University student's JW based honors thesis research. PLEASE HELP! (page 2)

satinka

I attempted to take the survey, but some of my feelings and opinions did not fit into any of the selections.

I can't think so much "in the box" any more...sorry...

So I bailed.

satinka

Yomax

I completed the survey, with the understanding that my answers were closest to my opinions, without having to be exact.

Band on the Run

How long would the telephone conversation take? Senior thesis writing is different from a doctoral dissertation. Strange as it may seem, grad students do learn more content, even in poli sci.

Are you defining a love of order and deference to authority as conservative?

I, too, found the questions rather awkward but what the heck. A student paper is credit for a course not a large project. When I wrote my thesis, my biggest problem was picking a topic. There was not much supervision where I attended school. It was your responsibility. I lingered for an entire semester then wrote it all in the next. I received high honors. Unknown to me, the chair of the dept wanted to flunk me for not completing my work the first semester. Several of my professors assured him I would finish it on time. Now I don't know whether I received honors b/c of departmental politics or whether I merited it.

Two weeks of law school trained me to think in a different fashion. I could go back to all my college courses and receive much better grades.

I'm curious as to what you plan to do with poli sci? Politics, teach, law, government work? I wish you the best.

honorsthesis

57 "ex-JW" respondents so far! I hope I can get at least 200. Come on apostates!! :)

@Band:

The phone interview would last as long as you have time and something to say...it can be as short or as long as you;d like

I am seeking a degree in Poli Sci as a supplement to law school. I have wanted to be an attorney since freshman year. This, of course, has caused a fair amount of eye-rolling from members of my congregation.

It is no doubt almost impossible to entertain a non-secular education while simultaneously pleasing the brothers and sisters.

I am on my own. But I am strong enough to do it.

VIII

So you are a JW? Being in college would garner more than eye-rolling in most congregations. And with the dirth of attorneys one would think you'd pick a new career path. Say, engineering?

honorsthesis

Yes, I am a JW. I agree, the legal market is saturated with attorneys. All the more reason to seek to separate yourself from the masses. Getting into a top 20 law school is a must. I have a solid GPA, 3.8, and graduating with highest honors would be icing on the cake.

Therefore, I must write a fantastic thesis.

Band on the Run

I'd be humble about entering a top law school. Many factors, besides your merit, determine that outcome. I was able to grad from NYU with a full scholarship. There is a difference between practice and law school rankings. Yale, for instance, graduates brilliant philosophers. I find them hard to work with b/c they tend not to stay in the concrete.

Law is adapatable. A large segment of my class never practiced law. We had dancers, Broadway musicians, PhDs, novelists -- a good mix. Diversity is one important element. I would think you could write a stunning piece on how you are JW and how it affects your decisions. It helped me be awarded the scholarship. I mentioned that my family was JW and that my mom had been expelled from high school b/c of the flag salute issue. I recruited potential students for the scholarship program my third year. I was on a panel of judges, including federal Court of Appeals judges and journalists. The program was important to me but it was controversial nationally. Selecting students with views similar to my own was important. I walked into a room full of applications and freaked. Hundreds of files were strewn about a tiny office. Within half an hour, my choices were clear and limited. The good candidates seemed to leap off the pages of their application.

If you truly want to be a lawyer, go for it. There is such a surplus of lawyers in the market yet hardly any regular folk have access to legal services. B/c of the economy, I imagine future recruiting lines will be more fluid. I am not curently employed b/c of disability and fear the future. Looking back, though, I am so glad I attended law school. It fit me much better than college did.

It isn't that hard, either. The problem is the competition. Most schools grade with a bell curve. The difference between an A and an F was merely a few points. The biggest problem I saw is that everyone is an A student when they enter, then they have to adapt to being C or B students. Students with better grades seemed more organized rather than brighter.

I will leave my tel. number through pm.

VIII

Are you a *defecting* JW? Or are you a serious JW who is curious how JWs who've been DFd and/or left for any number of reasons think and feel?

Your wording is curious. Are you planning on a career in Bethel?

Band on the Run

Now I am wondering. It strikes me that one can get just an accurate sampling from any source. Going to law school is an extremely unWitness activity. How do you get sworn in to the bar without taking an oath? So do you have a job at Bethel guaranteed? I assumed their lawyers were lawyers who converted which is bizarre in itself. The thesis takes object to the Witnesses stated neutrality by proving through random? interviews that Witnesses are social conservatives. First, the conclusion just sounds so obvious. Maybe I will call the Univ. of Fla. tomorrow.

The questions stunned me a bit. It is hard to gauge. My thesis was so sloppy when I evaluate it from years of further education. Would a poli. sci prof approve such questions? The Internet is smoke and mirrors.

The Witnesses can be neutral in many ways yet favor entitlement programs. Lawyers may have strong feelings against a client and yet still represent the client zealously. The hatred must be extreme to qualify for disqualification. Murderers and rapists deserve defenses.

I don't understand why someone would voluntary assert they are a Witness but are questioning the culture at this website. A regular poli sci student would not identify themselves as a Witness or former Witness. The word of mouth is that colleges have dumbed down. Weird.

Band on the Run

Perhaps you can cite this as an example of paranoia from former Witnesses. Would you will be willing to have a prof. at Univ. of Fla. vouch for your course work? Obtaining a student email is easy. One phone call could confirm the situation.

University student's JW based honors thesis research. PLEASE HELP!

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