Conner Kempe secured admission to twenty different law
schools after graduating from Dartmouth College in 2012, and he credits much of
his admissions success to the fact that he was able to build significant legal
experience before applying to law
school. How? Conner Kempe held two internships while he was an undergraduate
student, and he highly recommends that college students considering a career in
law apply for internships in their undergraduate years, for the following
reasons.
Law schools like
initiative. Law programs receive thousands upon thousands of applications
each year, says Conner Kempe, and one of the things that can make an
application stand out is if it shows that law school is part of a long term
plan. Conner Kempe’s internships go back to the summer after his freshman year
of college, demonstrating that he began taking steps to a legal education
early.
Internships build
skills. By gaining first hand knowledge, students who participate in legal
internships have the experience that law schools are looking for. Conner
Kempe’s internships taught him about both specific processes in the legal field
and more general concepts about how
law works as a whole.
Networking is key.
Through internships, students are able to work with advanced professionals in
their chosen field, who may know individuals on the admissions committees of
law schools. While Conner Kempe certainly doesn’t believe that knowing the
right people will get you into law school, it is helpful to be able to get letters of recommendation from
professionals whose career footsteps you’d like to follow.
Internships show
commitment. Although a summer job scooping ice cream may pay, an unpaid
internships shows that a student is committed to gaining knowledge and
experience, regardless of whether or not it comes along with a paycheck. For
students who cannot afford to work for no pay, Conner Kempe recommends
investigating scholarship programs or internship funding from your college or
university.
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