After attaining my Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Missouri State University I attended the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in Bloomington Indiana.
I decided to attend IU in particular due to the impressions their Criminal Law professors made on me at the time as leading up to law school and during most of law school, I saw myself pursuing a career in criminal law. Naturally, that is not where my career has started.
After graduating from IU in 2020, I accepted a position with Legal Aid of Western Missouri as a staff attorney on their housing team. At Legal Aid, I get to represent tenants facing eviction as well as deal with a number of subsidized or public housing-related issues for our clients. Little did I know that I would be entering such a rapidly evolving field in the law as the COVID-19 pandemic has seen a number of new housing protections instituted from every level of government as well as throwing the issues facing tenants into the national spotlight. It has been incredibly rewarding to begin my career by working to try and help clients through this time.
Some advice I would have for upcoming students, or pre-law students specifically, is cliche–but true. I would not worry about struggling to find exactly what you will do when you leave school. I thought I knew what I wanted to do. Now, my job is only related to what I thought I would do after law school by virtue of requiring a law degree, and I love it.
Similarly, with law school, I would advise trying not to stress too much over the decision. While I would always recommend picking a school that you feel fits your personality and goals–it is also a legitimate concern to decide on a place that will fit your practical needs as well. In my experience, making sure that school was something that I could handle financially gave me the freedom to choose a job after school that really aligned with my reason for becoming an attorney.
Finally, I would take advantage of the resources available at Missouri State. Both your professors and advisors and its alumni. I have been put in contact with students from Missouri State that were interested in IU’s law school and have reached out to alumni out of the blue and always received a response.
I was the only one to graduate in the Spring of 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (there were plenty more who received a Bachelor of Science) but the size of the program invites you to be able to better access your professors and advisors to help you make the most of your time at Missouri State and set yourself up for success wherever you decide to use your Political Science degree.