Robin Williams

By now everyone has heard the news.

A Goodbye Letter to Robin Williams:

Last night I heard the news.  I kept waiting for someone to tell me it was a hoax as it so often is.  My husband even asked me to be sure before I reposted it that it was true.  Unfortunately this time it was the truth. Today I saw the news report that confirmed the cause of death as suicide.  On one hand, my heart breaks for you that you felt that this was your only way out, the only relief from the immense pain you must have been feeling.  On the other hand, I am truly and immensely pissed off at you right now.  Very few of my childhood memories don’t have you in it.  From Mork and Mindy all the way to Aladdin, with Dead Poets Society and What Dreams May Come thrown in between.  This was before a time when DVD players and fast forwarding through commercials was possible.  I waited every week to see what mistakes you would make in this new world you had been thrown into.  Now years have gone by and the only way to see those old clips are on Youtube and DVDs (if you can even find them).  People that were in my life then have come and gone but those memories remain.  You were always public with your struggle with sobriety and there was never a doubt that you would triumph over it.  You were always one of the few who felt the need to respect the troops.  There will never be another you.  You were a rare jewel, the “diamond in the rough.”   Regardless, I hope now that you have found the peace that you were searching for in this action from which you can’t come back from.  I tried rolling a 5 and an 8 last night.  You touched so many people with your talent.  But then again, I guess the talent only hid the pain.  “No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” Your words and ideas did change the world, at least for me, even if only for a little while.

Your fan,

Cherry

Confused much?

So this week, I got an email that was intended for the 3Ls.  Dividing them into sections for the program that takes place before the year starts. I happened to look at the list and my name was still on it.  I was concerned and decided to email the people in charge since they seemed to think I was still a 3L.  You would have thought I had committed a mortal sin.  They acted like I was stupid for even emailing them about this. I emailed because I was still listed.  Come on people.  Combined with the fact that I haven't received anything about new student orientation, why would I think I wouldn't need to be there?

Finally got the financial aid straightened out.  Would have been nice to get as much as they initially had me listed for but they caught that the tuition waiver put me over a limit.  Now my aid has been reduced by the tuition waiver amount.  It is still enough for me to get some bills paid off, hubby and I to have a nice anniversary trip AND I get to be a maid in our Mardi Gras krewe.

Schedule

So in your first year, the school determines your schedule.  They place you in a section and you spend your entire first year with those same roughly 70 people. So for this semester I was assigned to take Torts, Criminal Law, Basic Civil Procedure I, Contracts, Legal Research and Writing I and Legal Traditions and Systems.  This last class is one that is only required to be taken at my particular law school.  This is going to be a long semester.  At least I know this time around to make sure that I keep doing the things that keep me sane.  That means I still take my belly dance lessons, I still do my cast workshops for the Renaissance Festival.

One thing I fully intend to do differently is make my own outlines.  I relied entirely too much on other people's outlines from an outline bank the last time.  I need to make my own in order to put the information in my mind to recall it on the final exam.  I was given an opportunity for a new start and I have no intentions of wasting it.  I fought way too hard to get to where I am today to make the same mistakes I made the last time. Insanity is doing the same thing expecting a different result.

So I have classes at 9 am every day of the week.  Not a terrible time to have to be at school.  I am not in the same section I was in the first time so I have to get mostly new books.  I do also have mostly new teachers. A couple of them I have before in other classes.  My civil procedure teacher was also my evidence teacher.  My criminal law professor was my international criminal law professor (UGH!).  My Legal Research and Writing professor is the same.  I did write an email to her and explain the situation.  Her response made me feel considerably better.  She told me that she completely admired my tenacity and conviction and not to worry about anyone's timeline but my own.

SUCCESS!!!

So this morning the Vice Chancellor calls me and we discuss the situation.  He told me to get in touch with the professor in charge of the admissions committee.  I sent an email that told him that I was ok with going back to my 1L year if I was receiving a tuition waiver but that if the tuition waiver was not part of the deal, then there was no incentive for me to go that route.  My GPA while not wonderful, has already been earned and paid for and I have no desire to pay for it again.  I explained that I could take a year off and reapply and start where I had left off with very little struggle.  

A couple of hours after I sent that email to the professor, I received a reply.  

I approve a waiver of tuition (and tuition only -- not other fees that are not part of tuition itself) for next two academic years, provided that you meet the conditions of your academic probation and remain a full-time student in good standing.  The waiver does not apply to the summer term.  

This means I won!  I got exactly what I had asked for.  I feel like I have won a major legal battle.  

Next installments will discuss schedules and classes.

The Wait is Over....Sorta.

So I wake up this morning to wonderful news.  I had received an email that accepted me into the Class of 2017.  There was a letter attached that would spell out the conditions of my readmission.  I open the letter to read the conditions and there was no mention of the tuition waiver.  Why would I want to go back to being a 1L if I have to pay for it?  It makes more sense for me to wait and reapply next year.

So on one hand, I am thrilled to be back in school but on the other I am furious.  I cannot afford to pay for two more years of tuition.  I will end up maxing out my student loans and not being able to finish.  By declaring academic bankruptcy, I believe and I may be mistaken, that I am out of the running for scholarships and such so I cannot get any help there.

I emailed the admissions director and he said the committee voted against it.  I'm having a hard time believing that.  I emailed the vice chancellor and he is supposed to call me tomorrow morning.

More Waiting

So at about noon today I emailed the Vice Chancellor that was included in the meeting.  Below is the letter that I sent.  I have removed names so as to keep these people anonymous.  

Dear Vice Chancellor X,
On July 17, 2014 I drove to the law center at your request for a meeting with Admissions Director, Professor B, head of the Admissions Committee and you to discuss my academic situation.  At that meeting, we discussed me declaring academic bankruptcy and starting over from my 1L year with a two year tuition waiver.  There were some things that the three of you needed such as a conversation with my doctor and copies of more recent TSH test results.  I provided the copies of test results from both May and June and I was informed that my endocrinologist spoke with Admissions Director on July 22.  I emailed Professor B on July 23 to inquire if there was anything further needed and was informed there was not and he still needed to get the committee’s decision and in a few days shoukd be able to let me know. It is now July 29 and I am still waiting for this decision.My life is basically on hold until I receive the decision.  I can’t go apply for jobs as I may have to leave in a few weeks when school starts.  I can’t even go back to my volunteer position at a domestic violence shelter as I cannot give them a definitive answer as to how long I’m there.  I did email Professor B again yesterday and have not heard anything back.If for some reason I should not be readmitted, I need to know this before my current health insurance expires so that I can find other insurance without having to deal with the complication of a prior diagnosed condition. While I appreciate the opportunity I have been extended, I am in need of some definitive answers at this point.I appreciate all that you have done for me and I look forward to starting law school again soon.

He did respond with the following so hopefully I will know more later:

I am sorry that no decision has been made. I will check on this matter and determine whether further information is needed.

I am not involved in a direct manner in the process of admissions or readmission – but I can certainly check on this matter.

Waiting

So the director of admissions spoke with my endocrinologist on Tuesday.  On Wednesday afternoon I emailed the head of the admissions committee to see if they needed any further information from me.  About three hours later I got an email back from him telling me that he still needed to get the decision from the committee and he should be able to give me an answer in a few days.  I, probably foolishly, was hoping that would mean that I would have an answer by the end of the week but it was not written in the stars.  I was hoping that this indecision would finally be over.

One thing I am somewhat confused about though is why he needs to get the decision of the committee. Didn't they already offer me the deal?  Was that not already approved?  I understand that they need to be sure that the committee is aware that I wish to enroll for the upcoming year rather than waiting a year but this seems to be a bit roundabout.  I am tired of waiting for all the people to get together to make this decision.

I know for a fact that the admissions committee sent out some readmission decisions as a friend was informed of their decision on Wednesday.  That was part of the reason that I was hoping that I would get some answers by the end of last week.  I have decided that if I do not have answers by the end of business on Monday I will be emailing the Vice Chancellor that was part of the meeting to get some answers.