By Andrew Mahinay
If you ever want to be apart of something bigger than yourself, join a campus club.
Pacific Union College offers a broad range of clubs available to all students. On one side of the spectrum, you have social clubs, such as the Student Organization of Latinos (SOL) and the Korean Adventist Student Association (KASA), and on the other, academic clubs such as the Chemistry Club or Pre-law Society. Getting involved with either type of clubs is a great way to strengthen your network and share advice with other students. This article covers the purposes of joining the Pre-Law Society.
The two faculty sponsors of the Pre-Law Society are Dr. Howard Munson, associate professor of history, and Abram Fisher, assistant professor of business administration. Currently, the Pre-Law Society has an average of 15 to 20 members. The majority of members range from first year freshman to second year sophomores. There is a single senior, which consists of myself.
As the president of the Pre-Law Society, it is my job to facilitate a learning environment amongst all members of the society. The purpose of the Pre-Law Society is to inform faculty, staff, and students that there is a pre-law community that exists on campus and works to offer students guidance in the process leading up to law school and advice that can help them in their LSAT preparation. Having just taken the LSAT this year, I have learned valuable insights that will help students tackle and overcome the daunting LSAT. Examples of tips include indicating isolated question types in practice tests and pinpointing practice sections that include specific game types. (Editor’s note: You can also read Andrew’s blog post “Study Tips for Graduate School Admissions Tests” for more ideas.)
Another aspect the Pre-Law Society has to offer is a network of practicing attorneys who are willing to answer questions students have concerning law school. In addition to answering questions, they also provide students with tips. The Pre-Law Society recently featured PUC alumnus Brittany Cheney, who graduated at the top of her UC Davis School of Law class in 2012. She shared with students one of the most important characteristics to have in law school is competitiveness.
The Pre-Law Society also works as a support system. Pre-law is not a dominant field at PUC, and it is imperative students know they are not alone and there is a community of other pre-law majors on campus. It is the hope of the Pre-Law Society to ensure all members feel empowered to do their absolute best in their academic endeavors and to encourage students to strive for excellence.
If you are endeavoring to become an attorney, or contemplating whether pre-law is right for you, or just want to hang out with awesome people, feel free to join the Pre-Law Society!