Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and final exams are right around the corner. Do I feel prepared? No. Do I ever feel prepared? Also, no.

I’m currently a 3L in the Extended Division. I have three semesters left, and I know at least one of them (Spring 2021) is going to be remote. Classes went remote about halfway through Spring 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was an abrupt change, but Widener’s faculty and staff have done an amazing job managing the transition to remote learning while trying to keep things as normal as possible over the past several months.

Things are far from normal however. I’m in the Extended Division because I work full time during the day. Work is remote, school is remote, I’ve been averaging 10 to 12 hours a day in my home office. It’s absolutely maddening.

I miss talking with my classmates, I miss awkwardly waving to my professors on campus, I miss being able to meet with faculty and staff in person. In all honesty, I’m feeling kind of lost.

I know I’m not learning as much remotely as I would in the classroom, and my grades from last semester showed it. Luckily we had a temporary grading policy that allowed me to keep my GPA up. However, said policy is no longer in place.

As I brace for the stress brought on by finals, and the impact of potentially less than palatable grades, I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you’re considering applying to law school, maybe consider waiting. Wait until the pandemic is under control and in-person classes can resume safely. Get the full law school experience.

I enjoyed the heck out of my first three and a half semesters at Widener, and I’m anxious to get back in class. Remote learning isn’t terrible, but it also isn’t great. I’d give it a solid “meh” overall. But being in the classroom is fun and exciting and stressful and encouraging all at the same time.

I would absolutely recommend Widener Commonwealth Law School, especially their Extended Division program. It’s a small, hodge-podge sort of group, but also a close-knit community. I feel that sense of community has dwindled through remote learning. I would recommend Widener, but I would also recommend waiting (if you can) until you can take in the full experience.