Hey, I could use $2,000! Perhaps I’ll enter… thanks for the tip, Brian Foster!

Speaking of money: a random tip for fellow 3Ls who, like me, are financing their own bar-exam costs, and need a way to bridge the gap between spring-semester student-loan funds and the receipt of that all-important first paycheck: If you don’t mind taking on an additional few thousand dollars in student-loan-like debt (because really, at this point, does it make a difference? we’re all going to be in debt until we die anyway), you can apply for up to $11,000 from Citibank via the CitiAssist Bar Study Loan.

This is especially convenient if you’ve taken out Citibank Notre Dame Loans and/or used Citibank as your lender for your federal loans, as the Bar Study Loan will show up right alongside your other loans and thus will be easy to keep track of. One major difference: the funds will be sent to you directly via check, not placed in your student account; Notre Dame’s only role in the process is certifiying that you are, in fact, a law student (or a law graduate within the last 12 months).

I don’t know why NDLS doesn’t publicize this loan more; I suspect it’d be awfully helpful for an fair number of folks. Yet I only know about it because I stumbled upon it while Googling around for something else. Anyway, I thought I’d share it with y’all, just in case it’s helpful to anyone else.