Lessons Learned from the Baylor McNair Scholars Conference
To follow up on past summer events, the best place to start is recounting my experience at the Baylor McNair Scholars Conference. This conference was still a great virtual opportunity to see what the scholars from my school had been working on, and what scholars from other universities were researching. By far the most interesting presentation was focused on the Power Rangers, and how the show had a positive effect on youth who watched it. Additionally, the conference helped to allay our fears of not having quantitative data like our more quantitatively-based colleagues. Qualitative research is just as interesting as quantitative research, but you can’t expect the methods to be similar. Presenters must employ different techniques to achieve a similar visual appeal. For me, this was including images of the inmate firefighters, and the wildfires they faced.
The lesson I learned from my own presentation is that if you’re going to read a script in a virtual setting it is best to place your script near the camera. Doing this will make it look as if you are looking into the camera when you are reading. Overall, I think my presentation went very well and the feedback I received was positive. I look forward to future opportunities to present in person. This will bring unique challenges, and whereas I had a script to read online when in person I will likely have to memorize my speech verbatim or utilize notecards.
Planes Trains and Law School Applications
Following the conference, I began to apply to law school. I have almost finished applying to law schools. Now I have to wait, and this has brought the anxiety of waiting for a response. I am confident that I will be admitted to one of the schools that I applied to. However, there are still issues with finding an apartment and financing my education, if not accepted into Madison. Contending with this anxiety is the excitement of beginning my journey towards earning a law degree.
Closing
I would close with a few words on how this semester has been so far. This is my first semester of primarily law-related classes and it has been a welcome change from the previous two and a half years of college. I will be registering for classes soon. This is my last time doing so as an undergraduate. I have even applied for graduation next spring. My classes next semester offer a mix of interesting electives and more challenging required courses. I most look forward to my Moot Court and Due Process Criminal Law classes. I find that the lessons of this summer taken with this coming semester will prepare me for the first year of law school.