Help Chris With Law School
For the past few years, I've lived in Export, PA, seeing doctors, rehabilitating, and even recieving an education in law. I've worked hard on my studies over the past three years, and on overcoming Fibromyalgia, Osteoarthritis, and Syncope. I've adjusted my diet, exercised, become stronger, worked on my mind and spirit, thought hard on who I am and what my goals should be, and sought education to better my life and to hopefully exceed my goals.
While I'm a healthier person physicially and mentally now with a sense of direction, I'm coming across my first hurdle - Tuition for Chatham.
As I've almost recieved my Associates in Law and have maintained a GPA between 3.2 and 3.7 throughout, in addition to my drive to never be homeless or poor again, I have complete and total confidance in this plan. I'm going to expand upon that with a BA in Entrepreneurship, then finish at PittLaw with a JD in Law. I'll also be setting an example while attending for upcoming classes of males and how they should conduct themselves at Chatham.
So what's the problem?
The problem is that I have no cosigners for student loans. Period. Not family, not friends, not some "sugar-momma". I do not have "good enough" credit to get an undergrad loan, and as a full time student dealing with my health issues I cannot work and go to school with my health issues while maintaining a GPA desirable to law schools. I wasn't in any programs that have the benefit of college tuition when I was younger. Do-able scholarships only give me a random $600-2000 spurt or so... which in the big picture isn't very much. I am literally out of options.
Why so round-about?
Law school is incredibly expensive, and my long-term goal has been to be a lawyer. That will not be changed or swayed by any happening. However... I have a background in IT and internet policy has been a great focus for years. This provides me with an opening - to open my own law office dedicated to cyberlaw. These are rare, but I see this as an excellent investment. Less supply means more demand - and this is something both businesses and individuals want.
That said, the current route (stepping up slowly towards Pitt rather than going directly) also saves me a lot in the way of future debt and makes me far prepared to run a business. So the plan is, as professors and career counselors have agreed, sound. And the BA in Entrepreneurship is also exceedingly important to the enitre process. You learn law in law school... not how to engage in a new field of business.
tl;dr - Because it's the simplist and most realistic way to achieve my goals.
Why not just worry about your BA for now?
I don't like uncertainty and I'm a realist. Realisticly, with the reccomendations from the PittLaw alumni I have in addition to my current 3.7 GPA (which I CAN maintain), getting in is practically a given. Even IF there is some unforeseen "thing" then I'm certain I can get into another law school if necessary. Additionally, I don't want to have to do this again in a year. It makes more sense to cover both now rather than have to re-do things... It's bad enough that I feel indignity having to ask for help to accomplish this at all.
Why start your own business?
Again, cyber law is a relatively new field and frankly, while there are three times the law graduates than there are jobs, this is mainly due to a lack in -additional skills-. These additional skills include marketing, entrepreneurship, and in this field specifically - I.T. I have fifteen years of experience in the I.T. field. However both I.T. and Law are worthless by themselves. I.T. graduates face the same situation as law graduates.
BUT Combine the two and you have the skills required for cyberlaw. Top companies pay very generously for the work and in the modern era individuals are more and more likely to have need for this service as well. While the field is new and the job is there to be created, why wait for some other individual to just randomly have my vision and make it happen? No, I want to be one of the pioneers in this field. Waiting for someone else to do it just because they have the means already is out of the question.
What does the donation do?
Chatham Tuition - $16,600 per semester
Chatham Room - $3,010 per semester
Chatham Meal Plan - $2,555 per semester
PittLaw (total) - $50,008 per semester
As you can see, my estimate is fairly accurate - possibly even below what will be required - but I'm just setting the goal at a rounded $200,000.
How can I be sure you'll do what you say?
Realistically? Internet users recently donated $50,000 for a man to make a bowl of potato salad. I'm asking to get the education needed to start a career I'm capable of with my physical disabilities and be one of the pioneers in a realtivelty new field of law (when it comes to exclusivity). I can and will do this. I dunno' about potato salad guy... but this is an important thing. It is. Potato salad? Not so much.
In return, you recieve:
$500.00+ - A thank you card and an invitation to my BA graduation.
$1000.00+ - A thank you card and invitations to both BA and JD graduation ceremonies.
If the stretch goal of $200,000 is met - All who contributed $500 or more recieve an invitation to my office (once we open) for a guided tour and Q&A about the office and what we'll be doing. Additionally all who attend will have their photo placed in my lobby on a "hero wall" as well as my business website for the lifetime of the business.