Well, I Won't Be Going To Harvard Law Any Time Soon

I know this with certainty, because I know that I ran out of time in the logic games section and just filled in all the remaining bubbles as "D" (there is no penalty for wrong answers, so it behooves one to guess if need be) after the five-minute warning was given (and before the clock ran out). And "all D's" is not for Hahvud. 

And I am sure glad that the essay section is not graded, because mine was pure shite. It was the end of the long day, my brain was mush, I hate writing out in longhand (in No. 2 pencil, no less), and I was so exhausted by that point that I hardly felt that I could lift my arms, let alone with the extra weight of a pencil in one hand and the extra effort of trying to string two sentences together in any sort of coherent thought. But the rest seemed not unreasonable. I cannot hazard a guess as to my score, but I am just masochistic enough to think it was fun. There were some interesting characters there (my fellow test-takers), some fun interactions, and even some schmoozing. 

I couldn't have asked for a better testing environment -- it was a nice facility, I had lots of room to spread out my stuff, a comfortable chair, it was well lit, and nobody had a fit or coughed (much) or sniffled or tapped their pencils or wore eau de Glade air freshener (see this post if you don't know what I mean), or any other such nonsense that might have made it a miserable testing experience.

When I got home I carbo loaded at a local Italian restaurant and came home to have Ben & Jerry's vanilla ice cream topped with ginger vodka to celebrate, found Mr. Jefferies to be in an especially sweet and charming and cuddly mood, learned that there was a ton of crazy-mad activity (of the good kind) in the Knitspot Emergency Red Scarf Knitalong, that there is the promise of cheesecake on Monday from AnnaMarie, and my funky lengthwise striped seed stitch scarf on the needles proved to be an agreeable companion for the evening. 

Thank you for all your positive vibes and nice messages. You guys here and in Facebook are some kind of awesome.

The score will be available in 3-4 weeks. If it's too humiliating, I might not tell you what it is...or maybe I will. It'd be a character builder, eh?

Comments

[Pamela]

The hardest test I ever took was the one to get my real estate license. It was pass or fail; they wouldn't tell you how well you did. I passed, but I really wanted to know my score!
Still thinking good vibes for you!

[Kristen]

Fingers crossed!

[Barbara Meyers]

Just doing it counts as a win in my book, Norma. Congratulations!

[Rose]

Congratulations on taking the test!

I think it's so great that you prepared for and took the test. That counts for a lot. And, having read your blog for years, I'll bet the test results tell a different story than the one above.

Vanilla ice cream with ginger vodka...hmmmmm. Inspirational. Just like you.

[Joansie]

Take pride in the fact that you took this difficult test. You might be pleasantly surprised when you get the results.

[Kathy]

It's done -- yay for you for taking it.

[Geri]

Sometimes it's not about reaching the summit, but that you had the courage to make the climb.

[Mike]

The key question to ask is what percentage of the total are the "D" choices you made? If it was only 15% of all the questions, and 20% were correct, and you scored well on the rest of the exam, then you could still do quite well. Any your terrible essay is likely not quite as bad as you imply (for you do write pretty well Norma.)

[Carole]

My best friend in college wanted to be a lawyer in the worst way. And then she took the LSATS. It was the end of her dream. I hope that will not be the case for you, dear Norma.

[Patty]

Good Morning, sounds like the balance of the day may be a clue to how things went earlier. Here's hoping so.

[Bev]

Now you can enjoy the rest of the season!

[Becky]

I remember taking the tests to get into grad school. YIKES! I thought I was passably bright, but after taking the test, I wasn't so sure. I did well enough to get into the school I wanted, but I wouldn't ever want to take that kind of test again. Norma, you are either a masochist or you are the most alive person I know. I suspect it is the latter.

[Lisa]

You did it, that's what is important. And if you are disappointed, there is no law that says you can't do over.

[jill]

I love the line above "or the most alive person I know." Yep. Congrats for putting it out there.

[Teresa C]

Good for you for having the nuts to try it. Or is that for being nuts to try it? Either way, I'm totally impressed.

[DebbieB]

SO.PROUD.OF.YOU

[Anna]

1. You never know with these tests so don't count yourself out of the game.
2. There are plenty of good law schools other than H. where you may have opportunities you might not get at a larger school.
3. If you don't want a big firm job, when it comes right down to it, nobody gives a hoot where a good lawyer went to law school. I certainly have NEVER had a client ask!
4. Schools like having 2nd career students b/c they frequently bring interesting, knowledgeable & diverse viewpoints to the dialogue & will help you out.

We need some more knitting attorneys!

[--Deb]

It's possible you're underestimating your result, but really, does that matter? At least you TRIED! Which, yes, sounds like the worst kind of platitude, but is entirely sincere. How many people just talk about their dreams and goals but never take steps to make them happen, or at least see if that road is open to them? To my mind, you've succeeded here, no matter what the grade.

[Mary Fran]

Reminds me of the joke, "What do you call the med student who finishes last in their class (and add in: at a bottom tier school)?" The answer: DOCTOR. So, you could get your law degree online, pass the VT bar and hang out your shingle. Just the fact that you sat for the exam is something to be proud of.

[marissa]

Aw, heck, you get points just for TAKING the test- the rest is just gravy. Sounds like your evening may have made up for it, though!

[gayle]

Just taking the test required courage. Sharing the fact with the world is sheer raw guts! Good for you!
Whether you did well or not, you still win.

[Melissa in El Cajon]

I'm impressed, regardless of the score.

[Jean E.]

I am in agreement with the previous commenters. It took guts just to take the test. I am betting you passed.

[Mary]

You already have CHARACTER in spades (of course, you could take that a couple of ways...). Congrats for running the race.

[marianne]

"the most alive person I know", my sentiments exactly. I also love when Mike delurks and leaves comments :^) Hoping you're enjoying your Sunday, a relaxing one. doing whatever your heart desires.

[Joannah]

You took the test. Yay, you! What ever happens next, happens next. Meanwhile, yay you!

[margene]

You can take it again, right? You'll know more what they're looking for and where your weakness are, right? Carbo loading is essential, as is ginger vodka, when overcoming a disappointment.

[kmkat]

You are probably not the only one -- by a long shot! -- who ran out of time on a particular section or who was mentally exhausted by the time the essay section rolled around. Middle of the pack, remember?

Eons ago I had to take a timed essay test as part of registering for my freshman year at the U of MN. I wrote the essay, decided it was shite, crossed it out, and wrote a different one as fast as I could. And it was still good enough to get me out of taking three quarters of freshman English. Thinking about it now, I wonder if the original one might have been good enough to get me out of the three quarters of English lit I had to take instead...

[Helen]

Now at least you know what it's like to take the LSAT instead of wondering about it. Mission accomplished.

[Carol]

You never know. Seriously, there might be a lot of 'D' answers too! Fingers crossed for you. I hope you do tell us how you did. I got a 154 back in 1994. There. We're all out in the open!

[Carol]

p.s. I'm almost certain I filled in about 10 remaining questions with 'C' too! ;)

[Knitnana]

You know what? You DID it. That by itself is huge.
(But I bet you did better than you think!)
(((Hugs)))

[Elaine]

There are few things in life that match the self-satisfaction of,"I DID IT!" And now you won't have to live with the "if only" cloud over your head. You're a Goddess!

[Sheila]

I bet you surprise yourself. When I had to write my final for my marketing course, I thought for sure I had failed. The final question was for us to write out a marketing plan for a music studio. I choked...then I passed out...then I felt sick...then I wrote it. With 5 minutes left and about three quarters of the way through the answer I realized I didn't have a clue, abandoned it and left. Feeling icky doesn't half cover it. Got my marks back, was second highest in the class. We are always hardest on ourselves so don't make any assuptions just yet, I suspect you'll do fine. In any case whatever your mark, it doesn't take away from the fact that you are still remarkably intelligent, funny and all round good egg. So congratulations, Norma, you did something many of us just don't have the confidence to do: you just didn't talk about doing it, you followed through and did it.

[elizabeth a airhart]

well now thats done hooray

could we have the holidays off

[Elizabeth]

Harvard Law's overrated!

[Laura]

Congratulations! I didn't completely finish the logic puzzles section either and I did fine - both in my score and in my law school choices.

I celebrated with a milkshake afterward. Ah, the healing power of ice cream!

[Elizabeth D]

Getting to the important part of the post -- we can't buy ginger vodka around here. But I could buy vodka, and I could buy ginger root, and I could introduce them to each other and then leave them alone together for a month or two. . .

I never took the LSAT, but when I took the GREs, I expected nothing. And was very pleasantly surprised. I'm betting you'll have a similar result.

[Lynn]

If you're masochistic enough to find it *fun*, you are masochistic enough to share the score! Besides, I think you did great!

[inglesidebelle]

Just the fact that you took the test at our age is impressive! Our brains are not what they were at 20, but, older minds are definitely capable of doing the work; my aunt finished college and law school, both after she turned 50. I'm rooting for you!

[Seanna Lea]

One of my friends passed the bar just a few months ago and finally had her ceremony to be officially a lawyer last week. Hopefully your score will be better than you expect!

[Laurie]

Just the trying works. And you have to start thinking like a lawyer...confident, brash, assured.

[susan]

The pressure of the LSAT ain't nothin' compared to the Bar Exam! Talk about a potential career breaker.
But, honestly, if you felt even mildly confident afterward, you kicked ass.

[Cookie]

There was ice cream? ;^)