Why you decided to attend Santa Clara University?
I heard really good things about the school and the students. It truly is different in character from other schools in the Bay Area. The part-time program is flexible and allows you to continue with work or to get into a brand new field at your own pace. Please note though, the part-time program is extremely fast-paced and does get stressful!

Legal field of interest: Litigation/Public Sector

Undergrad / Location / Year: St. Ann’s College, Hyderabad, India, 1994

Ethnicity: South Asian

Occupation: I worked in advertising for six years.

Relationship status: Married

Extracurricular activities (currently/past):
I started a blog this past winter http://californiadesi.blogspot.com and I also write short features and short stories. Time permitting, I’m also thinking about participating in the law school’s newspaper, the Advocate.

Your take on first year: The first semester is the toughest - If you can survive this, you can survive anything! It does take getting used to – so give yourself time, patience and lots of TLC!

Typical daily schedule: I force myself to wake up by 9:30 – 10:00 a.m., give myself an hour or so to settle into the day and start studying for an hour two soon after. I take an hour’s break for lunch and wrap up the rest of the reading for the day soon after. Sometimes I don’t get done, then I pray that I don’t get called on!

What you did last summer: It was a blissful summer, as I didn’t know that my life would be completely different from the Fall onwards… I was wrapping up work commitments, counting how long my last paycheck would last, getting ready for school and all that fun stuff.

Average time studying per week: 16-18 hours

General comments about SCU: SCU offers an Academic Success Program that is great! If you’re not invited to participate, find out about exam writing sooner, than later. It will help in preparing your briefs and in understanding class discussion. Don’t stress about daily class readings if you are unprepared a few times – focus on the mid-terms and finals – only those grades count! It helps to read hornbooks and supplements to put concepts in perspective and to make sure your outline is not missing anything.

Your advice on school work / life balance: In order to maintain your sanity, it is really important to organize your time. Plan your day out and try to be disciplined. I use the word “try,” because it’s hard to do. Keep plenty of time for family/loved ones. Keep the activities that you love doing – don’t change your schedule entirely, although at some point, you may feel like you already have. It’s also tremendously important to prioritize your life – so you don’t forget why you decided to join law school!

Your take on study groups: I wish I had time to participate in study groups. I’ve been commuting long distance for a while now and unfortunately, I haven’t been able to take part in study groups. I hear it is a valuable tool, but I’ve been able to get by so far, so I’m hoping for the best this semester!

Your take on outlining: Start as soon as you learn a concept in each subject. Keep your studying current (this is different from your class reading!) and work actively on your outline throughout the semester! Good luck!