Students interested in going to law school may now get some help from a new student organization geared toward giving undergraduates a leg up in the application process. The Pre-Law Student Association is the first such organization at GW, where more than 700 seniors and recent graduates take the LSAT.
The newly founded organization plans to publish D.C.’s first undergraduate law review, which will provide the more than 30 members with an opportunity to write and edit scholarly articles before attending law school. The PLSA hopes to present the first issue of the review by the start of the fall semester and will distribute it to 50 law school admissions officers.
PLSA President Yalda Nazarian emphasized the historic importance of establishing the undergraduate law review at GW while addressing the first general body meeting Monday evening.
“We want to start a legacy,” she said.
A law review – usually published by law schools – is a collection of comprehensively researched persuasive legal essays written by law scholars. Students who want to see their work in print must first draft a proposal, prepare a 20- to 30-page article and have it reviewed by both editors and professors.
“We want to publish the review in the most traditional and professional manner and hold it to the strictest standards of scholastic excellence,” said Publications Director Parul Monga. “This isn’t a small thing. This is a big deal and we’re really excited.”
Students who attended the meeting on Monday were excited by the prospect of the new organization.
“I have always really been fascinated by the idea of law,” said sophomore Colby Anderson. “I feel being a part of this organization and writing for the review will allow me to further explore it.”
The PLSA also plans to host legal speakers, create an exclusive database of internships that only members can access and hold social events, including a black-tie formal.
University pre-law adviser Michael Gabriel said that GW students’ interest in law school “always has and always will be high.” He called LSAT scores, GPAs and the timing of submissions the “big three” factors of law school applications. He was confident in the ability of the PSLA to deliver students into top-tier law schools.
“I think the Pre-Law Student Association can help” a student’s application, he said. “But virtually nothing will get you in a law school for which you are not moderately qualified.”
Gabriel also said that an ongoing commitment to an extracurricular organization could demonstrate an applicants’ ability to manage time, think critically and stay organized on a law school application.
