It's been a while since my last post - you can hear more about my DC adventures here. But here are the highlights:
Hurricane Sandy
Yes, I am in the middle of a hurricane right now. It's cold, wet, and windy, to say the least... but at least I still have power! The federal government was closed so I didn't go to my internship, but I still had class since it's in the same building that all the UC students are staying in. As long as the internet doesn't go down, I think I'll be able to manage just fine.
New York/Philadelphia
I went to New York the weekend before last! It was crowded and dirty, but my friend Sarah and I had a blast. We saw Chicago on Broadway, walked around/shopped in Times Square, and visited Central Park. I'm not sure if I want to live there, but I'm still really glad to say I went (and I can now cross New York, Delaware, and New Jersey off the list of states I need to visit).
I also went to Philadelphia the Saturday before that (just days after my last blog post). Philadelphia blew me away - I didn't expect to love it so much! But the blend of historical architecture and stories with modern shops/food was absolutely perfect. I also made time to visit Penn Law, which is now on the top of my list (it's tied for the #7 law school with Berkeley and UVA). Penn is prestige with a breath of fresh air - the buildings center around a tree-lined courtyard, and the entire school is sprinkled with comfy lounges and fun artwork. As long as I break a 171/172 on the LSAT, I'm confident about my chances of getting in... and now I know I'd be very happy to go there. Also, I can get a certificate in Middle East and Islamic Studies - this is seriously the perfect school for me. Except maybe Stanford, because I wouldn't mind going to a school with beautiful weather...
The Internship
Now that I'm halfway done with my internship and am past the "settling in" stage, I really love it at the State Department. The work I'm doing is meaningful and it's a turbulent region, so I'm never bored. I also got to meet some "celebrities" last week (the Secretary of the Treasury and a few ambassadors), which just reminds me how lucky I am to have gotten my dream internship. I'm already applying for an overseas internship for next summer - hopefully I'll get some experience in the region before I go off to law school!
The downside of my internship (that isn't really a downside) is that I have to reevaluate my life plans. I'd originally wanted to work as a lawyer in an embassy, but now I know that positions like that don't really exist - you can have a law degree and join the Foreign Service, but you won't be practicing law. So eventually I'll have to make some tough decisions - do I want to join the Foreign Service? Do I want to join the Civil Service and actually practice law, but not live in the Middle East? Do I want to work as a lawyer abroad for another U.S. Government department? Still, decisions like that are at least five years away, since at the very least all of my plans involve going to law school first.
Academics
My classes are definitely keeping me busy. I had my research proposal due last week for my international policy seminar, and we've had a lot of other assignments due in that class (ranging from memos to reports on World Bank development programs). I also have a midterm coming up this Thursday for my Washington Ethics elective, which I spent a lot of time this weekend "studying" for. By studying, I mean catching up on the required reading... but hey, at least I'm getting it done now and not Wednesday night!
It's also just about time to register for my winter quarter classes. Our registration appointment times were released today and we start registering next Monday. I'll most likely be taking 24 units - sounds like fun, right? I'm hoping to continue with Arabic 22 (assuming my self-studying works and I pass the Arabic 21 final in December) and also take Microeconomics, Gender in the Arab World, History of the Modern Middle East, and Developmental Psychology. I'll also be working on my psychology honors thesis (a 2-quarter project that's worth 6 units total across the quarters), although I haven't done as much prep work as I had planned.
What I Haven't Done
1. Studied for the LSAT since coming to DC... oops.
2. Kept up with the Arabic 21 curriculum (I'm a couple of weeks behind)... again, oops.
3. Seen the monuments! I've done plenty of sightseeing, but that's something I've missed so far. I'm sad that the fall foliage will have been blown away by Hurricane Sandy by the time I get out to do that.
Before I go, a photo of me from last week:
Hurricane Sandy
Yes, I am in the middle of a hurricane right now. It's cold, wet, and windy, to say the least... but at least I still have power! The federal government was closed so I didn't go to my internship, but I still had class since it's in the same building that all the UC students are staying in. As long as the internet doesn't go down, I think I'll be able to manage just fine.
New York/Philadelphia
I went to New York the weekend before last! It was crowded and dirty, but my friend Sarah and I had a blast. We saw Chicago on Broadway, walked around/shopped in Times Square, and visited Central Park. I'm not sure if I want to live there, but I'm still really glad to say I went (and I can now cross New York, Delaware, and New Jersey off the list of states I need to visit).
I also went to Philadelphia the Saturday before that (just days after my last blog post). Philadelphia blew me away - I didn't expect to love it so much! But the blend of historical architecture and stories with modern shops/food was absolutely perfect. I also made time to visit Penn Law, which is now on the top of my list (it's tied for the #7 law school with Berkeley and UVA). Penn is prestige with a breath of fresh air - the buildings center around a tree-lined courtyard, and the entire school is sprinkled with comfy lounges and fun artwork. As long as I break a 171/172 on the LSAT, I'm confident about my chances of getting in... and now I know I'd be very happy to go there. Also, I can get a certificate in Middle East and Islamic Studies - this is seriously the perfect school for me. Except maybe Stanford, because I wouldn't mind going to a school with beautiful weather...
The Internship
Now that I'm halfway done with my internship and am past the "settling in" stage, I really love it at the State Department. The work I'm doing is meaningful and it's a turbulent region, so I'm never bored. I also got to meet some "celebrities" last week (the Secretary of the Treasury and a few ambassadors), which just reminds me how lucky I am to have gotten my dream internship. I'm already applying for an overseas internship for next summer - hopefully I'll get some experience in the region before I go off to law school!
The downside of my internship (that isn't really a downside) is that I have to reevaluate my life plans. I'd originally wanted to work as a lawyer in an embassy, but now I know that positions like that don't really exist - you can have a law degree and join the Foreign Service, but you won't be practicing law. So eventually I'll have to make some tough decisions - do I want to join the Foreign Service? Do I want to join the Civil Service and actually practice law, but not live in the Middle East? Do I want to work as a lawyer abroad for another U.S. Government department? Still, decisions like that are at least five years away, since at the very least all of my plans involve going to law school first.
Academics
My classes are definitely keeping me busy. I had my research proposal due last week for my international policy seminar, and we've had a lot of other assignments due in that class (ranging from memos to reports on World Bank development programs). I also have a midterm coming up this Thursday for my Washington Ethics elective, which I spent a lot of time this weekend "studying" for. By studying, I mean catching up on the required reading... but hey, at least I'm getting it done now and not Wednesday night!
It's also just about time to register for my winter quarter classes. Our registration appointment times were released today and we start registering next Monday. I'll most likely be taking 24 units - sounds like fun, right? I'm hoping to continue with Arabic 22 (assuming my self-studying works and I pass the Arabic 21 final in December) and also take Microeconomics, Gender in the Arab World, History of the Modern Middle East, and Developmental Psychology. I'll also be working on my psychology honors thesis (a 2-quarter project that's worth 6 units total across the quarters), although I haven't done as much prep work as I had planned.
What I Haven't Done
1. Studied for the LSAT since coming to DC... oops.
2. Kept up with the Arabic 21 curriculum (I'm a couple of weeks behind)... again, oops.
3. Seen the monuments! I've done plenty of sightseeing, but that's something I've missed so far. I'm sad that the fall foliage will have been blown away by Hurricane Sandy by the time I get out to do that.
Before I go, a photo of me from last week:
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