I need a 4.0 GPA.

I love to overbook myself. It’s true, even when the schedule is already full, I am looking for the next thing to add: clubs, labs, classes, unrelated coursework, etc, etc, etc.

I was filling out my applications for research labs and jobs, and after I pressed submit and began looking towards interviews, I started thinking about my schedule for next semester. Twenty credits, a part-time job that sometimes overstepped the boundaries of “part-time”, choir, voice lessons, mock trial. It was overwhelming, but I continued to apply myself towards these positions and fight for an offer.

I think the reason I did this was that research experience is vital, and unfortunately, money is as well. I applied because I want to bridge the gap between a competitive applicant and an application that gets thrown away at first glance. I applied because I want to get accepted into a prestigious law school. Although that in itself may seem shallow, I know what getting in would actually mean for me, or for any graduate of these universities. The name on the degree opens up clientele, cases, and the rooms I will be allowed into. For me, I like to think that it has never been about prestige for its own sake. It has been about what is on the other side.

Honestly, just write everything down. Every commitment, every class, every shift; just get it all out on paper. At least for me, this gets every obligation out of my head and on paper for me to refer back to. When everything is living in your brain, it feels impossible to manage and can easily overwhelm you. That is how you protect the GPA without losing sight of everything else you are building.

And if you are sitting and thinking about an opportunity you want right now, wondering, “Do I have room for it? Can I make it work?” just apply. See what happens, you may be more capable of holding everything together than you think. Your limits are always further out than you think, and the only way to find that out and stretch out of your comfort zone is to find everything out firsthand. You can always restructure your schedule, but don’t pass up an opportunity that may not come back.

Not everything you say yes to is something you love. If you are like me, some of it you’re doing because you’re scared of what your application looks like without it. And that is perfectly okay— everyone is probably doing the same exact thing. Sometimes it feels like everyone performs like they are passionate about every single opportunity and the grind. But that’s not true. Most of us are trying to survive and bridge the gap between where we are now and where we feel like we need to be.

You don’t have to love the grind to be doing it right. Whether you said yes because you fear falling short or just want to survive in an applicant pool of go-getters, you showed up. You said yes anyway. The 4.0, the labs, internships, packed schedule, none of it has to look graceful. Be proud of yourself for getting it done.

Thanks for being here for issue six. If you're a pre-law student and any of this resonated, or you're in a totally different place in your journey, I'd love to hear from you.