Fit

This is the time of year when people start getting antsy with their current lease and begin thinking of where they want to live next year.  Here to tell us about an option TJSL students should consider is Stephon.  Stephon?  “San Diego’s hottest new apartment complex is The Entrada.  It has everything, a walkable commute to TJSL, multiple floor plans, and it allows pets.”  Is that all Stephon? “Yes.”  Alright thank you.  Stephon, “well actually I have one more thing.”  What is it?  “It also has a sun deck for tanning, and a trolley stop.” Now here’s what your fellow TJSL students, and Entrada residents, had to say.    

Jamie Moss, 2L, chose to live at the Entrada because of the proximity to the new campus and the fact that Thomas Jefferson took an interest in the property.  She says, the "commute" to school is undeniably the best benefit of living at the Entrada.  She also loves her spacious apartment that has a great view of downtown.  The “spacious apartment” is a large studio.  The building is mostly comprised of 98% studios.  There are also one, two, and three bedroom units.  She likes the fact that many TJSL students already live there, and plans to keep her lease through graduation.   Britney Hamilton, 1L, likes the central courtyard, and that she can walk to a lot of places downtown.  She also likes that Entrada has its own gym, and the security.

Lindsay Demery, 1L, likes the building because it is new and it is close to FIT.  She chose to live there because she has a dog and the Entrada allows pets.  Not that many places downtown allow pets, or if they do not many allow dogs.  

Dean Beth Kransberger explains that TJSL wanted a way to help ease students’ transition into law school and San Diego by providing low maintenance, high quality living.  Other law schools in metropolitan areas offer housing grants, and Thomas Jefferson wanted to stay competitive.  Since taking over the master lease in December 2010, TJSL has hired San Diego’s top management company to achieve this goal.  She sees it as an ideal building for law students.  The Entrada consists of 172 units, 132 of which are available for rent to TJSL students.  Right now 54 TJSL students live there.  Each unit has washer, dryer, dishwasher, as well as all the standard appliances.

Student discounts: TJSL’s long-term goal is to offer housing grants, need based and merit based, for students to apply towards the Entrada.  Currently when a large bulk of units become available at the same time the school offers discounts and move-in specials.  As non-student tenants leave, law students come in.  The goal is to rent all 132 units to TJSL students so TJSL can provide housing grants, need and merit based, to students.  

The Entrada does seem to have it all.  Imagine not paying the $80 per month to park at the Padres Parkade, and never moving your car for a Padres game. Imagine not taking the trolley to school every day.  Imagine walking from your home to class, to your internship at a courthouse or law office downtown.  Imagine walking your dog around the neighborhood then going to FIT in the evenings.

How to apply for an apartment: There are about 980 TJSL students and 132 units at the Entrada.  About 6 – 8 units become available each month.  To get on a wait list for an Entrada apartment, email Assistant Director of Admissions, Justin Cruz, at jcruz@tjsl.edu.  

I am a chunky monkey.  In case you’re confused, I have a long list of ways to describe different levels of larger-than-“normal” body types. It ranges from thick to chunky to BIG, etc. Recently, I reached a weight that I will not publicly disclose, and it became a wake-up call to the toll law school was taking on my body, and subsequently my emotional and mental states. The last two years of law school made me fat and old, and I let it.

Law school is a stressful time in our lives. If you’re anything like me, this means erratic hours, lack of sleep, and little to no time to cook or clean. For the first two years, I was lucky to have more than one meal on most days. Even then it was rarely, if ever, healthy. As we entered into a new calendar year (and the last year of my academic legal career), I vowed to be healthier. I believed I would have the time to be better to myself because I was moving from full-time to part-time status. Progress has been touch and go. Even with less time dedicated to the classroom, my schedule seems to fill itself, and some days old habits rear their ugly head and I think about how easy it would be to stop by Del Taco before heading onto Highway 163. I have spent the last few months working very hard to not cave into what’s supposed to be easier, and being in this new building has made a healthier lifestyle a little easier.

When this school first pitched Fit Gym, I complained – a lot. I already had a gym membership that cost half what the school was paying and was available nationally. I didn’t see the point in having a membership to a posh gym downtown when 24 Hour Fitness was only a few blocks away at Horton Plaza. In all honesty, I don’t remember the last time I used my 24 Hour Fitness membership, and having Fit only a few steps away from campus has made life a lot easier. I get to the gym Monday through Friday, fitting in cardio and weight training between classes and other obligations. With hindsight being what it is, kudos to the administration for putting it together.

Another feature the school provided that has made transitioning into a healthier lifestyle easier is the refrigerators. I didn’t eat during the day because I didn’t bring food, and by the time I left I was in no mood to cook. My refrigerator at home was a barren wasteland. Having refrigerators on campus to keep food has been immensely helpful this semester. I keep thinking back to the days of the Old Town building, and I realized that my personal care was the same as the care for the old building. Things were breaking down, out of place, and I ignored them. Some bad habits still carry over, though. Every meeting still has pizza. It may not be Papa John’s or Pizza Hut, opting for meetings at Basic instead, but it is still pizza. It’s tough to avoid.

The point of all of this is to highlight what we let ourselves get away with in law school because of the stress. It is kind of like the freshman fifteen in undergrad. For us slightly older students, the stress adds more weight to us, and the fatigue makes it less likely that we will treat ourselves properly. Not only in eating right or exercising, but also in getting out and doing things that make us happy. The focus of health for law students is usually the attention paid to alcohol and substance abuse within our profession and I think it is because we get to a point of no longer having the energy to do what we love. I love food and with my recent changes in my lifestyle, I cook a lot. I initially began this change to lose weight and be thin, but the more I go through it the less I care about the physical results because I see myself becoming a happier person. 

I applied to be the 1L Manifesto writer in 2008. I felt like the column would be reminiscent of Carrie Bradshaw’s column in Sex and the City, except without the sex.  However, if I wanted I could write about any topic, so usually I did.  From test freak outs to attempting to try out for the Charger Girls cheerleading squad, I loved that column.

I wrote the first 2L Manifesto column last year, although due to the increase in my comfort level, my articles were often deemed to “racy” or “inappropriate” and remain on my computer hard drive. (BTW – ask me about my Sundance and Pizza Nazi articles, they are amazing!)

Naturally, when running for SBA VP as a 3L, I knew that I could finally have some control over the paper. I had planned all along to write a “3L Manifesto” but, because of limited time, I have only been able to focus on putting it together… until now.

I cannot believe that I am graduating law school. I’m only 24 and I will have a “J.D.” after my name. So now, while I worry about my $300,000 debt just as much as teenage boys dream about female anatomy, knowing that I’m about to graduate law school is the (small) silver lining. Sure, I won’t be able to afford a Lamborghini as fast as I would like, but that is not going to stop me from getting one eventually. (Purple, Convertible).

On top of the crushing debt, the biggest hurdle is the bar exam. Piece of cake – literally. I am likely to get really fat from eating desserts, I may be unrecognizable come August when I turn 25. This is okay! I’m the first person in my family to go to college and the first out of 15 cousins on one side to attend law school (possibly any graduate institution). Further, I come from a group of “large” Italians, so I’ll fit right in with my cake tummy. Luckily, our membership at FIT sustains us through bar study and so hopefully, I will just maintain my weight. If you see me in the gym between May and July, I recommend you just don’t even say anything to me, unless you have a Babycake cupcake in your hand.

After all that, I have to wait until November to find out that I passed, (I better, I’m not giving myself any other option). Then, I’ll be an “Esq.” Now, when I watch Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, hearing “Bill S. Preston, Esq.” say his name will mean so much more to me (and be even funnier).

So for my last manifesto ever -- Sayonara!