Saturday 30 January 2010

LNAT Freakout

A lot of people seem to be freaking out about their 2010 LNAT scores, which were released just yesterday. I just ran a Google search and there is a lot of panicking going on.


People are really confused about how they managed to do so well on practice exams (even in prep courses) and ended up with 9's on the actual test. Some people think this has to have been a computer mistake and want to complain and re-sit the test.

People, the LNAT is a terrible exam. The fact that I got a high score is meaningless because this exam is not a reliable predictor of performance in a law course. I wish it meant I was going to be really good, but I think it's just a bad exam and I think law departments are going to catch on soon enough. Cambridge stopped accepting the LNAT last year for precisely that reason.

Friday 29 January 2010

Good (Slightly Irrelevant) News!

I got my LNAT score today, finally.

I know that in the past I may have expressed some negative feelings about this exam. Hmm... how to backtrack... ? ...

I love this exam. This exam is a perfect indicator of success in law school. Perfect correlation. Standard deviation of 0.000005.

The average score was 16.7. Let's just say I scored significantly higher than that. Exact score by request only, and only for reference.

Sorry, but I deserve to brag a bit.

Wait... I got a very high score but still got rejected from Oxford. What's that about? Humph!

Thursday 28 January 2010

There is no news!

Haven't heard anything from Cambridge. My life is in limbo!!!

Friday 15 January 2010

Second Cambridge Interview

I went to my second Cambridge interview yesterday. I took a much more low-key approach to this one, knowing from my previous experience that advanced preparation is useless.

This one was quite short and mostly subject-related. They said they were trying to assess my potential aptitude for studying law and I failed to find the desired answer for several questions. I think my interviewers were actually stunned into silence by my stupidity, or at least that's how it felt at the time. My prediction is that I won't be accepted there either.

Which makes my American applications more important! Deadlines, deadlines everywhere!

Tuesday 12 January 2010

Bits and Pieces

Hey ya'll I just wanted to say thanks for the comments by DA and by Alistair, I appreciate your support on my disappointment about Oxbridge. I still have a second shot but not too hopeful. Anyway, no need to dwell!

DA, to answer your other question. Was I ever serious about applying to King's College London, University College London or the London School of Economics? In truth, no, I wasn't interested when I first applied, but it was a matter of dragging and clicking boxes on a screen, so I did it. I also thought I was testing the waters as a precursor for Oxbridge admissions, but in fact the Oxbridge admissions period is almost over and I have heard next to nothing in the meantime from the other three. They have each confirmed receipt of my application and I have responded to their various requests for transcripts (by the way, transcripts are expensive!). Now that the Oxbridge admissions period is over, and I'm also doing my American applications, I'm beginning to get really nervous that I won't get into my preferred American law school at my Midwest State School alma mater. The application numbers have been massive this year and--looking at the calendar--I am submitting my applications much later than I should have done. These nerves make the potential of getting into the other three British schools much more important to me, as I don't want to delay law school another year. It's a sensitive and difficult thing, the admissions process.

DA, I'm glad to hear you've got through the UCAS and the LNAT. How did the LNAT go?

Anyway, speaking of my Midwest State School. I have had a strangely fateful and luck-driven life so far. I don't believe in fate or luck in my rational mind, but I cannot deny my life has been filled with some strange coincidences and connections, not all of them necessarily good. This requires a bit of background. When I was a child, my family and I did not live in my Midwest State but were driving through it when we were in a car accident in which my father died. As a result of this accident the rest of my family moved to this Midwest State permanently. I then grew up and went to school in this state. I met my husband in high school in this state. My husband brought me to Britain where I refined and clarified my career goals, to be a lawyer.

Now, going back to my Midwest State School's college of law. It has become my first choice, until I hear finally from Cambridge. I began to really worry that I would not qualify as a resident to get in-state tuition anymore, which would change my view of things considerably. As I read the university policy online, I didn't completely understand it so I called the registrar's office to run the situation by them. I grew up in my Midwest State and did my undergrad there, as a resident. However for the last 5 years I have been living out of the state--would I still be considered a resident for tuition purposes? The lady had the strangest attitude about it. She said the only important criteria were:

Did I graduate from a high school in this Midwest State? Yes. And do I have one parent living or buried in the state? At first I panicked because my mom moved out of the state a few years ago. Then I remembered, wait, my father is indeed buried in the state. So, yeah, I guess as a result of this totally random, accidental car accident I get in-state tuition at this Midwest State School.

Okay, now I've totally creeped everyone out. It's cool, people, but like I said my life has been filled with weird, serendipitous coincidences and connections. Honestly, I tentatively hope they don't stop now.

Friday 8 January 2010

Okay, now I'm just getting annoyed!

So I got my rejection from Oxford a few days ago and was somewhat ambivalent about it. I guess I just didn't know what to feel. On one hand I was disappointed because I thought I actually had a good shot at getting in. On the other hand I was not terribly surprised because I had also been telling myself that it was a long-shot. It's funny how the psyche protects itself like that.

Yesterday I received a rejection from Cambridge. The Husband and I drank a bottle of wine between us and I spent about 24 hours in a psychological tailspin, thinking about 'plan B--what to do when I don't get in to law school'. There is literally nothing else I would want to do.

I am still working on my applications for US law schools, and I'm feeling quite nervous about it because I had thought I would be a better candidate for British law schools than American ones--turns out I'm not a great candidate for British law schools either. I meant to apply much earlier but... [insert generic excuse here]. For that 24 hour period they seemed to be my only hope.

Just now I got an email from a different college at Cambridge asking if I wanted to interview with them. This is part of the Winter Pool. After the first round of interviews, which I attended, the rejects get 'pooled' and other colleges can invite them for interview. So I'm being called back to interview for another college.

Considering that I have been on an emotional roller coaster, this latest development is just plain annoying! They dangle an Oxbridge education in front of you by inviting you for an interview and rubbing their awesomeness in your face, then reject you, telling you you're not good enough. Then they bait you again--well I'm not falling for it! I'm not getting excited about this interview since it will most likely come to nothing. (See my psyche's wheels grinding? Self-preservation comes first.)

Anyhoo, that's the news. I've said it before but I think it might actually be coming true: this blog has become a record of my mediocrity.

Wednesday 6 January 2010