Ups and Downs of Law School in the Big Apple

On August 12, 2009, I will be boarding a plane at LAX that takes me from L.A. to Dallas. But the excitement won't stop there! Oh no. After a short layover, I will be boarding another plane that'll take me to New York City. A week later, I'll begin a three-year stint as a student at New York University, hopefully receiving a J.D. in the spring of 2012 (which right now seems like an eternity away).

Going to law school in New York will definitely have its ups and downs - roses and thorns, if you will. Just off the top of my head, some of the roses might include: not having to pay for car insurance or gas; being located in the financial, legal, and cultural hub of the world; having a vast array of things to do at all times; and being in the same time zone as Innae (okay fine, maybe that last one only applies to me).

Of course, going to law school in NYC could also pose some thorns as well: having to pay for and take public transportation; being located 2,791 miles away from the Mexican and Korean food hub of the world; not having snowboard-ready mountains and bonfire-ready beaches within a few hours' drive of each other; and not being in the same time zone as family and lifelong friends (and yes, that last one only applies to me...I'm a slow learner, it seems).

Now, I don't think it's a coincidence that every rose/thorn has a counteracting thorn/rose - so much of life is a matter of perspective. Let's take a look at some of these in more detail.

Rose/Thorn #1: It's Law School

I suppose the biggest point of contention is the fact that no matter how you dress it up, it's still law school. This could either be a good or bad thing.

Good: It's training for what could be a very long and fulfilling career, a chance to meet new and interesting people, and an opportunity to challenge yourself intellectually.

Bad: It's three years of your life, more than $200,000 of your money, many hours of sleep, and a huge chunk of your soul. I can't emphasize this last point enough. People who go in wanting to protect the environment or stand up for the little guy come out kicking small puppies and high-fiving The Man. I don't know why (but if I had to guess, I'd say it probably has something to do with the six-figure salaries that first-year associates command at big law firms).

Rose/Thorn #2: Pizza Time!

Pizza has been one of my favorite foods ever since I was old enough to watch the Ninja Turtles cartoons and craft my own set of nunchuks out of yarn and toilet paper cardboard.

Good: People have said that New York City has the best pizza in the world (the Turtles themselves ate New York pizza, I believe), and going to school in NYC will allow me to eat it to my heart's content. While New Yorkers tend to claim that they have the best everything in the world, I'm gonna go ahead and say that they might be right about the pizza.

Bad: Google Image Search "fat man" - I'm too nice of a person to post pictures here directly - and you'll get a pretty good idea of what I'm gonna look like in 2012.

Rose/Thorn #3: Study Spots Sans Coffee

When you live on or close to a college campus, it's easy to take study spots for granted. Penn, for example, had several venues that featured everything you'd want out of a study spot: late hours, close proximity to food/drinks, quietness, and just enough distractions to keep you awake (e.g. pull-down screens in Meyerson that allowed you to take breaks from studying to watch TV theater-style).

These days, sitting down to study automatically means forking over three or four bucks for a cup of coffee, tea, juice, smoothie, yogurt, or whatever else they can get pomegranate into.

Good: It'll be nice to get back to a place where I can study anywhere, anytime, without having to buy something every time I sit down.

Bad: I'll actually be studying. A LOT. And I'll have to.

As you can see, sometimes life really can be a matter of perspective. Don't let negativity creep into yours!