It has been a good amount of time since I updated. And quite a lot has happened. But, there are two particular expriences that were pretty exciting for me within the last month. The first was going to the induction of my friend into her sorority. It was my first time visiting a sorority house, and I had always wondered what they were like. It looked pretty much like the greek houses that you see on the tv show, Greek, which was pretty entertaining.
During the ceremony, we had a lovely brunch a tour of the entire house. It's a lot bigger inside than it orignially looks on the outside. (I have always wondered how they house that many people into the building when it looks soo small!)
They had multiple bedrooms on three levels and a large kitchen and dining area. They also have a huge foyer,a study room, a piano room and a patio. It was a very nice house overall. After we had lunch, there was a presentation between the young ladies as they shared their favorite moments together.
I though that it was a very lovely way to spend the morning/afternoon and it was an experience that I would have never anticipated. That's why I thought it was important to share it. This trip to Berkeley has opened my eyes to so many experiences that I never would have thought I would experienced on my own. It made me glad that I decided to open myself up to the oppurtunity to be here.
Another really great thing that I was able to do is spend a couple of days at the Boalt Law School, which is Berkeley's Law School. It is a top 10 law school and it is number 1 in intellectual property law, which is my desired field of practice. The chance to get in contact with the first year class helped to answer some of my questions about what it will be like to enter into law school. The school was described as being like an old, comfortable couch, which sounds a little weird at first. But given the highly competitive nature of law schools, this can actually be a good thing.
Visiting the school made me more resolute in my desire to apply here for law school this upcoming fall. I have always wondered if I was truly capable of traveling this far away from home. Part of me even hoped that Berkeley wouldn't be everything that I dreamed it was so that I wouldn't get too attached to anything here. However, it has been all that I imagined and more. And it feels good to have had the time here to test it and see that Berkeley is not too big for me and that it will not swallow me up, but rather, that it is possible to achieve the things that I desire.
I was glad that I got the chance to talk to others who shared my interest and who could give me some advice on what I can be doing now to prepare myself for the future and for applications. Some of the best advice that I received was to start preparing my personal statement even now. One girl mentioned that it took her months to craft her personal statement. She also mentioned how important it is to the Berkeley community to take students who have taken so time off before they apply to law school. While that is not my intent, since there is nothing I desire more than to jump head first into my law school, it helped clarify for me the kinds of obstacles that I need to prepare myself for in the impending future. However, I also met a Spelman sister from the class of 2011 who went straight from Spelman into Berkeley.
That is the amazing thing about the Spelman sisterhood. Its spans the continent and hopefully, it is going global and it will soon span the world. I love the comfort of having a sister near by who can talk to you on the level without any games. And that, is once again, something that was provided for me by Spelman. I think some people get so caught up in the academics of the institution, that they miss the deeper embedded community that goes with the Spelman atmosphere. So, I would say that it is important to take advantage of every avenue of venue that Spelman provides. While she may be small, in comparison to the Harvard's, Yale's and Berkeley's of the world, she is a treasure chest hidden deep. It would be a shame to miss out on that treasure because it you are not paying attention.
Also, Spelman's 130th Founder's Day came and passed. In honor of the day, I wore my Spelman gear.
"Spelman thy name we praise,
Standards and honor raise.
We'll ever faithful be
Throughout eternity.
May peace with the abide
And God Forever guide
Thy Heights Supreme and true
Blessings to you.
Through years of toil and pain
May thy dear walls remain.
Beacons of heavenly light
Undaunted by the figt
And when life's raise is won
Thy Noble works is done
Oh God forever bind,
our hearts to thine."-
The Spelman Hymn
Written by Mrs. Eddye Money Shivery C' 34
