LSATs, Round Two

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The LSAC really needs to get its act together - at least on the LSAT days.

When I took the LSATs last September the only part I remember being annoyed about was the fact that when I got to my testing location, I had to go the second floor of the basement of one building to find out where I was supposed to take the exam in a completely different building.

Why they couldn't post that list on the main door of the building or the MANY surrounding windows, you ask? Beats me. But when you find out - let me know.

I took the exam for a second time today. It was originally scheduled for February 6th, but it got cancelled because of snow (and ironically we didn't get the big snow storm till days later).

Anyhow, back to this morning:

I left early and got there with some time to spare (in case they did the whole 'go-down-two-floors-of-this-building-to-find-out-what-room-you-are-taking-the-exam-in-a-completely-different-building' again). This time, fortunately, they were smart enough to post the list on a window close to the doors. I still had to go to a different building, but it was a step in the right direction. Considering they do this at least four times a year EVERY year, you would think (and hope) that they would have the simple stuff like this pretty set.

So we are finally settling down (and this proctor didn't make us sit alphabetically or in any organized fashion) in the room and this one girl points out that not everyone has an admission ticket (since the exam was cancelled originally, those who hadn't printed it at the point no longer could) and the email we all received said we would get an empty one at the testing center if we needed one.

I wish there was a way to describe the look on the proctor's face because it was priceless. She looked at the girl like she was a)nuts and b)totally making this up. A couple of other people who were in a similar situation spoke up and the main proctor finally sent the other proctor to find out what she was supposed to do because she didn't have any empty admission tickets.

The second proctor finally comes back with some empty admission tickets. Way to being organized! You would think (and hope) that the proctor of the exam had simple information like this. We are already stressed out as it is, we don't need unnecessary stress added on top it.

Then the main proctor starts walking around the room taking attendance and finger-printing us for the admission ticket as a part of the process (she only made us do it once even though last time we had to do it in two boxes just like the instructions said) and when she gets to me - I ask her shouldn't I be signing the form now in front of you? To which she responds "oh, yeah". Like really?

Other things that annoyed me:  

• The second proctor continuously coming in and out of the room. Like seriously she would not stay in the same place and the doors creaking every time was driving everyone crazy.
• The proctor didn't put the timing on the boards for any of the section so it was hard to keep track of how much time we had left.
• The proctor next door was talking loud enough so that we could hear her clearly and I was on the completely opposite side of the room.
• The five minute warnings before the time allocated for each section was to be over turning in to a 'oh you have a little less than four minutes left' twice.

Oh and how can I forget this: when my original exam was cancelled I received an email from the LSAC telling me that within a week I would get another email with my new testing date. Exactly a week later, I got an email telling me my test would be on one of two dates (both Saturdays). And that I would get ANOTHER email telling me which of those two dates by the Wednesday BEFORE my test date. 

Seriously? Are they purposefully trying to annoy us and/or stress us out more than we already are?

I'm sure there were other small things too, but this is all I can think of right now.

23 days until scores come out.

P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment below on your thoughts! As always, I'd love to hear from you.

When Life Throws You Lemons...

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Have you ever gotten the feeling that you were meant to do something? Well, I keep get the feeling that I wasn't meant to be a lawyer. And that's quite unfortunate because it is something I have wanted and ASPIRED to become since I was in the eighth grade.

It's funny how we plan for something, and something totally different happens. Or we are so sure of something, but God has something else in store for us. I've noticed that happening so many times on a much smaller scale than this. Or we try our hardest, and sometimes that still isn't good enough. Because the truth is, sometimes our hardest efforts aren't enough. But that's life.

I'm not saying hard work doesn't pay off, but it may be in a different form than we anticipate or want.

So many little things have happened along the way that have gone against me leaning in the direction of law school. I do believe everything happens for a reason.

Like seriously the ONLY time ever I don't want a snow storm, we will probably end up getting one. The snow hasn't started yet, but earlier this afternoon my LSATs for tomorrow were cancelled because of the impending snow storm.

Virginia is supposed to get hit with around 30 inches (and they already had 7+ inches about an hour ago)! While we are only supposed to get 8 - 14 inches, I'm not even sure how likely that is to happen considering it hasn't even started yet. I have a feeling the storm will just bypass our area.... which would be a bummer not only because I LOVE snow, but because after all the studying and prepping for the LSATs in the last few weeks, they are cancelled! I have devoted so much time to it, which is very hard with being a full time student and working as well (which is another thing considering I picked February over last December to retake the exam thinking about how hard it would be will school and exams). I'm supposed to be notified in about a week about my options so we'll see what happens. At this point, I just want them over with. All I am saying is, we better get a real snow storm.

If they were just isolated instances, I would for sure overlook them... but all I know is I need to do some serious thinking and evaluate my options. But then again, nothing worth having ever comes easy.

No matter what happens, at least I know I tried my best. And that's really all I can ask of myself.

Earlier, in haste and frustration, I was telling my mom that I feel like I wasted the past eight years of my life working towards my aspiration. But now, after a few hours to 'calm down', I'll take it as another life lesson.

Update (11:03 PM): I should have apparently written this earlier because it just started snowing.

P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment below on your thoughts! As always, I'd love to hear from you.

Winter Break '09

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Why is it that it seems like we wait for vacation for so long and then when it finally comes, it just flies by... no matter how long (or short) it really was. It feels like winter break just started, but it is going by so fast and already coming to an end and classes start again on January 19th (and I start working on the 17th after requesting the winter break off to study) - and it'll be my last semester as an undergraduate. SO hard to fathom!

This break was pretty low key - we didn't travel anywhere too far... but did a lot of little things here and there (and had A LOT of dinner parties!).

Oh and i think i made up for the fact that i watched like no movies throughout last year (read this post from last month), by watching both Avatar (with a lot of my cousins and Faraz) and Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel (with my parents and Faraz) in my winter break.

I also got a chance to catch up with Yasmin on Monday of last week. I've known Yasmin since the seventh grade (when I first moved to New Jersey) and she's been a great friend since. We went to different schools for the first time last year when she decided to transfer to a different college. Even though I don't get a chance to see her too often nowadays, everytime I do - it's like I see her all the time. Some things, fortunately, don't change.

And of course, I studied, studied, studied for the LSATs. I can't even stress how much I'm looking forward to February 6th to get them over with (and hopefully with a decent score, of course). It sucks that I spent a lot of summer break and now my winter break studying for them. Hopefully, it pays off this time. Once I get my scores three weeks after taking the exam, I have some serious decision making to do.



P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment below on your thoughts! As always, I'd love to hear from you.

Thoughts: Registration, RU Football, LSATs

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It's so unbelievable, but i registered this past Monday (November 9th) for my last semester as an undergraduate at Rutgers University! I can't believe it! It doesn't feel like I have been here for so long (three and a half years at this point!) and now am just months away from graduating in May. While each individual semester has seemed to drag on forever, it has in general flew by pretty fast. It hasn't been the easiest few years by any means, but i can honestly say it has been worth it. The roller coaster ride with the combination of the stress, challenges, agony, and the feelings of accomplishments have been nothing short of interesting, to say the very least.

I can't believe how fast time is flying by! I've been meaning to write a blog post on my mom's hospital stay/surgery from the beginning of October (over a month ago!), and i just can't seem to get some free time together. Hopefully in the next few days i will since i finally finished my midterms, papers, and projects this past week. Besides a few papers and a project, I don't have much extra school work due until the final exams period which is about a month away.

I also got my LSATs score back near the end of October, and i didn't do nearly as well as i would have liked or as well as i thought i would have done with all the studying time i put it. Needless to say, i was (and still am) quite frustrated and flushed. For the first few weeks, i was pretty upset (quite an understatement). I'm going to retake the LSATs in February and see how i do. People have been telling me not to let it get to me, but after all the studying, how can i not let it to get to me? It's something i've been thinking about and aspiring towards since the eighth grade! I know if it's meant to be, it'll work out... and if it's not... that's alright too... but i CAN'T just not give it another try. i guess i'll re-evaluate once i get my scores back from the LSATs from February and see what i want to do. I've been in the law school frame of mind for so long, that the thought that it may not be for me is quite upsetting. I'll be off for about three weeks in between the fall and spring semester that starts mid January so i'll have to get some hard core studying done then to prepare for the February LSATs.

On a quite different note, this past Thursday i also went to another Rutgers Football game - RU vs USF. Unfortunately with everything going on, it  was only the second game i have been able to attend this season (i went to the RU vs. Howard really early in the season). I was hoping i would be able to attend more considering it's my last year as a RU student, but oh well. Hopefully, i'll at least be able to go to the last home game of the season against West Virginia. RU vs. USF was an amazing game, and i had a great time - so even if it is the last game i attend as the student, it was great. The final score was RU - 31 and USF - 0. I was hoping for a great game with a huge win, but i didn't think the ranked USF team would end up not scoring at all!

September at a Quick Glance

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So i've been MIA from blogging recently (for like a month!), but that's because a lot has happened (and has been happening) that has been keeping me quite busy!!

Anyhow, i took my LSATs this morning! The morning started off rough with having low air pressure in one of the tires of the car... and when i eventually got to the building where my exam was... there's a note telling us to go to a completely different building. I mean i go to Rutgers, so getting to the other building wasn't such a big deal for me... but for everyone that came to take the LSATs at Rutgers but doesn't actually go to Rutgers... it was a challenge! One kid, candidly, suggested it was actually a practice logic game to help our brains focus :). Thank goodness i left early to leave ample leeway time.

I've been sick since monday, so i didn't get too much studying done in the week leading up to, but i hope i did fine. If not, i can always retake them in December... i hope i don't have to though! I HATE being sick ( i KNOW no one likes being sick!), and this constant weather change is driving me crazy... and is definitely the root of me being sick.

On another note, i began my senior year of college early this month! I can't believe i am a senior in college... where has the time gone?! I remember my first day of school ever, starting second grade in canada once we moved there, then seventh grade when i moved to new jersey, starting high school, then college... and now it's almost over! I really wish it would slow down a little! To think that in May, i will be a college graduate is AMAZING and weird!

All of this, of course, means that i have started looking at law schools and have began the process that goes along with it (letters of recommendations and whatnot), which has been a little nerve-wracking. All of it seems so surreal.

Oh, and Rutgers Football season is well underway as well! I've only been to one of the games so far... and haven't really been following it to well this year because of the time constraint, but it's still been fun when i do get the chance. Hopefully i'll get a chance to go to a couple of more games this season... especially since it's the last year i'll be a student here.

LSATs for Dummies

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I've seriously never felt more incompetent in my life.

This whole week so far i've been hardcore studying for the LSATs - focusing most of my attention on the logic games section (as that is the section i am most worried about). I figured it would be hard, but doable. each "game" is followed by five or seven questions. and so far, i have yet to complete a "game" with all of the five or seven questions correctly!

am i worried? you bet.

Week in Review

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It's been a little over a week of summer vacation and i am LOVING the down time. It's nice not having too constantly stress over deadlines... and these past few days have been a lot of fun especially.

This past thursday was shazia's and zehra's graduation. because they graduated from different colleges within Rutgers and the timing overlapped, i went to shazia's graduation. it was a pretty long ceremony (and about 2,675 graduates), and it was pretty hot, but still a lot of fun. Later that night, we went to zehra's for a BBQ dinner to celebrate (and the food was delicious - i LOVE bihari kakab and bbq chicken!)

then on friday, the girls went out to dinner at red lobster to celebrate shazia's graduation. afterwards, we went to finally see the movie Angels and Demons... and my goodness was it gruesome! It was good overall, just not my type of movie.

sunday, we had another one of our monthly game nights (at imran's) and then a couple of my cousins and i ended up sleeping over there. monday (yesterday) morning was another crazy morning as we got everything ready for zehra's surprise graduation picnic party. the weather was HOT but it was a lot of fun and i'm SO glad the surprise wasn't ruined!

i have had next to no sleep these past six days and so it has been very tiring BUT so much fun! i definitely want to enjoy this summer as much as a possibly can. All the planning and craziness for the parties paid off, alhumduillah and everything was a lot of fun.

Congratulations once again to Shazia and Zehra (and all the other graduates)! I'm so proud of you and your accomplishments!

this past friday i also FINALLY registered for the LSATs for the upcoming september, which means i REALLY have to start studying now! I can't believe I'm graduating next year!

On a completely different note, i woke up this morning to realize that Obama has chosen federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be nominated to be a Supreme Court Justice. She's a women obviously and i knew he was going to pick a women (he better had). And many speculated it would be a hispanic... and with Sotomayor, Obama chose the first hispanic and she's still a woman. The last few days have been so busy, that i haven't even read the news lately - so i didn't even realize Obama was about to announce his nomination. Oh well.

The beginning of house hunting

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Right after getting out of my final yesterday, i joined my parents in looking at houses (they have been doing that all week)... and all day today, we did the same thing. My goodness, we've seen over twenty houses in the span of two days and each house seems to have something missing.... only if we could combine several of the houses, we would have found our "perfect" house. and of course, the prices in the area are down right insane.

Of all the houses i have looked at all day yesterday and today, there were only two (one that we saw yesterday and one that we saw today) that i (and the rest of my family) "liked" and would even consider. hopefully, we will find a great house soon... because house hunting is down right exhausting!

On a much brighter note, today was my first day of summer vacation! and let me tell you, it feels SO weird not having to stress constantly about all the work i usually have during the semester. after a few weeks of just relaxing, i'll start concentrating on my LSATs review.

Rant

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What a week! Actually, January in general has been a-not-so-great month for us.

But first of all, I want to wish my brother, Ayaz, a very happy 24th birthday!

January 1st - on the way back from my cousin's house after his anniversary party, we barely avoided what could have been a very horrendous accident, which I still can't believe we were able to escape - thank goodness!

On the 2nd, my grandfather fell and hurt his leg... and then just now, we found out that our grandfather's foot is actually fractured! When he fell about two weeks ago, he had an x-ray at the hospital (which came out clear), but then had an MRI this week - which just revealed the fracture.

My mom was in the hospital earlier this week from Monday morning to Tuesday night, which was an ordeal in itself. My mom didn't finally get a room until about over 12 hours later and then would you believe the hospital personnel decided at 2 AM that I couldn't stay in the hospital with my mom overnight? I have ALWAYS stayed with my mom every time she is admitted, so I found it a little ridiculous... especially after the long day we just had! But I have to give credit to the nurses - they are absolutely amazing, and I can't even imagine how they do this day in and day out.. and especially the amount of patience they have!

It was quite a shock to me that, considering my mom went to the E.R. for chest pain and shortness of breath, she still had to wait in the waiting room for like 3 or more hours before she was actually taken to the emergency room to be seen by the doctors and what not. You would think a patient going in for chest pains would be immediately checked out because of the dangers of heart-related problems. Undoubtedly, the population is rapidly growing and therefore there are a lot more patients, but it's still interesting to note - and a bit worrisome. Fortunately, after MANY tests it didn't look like it was anything serious (though I think not being able to figure out what's wrong is even worse in some situations) in my mom's situation - but what about the other patients?

I wish the rest of the year runs a lot smoother than the month of January has so far!

Tuesday is the first day of classes for the spring semester (which I'll be missing because it's also inauguration day and when Barack Obama will officially be the President of the United States). I can't believe how fast my break flew by (and of course, I got like absolutely no studying done for the LSATs! :/ )

I didn't get much time to just relax this break, which is definitely a bummer.. and I'm not looking forward to most of my classes for the coming semester either because they seem pretty boring, but I guess I'll see how they turn out.

Week in Review

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First of all, I want to wish you and your family a very Happy New Year. I don't know about you, but it doesn't feel like a new year is beginning because time is literally flying and no special events seems to have that much of a significance anymore because of what's going on everywhere in the world.

Other than that, things have been pretty busy here. My dad's sister and her family were visiting last weekend from Canada and today my dad's brother and his family came down from Canada as well - so it's been a lot of family time. During that time, we celebrated my aunt and uncle's and my cousins' anniversaries too - so that was a lot of fun (Happy Anniversary Javed Chachoo and Anna; and Shakil Bhai and Popi Baji).

Monday was the Rutgers Football bowl game, and it was a good and very close game - but we pulled off a win :) . Now the football season is really over for the year. :(

We got more snow yesterday, and even though it is not sticking, it is still fun and really pretty to look at it... but the cold and wind with it is too much!

As you can guess, I've not been getting much studying for LSATs, so I really got to work on that for the remainder of the break.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

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Just when I thought this day couldn't get any better (because I had my last final for the semester this morning).. it started SNOWING! I absolutely LOVE snow .. especially as its snowing - it looks soo pretty falling! I love when it actually accumulates and we get a white blanket, but I don't know how likely that is this time, even though it seems to be sticking (but it rained right before) .. so I'm just going to enjoy it as it falls.

Now that finals are over, I have about a month off.. which I am supposed to spend studying for LSATs, but I don't know how likely that is. It's scary to think I only have three semesters left of undergraduate and that law school is so close... and to think that I feel as if I have no free time now - HA!

I haven't had much time to blog recently, but I hope to do a lot of it during my break. At least the Election 2008 cycle forced me, in a way, to take time out to blog.