We’re taking a break from posting to this blog. In the meantime, please sign up for the Pre-Law Newsletter for events and opportunities.
Pre-Law Talk with University of Chicago Law School
Wednesday, October 20, 4:00pm - Leavey Library Auditorium
"What sets Chicago apart from other law schools is its unabashed enthusiasm for the life of the mind--the conviction that ideas matter, that they are worth discussing, and that legal education should devote itself to learning for learning's sake".
Ann Perry, Assistant Dean of Admissions will be presenting.
Space is limited, RSVP by emailing prelaw@usc.edu.
Dean Reid's Pre-law Workshop
Wednesday, October 13, 4:00pm - TCC (Tutor Campus Center) 232
Chloe Reid serves as the chief admission officer for the USC Gould School of Lawlaw school. Prior to joining the law school in 2006, Dean Reid served as director of admissions and associate dean for student affairs at Whittier Law School and as assistant director-council affairs for the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). She also served as executive dean (chief operating officer) at Antioch University Southern California, where she was appointed interim president for a year and a half.
Dean Reid holds a B.A in political science and a J.D. from the University of Tennessee. She is active in the community and serves on the board of the American Red Cross Blood Services Division for Southern California. She also is a member of the Goddard College board of trustees.
The Washington Undergraduate Law Review Call for Submissions
Winter Quarter Issue Submissions Due: Monday, December 13th
The Washington Undergraduate Law Review is looking for submissions! The WULR is an academic legal journal at the University of Washington that publishes law-related essays, research papers, and other written work by undergraduates. The law review is entirely run by undergraduates at the University of Washington who have an interest in law.
Submission to the WULR is open to ALL MAJORS. We value papers on a variety of legal topics, and students are encouraged to submit undergraduate theses or other academic papers. Submissions will be selected for publication by the WULRs executive editors based upon quality of writing, research, and analysis. All submissions accepted for publication may be edited for length and clarity.
Please direct any questions to the Editor-in-Chief, Teresa Teng, at teresa24@u.washington.edu.
Send submissions to wulr@uw.edu.
Florida State Law Summer Undergraduates Program
Florida State Law is accepting applications for its 2011 Summer for Undergraduates Program. The Summer Program is an intensive, four-week program that provides students with an inside look at law school and the legal profession.
Pre-Law Society Meeting
Wednesday, October 13, 7:00-8:00pm - SOS B38
Come listen to one of the managing attorneys from the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), Ana Storey. She graduated from USC and went to Loyola Law School, so she has some interesting experiences/advice to share. She practices family and consumer law and will be discussing different aspects of her career and journey through law school. As always, we will be providing free food, so don't miss out on this meeting! You can also pay membership dues ($10 for the year) and paid members get a discount on a Blueprint Test Prep course. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at pls.usc@gmail.com.
The National Asian Pacific American Pre-Law Conference (NAPAPC)
Saturday, November 20 – LA Live
The NAPABA Law Foundation is proud to present the National Asian Pacific American Pre-Law Conference.
The National Asian Pacific American Pre-Law Conference offers opportunities to network with established and experienced lawyers. Participants will be able to tap into practical and vital information from discussion, conversation and panel presentations to help strategize approaches to potential careers in legal education and practice. Attendees will enjoy exposure and contact with legal professionals sharing insights, successes and challenges in their careers.
Our very own Victoria Lin (USC 3L) will be part of a panel discussing: How to Be an All-Around Successful Law Student.
Imran’s Briefs: Law School Early Decision
Hey Guys,
Greetings from Dublin! I was having trouble thinking of a good topic for this weeks newsletter so I went over to Anna Ivey’s blog. This blog is a great resource for you guys and I think you could learn a lot about the application process by checking this blog frequently. That said I found this great posting about early decision deadlines that Id like to share with you
Cheers,
Imran
Law School Early Decision deadlines are coming up, so it's a good time to revisit the topic. Under what circumstances does it make sense to apply ED? (And for these purposes, I assume "Early Decision" is binding.) A couple of thoughts:
- The Early Decision commitment will not overcome an otherwise weak application. If you're less than competitive for an ED school, they aren't likely to snap you up out of the early pool. Rather, they'll probably want to roll you over into the regular pool so that they can see how their applicants are shaping up that year. For that reason...
- If you're in your fall semester of senior year, applying Early Decision makes sense only if you are already at your strongest academically. You still have two semesters of grades ahead of you, and many college students do their most interesting and important work senior year. Unless your GPA is already at its peak by the end of junior year, it might make sense to reconsider your application timeline. People who have upward trending grades throughout college would be cutting off a sizable fraction of that trajectory. Especially if you have academic weaknesses to mitigate from the earlier part of college, you'll want to show them a stellar senior year's worth of grades. In theory, you could wait until your first semester is done to submit your applications, but at many law schools, especially the most competitive ones, that's already pretty late in the game. If you're not at your strongest at the start of senior year, consider putting off your apps for a cycle so that you can apply with the benefit of your senior year accomplishments.
- If you are accepted into your ED program, do whatever it is you agreed to do when you made the binding commitment. Does your ED school require you to withdraw all your other applications if you're admitted? (That's the typical case.) If so, withdraw immediately. Not next week. Not two months later. Some applicants are tempted to leave their other applications in place, mostly out of curiosity ("I know I've committed myself, but I really want to know if I get into Yale"), but sometimes also in the hope that they can "upgrade" if a better offer comes along. Neither situation is kosher if you're required to withdraw. Plus, your "upgrade" school could very well take a dim view of you reneging on your ED obligations to another school. The law school admissions world is a small one.
Imran Haque is a 3L at USC Gould School of Law & a graduate intern at the Office of College Advising
