In law school, you need to find outlets that are going to help you thrive, not just as a student, but mostly as a person. For me, those outlets include SBA, PAD, books, and, of course, watching TV.
This year, I am one of the Vice Presidents of Social for SBA (student bar association). Within that role, my duties mainly include planning events such as Dean’s Picnic, Halloween Party, Barrister’s Ball, and 30 day party. As you probably know, this Friday is our annual Halloween Party.
So, what goes into the planning? I’m here to tell you!
First and foremost, a date for the party needed to be set. In previous years, the party has been on the Friday closest to Halloween. Tentative date? Check.
What now? Make sure we have a space to host the event. In similar fashion, we looked at where the event had been held in previous years. We reached out to American Brewing Company (ABC) to see if we could host the event and if the date we wanted was available. Lucky for us, ABC was available on the date we wanted. Location and date? Done.
Okay, great! The place and date are set. We should be almost done, if not already, right? Not so much. The next few things happen simultaneously, some things taking precedent over others at times.
What is a party without food? A horrible one. FOOD. FOOD. FOOD. As a student, we all love hearing the words, “food will be provided!” It is always quite the incentive to go to an event. So now, you need to pick out food. Easy as pie. Just kidding! When picking out food, we needed to consider what people liked last year, common food allergies, common diets/accommodations (gluten-free, vegetarian, etc.), and, of course, the amount of food to coincide with the number of people. We looked at what we got last year, adjusted some things, and hoped the final number would be around the same amount. Spoiler alert: we were (pretty much) spot on.
At the same time food needed to be figured out, we needed to look at decorations. In full transparency, decorations are not my thing so I let my co-VP take the lead on that!
Okay great, we have food, location, date, and decorations done. We should be done, right? Still no. What is a party without music? Luckily for SBA, another executive member has a DJ friend who graciously made us an amazing playlist (if you’re reading this–THANK YOU AGAIN!).
Oh yeah, and there is that part with the math–the scary part. The cost. When planning an event such as this, we try our best to make it a price where students can afford it and SBA’s budget can cover the rest. This was a math game. How many people will end up coming? What is the total price for hosting the party at ABC? How much is left in the SBA budget? Math, math, math. Thankfully, our executive board (especially our treasurer) did the math–several times–to figure out the right numbers.
Hmmm, okay, now we DEFINITELY should be done. Not quite yet. There is still coordinating the little things with ABC, planning for setup and decorations, getting physical tickets, etc. Even as I am writing this, I am sure there is something small that still needs to be figured out or done.
Everything seems to be done, all the little things are getting sorted out with the help of all of SBA and ABC. So what now? Now, you prepare the best you can for anything you might have forgotten. Extra tickets? Paper to label food allergies? Extra printouts of people who bought tickets? Cash box for change if people buy tickets at the door? All things you try to prepare for, plus the multitude of other things that could occur. Even though I can prepare all I want, I still know something could go wrong. But in the meantime, it is time to pick out a costume and get ready to have fun!
If you couldn’t tell, party planning has never truly been my thing. However, I decided to give this position a shot and have enjoyed it very much so far. In this position, I have SO much support from my fellow executive members and all of the SBA representatives. This post may seem like it is a lot, but in reality, it truly is not. I have the guidance of previous executive boards to help make decisions. Dean Teplitz helps out whenever and wherever she can in the planning process + execution.
Now that the majority of the planning is done, it is time to take that much needed break from law school and enjoy the halloween party. I cannot stress this enough–TAKE BREAKS AND ENJOY YOURSELF! Law school is hard. It can feel lonely and impossible. It is absolutely vital you take your breaks from working and enjoy yourself.
If being busy and getting involved is your thing, I highly recommend you consider running for a position in any organization you’re interested in. It can give you a break from school and allow you to push yourself in ways you previously wouldn’t have considered. Try new things, go to those events. Simply, allow yourself to take a break and enjoy life. Law school is about more than just surviving it; you must make sure you are enjoying your life while you go through it.
Student Ambassadors 