Student Connection: Opportunities on campus and off

On campus …
Dickinson’s campus is full of opportunities to engage in the study of law. Our faculty is committed to giving students a broad view of legal processes, both in theory and practice. Legal-themed classes use law-school textbooks and examine real case studies. They bring alumni and other legal professionals to campus as adjunct faculty and guest lecturers.

Student/Faculty Research
Dickinson students work hand in hand with professors on research projects. Following are a few recent examples:

• Audrey Rose ’02 and Tim Sidore ’02 worked with Professor Andy Rudalevige on a chapter titled “Forging a Congressional Compromise” in his book No Child Left Behind? The Politics and Practice of School Accountability.
• Jared Mellott ’04 co-authored two chapters in Professor H.L. Pohlman’s Constitutional Debate in Action series.
• Professor James Hoefler is coordinator of the Dickinson-Carlisle Web Project, in which students created more than 50 local business and community-organization Web sites to strengthen the ties between the college and the community.

Students participate in mock trials—with real judges in a real courtroom—both in class to provide a framework for learning and as an extracurricular activity as members of the Mock Trial club. Students take on the roles of lawyers, for the prosecution and defense, plaintiffs, defendants and jury members.

Mock Trial
If you seek a way to build your critical-thinking and public-speaking skills, Dickinson’s mock-trial team is an ideal choice. Coached by Professor Douglas Edlin and Common Pleas Judge Edward Guido ’72, the team offers future lawyers the chance to test their knowledge of law in a courtroom situation. To apply legal theory to actual cases, students:

• read autopsy reports
• enter items as evidence
• file motions
• cross-examine defendants
• and prepare and present arguments.

Over the years, Dickinson’s team has participated in the American Intercollegiate Mock Trial Tournament and placed well.

Career Services
The Dickinson Career Center has advising services tailored for Pre-Law students who want to pursue a variety of careers. Our counselors provide guidance on activities, summer jobs, volunteer opportunities and other options that will help students explore the realities of the workplace. For more about internship opportunities, see below.

The Dickinson Works alumni-networking program enables current students and alumni to network with one another, creating opportunities and forming relationships that otherwise would not have occurred. A mentoring program with The Penn State Dickinson School of Law allows Dickinson undergraduates to meet law students who provide guidance about applying to and being in law school.

Pre-Law students will find a variety of resources in the Career Center library, including:

• ABA-LSAC Approved Law Schools
• America’s Greatest Places to Work with a Law Degree
• Bridging the Gap Between College and Law School
• Game Plan for Getting into Law School
• How to Pay for Your Law Degree
• NAPLA/SAPLA Book of Law School Lists
• Thinking About Law School: A Minority Guide
• Ultimate Guide To Law School Admission
• What Can You Do With a Law Degree?
  

When you are ready to apply to law or graduate school, the Career Center will provide application assistance, essay review, prep classes for the LSAT or other professional exam and help with the selection process. If you plan to apply for jobs rather than attend graduate school, a variety of job-search resources are available to you at the Career Center.

Writing Center
All job seekers need polished writing skills to be competitive in the business world. Whether you are writing briefs or motions, or simply a letter or memo to a colleague, clear and concise prose is essential for success in law school and any career. Dickinson’s Writing Center counselors work with students to help them recognize the importance of a strong thesis, a logical argument and solid evidence. Students learn that good writing is not primarily a matter of correct grammar and usage but of critical thinking, solid research and clarity of style.

... and off
While Dickinson students work toward their degrees, they spend time off campus to see the world and gain invaluable experience that will add to their liberal-arts educations.

Through a wide variety of course options, students tailor their policy-studies major to suit their post-graduation plans, taking classes that will give them an edge when competing for acceptance to law school or better prepare them for the first steps in their chosen careers.

Internships
High-quality internships are available locally, and the Career Center (see above) can help you find and apply for them. Carlisle is the Cumberland County seat, and the state capital, Harrisburg, is only 17 miles away. Many local Dickinson alumni serve as mentors and internship-site supervisors. Some recent internship sites include:

• Cumberland County Assistant District Attorney’s Office
• Legislative Research Office in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
• Office of the U.S. District Court
• U.S. Army Military History Institute
• The Powell Group
• Immigration and Refugee Services
• American Cancer Society
• Sierra Club
• W.H. Newbold’s Son & Co. Inc.
• Broujos & Gilroy P.C.
• Martson, Deardorff, Williams & Otto
• Commonwealth Foundation
• Cumberland County Courthouse
• Pennsylvania State Capitol
• Republican and Democratic State Committees of Pennsylvania

Washington Semester
If you want to study the nation’s legal systems at the source, Dickinson can help. The Dickinson Semester in Washington places Dickinson students in internships at the Supreme Court, in congressional offices and in many other policy-related positions, including working with lobbyists, think tanks and nonprofit organizations.

Study Abroad
Dickinson’s 13 study-abroad centers and various semester- and summer-long programs allow students to become global citizens. In the past, students in our summer program in London have worked in law offices and assisted barristers in British courtrooms. Whether you choose to spend a semester in Queensland, Australia, or stay in Carlisle, Pa., Dickinson can help you find useful experiences to complement your classroom studies.
www.dickinson.edu/global

Dickinson Alums: In their own words

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