First Freak of the Year

So before I've even had a time to start breaking my resolutions, I've found myself faced with one of those menacing, big-impact life decisions.  You see, for the past few months I had decided that I would go to Tanzania, Africa, for a study abroad program in May.  I saw presentation on the program in one of my classes and made up my mind instantly to go on the trip which is through a leadership program at my school.  One flaw, it ends in early June, just a week before the June 16th LSAT.  So then, today, all of a sudden I started rethinking my decision (partially because I read the blog post from last year when the group climbed Mt. Kilamanjaro) and contemplating going to Paris for study abroad instead.

The pro's of Paris:

1. it's PARIS!!

2. nice air-conditioned hotel

3. fun in a foreign country with fellow students

4. jugs of wine with every meal

5. sight-seeing through France

6. get political science and cultural diversity credits that I need for graduation

7. visit my best friend who'll be in Cortona, Italy all summer

8. brush up on my French, work towards fluency

And the con's:

1. I'll miss the June LSAT entirely and have to take it in October which creates a whole mess of issues to be dealt with

2. European study abroad programs through school are pretty cliched, and won't stand out at all for law school admissions or give me particularly interesting stuff to write/talk about

What it means to take the October LSAT:

- have to take it during school

- have to finish studying while taking other classes and worrying about other tests, papers, midterms, etc.

- have to wait all the way til mid-October to know my LSAT score and know what schools I really have a chance at getting in to

- have more time to study, but might procrastinate and not take advantage of the time I have before school starts

- only other chance to take it again if I'm not happy with my score is the Dec. LSAT which would be right in with finals and would be awful!

Pro's of Tanzania:

1. It's different and interesting

2. Once in a lifetime opportunity in a number of ways

3. Love the LEAD program so far, so how could this be less than amazing

4. have heard only great things from past participants

5. might stand out to law school admissions

6. gives me something great to write/talk about in admissions essays/interviews

7. take the June LSAT and get it over with!

8. have the rest of the summer to do whatever I want

9. It's not something people would expect me to do, and I love surprising people like that!

Con's of Tanzania:

1. It'll probably be uncomfortable and I won't have the comforts of home

2. I'll only have a week or two to do last minute studying before the LSAT

3. I'll only have a few days after finals until I have to leave

4. I'll have to figure out something to do for the rest of the summer

Alright so those are the pro's and con's of both.  Now that I've written them out, I think I'm leaning towards Africa (my initial decision) and staying in Athens for the rest of the summer.  Although Paris looks like TONS of fun, I have a lot of fun already, and most law schools have semester abroad opportunities which are probably similar to the experience I would get with the UGA program.  And lingering in the back of my head is the advice I got from a friend who talked me in to applying for the LEAD program in the first place, that she was sure she would find her future husband through LEAD, so what better way to bond with a potential future husband than on an African safari?

So for now my decision is to read the blog the LEAD students made on the Africa trip lat year so that I have as much information as possible before making my final decision.  Plus, I can go to Europe for fun (no class involved) next summer!