So, you’re thinking about law school. Undergraduate degrees are challenging. Sometimes to the point of crying at midnight in the library, but have you ever thought about taking it one step further and challenging yourself by entering a graduate program like law school? Many people make the decision to go to law school to accomplish their childhood dreams, but some are still tossing the idea around during their last year of undergrad. You’ve seen Legally Blonde so many times and never thought you would actually follow through. You want to be the next Elle Woods, but you’re still a little unsure.
This week, we are going to give you a three-day long series with advice from four current law students. They have come forward to help give you an idea of what it is like to go to law school, and maybe help you make your final decision to go for it!
Ashley Paholski is a 3L student at Georgetown University Law Center. She attended Fairfield University in Connecticut for her undergraduate degree. She enjoys her time off from law school by rock climbing, running and playing soccer.
Dana Maurizio is an alumna of The University of Tennessee at Martin. She was on the Division 1 Rifle team during her four years. After getting her undergraduate degree, she traveled as a Leadership Consultant for Zeta Tau Alpha, and she currently serves as a National Officer. She attends University of South Carolina School of Law.
Sean O’Brien is also an alumnus of UTM. He attends University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. He was also on the rifle team during his four years along with having many other roles on campus.
Marabeth Kennedy is a recent graduate of UTM having graduated in the spring of 2017. She attends Belmont University School of Law. She is a native of Nashville, TN, and was very involved on campus during her time at UTM.
I asked them all 13 questions with the hope that they all would have some different perspectives on the topics. We hope that by the end of this series all of this information will be helpful to you as you are thinking about law school just like they did!
1) What was your undergrad major and minor?
AP: In undergrad, I majored in English and minored in Mathematics and Education; I also had a concentration in Literature and Cultural Studies.
DM: Bachelor of Science, Political Science with a minor in Psychology
SO: Bachelor of Science, Political Science with a minor in Cellular and Molecular Biology
MK: Bachelor of Arts, Political Science with a minor in Marketing
2) When did you know you wanted to go to law school?
AP: “Going into undergrad, I thought I wanted to be a teacher, but after spending a majority of my freshman year of college student teaching and tutoring, I decided that was not a job that was going to make me excited to get up every morning and go to work. Critical thinking, logical reasoning and persuading others with my writing had always been strengths of mine, so I decided to shadow a family friend who is a lawyer. I fell in love with the profession and joined the St. Bellarmine Pre-Law Society at Fairfield University. Every since I was captivated by the courtroom, arguing against opposing counsel and speaking before a judge, I knew I would be very happy in the legal profession. My first week at Georgetown confirmed that this was certainly the best decision I ever made for myself.”
DM: “I always had dreams of helping those who could not help themselves. Attending law school was a perfect way to accomplish that dream.
SO: “I think I always knew, but I was scared to commit to going because I had heard rumors about the difficulty, rigor, discipline needed to succeed and the legal employment market declining.”
MK: “In the back of my head, I feel like I’ve always known I wanted to be a lawyer but never thought I was smart enough. It’s one of those jobs parents WANT you to have, so it was never a job I thought I’d be able to get. In real life, I think I convinced myself that it was actually possible during my sophomore year at UTM.”
3) When did you start to prep for the LSAT?
AP: “My LSAT prep was a bit unusual, as last minute I decided to graduate from college in three years (as opposed to four). Making this decision, I began prepping for the September LSAT in July and studied July through August and then sporadically in the beginning weeks of September.”
DM: “I took the LSAT the summer following my junior year of college. I started to prepare in February for the June exam.”
SO: “About a year before I took the exam.”
MK: “I took the LSAT in September of my senior year. I started studying seriously around early June. I started learning about the structure of the LSAT, the various scores needed to get into schools I was applying to and the theories behind test taking in April or May of the summer before my senior year.”
Check back tomorrow for more advice from these amazing law students!
Photo courtesy of Pixabay