'Should you really be a lawyer?' grad asks
Laura Katims
Issue date: 10/15/04 Section: News
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Schneider, an alumnus of the School of Law, travels around the country speaking to students about their pre-law choices. She has researched a variety of success strategies and has published what she believes to be the winning strategy in her book.
"The most important thing you can do is to investigate what the law school experience is all about," said Schneider. "Students need to think about their skills and interests, talk to attorneys and get hands-on experience."
While counseling first-year law students at the University of San Francisco School of Law, Schneider found that most students did not realize what a time and money commitment law school really was.
Schneider has noted that many students choose to attend law school as a way of putting their "real" lives on hold.
She strongly encourages students who are pre-law or considering pre-law to talk to lawyers and get legal internships before applying to law school.
According to students, however, finding these opportunities through the school is not easily accomplished.
"The pre-law process isn't as structured as pre-med. I had to do a lot of researching on my own," said president of Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, Kelly Lazaroff, a senior.
The Pre-Law Fraternity is a service-oriented group that gives students access to internships and other ways to volunteer in law-related programs, Lazaroff said.
Senior Dionna Lirttle, co-president of the Black Pre-law Society, agrees with Lazaroff that the University does not offer many resources for pre-law students. Each student has to seek out his own information, said Little.
Junior Jenny Perkins added that the pre-law advisor pays significantly more attention to seniors than to underclassmen.
"It's really hard to find consistent answers about law school preparation," said Perkins.
Lazaroff said the best advice she has for students thinking about becoming pre-law is to talk to people in law school to get an idea of what it is like.
The Pre-Law Society, another organization, is geared toward academic preparation for law school, such as LSAT practice and the statement of purpose. According to Lazaroff, all the pre-law groups give students an opportunity to converse with other students who hold their legal interests.
Schneider emphasized that a student's major is not the key to getting into and actually enjoying law school. Students need to research law school, or any graduate school, with as much effort as they would use to plan a vacation, she said.
Schneider said the most important concept she learned in law school was the importance of asking the right questions and doing the necessary research.
Above all, Schneider stresses the importance if being happy; it is the key to success, she said.
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