A college student probably has upwards of tenth-life crisis... I don't know maybe every three days. We're constantly questioning everything. Am I pursuing the right career? Should I double minor? Should I do laundry today (then waits another two weeks to actually do it.) Should I have the turkey sandwich or a burger? Fries, too? But I should probably have a salad. Our minds are on overdrive! A jumbled up mess probably more accurately describes it. Then we sit in bed at 2 am and try to organize our thoughts, take a few deep breaths, and before we can even start to relax and feel a little better about ourselves, we're out cold. So long for that. Then there's writing, where some of us attempt to use it as an outlet to express ourselves and put down our thoughts on paper. But even there it seems to get lost in translation. Anyway, If I haven't lost you already. I know I've started to ramble on a bit, in this written attempt we will try to explain (mostly to ourselves) what it feels like to declare as a Legal Studies major.
“So you want to go to law school?” My major declaration sheet hasn’t even been processed yet, I’m still stumbling through my sophomore year, and you want me to explain to you what my plans are for after graduation? I can barely coherently explain to you what I’m doing right now, never mind a few years into the future. All I have for ya now is, I love studying law and as far as what kind of lawyer I want to be, or if I want to go to law school- I got nothing. Now that may seem irresponsible, careless, flawed unreliable, and whatever another kind of word you may choose to describe how ill-equipped that statement may make me sound. But it’s true, I’m not sure yet. And I don’t think I should know right now. Maybe that sounds naïve. But I’m okay with it for the moment.
Sometimes I can be a little goofy. Most of the time. People shoot me a look, or I get “so you want to be a lawyer, huh?” with a sarcastic and skeptical tone. Yeah, b. I do.
No major is harder than the other. I would never be able to major in biology; I’d somersault out of the nearest window. Nor could I ever perform, and get up in front of an audience. I couldn’t do your major, and I don’t think you’d enjoy mine very much either. Belittling is one of my pet peeves. (Also, please don’t sprawl out on my bed with your filthy backpack that’s been all over the floors. Sorry, that’s a different article, though.)
Being legal studies major with your best friend is pretty cool. We’ve been friends for eight years, since middle school. I’m sure we can all take a second and think about how different things were, how much we’ve changed, and how freakin’ awkward we were (or still am.) Because we’ve been friends for so long, and at this point in our lives, we’ve watched each other grow. We’ve watched each other get our hearts broken and, we’ve helped repair it. We’ve stood by each other’s side at graduation and the transition to college. We’re still watching each other grow.
“So you want to be a lawyer?” I’ve been told countless times that lawyers are unhappy with their lives, and hate their job. I’ve been discouraged from pursuing this path. Of course, I’m not a lawyer yet or even declared and studying to be one right now, but at the moment I find the law to be both fascinating and challenging and I plan to pursue it despite the negative comments about the field. For me, I plan to receive my bachelor's and the diving into LSATs and continuing on to law school. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know a few people in the field and gain and understanding of what they do, and because I consider myself pretty persuasive and dedicated I feel that I could become a natural at it.
We are both more of an introvert so working at a desk wouldn’t bother us at all. Of course, being there 24/7 isn’t ideal either but I am comfortable in my own space with the paperwork on my desk. You have to be ready for long days, long nights, studying 24/7, all day court, being on the phone with a million people in one day, submitting tons of paperwork, and the hardest of all, not procrastinating. I’m sure being a lawyer is not how it looks like in the TV shows or movies. (But c'mon we love them.)
I decided to pursue immigration law because of my own experiences and I always wanted to help people. I am currently in the Human Service program at NCC which revolves around helping people. I believe being on the human service and lawyer path will blend and work perfectly with each other. We all have our own reasons for choosing the type of law to practice, but I want to make sure I make my clients happy. A lawyer’s purpose should be to help one get what they deserve, whether it’s money or justice.
Currently I'm declared as a Legal Studies Major at Manhattanville. My classes this semester include Civil Liberties, American Government, Political Thought, Law and Business Ethics, and then some Gen Ed's. The classes mostly revolve around case readings. God knows I don’t remember a single name who v who? The case is 40 pages of dissenting and concurring opinions. However, these cases are important and contributed so much to our legal system.
