Welcome! My name is Dave. I will be starting law school in August. Where? That is the first adventure. It is down to UCLA with a 2/3 scholarship, Duke with a 1/3 scholarship and Columbia at full price. I know what some of you are thinking, "Are you seriously thinking of paying 200k for the privilege of living in a shoebox on the Upper West Side?" Well, yes. "And are you seriously going to turn down a deeply discounted, top-20 ranked JD on the beach?" It it increasingly looking so. I loved UCLA when I visited, but something (many things) are drawing me to New York. The Columbia name. My family. The city itself.

There is another consideration. Many would say that it is not a 6-figure consideration but here it goes. My path to this point has been interesting to say the least. Four undergraduate institutions, a dozen odd jobs, international travel, some seriously low points including a year or two worth of assuming I would never get my bachelor's degree. To attend Columbia Law after all that would be the ultimate triumph.

I will visit this Friday. If I love it, I will put down a deposit. If I hate it, I will visit Duke and then make a decision. I think I will love it. My uncle lives 5 blocks south of Columbia so I know the area. After 7 years in Florida, I NEED some culture, diversity, seasons and pace. No offense to Florida, a great place to vacation. LA would afford me this, Durham, North Carolina would likely not and NY, well, it is the capital of the Western Hemisphere.

My intention is to keep this blog through law school (we will see). For each long gap between posts, picture me dozing off beneath a classic green reading lamp, books stacked, papers scattered, regret mounting, all amidst the smell of old wooden bookshelves, walls, floors and librarians.

The last blog I kept "40 Days in the Desert" (davegallo.blogspot.com)(shameless plug), was a wonderful exercise in writing and reflection. There were days in Egypt when I would have just sat on my roof and read books but I forced myself to go explore. Part of the impetus was the blog. I wanted to have something to write at the end of the day. Often, this yielded adventure. I guess that the driving force behind this blog will be different. Less adventure, more record of an endeavor that many seek to undertake. There are volumes of insight out there for those who wonder if the law is for them. Let this be another.

See you after my Columbia visit.