Law School Forums!

Naomi Stewart: Welcome back to Applying Yourself, a law school admissions podcast produced by the admissions office at Washington University School of Law. We have with us today our executive producer, Andrei Garai. My name is Naomi Stewart. I serve as one of the directors in our admissions office. And returning again — we’re so happy to have with us — Jessica Hudson. Jessica, what do you do with and for the law school?

Jessica Hudson: Hi! I am one of the admissions specialists here to answer any questions students might have, hopping in the Discord, doing some AMAs, also doing consultations, interviewing students — all the things.

Naomi Stewart: And you do, you do all of the things — including our topic for today, which is recruiting events. What’s a recruiting event?

Jessica Hudson: Recruiting events are normally fairs or forums where schools kind of send out one of their representatives, or a few of their representatives, for students to ask questions about the law school and about the program. It’s one of my favorite things to do, I must say.

Naomi Stewart: Yes. And you just went to the LSAC Atlanta forum. Is that correct? How did that go?

Jessica Hudson: So fun, meeting all the students. It was just — I don’t know — it was so… It’s like getting a warm hug. That’s the best way I can describe it. But it’s so fun. It’s so wonderful.

Naomi Stewart: I mean, we do this job because one of our favorite things is meeting prospective applicants and talking with them about this journey that all of you are on. So the opportunity to do that in person is just awesome. We love it. We hope, by extension, it’s helpful and fun for you too.

But maybe we should talk — we talked a little bit about what some different recruiting events are. They’re certainly in-person, like tabling events. They can also be online too.

Jessica Hudson: Yeah — virtual events. There’s open houses, discussions. I would definitely check out, especially here at WashU Law, our events page. We have one every — I think it’s every first Thursday of the month, I believe. So definitely check those out. Those are wonderful virtual events, just to engage with the law school.

Naomi Stewart: Yeah, we have our virtual open house.

Jessica Hudson: Yes.

Naomi Stewart: I think that’s one of the best options.

Jessica Hudson: Yeah. We have so many different ones — our diverse community events, personal open house — just a lot of different virtual opportunities to interact.

Naomi Stewart: And as we touched on a little bit, the LSAC — Law School Admission Council — there are forums that Jessica attended, like Atlanta in the past. I’ve done Los Angeles and San Francisco. I always love going home to California — I’m from California — so I love going home and talking with all the Californians. But we go all over the country: New York, Chicago, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, DC, and Atlanta. There is also an LSAC forum in Toronto.

These are great opportunities to meet with people in person. Schools also do different sort of complementary or supplementary forums or tabling events around these LSAC forums. They’re not always directly around, but I think you attended and presented at events. You went to MINK.

Jessica Hudson: Yes.

Naomi Stewart: Tell us a little bit about that.

Jessica Hudson: MINK is wonderful. It is a culmination of all of the Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas schools. I actually got to host my first panel there, where I generated a handful of questions that were the most frequently asked questions and asked several of the admissions faculty at different schools in the area some simple questions, like: What’s a personal statement? What to include in an application? Just all the fun things.

And then meeting with students, meeting other schools — it’s so insightful, and very fun. They’re very, very fun.

Naomi Stewart: And the purpose of these recruiting events — it’s for the applicant. It’s for you. Building familiarity and having experiences, whether they’re in-person or virtual, can only help with confidence. And don’t feel bad if you don’t have the time, or you can’t go to an in-person event, or any of that. It’s simply an additional avenue to build that familiarity and confidence and maybe learn about things you hadn’t thought of.

It’s kind of a big brainstorming, and you can have these different experiences. Because really, all law schools — our hope and our goal is that you can go into this next step with confidence.

So that does bring up questions. People do ask us, like, “Oh, how do I prepare for a recruiting event? What do I wear? What should I ask? Do I bring something with me?”

Jessica Hudson: Yeah, honestly, I would… So you don’t need a super fancy suit or anything.

Naomi Stewart: No, you don’t.

Jessica Hudson: You can wear a suit if you want to.

Naomi Stewart: Yeah, wear one if you want to. That’s what you want to do.

Jessica Hudson: Honestly, wear something that — yet again — makes you feel confident. Something that kind of makes you unique. One of your good outfits — one of your happy outfits.

And then, to prepare, I think it’s insightful to bring maybe a tote bag, because you will be getting a lot of information.

Naomi Stewart: Collecting materials.

Jessica Hudson: Get all the things. Also, take time to look at the LSAC’s website and see what schools are going to be at the particular fairs.

Naomi Stewart: Yeah, those forums.

Jessica Hudson: Look at the forums and look at the schools — and also, don’t count yourself out. Look at schools where you were like, “Oh, I didn’t even know they were going to be there,” or “I hadn’t thought about that school.” Highlight them and make a note to go and visit them during one of the forums.

Naomi Stewart: Yeah. I know we’re talking a lot about the LSAC forums. Those are the most broadly broadcasted opportunities. When you go, there’s a little map of where the different schools are, so you can kind of make a game plan — but you can also just walk around and see what piques your interest, and try to get to each of the schools that were on your list. And definitely talk to schools that maybe weren’t on your list.

Jessica Hudson: Exactly.

Naomi Stewart: More information is always a good thing.

I’m also thinking — if you can’t make it to an LSAC forum, check to see if your university or a university nearby has a pre-law forum. When I was in Atlanta, I did the University of South Carolina’s forum, as well as Morehouse College and the Spelman forum. That was great. It was really, really wonderful.

And Washington University has a pre-law forum.

Jessica Hudson: Yes. A lot of universities have these, and law schools do come from all over the country to attend these pre-law forums.

Naomi Stewart: Yes. And talk to your pre-law advisor also about what some things are that you can be doing. They will be very plugged in on all of the different offerings — not only online events, but virtual events. Get on that mailing list.

Jessica Hudson: Yes — get on the mailing list. Definitely.

Naomi Stewart: And you’ll have a good chance of learning about all these different events.

And then, as far as bringing anything with you…

Jessica Hudson: A mask. Some of them do have protocols. Some of them are mask-required.

Naomi Stewart: Yeah, mask-required — but also, just like a snack as well. Bring a snack.

And just check out the general information of where to go, where to park. And then make a list of questions. Always have a list of questions that you want to ask. And then also questions, possibly, that might not be on the law school’s website. That’s also really good. It definitely shows that you’re interested — you’ve done some research. But that’s okay if you didn’t have time to, as well. We understand people are busy. But always, a list of questions.

Jessica Hudson: Yeah. And then don’t feel bad… One thing I love about virtual opportunities is that sometimes it’s like a bigger Zoom room or something like that, and you get to hear other people’s questions. You’re like, “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. Oh, that’s a really great question.”

Don’t feel bad about listening to other people’s questions at those tabling events. There’s no shame in it. Sometimes at the tabling events, it’ll be a group of people I’m talking to, and they all kind of have a similar question. So that’s a great opportunity also.

And you don’t need to bring your resume, but you can. It may become really appropriate to the conversation you’re having with a particular school, and you’re like, “Oh, well, I have my resume right here.” But if you don’t, it’s not expected that you would have your resume at an event. You can always follow up after.

Naomi Stewart: Yes.

Jessica Hudson: Like, “Oh, I so enjoyed meeting you in Chicago. The thing you said about environmental law and environmental justice really spoke to my interest” — or something I hadn’t thought of.

Just do follow up. That’s the whole reason law schools want to go to these events — because we want to build that rapport and really build relationships throughout that. That’s why I say bring a tote bag, because you’re going to get the business cards.

It also gives you an insight. These are representatives of their schools. So it gives you an insight into what that school is about, what the community is like, what the demeanor is like, what the attitude is like. So that’s always insightful. It’s always great as a student to see that.

Naomi Stewart: Yeah. Are there any recruiting events you’re looking forward to coming up?

Jessica Hudson: I am. I’m looking forward to the LSAC Boston forum — super excited about that one. There’s also going to be one in Houston, Texas, as well. And we also have one in Los Angeles coming up in November. So, all of the forums, all of the things — definitely check out the Experience WashU Law website. We have a lot of virtual events coming up.

Naomi Stewart: Yes, we have our open house coming up, some pre-law forums coming up. Definitely check out that events calendar, the recruiting calendar. We have a couple of our diverse community events coming up. Those are really… I love those, because they’re really interesting conversations with faculty or alumni or students about their experience in the law field, in their academia, as a student, whatever it may be. So those are super insightful. I also really love those.

LSAC also has virtual forums. On Saturdays, I think there are three virtual ones. It’s essentially like the tabling event that you would have at an in-person event, but it’s in different Zoom rooms — you go into each school’s different Zoom room, basically. We meet so many students through those, and it’s a great opportunity to really interact and learn a lot about a school. So I’m looking forward to meeting people at those.

I think they’re like four hours long, and I usually end up staying for the whole four hours. And then afterwards, my voice is, like — I don’t have a voice. I was talking for four hours straight. Four, six? The Atlanta one was pretty long. Atlanta was a pretty long one. It was like 12 to 7.

Jessica Hudson: Yeah.

Naomi Stewart: And then there was, like, an hour in between, but I just loved it. It was like, “Gather around — let me tell you all the things about WashU Law.”

Jessica Hudson: Yes, I love it.

Naomi Stewart: Any other tips or tricks? Things that really impressed you in your travels?

Jessica Hudson: Don’t be afraid to go up to a school because you feel like you might not meet a median, or you don’t know where it is. I think it’s all about curiosity and figuring out where you want to spend your time and what you might be interested in.

A school that you were probably like, “Oh, I didn’t even know they had environmental law” — that may actually be one of the top schools for environmental law. “I’ve really enjoyed meeting this rep — even though I’m not at the median, or whatever it may be, it’s something that interests me. It’s a place that I could see myself living in after graduation.” So, definitely. I think that’s something.

Naomi Stewart: Absolutely. Absolutely. And where a school is located too — certainly there are opportunities, if you go to law school there, to live and work in that city. But a lot of law schools are national, so students will go to law school there but then get a job completely across the country, or in a different country. So where you go to law school really is not always — and I would say even more commonly, is not — where you end up having your career.

So thinking really holistically about that. I know we did have our episode about putting together priorities and making your list of where to apply. Do have a listen back to that, because there were some great tips and tricks there too about putting together the priorities for the law school choice. But the virtual events, in-person events, these recruiting events — they’re just another opportunity to familiarize yourself, to help build your own confidence with the decision that you’re making.

And Jessica, thank you so much for your insights.

Jessica Hudson: Also, I have one more thing to say. You wanted to ask me about what to bring: a positive attitude and a good smile. Just bring that. That would be wonderful. Even though we’re wearing masks, we can tell if you’re smiling. So — a positive attitude and a good smile, for sure.

Thank you for having me. This has been wonderful. I can’t wait to see who shows up in Boston.

Naomi Stewart: Yeah, you will be at Boston this year, and I believe Claire O’Brien will be in Houston, and William Lee will be in Los Angeles. We’re just so excited to meet you all. So come up and say hi.

Jessica Hudson: Please do.

Naomi Stewart: Yeah. Let us know what questions you have and how we can help you through your law school journey. Thanks for listening today.

Jessica Hudson: Thanks.