Students who deviate from the traditional UCSD paths face historically limited options for enhancing career skills. This is especially true for pre-law students, who are left to combat the campus’s perceived apathy toward legal pursuits and filter through conflicting information about law school and the field as a whole.
However, these students have sparked a revival of several pre-law student organizations, marking a year of growth and expansion of the oft-overlooked campus culture.
Last year, UCSD sent more than 1,400 graduates to law schools accredited by the American Bar Association. With more than 26,000 students enrolled this year, that number is easy to overlook – a situation that several dedicated students, focused on educating UCSD about law-related information, are actively seeking to remedy.
Three student-run pre-law organizations – coed law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta, the Pre-Law Society at UCSD and Mock Trial at UCSD – are working to engage students with various interests in the legal field. Having undergone structural changes or expansions in the last academic year, these organizations help pre-law students develop field-related skills and prepare themselves for the transition from UCSD to law school.
“”We like to think of ourselves as a networking group, since we’re such a biology-oriented university,”” said P.A.D. president and Thurgood Marshall College senior Asad Arastu. “”We like to concentrate on professional development, community service and social activities to help people find career connections and vital information about law school.””
P.A.D. established its UCSD chapter in 1991 to help “”advance the ideals of liberty and equal justice under law,”” according to its Web site. The fraternity helps members prepare for the Law School Admission Test, job applications and interviews for legal internships. They also organize presentations by legal professionals, who often provide invaluable information to help students decide whether a legal career is the right decision for them, Arastu said.
“”They want to warn against people who aren’t in it for the right reasons, but at the same time want to encourage and help those people who are in it for the right ones,”” he said.
Helping to publicize relevant law school-related information is a joint goal of the Pre-Law Society and P.A.D., according to Revelle College sophomore Hovik Nalbandyan, president of the newly revamped organization.
“”Our purpose is to raise awareness for anyone to gain more information about law school and the profession of law in general,”” Nalbandyan said. “”So many people say so many things. It’s hard to get the right information.””
The third organization, Mock Trial, focuses on building trial techniques and legal arguments in a competitive team setting, said Vice President Internal and Earl Warren College sophomore Zachary Schultz.
“”Mock Trial has a funny way of bringing out confidence in people you wouldn’t expect it from, and it allows them to take the presence they need to have in the court room with them back into everyday things like interviews, presentations and even conversations,”” he said.
While the club continues to expand, attention has been steadily increasing over the last few years, he added. After the organization sent a team to the American Mock Trial Association National Tournament in April, more students have expressed interest in participating than ever before.
“”The organization has definitely been getting better as time has progressed,”” Schultz said. “”We have moved past the stage of gaining a club identity and are now looking toward more extensive competitive success in one of the toughest regions in the country.””
Arastu, Nalbandyan and Schultz all cited the university’s heavy math and science orientation as an obstacle for gaining more notoriety at UCSD, proving a definite challenge for students wishing to get involved in their programs. However, all three organizations – in collaboration with other campus bodies such as the Career Services Center and Student Legal Services – are working toward bridging the gap and achieving a more visible presence on campus.
“”It’s an interesting culture in that we’re in the minority – or we often feel that way – on a campus that’s heavily pre-med and other related fields,”” Arastu said. “”It seems like most of the publicity for events and workshops is directed toward the life science community.””
Along with the perceived isolation from other students, pre-law students who don’t know how to seek assistance could easily run into trouble trying to succeed at UCSD, Schultz said.
“”The school’s pre-law program is a strange afterthought in comparison to many other much better-developed programs,”” he said. “”That isn’t to say the resources aren’t there, but they do require a significant amount of work to find and utilize. The program doesn’t seem to reflect the amount of on-campus interest in legal careers, and consequentially leaves a lot of students going at it on their own with little sense of direction besides a simple knowledge of law school entrance requirements.””
Nalbandyan, however, said that he hopes to establish the Pre-Law Society as an information hub where students can receive answers to commonly asked law questions, such as which major to pursue in order to maximize their opportunities for admission.
“”The best way is to do your own research and get an idea of what’s right for you,”” he said. “”If you’re good at it, then do it.””
