Asides

A Merry Marathon of Christmas Cheer with the City of Huntsville!

Olivia Discon

Many of us Sam Houston students have heard the phrase “There is nothing to do in Huntsville”. Well, after this past Saturday, December 2, even the naysayers were left in awe of the sheer amount of holiday festivities hosted by the city.

Bright and early, LEAP students volunteered at Main Street’s Christmas Fair, ran by our very own, Jessica Cuevas. The event was bustling with activities at every corner, with the opportunity to get a head start on some holiday shopping, spend time with family, and most exciting to Texans, the rare chance to frolic in snow!

Santa Claus happened to make a surprise appearance this year, and to say the children were excited to share their Christmas lists with him was an understatement. For those who were not as thrilled, Madison Cawthon gave her best shot at trying to get children to smile for a quick photo-op with the man in red.

Just a few steps away, Huntsville’s Parks and Leisure Department hosted Winter in the Park at Rather Park. The children (ourselves included) were able to enjoy several craft making stations, bounce houses, and face-painting to the tune of some wonderful live holiday music. This was a project that fellow LEAP Ambassador Cinthia Villarreal worked on, and it was great to see her in action!

These community-centered events are a testament to the importance of togetherness. What was most enjoyable, in my experience, was the look of pure joy amongst the passerby. The event allowed for families to have fun and reinvigorate their sense of Christmas spirit, and through them, the volunteers felt the gratification of what it is to serve their community. Though these acts of volunteerism don’t lessen the chances of our stockings being filled with coal this year, we were happy to do it anyway. In my first jingle through the Huntsville holidays, I can joyfully declare that when it comes to celebrating Christmas, Huntsville’s definitely ‘sleighs’ it!

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!