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Originally published on December 15, 2020
While students can be flexible in choosing majors and can even go undecided for their first year of college, it doesn鈥檛 necessarily apply to students who want to pursue a degree in law.
鈥淚f students are thinking about law school, they should start preparing during their first semester, and they should maintain their focus until they have submitted their applications,鈥 said , an assistant professor at the , director of the .
鈥淢ason undergraduates face a number of challenges as they prepare for law school,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he most important is that they must be sure they want to become a lawyer鈥攍aw school is extremely demanding, and so is the practice of law. To be sure this is the right field for them, students should seek out law courses.鈥
Getting accepted to a top-tier law school requires early diligence in a college career, he said. The system works: Mason graduates have been accepted to the law schools at Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, Duke, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, and many others. 鈥淪uffice to say, Mason grads are in law schools throughout the nation,鈥 Mink said.
Maintaining an excellent grade point average and attaining leadership positions with extracurricular activities are high on the list of what schools look for. Even more important than grades is the Law School Admissions Test鈥攖he LSAT, a daunting half-day grind. Writing an epic personal statement is also crucial. These requirements may be four years away, but they come fast.
But pre-law students do not have to go it alone. Various campus support groups are available and eager to help.
Mink advises undergraduate students to join the student-led , which he describes as 鈥渁 robust student organization that is establishing a community of pre-law students on the Mason campus鈥he pre-law program and the Schar Pre-Law Group work hand-in-hand to host events and foster a support system that will help prepare Mason undergrads to submit the strongest [law school] application they can.鈥
Molly Reed and Peyton Webb are the junior majors who are the driving forces behind the Pre-Law Group; both are on track for applying to law schools in fall 2021.
鈥淎 law degree is a universal tool that is necessary for every level of society,鈥 said Reed, whose parents work in the legal field. 鈥淲hether intending to work in the public or private sector, a law degree will enhance professional capabilities. While we each have different aspirations for our careers, we both see the law degree as the basis and starting point for our professional goals.鈥
Reed and Webb, like Mink, emphasize that 鈥渞esearching the available pre-law resources on campus is a great way to connect with fellow pre-law students and become involved in the pre-law community at Mason,鈥 said Reed.
鈥淪ince founding the Schar Pre-Law Group, we have created relationships with law schools and have co-hosted informational events with leaders in the field. We have also become well versed in each piece of the law school application, which has enabled us to educate our members on how to best prepare for applying to law school,鈥 said Webb.
As leaders, both Reed and Webb 鈥渉ope that the Schar Pre-Law Group continues to educate the Mason community on the admissions process in hopes of creating accessibility to valuable information and resources,鈥 Webb added.
Lily Goodman, a junior majoring in and minoring in Chinese language, is president of Mason鈥檚 only internationally recognized pre-law fraternity, .
鈥淏eing a part of [the fraternity] is crucial to securing a spot as聽an L1 at a prestigious law school,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he connections you make in this organization span far beyond the scope of Mason鈥檚 campus.鈥
Goodman highlights the events hosted by the fraternity, which 鈥渋nclude seminars with alumni participating in the field, talks with current law school students, LSAT prep events from the leading LSAT prep groups鈥攐ffered for free鈥攁nd tips on reaching your professional goals in the legal field.鈥
As to the number of memberships, Goodman explained that 鈥渢here is no specific number, but far too many students are missing out on the opportunities that Phi Alpha Delta provides, and we would love to see the membership increase.鈥
Schar School fact: A 2019 Schar School graduate was accepted to both Harvard and Yale law schools, a first for Mason.