Barrister on a Budget

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Blog Anniversary Celebration: Barrister on a Budget Turns Two!

This week The Barrister on a Budget Blog turns two years old! This year has seen a lot of changes in the legal world and Barrister on a Budget has kept up with them all. From changes in law school accreditation standards to the debate on the LSAT requirement to the release of the second edition of Barrister on a Budget: Investing in Law School…without Breaking the Bank.

Thank you readers for checking in each Wednesday for updates on law school, the legal job market, and tips on financing your education. I truly appreciate your support. Here were this past year’s top five favorite posts!

#5: The College Cost Talk – by special guest Wendy David-Gaines

#4: 5 To Dos for Law Students This Winter Break

#3: 8 Gift Ideas for Law Students This Holiday Season

#2: Law Students Allowed to Work More Hours…and Get Paid

#1: 6 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Law School

I’d also like to thank those in this niche community who helped support The Barrister on a Budget Blog through their social media networks and allowing me to make guest contributions. Over the next several weeks, I will be featuring some of these amazing people. Each week these guests will provide awesome tips as well as tell us which Barrister on a Budget Blog post was their favorite. It’s going to be a great series in honor of the blog’s second anniversary, so don’t miss it!

Thanks again!

Until Next Time,

Jenny L. Maxey

Author of Barrister on a Budget: Investing in Law School…without Breaking the Bank

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Spring Cleaning Series: How to Organize the Scholarship Application Process

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As with employment applications, the scholarship search and application process can be just as overwhelming and easily get out of hand. But you can apply the same organization system to avoid applying to the same scholarship multiple times or missing deadline. Try implementing the following tips.

Be prepared. There are standard materials that most scholarship applications require and you must make sure they are ready to ship out. Have résumés, cover letters, recommendation letters, personal statements, and references updated, reviewed, and critiqued. Of course you may need to adjust these to pertain to the scholarship, but at least the bulk of the work will be completed.

Establish a schedule. Block off time to tackle different tasks. Schedule time to search for scholarships, focusing on a search engine or institutional scholarships. Schedule another time for filling out application, spelling out which applications you plan to attack.

Create your tracking table. Keep a calendar system such as Google calendar to track what needs to be done across multiple devices as well as an Excel spreadsheet. Organize the opportunities you find by the date of the deadline, listing the name of the scholarship, qualifications, application requirements, additional notes, and the date in which you applied. Color coding what steps you have completed with each scholarship will also be helpful.

Apply technology. The internet is helpful in finding scholarships, but you should also use the internet to help limit your search to those scholarships you actually qualify for so you aren’t wasting your time. Here are 5 ways to aid your scholarship hunt using social media and the internet.

Bonus. My friend Monica Matthews at How to Win Scholarships has a great ebook with many more organizational tips that helped to win her son over $100,000 in scholarship aid.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Spring Cleaning Series: How to Organize for Summer Employment Search

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With the internet, it’s easy to come across the same job ad more than once. To avoid sending multiple applications to an employer or just to keep from being overwhelmed, it’s important to stay organized. Here are a few tips to simplify the process and help land you the perfect job.

Be prepared. Most employers require a few basic documents. A résumé and cover letters are pretty common. Make sure you have updated these documents and save them in a new file that is easy to remember. Make sure you have another set of eyes read these documents and critique them. You don’t want a silly typo to give an employer a reason not to continue with your application. Also, make sure you have letters of recommendation and contact information for references saved in this folder as well.

Establish a schedule. To get the ball rolling, you’ll need to spend time hunting. Block out time each day or week to collect openings, applications, requirements, and deadlines. If applications use paper filing, keep a folder system of applications, arranging them by due date. Create targets that you want to accomplish whether you want to spend that block of time focusing on one search engine, filling out applications or attending a networking event. Setting a time limit with a particular goal in mind will keep you focused and help you accomplish more.

Create a tracking table. An easy system to use is a calendar that you can access on multiple devices such as Google calendar and create an Excel spreadsheet. Record what date you applied with a company, listing the employer, position, and the contact person. Schedule a date for a week later to follow-up if you haven’t heard from the person. Use this to keep track of your interview dates as well. After an interview, be sure to have a section in your table to mark off whether or not you’ve sent a thank you note, and schedule a date to follow-up after your interview. Use colors to help code where in the process you are with an employer and to keep the process bright and fun.

Apply technology. There are many new apps and programs – some free – that you can use to help you stay organized. For instance, Resunate has a basic program that’s free, which will help better your résumé. Or, to keep the stacks of business cards you’ll receive from being lost in the washing machine or scattered all over the place, try Evernote to keep them organized.