The second (and last) semester of my Georgetown tax LL.M. program is already underway.
After slogging my way through winter break, starting the semester feels like reaching the end of one of those airport moving walkways before you’re ready.
My classmates and I are beginning the semester in a distracted state — most of us are already in first-and-second round interviews for after-graduation jobs. While this is a wonderful position for us to be in, it is very time-consuming to prep for interviews (and fret about callbacks.)
We are also fretting about last semester’s grades, which are trickling out at an exasperating slow rate. Grades are posted as they are received, which means we are stuck checking the school’s website multiple times a day (or hour.)
Checking (and rechecking) my grades at a Starbucks in Washington D.C.
The notification network
Georgetown’s SALT program is relatively small, so we all got to know each other last semester. This is nice because when one of my classmates sees a new grade posted, they immediately message everyone else. It’s like a makeshift digital phone tree.
It’s very hard to start interview season without a full set of grades because that’s the first (or second) thing employers ask about. It feels sketchy to make excuses for the school’s delay, but at least every other Georgetown student is in the same boat.
The perpetual tourist
Although most of my days are spent in coffeeshops and libraries now, I’m still making time to stumble into museums and monuments. I recently went to the National Building Museum, which is very close to campus and the law firm that I interned at last semester. I’ve walked by the building dozens of times but this weekend is the first time I ventured inside — and what a surprise!
A closeup of the exterior of the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
The interior courtyard of the National Building Museum in Washington D.C.
It’s a shame that the grand atrium doesn’t have seating — otherwise it would quickly become a favorite seating spot.
My consolation prize is the inner courtyard of the National Portrait Gallery, which is a nearby place that does provide ample seating (but no wifi or power plugs.)
The interior courtyard of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.
Not a bad second-place spot. The only downside is that the lack of wifi makes it hard to incessantly check for new grades…but that may actually be a good thing this week. 📚
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