Tag: Pre-Law Society

How to Get Into Law School — Featuring Texas Tech Law School

On November 7th, Assistant Dean of Admissions at Texas Tech Law School, Danielle Saavedra…

…and Prosecutor for Orange County District Attorney’s Office and Texas Tech Law School Alum Katey McCall…

…visited students at Sam Houston State University to discuss Texas Tech Law School and how students can prepare to apply to law school.

As the meeting began, Professor Yawn asked what the admissions board looks at when evaluating a students application.

Dean Saavedra stated that they look at a students Cumulative GPA, LSAT score, letters of recommendation, personal statement, and various other factors. She continued by giving advice on recommendation letters, telling us to ensure to ask a trusted professor. Further, that personal statements are very important and to keep them as detailed as possible. All of these elements will set one student a part from another.

Dean Saavedra and Ms. McCall then mentioned how essential it is to get applications submitted as early as possible to have the best chance at getting accepted. This is because, as time passes, schools will start tightening their standards; they want to ensure their ranking will remain high so they are less likely to take a chance on a student below the medians.

Dean Saavedra then transitioned to discussing Texas Tech Law School, noting how it is affordable and there are many unique opportunities to find what you love. This includes clinics, externships, and a mock trial program! Ms. McCall was involved in many, so she was able to give some personal insight.

Ms. McCall said that outside of these programs, there are many student organizations that students at TTU Law can join to connect with classmates. Moreover, that they allow one to grow in both knowledge and skills!

We would like to give a very special thank you to Dean Saavedra and Ms. McCall for sharing valuable information about TTU Law and the process of applying to law school. All who attended are extremely grateful and excited to apply to Texas Tech Law School!

A Social and Informational Kick-Off to the Fall Semester

by McKenna Nonnenmann

To start our fall 2024 semester with a sweet treat, the Pre-Law Society (PLS) held an ice cream social, sponsored in part by Student Legal and Mediation Services (SLMS) and the LEAP Center.

LEAP Ambassadors, current PLS Officers, and a few prospective PLS Officers (Lillie Bourgeois, Chrissy Biello, and Maggie Betancourt–thank you!) helped out, hosting an ice-cream social for all the opportunities and services offered by LEAP, SLMS, and PLS.

The ice cream social was an amazing way to meet people of all majors and classifications and it was exciting to see our returning members again after the long summer break.

Apart from the ice cream and the multitude of its toppings, we had a spin-the-wheel game featuring prizes made up of school supplies and for some extra lucky members, a Sam Houston State University mug!

Personally, I got a pencil case with some sticky notes, pencils, and a very nice highlighter. I can’t wait to use them! Others were similarly happy with their wins.

We also had a chance to meet some prospective new members, people we hope will get more involved with LEAP, PLS, or the University at large. In all, more than 100 people attended!

Following our ice cream social, we held an informational meeting to show our prospective members what to expect during our monthly meetings. The Pre-Law Society President, Olivia Discon discussed our future events such as the first official body meeting on September 11, LSAT seminars, the Mock LSAT, and guest speakers throughout the semester.

Since this is a new semester, we are once again holding elections for all positions. This year the President and the Vice President of Marketing are uncontested resulting in the automatic election of Olivia Discon and Cinthia Villarreal. This year running for Historian are Katherine Burnett…

…and Lillie Bourgeois;

…for Vice President of Treasury: Maggie Betancourt…

…and Christina Biello;

…for Secretary: Emily Alfaro has announced she is running for this position…

…as is Madison Cawthon;

…and for Vice President of Membership, McKenna Nonnenmann has announced her intention to run…

…as has Jacqueline Santos-Romano.

Although elections were not held at this meeting, all office runners were given a chance to speak about their qualifications for their respective positions.

Each candidate will be given a chance to speak again at our next meeting when the elections will be held. I look forward to seeing how each person grows into their role as a member and/or officer.

I’m excited to see what the Pre-Law Society has to hold this semester, and to all the future memories our members are going to make. This meeting was a great way to start the new Fall 2024 semester, and another addition to the book of memories.

PLS Spring Social: Legal Fun

by McKenna Nonnenman

With the semester drawing to a close, the Pre-Law Society hosted its Spring Social, a fun-filled evening with a lot of snacks. What’s better, we held it at the Wynne Home, where we surrounded by its beautiful art!

Although the evening was designed with fun in mind, the activities we all law-themed. Thus, we have a debate tournament based on childhood cartoons such as Scooby-Doo and Sponge-Bob SquarePants, the latter of whom was charged with a DUI in our retelling.

Then the jury groups switched with prosecution and defense for the next case: the murder of Scooby-Doo (spoiler alert: Velma did it with poisoned Scooby-Doo snacks in the kitchen). All groups reviewed their charges….

…and were given a four-minute time frame to explain key points of their positions and a one-minute rebuttal. The jury from both cases decided on the best arguments for both cases choosing the two teams to go head-to-head for the final debate: Texas v. Bradley.

Both teams argued very well, and the jury decided Emily Albright, Lillie Bourgeois, Katherine Burnett, Nicole Erazo, and Natalie Mujica won the debate, with good sportsmanship shown all around.

Next after a long break of Italian soda and snacks…

…our members played a game of Jeopardy. If our debate game did not bring out our members’ competitive sides, our game Jeopardy game certainly did! The question consisted of information about past Pre-Law Society Meetings, “Is it legal”, Sam Houston University, The Wynne Home, and Spring. After lots of debating, yelling, and cheering…

…Neehal Ahmed, Chrisi Biello, Olivia Discon, Mark Harkrider, and Isaac Mokrane won by a landslide!

Our members finished out the night with chips, cookies, and Scooby-Doo snacks (not poisoned of course) and shared funny stories from home and or work.

This social brought out the competitive sides of all our members who attended, forged new bonds, and created new friendships. Thank you to the Wynne Home Arts and Visitor Center for providing us with a space to host our social; and thank you to our Spring 2024 Semester Planning Committee for creating these activities and a fun-filled night.

Personal Statement Workshop with Pre-Law Society

by McKenna Nonnenmann

What is a personal statement and why are they important? Personal statements are what law schools use to understand what an applicant is like in personality, determination, and in writing skill. This section on a law-school application can make an applicant stand out from the pile and become a deciding acceptance factor.

This week the Pre-Law Society wanted to help their members create a strong thesis on their personal statements by asking two questions, “Why do you want to go to law school?” and “What do you want law schools to know about you?”.

To begin, we broke off our members into groups of two to discuss their answers.

In thinking about these questions and developing their answers, the students come a little closer to a personal statement.

After our discussions, our Secretary Jessica Cuevas, and one of our Legal Studies Advisors, Ms. Jean Loveall, explained how to make your personal statement stand out.

Advice included (1) think about what influenced you to choose law as a profession; (2) don’t duplicate your resume; and (3) explain why you would fit at the law schools to which you are applying. And–have multiple people look at your statement!

Of course, workshops and regular meetings aren’t the only things the PLS does. In the next month, we’ll be doing a Mock LSAT, bringing the 10th COA to campus, and bringing guest speakers to campus.

Follow our Instagram for future events and information @prelawsocietyshsu. See you at our last meeting of the semester on April 17!

PLS Meeting: Spring 2024 Kickoff

Pre-Law Society

McKenna Nonnenmann

Although the PLS has been involved in several informal events this spring, our first official meeting was February 21. And what a meeting! We had the honor of hosting two past Pre-Law Society presidents: Victoria McClendon, a first-year attorney; and Quinn Kobrin. a third-year law student at the University of New Hampshire. We also had the pleasure of having Blake Roach, an Associate Legislature Director at the Texas Farm Bureau, back on campus.

 Our meeting started off well, as we learned that we had 96 members, our highest-ever membership total!

The meeting continued on this note, as McClendon and Kobrin offered great advice on what law school is like. “It hits everyone like a brick wall,” noted Kobrin. Noting that undergraduate classes at SHSU are nothing like law school, McClendon and Kobrin suggested going out of our way to take challenging courses that teach us to think critically, read a lot, and to write.

Blake Roach also offered much-valued advice. He described his time as an advance-man for Greg Abbott, teaching him skills in preparation, event planning, research, flexibility, and networking.

All members of the panel encouraged students to push themselves, to get out of their comfort zones so that they can navigate more comfortably in the professional world. Going to professional events, taking on internships, working professional jobs, surrounding yourself with other professional students all work to make you more successful in the long run.

The meeting ended on a high note. After several years of fundraising–including work done by our past Presidents (including, of course, Victoria McClendon and Quinn Kobrin), we were able to donate $25,000 to SHSU to endow a scholarship. We closed the meeting with a “check presentation.”

Thanks to all our great panelists, and to all those who joined (or rejoined) PLS this semester. For future events or information, visit our Instagram @prelawshsu or email President Olivia Discon: ojd004@shsu.edu.

Our next meeting is March 20 at 6pm!

As a special note, we’d also like to thank all of our PLS Presidents who have helped us achieve this endowment: Megan Chapa (our first PLS President), Kaitlyn Tyra, Victoria McClendon, Quinn Kobrin, Heather Noman, Yvette Mendoza, Jade Miller, and Olivia Discon.

Law School Discussions: With STCL and TAMU

McKenna Nonnennmann

“How do we get into law school?” is the most common question Pre-Law Society members ask . There are many factors that go into a competitive application.

The two most important factors are the LSAT and GPA. Beyond that, law schools look at letters of recommendation, the student’s resume, and their personal statement.

For the last meeting of the year, the Pre-Law Society invited South Texas Law School and Texas A&M Law School to answer burning questions about the law-school admission process.

The entrance requirements are different for these schools. On average, TAMU Law has an incoming class with a 167 LSAT and a 3.9 GPA, while South Texas has a 154 LSAT and a 3.45 GPA. Despite these differences, the process for selecting applicants is much the same.

LSAT and GPA are the two most important factors, and one way to think of their impact is in terms of categories. A student with a higher than median LSAT and GPA is in the “likely admit” category, ” a student just below average might be “possible,” while a student with scores significantly below the median LSAT and GPA would be “unlikely.”

The law schools stress that the applications are looked at holistically, meaning that other factors: resumes, personal statements, letters of recommendation, and the like can matter. These are, however, more likely to matter if you are “on the bubble.” If you have a 2.2 GPA and a 130 LSAT, it’s very unlikely that a strong personal statement will get you serious consideration at either STCL or TAMU Law.

Both schools stressed that it is important to build relationships with professors and work supervisors, as letters of recommendations from them can be helpful in the process. And work experience can convey important qualities: punctuality, responsibility, a strong work ethic–and, in some jobs, critical thinking, writing, leadership, and management skills as well.

In the LEAP Center, we encourage progressive development:

  • First Year: Solid grades, take the Mock LSAT, find an organization or two;
  • Second Year: Develop study plan for LSAT, improve grades, begin looking at internships, consider officer positions in organization;
  • Third Year: Begin serious study for LSAT, have interesting college experience (study abroad, professional internship), show leadership potential; deepen relationships from potential letter writers;
  • Fourth Year: Take LSAT beginning Senior Year; apply for law school; round out college experiences.

During this final meeting, we also took the time to celebrate this semester’s graduating seniors. Tyrielle Bradford, Tonya Le, Ariza Martinez, Rylee Smith, and Brad Williams are our graduating seniors! All received a cord to reflect their time and dedication to the Pre-Law society.

Continuing the celebrations, Mark Harkrider, America Santillan, Christina Biello, and Noah Gilbert were awarded a $250 scholarship each! Their names were pulled at random in a small raffle game. 

We would like to thank South Texas Law School and Texas A&M Law representatives for taking time out of their schedules to join us today. We have learned a lot and hope to use this advice beyond our law applications. Thank you to all new and old members for joining us on this journey through the semester. Good luck to all this semester’s graduates from now and to the future. Please follow us on our socials for more information and future events with the Pre-Law Society! Happy holidays and see you next semester!