For many students at Brandeis, law school is only a couple years away. The pre-law path can get overwhelming when it comes time for internships, applications and essays. Pre-law advising at Brandeis can help students manage their route to law school.
Lauren Dropkin, the pre-law advisor in the Hiatt Career Center, is a major tool for students interested in pursuing a career in law. She mainly helps juniors and seniors that are ready to apply to law school work on their resume, letters of recommendation and essays. First-years and sophomores can also meet with her to discuss information leading up to law school, including their next steps and networking strategies.
A meeting with pre-law advising can go a long way. Dropkin emphasizes, “I always want students to walk out of my office feeling empowered to move forward, feeling like ‘I know what my next step is and I am ready to take it.’” In order to get more information, there is a pre-law listserv that interested students can subscribe to for more information and opportunities.
There is a strong success rate of admission to law schools from Brandeis. For those interested, Dropkin suggests to people that they apply to a wide range of law schools. She emphasizes that the most important steps to take at Brandeis are “get good grades, develop yourself outside of the classroom and have a really good idea of why you want to be a lawyer.”
As a message to students, Dropkin is a resource for students in a wide variety of majors and minors, as she says, “I am definitely someone that they can come see, you do not have to be a legal studies minor to go to law school.” As Louis Brandeis once said, as quoted on the Brandeis website for the Legal Studies program, “The study of law should be introduced as part of a liberal education, to train and enrich the mind.” Many majors and minors can contribute to a well-rounded education in the humanities that will assist students who wish to attend law school.
Additionally, she tries to create a supportive environment for students going through the stressful process of applications, as well as researching various programs and schools that will be the right fit for them. It is also important to her that students feel empowered about their decisions.
“The first step for those deciding if they want to go to law school or not is determining how they plan on using their law degree,” said Dropkin. Having a specific motivation within the field of legal studies will help students propel their education forward, and even when the process may become difficult, students will not lose sight of their goal.
Students may utilize other Brandeis resources to help them prepare for a law career, such as joining the Pre-Law Society. According to the club’s website, the goals of the club are to help “educate the Brandeis student body on the application process to law school and create a forum whereby students can voice their concerns and questions about applying to law school.” Additionally, it offers practice timed LSAT sessions, help with networking and internships, visits from law school admissions counselors and speakers that discuss current issues regarding the field of law.
While the process of applying to law schools may be difficult, the end result is ultimately extremely rewarding, with the help of many Brandeis resources.
