My grades for the first 5 classes have been trickling in and I am positively SICK about it. I got Honors in 3 out of the 5 classes, and a *PASS* in the other two. Those two classes my average was a 88.7% in one class and an 89.2% and I needed a 90% to receive Honors. Why am I so upset about this??? One because in both classes I scored in the mid 90s on the final. Two, because upon our graduation, law firms asks the school for the "honors list" and I won't be on it because you have to receive Honors in 7 out of 8 classes in order to get the Honors Paralegal Certificate. I am sitting in class trying to keep myself under control cuz the tears are brimming.
go back and inquire about the scores you received on everything in the two classes and try to make a case for what you need, if you can.....good luck and you did well but i feel you on it.
ReplyDeleteOh yea U gotta inquire and make it clear as to what U are tryin to accomplish!!!
ReplyDeletei hope that gets figured out. sorry to hear that.. stay focused and be prayerful.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I can never get past mediocrity and this is why I am upset. Flip upset. I am damn near in panic mode. This could be the determining factor as to whether or not I get a 45K job at a good law firm or 25K at a non-for-profit. This could determine whether or not I will do well right out of school or have to spend years working my way up to a point past poverty. I have a big student loan bill that I will have to start paying on in December; I want the hell out of this neighborhood and this one bedroom apartment that I am in; and I fully understand how my physical stature appears to other people (this is a white man's world after all and being black, tall, with a deep voice is intimidating to most, I most definitely am not the Perky Becky Sue) so I needed this labeling of Honors to get that competitive edge.
ReplyDeleteThis is not about me having a poor self image. I am comfortable in my skin and it took me years to do so. But I also am very aware of my image to others and I do everything in my power, such as speak properly,dress appropriately, smile often AND GET GOOD GRADES to combat how others may view me.
gotcha but i think you have the goods and what could truly help is NETWORKING. get in the right folks ear about what you are about, what you have accomplished, goals, etc....and that will make a huge difference. MOST opportunities worth anything come through a good network. don't despair...you are dealing with some realities as you stated but you can overcome those realities and be exactly where you want to be DESPITE missing the honors designation......it can still happen for you girl.....you got the goods to make it happen.
ReplyDeletethat is another problem of mine. I know NO ONE! Absolutely no one. I have tried very hard and in vain to network with others. I don't think I have that certain je na sais quais that those who have big networks have. I could use a clue or two in that field. I think I may be over eager in that regard. I haven't figured out how to balance that out.
ReplyDeleteI agree about inquiries into the other grades.
ReplyDelete(hugs) I wish you well and lots of luck.
http://www.ehow.com/how_1382_network-effectively.html
ReplyDeletehttp://internships.about.com/od/networking/ht/Networking.htm
we all have to start some where......i posted a couple of links...does your school have a career center? if so, use it! they can help greatly with helping you to learn how to network and do informational interviews which can help build your network or even get you a job.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great link to informational interviewing: http://www.careercenter.umd.edu/student/explore/informationinterview.pdf
ReplyDeleteLike MsThang07 says the key may be to having an inside connection, that's what networking does. Are there any law organizations you are affiliated with. Go to their events, which most are usually free. You can check online for events in your area. Check out events that law organizations may be having in the City (Depaul, Roosevelt, UIC, etc) may be a starting point. Have you done any volunteering at any organizations that you have over looked? There's some light at the end of this, you just have to peel back the layers and see if you are missing something that you could be using to your advantage.
ReplyDeleteNo your grades won't determine that, but you will!!! First of despite not getting honors you still did well in those classes!!! It's not like you got a 65%. You still did exceptionally well.
ReplyDeleteYour grades don't make you. YOU MAKE YOU and don't you forget it. So I suggest you network your butt off. You are on Facebook right? I'm going to send you a suggestion to a friend of mine. She is the queen of networking, and you might be able to get some good info from her. Her name is Adrienne Graham (ok I might be messing up her last name). When you send her a friend invite just tell her you know me. Now I know she charges for some stuff, but she has a website which posts a lot of her info for free.
Well that's going to change. :-) You don't have to know people, you meet people who know people, who know people. That's what networking is about. You know US, we know people.
ReplyDeleteso true!!
ReplyDeleteNetworking starts with your professors, classmates, etc. You probably have friends in Chicago who know people who work in legal, work them!!!
ReplyDeletedamn that's true...hell i need to be working mine as well...thanks for reminding me cause i'm still taking classes though in a different program and school.....GOOD LOOKING out T!
ReplyDeletewelcome!!!
ReplyDeleteno, but the Paralegal department at my school (Roosevelt) will help with that kind of thing. I do plan on volunteering during the summer after classes are done and MiniMe is gone for the summer. Being a single mom keeps me from doing alot of this kind of stuff.
ReplyDeleteMsThang: you are a gem. Thanks so much for the links and advice.
ReplyDeletebut i don't know the people who know people! LOLOLOL
ReplyDeleteThanks hun I appreciate that.
ReplyDeletewelcome.
ReplyDeleteI think you know more folks then you realize. Trust me I know networking can be unnerving. I don't like it much either. LOL
ReplyDeleteso damn true to take advantage of the time you have free this summer and just work it to your benefit. you'll feel better about things once you get going in that direction. single parenting does make it WAY harder to do it. i know for sure.
ReplyDeleteyeah that is what your network is about...you don't know who knows who who knows somebody who can help you out...so don't assume your network is useless....JUST USE IT GIRL!! hell we all know lawyers.
ReplyDeleteNow, as far as me inquiring into my grades. One prof I know for sure isn't going to budge. Where you land is where you land. If you land at a 89.9% you still gonna get just a pass! I did alright on the midterm, I got an 85 and lost 5 points because I forgot what an easement is. I got a 95 on the final and all As on my work. Ooooh, I AM pissed with myself. I went back to that essay question 10 times and couldn't think of the answer! pffffffft
ReplyDeletethe other prof, that was the class I was expecting to get the pass in because I struggled in this class. I was prepared for it because I didn't do too hot (80%) on my midterm, he canceled two assignments which gave us less oppurtunity to earn points so by time it was all said and done, we only had 315 points to earn, instead of the original 400 and I ended up with a 281.
additionally, i know someone who supervises other paralegals in CA and has been in the field for god knows how long. she is a very outgoing person, real sharp, resourceful, etc...i'm sure she knows folks who know folks....i know a lawyer in NYC who knows folks who probably knows folks.....hell i got a lawyer in MD who knows folks who probably knows folks...i'm about to talk to another in VA who i may need to use who knows folks who probably knows folks....i know people in general who are lawyers or who work with lawyers who...well you get it.
ReplyDeleteOk see I would of rounded that to a 90%!!!! Geesh
ReplyDeleteWell then, this confirms me needing to move to the DC area. I know more people there through my online family than I do here in Chicago. LOL
ReplyDeleteyou could do that and probably would help you as you use your network....hey TEAL knows folks who know folks for sure...i betcha she could hook you up with folks she knows. girl you have a network already but you gotta work it and keep on adding to that network to work as well.
ReplyDeletethat is good advice. with your mars beins so close... your teachers may cut you some slack!
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to networking rule number one is be comfortable, and a little bit self deprecating. Sometimes you don't connect with the person you were first going after but if you can present who you are in a manner that is friendly without seeming clingy sometimes you can get in with folks who might not get you with your first choice but put you on that path near them.
ReplyDeleteRemember while networking is business it's also a relationship, sometimes bordering on friendship, othertimes it's almost a partnership. Just be willing to be you and sometimes be turned down.
You never know who will be your door to a new relationship so meet everybody like a potential friend, the ones who prove worthy of that friendship continue to build that relationship up, the ones who seem to only be about their goal and if you can help with that goal they can be useful to you, but if you can't there known to undercut you keep them in mind and when the time is right pull them out of your pocket.
As for the folks just out to undercut you regardless, make sure you get to know them well and their tactics. Don't fall into their petty games but make sure you are ready to head them off. Sometimes you biggest hater can also provide you the biggest spotlight to show off your accomplishments. Because as the saying goes there is no such thing as bad press, if somebody checks up on you because somebody keeps bad mouthing you and they find out your a damn good person who looks good now?
What msthang said.
ReplyDeleteI'd be asking questions. Lots of em.
I think my panties are out of my behind now.
ReplyDeleteYou fart?
ReplyDeletenoooooooo, lolololol, I am over myself.
ReplyDeleteOh pfffft. How could you not be disappointed with this result when you've worked so hard and overcome so many obstacles?
ReplyDeleteBut good on you for putting on you big girl face because now you can go to your lecturers and find out where you went askew.
We're all gunning for ya!!!
Thank you Deb! *huuggggssss*
ReplyDeleteYeah and who ever gave you that 89.2 put you stilletos on when you dig in they ass. That was a severe bitch move right there. They could have given you a 90, especially with as hard as you have been working. Thats one of those hmm I'm gonna show you how close you came to earning my approval moves right there.
ReplyDeleteDon't let that one go for real
OK right???? Yes, I am thinking about conferring with him. SERIOUSLY.
ReplyDeletethis is true! at the end of the day, we can point you in the right direction, but it's YOU in the interview... Lisa, don't be so damn hard on yourself, you have what it takes to get where you want to be... and in time, you will be working in your chosen career making the money you want to make... and what if takes time to get that desired salary, at the end of the day working towards that salary can be and will be just as rewarding...
ReplyDeleteat the end of the day you will be much better off than you are at this moment in time...