IA Reflection #2

For the month of October, I chose to volunteer for the annual Law School Fair from 9-10:15 am on Thursday, Oct.  25th. There were several different tasks the volunteers could have been assigned to do: law school registration, student sign in, greeting people and directing people to the fair, and set-up. I was assigned to student sign-in, but because my shift had me working before the actual start of the event, I was given the responsibility to sign law school representatives and direct them to their booth.

I feel that this service event fits very well into the theme of international affairs. For many people that are within the international studies major, like myself, Law School is a common option for after graduation since a law degree opens doors to careers in foreign policy and law regarding international affairs. Also, there are many sub-fields of law that deal directly with issues of international affairs, such as international law and immigration law.

I myself am not looking to apply to law school and I am pretty set in that decision, so the Law School Fair itself did not pertain to me in the same way that it would for a pre-law student. However I am planning on going to grad school directly after graduation, and what I believe I gain from volunteering was a look into how I should begin my search for possible grad school programs. Up until recently the idea of looking for grad programs was extremely intimidating in part because I am not sure of exactly which kind of program I want to apply to, but also because I don’t know what kinds of schools to look for and apply to.  I realized that a smart way to help my search would be to contact the departments of either International Studies or City Planning (both are programs that I have been considering pursuing after graduation) a grad school fairs or similar events. These kinds of events would let me speak to representatives from graduate programs without having to travel as much as I did while looking for undergrad and give me a better understanding of the schools that offer these programs.

One thing I wish I would have been able to do that day would be to just walk around the fair to just see how grad schools advertise themselves, what kinds of criteria they are looking for, what are the criteria that other students look for in grad schools. The information I would have received at the Law School Fair would have been limited, but it could have helped put me on the right track to deciding where I want to go after I finish undergrad. AT this point, an ideal post-graduate job/interview would be at a city planning firm to gain some experience in the field before going to grad school. Especially being that I am a City and Regional Planning minor and not a CRP major means that, if I choose to go into that field, I would have much less experience with the material than my classmates.

Overall, I feel that volunteering at the Law School Fair was extremely beneficial even though I am not pre-law because it gives me a sense of where I need to go in terms of my own post-graduation search.