DePauw Stories

Law school is a major commitment with lifelong implications. One winter term has been equipping DePauw students, pre-law or otherwise, with the knowledge to decide early whether law school is right for them.

In Preparing for Law School and Legal Careers, students become acquainted with the law school admission test, explore what careers are available with a law degree and get a glimpse into life as a first-year law student. They also learn about opportunities available through the DePauw Law Scholar Program, a scholarship program that places DePauw graduates at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

For the past four years, the DePauw preparation course was led by Nicole Burts ’13, who now is assistant director of student recruitment at McKinney.

“What I enjoy most about this, especially as a recent grad, is this very immersive experience that’s in line with the true liberal arts sense of what winter term is supposed to provide,” Burts said. “As a former DePauw student, someone who was pre-law, it would have been really helpful to me navigating my legal education to have a course like this. Students get a taste of what their career and education can be like.”

Burts took special pride in leading the class on a tour of McKinney, her law school alma mater, to help students get a feel for the school’s culture and determine whether it was a good fit for them. The students had a chance to meet with current DePauw Law Scholars at the school and took part in a mock class taught by Frank Sullivan, a former 19-year associate justice of the Indiana Supreme Court who is now a member of the law school faculty.

The mock class stood out to Rebecca Parsons ’23, an English literature major on the pre-law track at DePauw, who said she appreciated being able to experience a slice of law school from the perspective of an actual student – even if it was a little intimidating to get called on at first.

“It was nerve-wracking to get put on the spot, but it was cool to see how the critical thinking skills from DePauw really step in quickly,” Parsons said.