No one would ever believe that my relationship with the LSAT started some four years ago at a Barnes and Noble table on 66th and Broadway with a hot chai tea and a sugar cookie. This just a couple weeks after taking the United Nations Competitive Recruitment Exam that humbled me to say the least. As a consequence, I decided to move steadfastly unto Plan M, Law School, after being coaxed by friends and my boyfriend over many brunches, lunches, picnics and tears.
I remember staring at the Princeton Review LSAT book for about 30 minutes chanting ‘I think I can…I think I can…I think I can’ in my head. After reading, and revising the exercises diligently, I decided to take a practice test and to my surprise I scored in the 75 percentile range. I thought it was a fluke so I kept it as the most guarded secret. Sure enough, the next test was in even lower range and much more ego damaging.
I keenly decided that Princeton Review was not working for me and moved on to Kaplan, and then life happened. New York became a chore for me after only a year. It still exhilarated me, but in a jarring way. Home was calling with its pleasant weather, and nurturing ways. I abandoned ship and went running back to my island home, while taking study guidance from Kaplan and watching my score and percentile range drop with each timed test. I quickly rushed an application to the regional University for its Bachelor of Laws (LLB) first degree and tossed my KapIan book aside.
Then indecision set in, the questions started to roll through my head like a ticker.
Do I really want another first degree?
Do I really want to spend another five years in school to get it?
Would it make my first a waste of time and resources?
Was the legal profession for me?
Would this degree put me in an uncomfortable niche?
Maybe I should gain some work experience some more and make up my mind?
What did I really want to do with my life?
As fate would have it, I got in to the LLB program but I also got a tempting job offer. I chose the money and the experience, while burying my LSAT Study Guides even deeper and removing it from my conscience. After a year and a half of working and loathing every work day’s static routine, I started to browse Law School and LSAT related websites, I decided to order Powerscore materials, and some real LSAT tests (which I never bother with before), just for some insurance.
In the process, I left my job to be closer to my family and friends who were going through a difficult loss and sudden change. I decided to take some classes at the university, including Competition/Anti-Trust Law and Policy which turned into me enrolling in a one-year Masters program with an emphasis on trade law and policy. This was my opportunity to engage and learn more about the geopolitical environment of the Caribbean and its economic development while exploring an interesting topic, trade relations and negotiations.
During this program, through countless inquiries about job options, career flexibility and longevity of the legal profession in the region and international arena, my indecision about Law School quelled and my interest intensified, taking me to this period of my life of juggling my interest in the legal aspects of trade and trade disputes at the regional and multilateral level.
With one paper, a thesis, a study tour and an internship away from moving from a Masters candidate to a Masters graduate and an eager Law School Applicant 2011/2012, I am excited to share my journey through my blog Legally Tradable.
