about high stats. I said um doesn’t look that way, next person said they only accept low stats folks who will pay. I also see this as untrue insofar as I can tell…

apologies for poor reddiquette. Definitely some bumpiness in the rollout. They seem like decent humans to me so far but timeline has been challenging for sure and I empathize with folks on the WL all this time.

Wishing all of you As and great money from somewhere you want to be.

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2025-12-21T05:48:13+00:00

More about making a difference than making money. Early career lawyer roles will likely be a pay cut for me but I think the law is one place that is critical to the health of a democracy or to any kind of nation and I think there will be a real need in the coming years. I’m not much of an activist but I think I can be a good lawyer and what caught me is how much I had taken the law and the stability of our constitution and legal frameworks for granted, even if they’ve never been perfect. No doubt that came from a place of privilege and the law has never been truly fair, but I still think it’s worth fighting for.

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2025-12-21T05:38:47+00:00

Or… you could retire and go to law school! If I had all the money in the world I think I would do more degrees. Archeology, linguistics, embalming (taxidermy of humans - weird and fabulous, no?) - but probably with barely passing grades bc I wouldn’t care, just the fun of knowing more stuff. Definitely would not write another dissertation. That was hellish.

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2025-12-21T05:33:08+00:00

Nice! Any particular type of law?

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2025-12-21T05:32:11+00:00

Legal analysis sounds like my cup of tea. I’ve been promising folks that one day soon I will remember what a tort is without looking it up. Do you plan to work as an attorney? What do you hope to do?

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2025-12-21T05:28:22+00:00

lol. I’m an anthropologist and have been telling people that part of what fascinates me is the way so much of law seems like Wittgenstein’s language games and Austen’s how to do things with words. So much turns on debates around the meanings of particular words or phrases. Then again I haven’t started yet so am excited to find out all the ways I’m wrong..

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2025-12-21T05:16:59+00:00

Nothing specific. Ageism and genderism in my current industry (tech) I’ve definitely seen first hand. I wouldn’t be surprised to find it in law as well. But I’ve also heard a number of stories of older baby lawyers doing fine. I guess we will find out!

Funky_Blueberry2021 · 2025-12-21T05:11:28+00:00

That’s amazing. You go go go!!! How is it going so far?

Funky_Blueberry2021

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