Not going to be easy

Last week I took a tour of one of the schools to which I have been accepted. Two weeks prior to the workshop, I emailed my assigned counselor and requested a meeting for the same day as the open house. I mentioned in the email that I had some concerns about being a full-time employee and going to school part-time at night - what opportunities would I be allowed to take part in, would certain things (such as law review, clinics) even be available to me? She agreed to meet with me on the day of - even said she was looking forward to it. So was I.

Come the day of the open house, I went to her desk, introduced myself, and sat down. Her first question to me: "So, how can I help you?" Hang on - didn't I cover that prep work in my email? Is it too much for me to expect a professional to gather up materials related to an agenda before a meeting? I wasn't encouraged by the fact that she hadn't prepared at all to meet me up until that point - I mean, by the time I sat down I had done some research into clinics, and already knew which ones were available for evening students. I would have expected her to have that info at her fingertips.

Anyway, enough digression. Maybe her lack of professionalism or preparation isn't reflective of the law school as a whole. But, if this is supposed to be my counselor for the next four years, I can see already that I would be in for a lot of DIY as far as circumnavigating the school goes. She's supposed to be my go-to gal; so I went-to her and came back empty-handed. Not cool.

A few days later she emailed me the contact info of a part-time evening student, so that I can reach out and talk about the realities and opportunities. I haven't written to her yet, and don't know that I need to. I get the feeling that meeting with my dizzy counselor gave me all the info I will need to know about that particular school.

Moral of this experience: If you are considering part-time evening law, meet early with the administration to see what they know about your situation. And then, listen to your gut.