On Wednesday Oct. 30 representatives from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and University of Memphis law schools came to speak to Milligan students about the graduate law programs at UT and U of M. These graduate programs collaborated with Milligan’s Center for Calling and Career Development program to make this event possible.
Assistant Director of the Office of Admissions of the College of Law, Celisse Lambert represented UT. Lambert was joined by U of M Assistant Director for Law Enforcement, Kara Bowen.
The Director of Calling and Career Exploration at Milligan, Beth Anderson, helped coordinate the event with both schools. “The presentation they had was very laid back, almost like a conversation rather than a PowerPoint lecture,” Anderson said. “This way students felt more comfortable and free to ask questions.”
U of M and UT are the only public law graduate programs in the state of Tennessee. “I think when looking for institutions you need to remember what is in your backyard,” Anderson said. “These are probably the most economical options for Milligan students in terms of law schools.”
Both representatives discussed the importance of the LSAT tests when applying to law school. Bowen explained that an LSAT score was valid for five years and factored into admission and scholarships. “It is a worthwhile investment to spend a hefty amount of time studying for it, much like the ACT or SAT,” Bowen said.
In addition to the LSAT scores, Lambert and Bowen explained the importance of personal statements. Personal statements are essays submitted with an application. Neither school uses prompts for their application processes. “We want you to use the personal statement as a way to describe who you are in your own way and, of course, still relate it back to the reason as to why you are applying to law school in the first place,” Lambert said.
Milligan has resources available for students who need aid in writing personal statements. “Schools these days do not always require prompts, which I find very interesting,” Anderson said. “I want students to know that we have excellent resources to help them craft personal statements for graduate and professional schools, or even for job applications.”
More information about U of M School of Law can be found at https://www.memphis.edu/law/
More information about UT College of Law can be found at https://law.utk.edu/
Headline photo: Cecil Humphrey’s School of Law Building at U of M. Photo courtesy of www.memphis.edu