Seminar prepares students for law school

By Gwen Ferrand

Staff Writer

This past Tuesday, Salisbury University hosted a seminar for students hoping to continue on to law school after completing their undergraduate studies. Contrary to popular belief that one has to be a political science major to be "pre-law," many students from other majors, from biology to communication arts, can apply to law school; this is one of the important points that Dr. Roberta Adams, Salisbury’s pre-law advisor, stressed.

"Applying is a complicated process, and some students just aren’t prepared," Adams said.

It is a time consuming process, with many of the steps being not necessarily obvious. With the fall being the best time to apply, Adams advises getting organized and informed in the spring so as not to fall behind. "By the time [students] start [applying], if they do not have an idea of what to do it is very daunting," Adams warned.

Since law schools are looking for diversity and not just the average political science major, Adams advised students to "do what is right for you," and not what students think they need to do to be accepted.

"Some students have said there were certain courses they had taken that were helpful, but really it is a very individual thing," stated Adams when asked if there were specific routes students had taken at SU that were beneficial to them.

"Most students do best in what they like, and the temptation is to choose classes that are strategic, but that’s the long way to go," she advised.

As far as skills go, Adams notes that sharpening writing and reasoning skills are very important in being successful in the process.

Salisbury alum David Mills, who continued on to the University of Maryland’s law program, praises the political science department for preparing him adequately.

"It’s a surprisingly strong program, which people probably would not expect coming from such a small school," Mills said.

Conversely, current student Allan White, who is majoring in history, plans to continue to law school after SU and stated, "I think not being in political science, which is what they would expect, gives me an edge over others competing to be accepted."

Salisbury has kept records for the past six or seven years on the success of alumni who are accepted into law school after attending SU, and the numbers are increasing. In years past, not as many students were applying to law school, Adams said, but now more are becoming better prepared. As for where the students choose to go for law school, local schools such as University of Maryland and the University of Maryland Baltimore County tend to be more popular, and institutions like Penn State are gaining interest.

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