M.S.E.L. Students Blog

I guess the first thing to talk about is the snow storm we got Sunday night and Monday.  I have heard we got anywhere from 10 to 16 inches.  VLS canceled classes on Monday.  Having a snow day was awesome.  I didn’t get as much school work done as I would have liked to, but going outside and messing around was great.  It took a good half hour to get my car unburied on Tuesday morning.  Lucky the roads were completely clear by Tuesday.

The title of my post is a Simpson’s quote from Ralph.  I found it relevant and humorous to what does one want to do with his/her life?  The main part of this post is about going on to the JD program.  I’m sure there a few prospective students reading this that will find themselves in the same situation I was.  I first applied to the JD program here at VLS but I was wait-listed.  VLS then contacted me about the MSEL program.  I looked it over and decided it would be worthwhile. 

Additionally what really helped make up my mind was the notion that if I did well in the MSEL program there was a good chance for acceptance into the JD program.  Also they don’t require you to retake the LSAT and they waive the application fee and essays.  It is largely dependent on your first semester performance, which can put some pressure on you, but the notion is, if you were good enough to get in here, you will likely perform well.

I’m really glad I ended up going the MSEL route.  Right now I’m trying to decide if I want to continue on into the JD program or not.  I think if I would have started out in the JD program I might have decide it wasn’t for me and wasted lots of money and time.  I’m back and forth constantly on whether I would like to continue on or not.

If not, I think I would like to work with an environmental consulting firm.  My background is heavy in science and I did similar work with IEPA and I would like to see what the private sector is like.  VLS really pushes the value of internships to its students.  Currently I am working with career services to find an internship with an environmental consulting firm, that way I can see if it’s sometime I would like to get into or not.  I will probably apply to the JD program to give me more time to decide whether or not to do it.  There are benefits to being a lawyer but the MSEL degree definitely gives one more options and more variety. 

I have a hard time deciding what to do because I really don’t know what I want to do with my life, very cliché but very true for most people.  I have a hard time accepting the fact I will loose my ability to do what I want basically when I want.  What I mean is right now, I don’t have to wait to the weekend for something fun to do.  In most ways I do, I have class and work that needs to be accomplished for class but overall freedom is still at hand.

I realize many people switch jobs and whole careers through the course of their lives; I’m having a difficult time even deciding on where to start.  I’ve still got some time before I make the decision and I hope some answers will come to me before it’s too late.  MSEL and stop or continue on to the JD?  That’s the questions with pros and cons on both.  Give it a few months and there will probably be a post about what I decided to do any why.

As with most of the posters lately, I too I have taken a while to put something up.  The semester is racing towards the end and so it seems everything is piling up to get finished.  One class is finished already, environmental writing.  I enjoy the class and fortunately we have it again in the spring.  I have a huge paper due in extinction and climate change.  I keep chipping away at it, but the pressure is even more because it is our only grade.  I’ll have a take home test in energy regulation and policy.  We were given a former exam and it doesn’t look as bad as I expected.  It will definitely take some time though.  My only in class exam will be in environmental law.  We were given a sample exam and it doesn’t look overwhelming but I still need to do a lot to prepare myself for the test.  It is open book and notes, but for time and organization wise, everyone suggests outline everything.

The fall colors are all gone now.  It seemed like one day lots of colors then the next, nothing.  The locals say it wasn’t much of a fall this year, but I thought it was pretty neat.  The temps are now in 30s and 40s much of the week.  I think you get used to it, because it doesn’t feel so cold to me, but then again I’m not out in it very much.  We had our first actual snow on Tuesday.  Unfortunately the roads weren’t clean when I went to school.  I hear the snow caught the road crews off guard, I hope that’s the case.  I put my car in a lower gear and just crept along.  I was grateful I didn’t have any hills to go up or down.  I thought about walking.  I only live two miles from school and would walk all the time if the local traffic didn’t treat our highway like an interstate.  If we get a big snow and the roads are iffy, I will probably walk and pray a car doesn’t hit me.

The holidays are in full swing.  Today is our last day of Thanksgiving break.  I enjoyed having the time off.  I didn’t go home.  We felt it was a lot of money to fly home with Christmas being right around the corner.  In undergrad we had the whole week off, but we only got two days here, however some teachers canceled their classes on Wednesday.  I hung around here, did lots of little chores I had been meaning to do.  I had big plans for school work but I knew before the break started it wasn’t going to happen.

My birthday was two weeks ago.  Some of us went out to eat in West Lebanon.  We went to 7 Barrel Brewery and it was pretty good.  So far someone has had a birthday every month and we try to go to different places in the area.  I don’t feel older but I don’t think anyone ever does.  I certainly don’t look the part.  Everyone says I will love looking so young when I’m older, but it can be annoying now.

We only have two weeks of classes left.  It seems like I just got here.  In typing that I just thought about everything I still have left to do…oh crap.  That is one thing about getting older; time goes by faster and faster.  Maybe I should pull my Delorean out of storage.

Last weekend, I returned to Illinois for my sister’s twenty first birthday.  I had been away for two and half months and I was excited to be back.  It was a good break from everything out here.  I maximized my weekend by leaving super early Friday morning and getting back really late Sunday, well actually it ended up being Monday morning.  My sister had a great time, and I enjoyed seeing her and other friends.  I could have easily stayed longer. 

My flight home was annoying.  We were on the plane and moving to the runway when we stopped.  Apparently high winds in Chicago were keeping us grounded.  So we sat for thirty minutes.  Then we were told we couldn’t leave for at least two hours.  So we went back to the gate and everyone was pissed off.  I was told my connection to Boston had been delayed as well so I should be ok.  We ended up actually delayed only another thirty minutes.  Once I got to Chicago I found my plane to Boston was delayed an addition two hours.  Thankfully they had TV’s with football on.

I was pretty exhausted from the entire weekend and looking to sleep on the plane.  We finally get going around 11p.m.  When I lean my chair back I hear this yell, then a tap on my head and hear, “No! You can’t do that!”  I was like WTF? I look back and this old lady has her purse on her lap with her tray table down so when I lean back the tray table pushes into the purse.  I said put your purse on the floor, oh no she can’t do that, so I’m like fine and getting really close to knocking grandma out.  She continues to complain about anything and everything the entire flight.  It’s 12:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. when the drinks roll around and her husband buys a Heineken.  I think that says a lot.

We finally arrive in Boston at around 2 a.m.  I still have a 2.5 hour drive.  Now why didn’t I fly out of Burlington or Manchester?  While Burlington is the closest to South Royalton, the tickets were $450-500 so nope not doing that.  Manchester didn’t have any flights that fit with the times I wanted to do and Boston is only a 30 minute farther drive from Manchester. 

The drive back was really peaceful.  I set my cruise on 65mph and let it go.  It was a good idea because I saw quite a few cops on my way back.  The drive was starting to get to me though.  I found I was talking to myself.  I thought good lord I need to get back.  I finally arrived at the house around 4:30 a.m. – 5 a.m. 

I woke up to get ready for legal writing class only to find it was canceled.  Let me tell you it was pure bliss.  After Environmental Law, I spent my time writing my short paper for Energy Law and Policy.  I was still really tired but able to focus long enough to crank out the paper.  It was on corn ethanol and Renewable Fuels Standard.  It’s just as exciting as it sounds.

Part of this past week was our fall break.  We got Monday and Tuesday off and as a MSEL you get Fridays off as well, so it made for a nice break away from school.  The break came at a great time.  I knew it was time when we were going over English stuff in writing class.  It was important information but I am terrible at English.  Ralph from the Simpsons comes to mind, “me fail English? That’s unpossible.”

I had good intentions on getting a lot of work done but it never happened.  In a sense I have three papers to complete relatively soon.  I did have to work on Monday but I didn’t mind, I definitely need the money.

We grilled out quite a bit during the break and had some people over.  On Friday we grilled chicken, bratwursts and salmon.  On Sunday, we grilled some ribs which turned out amazing.  I was a little worried as I had never done ribs before. 

The weather was great and I went on a hike up to Kent’s ledge and was able to get some nice pictures of fall foliage.  I was hoping to get some more pictures this weekend but it’s been cloudy.  It’s finally gotten a little chilly with temps in the 40’s and 50’s.  Our heat just kicked on for the first time yesterday.  It’s been really rainy this week.  I feel like its Seattle and I should get out my Pearl Jam and Nirvana.

Sad to say but the highlight of my break was getting my hair cut.  My hair was pretty long and getting a little ridiculous.  I was tired of moving it off my face.  It’s been short my entire life.  I grew it out this past year just because.  Originally the joke was, I had just graduated college and didn’t have a job.  It then turned to I’m in law school and can’t afford a haircut.  I went down to West Lebanon to Supercuts.  South Royalton has a couple places but I was unsure about them.  I think everyone would be lost without West Lebanon.

The girl who cut my hair looked pretty young.  I asked her how long she had been doing this and she said only a month.  I was like great, but she did a decent job.  She didn’t exactly get my vision but we got through it and at least I don’t have to wear a hat.

On Thursday, a group of us went out to eat in Hanover for a friend’s birthday.  We went to Molly’s and the food was pretty good.  Hanover is completely different from South Royalton.  SoRo has its charm but it’s nice to get a college town feel now and again.

So we’ve had class for a little over a month now.  My weekly routine has definitely been established.  I’m not getting as much done as I would like to.  I keep thinking I’ll have time for this and that but I never do.  I really make the mistake thinking I’ll get up early to get things done.  The weather is getting colder and getting out of my warm bed is getting harder.

I think I’m doing ok in my classes but it’s hard to tell since we only have one test at the end of the semester.  In undergrad this is about the time you have your first tests and can judge how well you’re doing.  In some of my classes we have papers to do.  Deadlines for different things are starting to approach so I really need to kick it into gear and get some work done.

I also think the newness of law school and initial excitement are starting to wear off.  Last week one day, I really noticed how everyone seemed out of it, although it was a very humid and hot day. 

I was finally able to wash my car last weekend.  Well it’s not actually my car.  I traded my mom cars.  I felt my car was too nice to be kept outside and endure a hard winter.  I’m definitely missing my car.  I bought it last October so I haven’t even been able to drive it for a year yet.  My mom’s car is nice too but I miss my 6 speed.  She is really enjoying my car.  She keeps telling me how many people have asked her if she got a new car.

I went down to White River Junction as it had the closest car wash I could find.  There was no one there when I got there and so I got to work.  In about 10 minutes though there was a line and I was asked to hurry up.  It made me mad but I finished up and moved out of the way.  Apparently you aren’t allowed to use a brush or sponge on your car.  You are only supposed to use the hose.  The machine cost $2.50 to get started, back home its 25 cents.  If I’m going to spend $2.50 just to get it started then I’m going to clean it my way.

I knew it was not really worth it to clean the car as it would be covered in dust within a day and I was right.  Everything gets so dusty here.  When cars zip past our parking lot it kicks dust up all over everyone’s vehicles.  At school they are doing road construction work and my car gets covered.  I can see big clouds of dust floating across the parking lot.

Even though it was a waste of time, I wanted to get a coat of wax on before it starts getting really cold.  I hope to get a few more coats on for protection from the snow.  Since it’s been raining recently the car looks clean again.

I’m also really missing my motorcycle.  The curvy roads in Vermont would be perfect for knee dragging.  I hope when I go home for Christmas that it isn’t too cold so I can take it out for a while.  I was asked quite a few times if I would be taking my motorcycle out here with me.  I would have if I had a garage or somewhere to keep it.  The riding season here is quickly coming to a close.

Time seems to be really moving as the weeks keep clicking by.  The weather has been either gorgeous or rainy.  The trees are already starting to turn colors.  The colors aren’t very bright yet but more muted.  I’ve been instructed by my family members that this fall I will have to drive around and take pictures for everyone.

This weekend was alumni weekend here at VLS.  I’m working in the Office of Intuitional Advancement which also consists of the Alumni Association.  It’s been a very busy week for everyone.  I came into work on Wednesday morning and everyone was practically running around the office.  I was quickly put to work making personalized binders for a meeting to be held on Thursday.  It took me the entire time I was there but I got all the binders finished.  It was a welcomed job as I was still tired and my brain was totally with me yet.

I came in early the next day to help set up for an all day meeting between alumni.  There were a few little snags but I think we did a good job of thinking on the fly.  Once the meeting was under way I was sent back to the office.  I did many different jobs to help get ready for the weekends different events.  I dug around in the less than clean shed and basement for various items, made some phone calls and even washed candle holders.

It was a fantastic day weather wise.  It was sunny with just a hint a chill.  Back in Illinois we don’t get those days until late October.  Despite the pressure to get everything done, I think the niceness of the weather kept everyone’s spirits up.

I signed myself up to work the Chase race on Saturday.  I had originally planned to run the race but decided I wasn’t in race shape at the moment.  So I’ll do the next best thing and help out.  For as nice as the days were Thursday and Friday, Saturday was just awful, at least in the morning.  It started raining Friday night and didn’t stop till Saturday mid day. The race was still held despite the rain.  Other events though unfortunately had to be canceled.  It was chilly and wet, so attendance was down.  I helped set up the course and manned a water table on the course.  There were only 18 solo runners.  There were also relay teams that turned around before they got to me so I’m not sure how that all went.  It sounded neat and I would have liked to have watched it.

Standing out in the cold rain definitely didn’t help me overcome the cold I’m fighting.  I started to notice my throat was getting sore on Wednesday night.  I’ve been downing orange juice and cold meds regularly but it’s still pretty brutal.  I usually get a cold later in the season.  I’m hoping this will be my only one for a while.  Let me tell you, as hard as it is to read and pay attention in class, it’s twice as hard with a cold.  Motivation and drive really hits a wall when all you can think about is lying down.  I’m not the only one though.  I hear people in class coughing and sniffing.  I feel bad because I’ll probably spread it on to others as well, but it’s going to take a lot to get me to miss a class.  I might be miserable and not ready to talk but I’ll still be there, ha-ha.

Well another week has passed.  Classes have picked up quite a bit and we are starting to get past the introductory stuff.  It makes the class more interesting but also a little harder.  All in all the week was pretty uneventful. 

I started my work study job.  I’m working in the Office of Institutional Advancement and Alumni Office.  The people I work with are great, very nice and helpful.  So far I have been entering data into a computer to help with creating an online alumni directory.  It’s not bad but can get kind of mundane after a while.  I have to remember to bring my iPod with me this week.  This weekend I’ll be helping with the Chase Race.  I was hoping to run in it but I’m not quite race ready.

The weather is still all wacky here.  It’s been affecting my sinus a bit.  The headaches get annoying.  The temperature has been bouncing back and forth from 90 degrees to 60 degrees almost daily.  Saturday it was hot and humid.  I was sitting on my couch watching TV and noticed next to me quite a few gnat type bugs.  I then looked up at the light and it was totally covered.  I thought great.  I checked my windows and all the screens seem tight.  I’m not sure where those guys are getting in at.

I had a similar problem with spiders earlier when I first moved in.  They were wolf spiders, kind of big but not poisonous, although their bites are somewhat painful.  I don’t mind seeing a spider then going to kill it; it’s the surprise element that seems to happen that isn’t fun.  I put on a shirt one day and one ran down my arm and I also found one on my towel one evening.  I’m hopeful that this isn’t how the summer is going to be in fighting a battle against the bugs.

I’m not looking forward to the winter by any means but I wish the weather would settle out and not be so sporadic. 

Environmental law was an interesting class today.  We were doing a hypothetical problem.  We created a bill about petroleum supply to be passed by the legislator then enacted by an agency and everything that goes along with that.  What I found so interesting was we were talking about how if you were going to speak to a committee you might look to see what kind of party affiliation the committee is made up of and adjust your suggestions.  That wasn’t surprising to me.  What I noticed was how many people have a certain imagine of each of the parties. 

When it was pointed out that a certain party reacts more towards this than that a lot of people seemed surprised.  I was aware of it and thought most others did as well.  I don’t consider myself affiliated with any party.  I try to find out where certain candidates stand on each issue and go from there.  Granted that’s what most people try to do and the candidates try to spin their answers to appeal to the most amount of people.  I’m not really sure what I’m trying to get across with this rant other than sometimes when we think one way, it’s not always true.

I tried to be pretty vague with the last couple of paragraphs as to not upset anyone and to cover my bases more, the above opinions are all my own and do not reflect those of Vermont Law School.  For those of you coming to VLS next year you’ll get to say that phrase in many things.

Its Labor Day weekend and the first week of classes are over.  They weren’t all that bad.  I’m assuming it will pick up and get more intense as the semester rolls on.  The hardest part is remembering all the reading.  A professor will ask a question and I’ll be familiar with the material but I’ll still need to look it up.  I’m hoping the more this becomes routine, the more I’ll start remembering what I read the night before.  Maybe I should start taking some ginseng or whatever, ha-ha.

I guess I will go over my classes for those prospective students who might be reading this.  My first class is environmental writing.  This is a required class for all MSEL’s.  It’s going to be one of our most important classes because you learn how to write in the legal world.  The professor is really nice and it’s a non intimidating class. 

The next class I have is environmental law with Firestone.  This is also another required class for MSEL’s.  So far it’s really interesting but Firestone is so intense and keeps you on your toes it can be a little stressing.  He can stretch a yes no answer to a question for five minutes.  He delivers his material like he was in a courtroom from a movie.  So far I like the class but he can be a little overwhelming at times.

The next class I have is energy law and policy.  This class is hard, but the material is so interesting.  I have the most reading to do for this class easily and I have the most books, six I think.  The class discussion can be a little over my head at times and I haven’t totally keyed in on the type of vocab the professor likes to use.  The professor seems pretty good.  He’s not intense like Firestone but still demanding of answers.

My last class is extinction and climate.  I think I will enjoy this class.  It’s only once a week so the readings for it can be slightly long.  The teacher seems nice.  He’s mellower than some of the others.  I’ve only had the first class so I really can’t say much about it yet.  All of the materials for the class are online so I didn’t have to buy any books which I think it cool.  I’m definitely hurting for money.

Speaking of money, I got a work study position with the Office of Institutional Advancement.  I’ll be doing basic office work.  The people I met seem nice and easy to work with.  I start on Wednesday.  I’m excited to at least get some money for school.  Every bit helps.

Weather wise it’s a gorgeous weekend.  It’s been in the mid 70’s and sunny.  I’m hoping to figure out something to do.  I haven’t been able to run like I’m used to doing.  They don’t have any sidewalks around here and with so many blind turns and with cars driving way too fast, I’m afraid of getting hit.  I need to find some decent trails or somewhere safe to get some miles in before it gets too cold.

It’s the week after orientation and the start of classes.  Orientation was great.  VLS does such a nice job.  At times the days seem long and there is lots of information to digest but its all stuff we need to know.  They do a great job of feeding us.  We received lunch every day and the diversity dinner was amazing.

One thing that will take some time getting used to is the weather here.  I wore a jacket the first two days of orientation.  It was 46 degrees in the morning when we left here and would get up to 70 at the most. It was 104 back home in Illinois.  At the end of the week we finally got some heat.  It was 95 on Saturday.  I guess I should take it all in as everyone keeps saying how cold it gets here.

Another good thing about orientation is getting to meet the MSELs I’ll be having classes with.  We are quite a diverse group coming from all over the country.  I think our group is quite friendly and everyone seems to be gelling nicely.  Four of the eight people living in my little area are MSEL’s so it’s great to be able to get help when I need it.

I assumed my entire entry would be all about orientation and getting settled in and for the most part it is, but last Saturday we had quite the storm.  The area around the school looks to have been hit harder than where I am at.  I’m living about 2 miles from the school up route 110.  It rained pretty hard with strong winds and all kinds of lightning.  There were some trees that got knocked down at the school and we had a power line down on the road close to us.

We lost power about 5pm.  After the storm the seven of us in this area grilled outside and sat around on the porch until about midnight.  Most of us had planned on getting a jump on our readings for class but no one really felt like reading by flashlight.  All in all we were without power for 18 hours.  I am concerned about my food in the fridge and half of the people here had just returned from grocery shopping in West Lebanon.  So I’ve been carefully looking over my food.

Today was the first day of classes.  It went pretty well, even environmental law with Professor Firestone.  I just need to keep being prepared and be paying attention.  Tomorrow I only have one class and still have some reading to finish up so I might as well go do that.  I knew I would have lots of reading to do when I got here.  I’m still trying to figure out how to balance school work with the fun things I’d rather be doing.