Coping with uncertainty

[Greenjuice]

Hi friends! 

Not sure if there is a thread for this already but I'm posting anyways. I'm sure there are people who can relate to me as I have not received any offers as of yet. I expected this because my GPA is low and if I receive offers they'll be later in the cycle. I just feel very unsettled not knowing whether I'm going to have to move out, leave my full time job, be separated from my partner, find new clinics for medical treatments, etc. I feel very overwhelmed by the inability to plan. I really have no idea what next year will look like.

I find myself constantly putting my short term goals on hold because I have it in my head that I need to know whether I'm going to be in school first. 

I'm wondering how everyone else is coping with this anxiety and managing the unknown. How are you folks preparing for these big possible changes?

Thank you for sharing with me!

[Lawllapalooza]

Coping with uncertainty is hard, and no doubt it's harder given all of the current state of the world. Uprooting is never easy, and it's definitely harder when you're leaving a partner behind. Everyone copes differently but I'll name a few things that I hope will be helpful.

1. Remember how common this transition is, even last minute. I normally don't recommend comparing, but I think there's something calming about knowing you're in the same boat as others who have fared fine. Moving out, leaving a job, finding new clinics - these are all things people routinely sort out in the weeks or even days leading up to a new school year. I don't know your situation, but most are able to find a place, secure an SLOC, etc. very quickly. Planning this far in advance simply isn't necessary (though again, I don't know your situation).

2. Live your life as if you won't be accepted. By this I mean continue your plans, work toward goals, etc. If you need to uproot because you are accepted that that'll hopefully be a welcome surprise. If not, you haven't put your life on hold for no reason, and you can apply again next year, should you wish. I think one of the things that makes rejection so devastating is that often it's easy to envision acceptance and plan our lives around that, but in most cases that'll be more harmful than helpful. 

3. Focus on the positives. To the extent possible, try to see the situation as either a - being able to stay where you're comfortably set up, keep your full time job, and have another year to focus on your short-term goals, or b - begin your dream of law school. When you conceptualize the two situations this way hopefully the anxiousness somewhat subside. It sounds like either way you'll have a great year ahead of you, it's just a matter of waiting to see which one. But believe me, having plans outside of law school during the application process is a good thing.

Anyway, hope this helps. Feel free to DM me if you want to chat. The waiting process sucks, but we all go through it and make it out ok.

[TheGoodWife]

@Greenjuice, I am in a very similar situation and working through waves of confidence and crushing uncertainty. We are in the midst of renovating our house which we will need to list if I'm accepted, and so much of the time it feels like we're working against some unknown deadline. I have a full-time job (who is aware that I've applied to law school) but until we know if I'm leaving I have to plan for both situations (getting in and not). I have applied as a mature student and my LSAT is decent but my GPA is not. I expect that I could also be waiting for sometime.

Your question is timely, just two days ago I came to the acceptance that it is better to plan for what I will do if I don't get in than if I do. Be prepared yes, but taking tangible steps towards improving my application for next year offers both a distraction and comfort. i.e. Can I start volunteering somewhere? Is there a Master's certificate I can pursue that will show I am ready to return to school? What can I teach to my fellow colleagues in my job?

Focus on what you can do. You may not be able to plan extended vacations, but you could possibly start volunteering somewhere for 1 hour a week with the intent of both a distraction and taking part in new experiences. Or maybe this is the time to catch up on a book you've always wanted to read (because you know we won't have time in law school 🙂)

Focus on taking care of yourself, improving / learning / experiencing what you can with the time that you have. You can still plan to be prepared (researching clinics in each of the areas and making lists of things that you will need to do), but creating an alternate vision for the next year of your life can offer comfort during the stress. You are not alone 🙂 .

[Jeffjordan242]

On 1/27/2022 at 10:18 AM, Greenjuice said:

Hi friends! 

Not sure if there is a thread for this already but I'm posting anyways. I'm sure there are people who can relate to me as I have not received any offers as of yet. I expected this because my GPA is low and if I receive offers they'll be later in the cycle. I just feel very unsettled not knowing whether I'm going to have to move out, leave my full time job, be separated from my partner, find new clinics for medical treatments, etc. I feel very overwhelmed by the inability to plan. I really have no idea what next year will look like.

I find myself constantly putting my short term goals on hold because I have it in my head that I need to know whether I'm going to be in school first. 

I'm wondering how everyone else is coping with this anxiety and managing the unknown. How are you folks preparing for these big possible changes?

Thank you for sharing with me!

How low was your GPA? If you dont mind me asking. Mine is pretty low as well so I'm just hoping someone is in the same boat as me.

[Greenjuice]

On 1/27/2022 at 10:46 AM, Lawllapalooza said:

Coping with uncertainty is hard, and no doubt it's harder given all of the current state of the world. Uprooting is never easy, and it's definitely harder when you're leaving a partner behind. Everyone copes differently but I'll name a few things that I hope will be helpful.

1. Remember how common this transition is, even last minute. I normally don't recommend comparing, but I think there's something calming about knowing you're in the same boat as others who have fared fine. Moving out, leaving a job, finding new clinics - these are all things people routinely sort out in the weeks or even days leading up to a new school year. I don't know your situation, but most are able to find a place, secure an SLOC, etc. very quickly. Planning this far in advance simply isn't necessary (though again, I don't know your situation).

2. Live your life as if you won't be accepted. By this I mean continue your plans, work toward goals, etc. If you need to uproot because you are accepted that that'll hopefully be a welcome surprise. If not, you haven't put your life on hold for no reason, and you can apply again next year, should you wish. I think one of the things that makes rejection so devastating is that often it's easy to envision acceptance and plan our lives around that, but in most cases that'll be more harmful than helpful. 

3. Focus on the positives. To the extent possible, try to see the situation as either a - being able to stay where you're comfortably set up, keep your full time job, and have another year to focus on your short-term goals, or b - begin your dream of law school. When you conceptualize the two situations this way hopefully the anxiousness somewhat subside. It sounds like either way you'll have a great year ahead of you, it's just a matter of waiting to see which one. But believe me, having plans outside of law school during the application process is a good thing.

Anyway, hope this helps. Feel free to DM me if you want to chat. The waiting process sucks, but we all go through it and make it out ok.

This is wonderful advice and has really helped me over the last few days. I really appreciate folks who take the time to help others feel confident about the process. Thank you truly!

On 1/27/2022 at 11:05 AM, TheGoodWife said:

@Greenjuice, I am in a very similar situation and working through waves of confidence and crushing uncertainty. We are in the midst of renovating our house which we will need to list if I'm accepted, and so much of the time it feels like we're working against some unknown deadline. I have a full-time job (who is aware that I've applied to law school) but until we know if I'm leaving I have to plan for both situations (getting in and not). I have applied as a mature student and my LSAT is decent but my GPA is not. I expect that I could also be waiting for sometime.

Your question is timely, just two days ago I came to the acceptance that it is better to plan for what I will do if I don't get in than if I do. Be prepared yes, but taking tangible steps towards improving my application for next year offers both a distraction and comfort. i.e. Can I start volunteering somewhere? Is there a Master's certificate I can pursue that will show I am ready to return to school? What can I teach to my fellow colleagues in my job?

Focus on what you can do. You may not be able to plan extended vacations, but you could possibly start volunteering somewhere for 1 hour a week with the intent of both a distraction and taking part in new experiences. Or maybe this is the time to catch up on a book you've always wanted to read (because you know we won't have time in law school 🙂)

Focus on taking care of yourself, improving / learning / experiencing what you can with the time that you have. You can still plan to be prepared (researching clinics in each of the areas and making lists of things that you will need to do), but creating an alternate vision for the next year of your life can offer comfort during the stress. You are not alone 🙂 .

It is really helpful to see that there are people in similar situations. Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm wishing all the best to you and I hope you head back sooner rather than later in the cycle. And I hope when you hear back it's positive. Keep me posted!
 

[Greenjuice]

13 hours ago, Jeffjordan242 said:

How low was your GPA? If you dont mind me asking. Mine is pretty low as well so I'm just hoping someone is in the same boat as me.

I don't mind at all. I have a 3.2 but I have no definitive "L2" because I was a part time student throughout undergrad. My LSAT is 161. Message me if you want to chat - even if it is just to ease feeling uncertain 🙂 Wishing you the best of luck!

 

[TheGoodWife]

On 2/2/2022 at 8:52 AM, Greenjuice said:

And I hope when you hear back it's positive. Keep me posted!

Received good news from uOttawa this morning! 🙂 I hope you hear back soon too!

[Greenjuice]

I got in to Ottawa too! CONGRATULATIONS! I'm so happy for both of us.

10 minutes ago, TheGoodWife said:

Received good news from uOttawa this morning! 🙂 I hope you hear back soon too!

I got in to Ottawa too! CONGRATULATIONS! I'm so happy for both of us!