Our Interview With Rose Hissom, President of the University of St. Thomas Pre-Law Society

By the Juris Education Interview Team

Rose Hissom is the President of the University of St. Thomas Pre-Law Society.

1. What inspired you to pursue leadership within the pre-law community at your school?

When I began my first year of college, I was both determined that I would go to law school and completely lacking in knowledge about the legal profession and legal education. I had no idea what applying to law school involved, or what the LSAT even was. I was able to learn so much about all of these things during my first few years thanks to the guidance of upperclassmen in Pre-Law Society. Hearing fellow students' perspectives on the legal profession and law school was invaluable in navigating my journey through college. I want to ensure that other students are able to have similar, positive experiences, and I seek to facilitate these experiences through Pre-Law Society leadership.

2. What’s one initiative your society has introduced that’s had a meaningful impact on its members?

At the end of last year, I and the rest of the Pre-Law Society board surveyed members of our group, asking them to describe what they would like to see from us in the future. We found that one frequent suggestion was that Pre-Law Society should facilitate more social, community-building events. We have made hosting these types of events a top priority for this year. So far, we have held a start-of-year kickoff social, and an LSAT study party event, with plans for similar events in the future. These social, fun events have allowed members to make lasting connections and have also so far boosted attendance at Pre-Law Society's more professional-oriented events as well. The legal field and law school can be competitive settings, and Pre-Law Society wants to equip students with the skills they need to build community and collaborate in these spaces.

3. What do you think are the skills aspiring law students can gain from joining an organization like yours?

Aspiring law students can gain a variety of skills from any pre-law group. One of the main skills I have built during my time in Pre-Law Society is my ability to mingle and network with others in a professional setting. Several skills arise from an ability to network with peers. One of these secondary skills would be the ability to keep up with LSAT updates. The LSAT has seen many changes even during my short time in undergrad, and I am confident that the test will continue to evolve. By connecting with other pre-law students, one can hear about personal LSAT experiences and build their running knowledge of the test. The same goes for gathering information about law schools. A person can read a lot of information about law schools online, and even tour such skills, but members of a pre-law club can gather unique and personal knowledge about law schools by staying connected with club alumni as they continue their educational journeys.

4. What advice would you give to students on how to make the most out of joining a pre-law association?

My main piece of advice would be to try a little bit of everything to find what you are interested in! St. Thomas's Pre-Law Society brings in speakers from various areas of law and tours several law schools every year. You may believe that you are set in what you want and then have an experience that completely changes or unsettles such a belief. I would recommend to all members of pre-law groups to gather as much information about the legal field and education as possible. In doing this, members will be able to make informed decisions about their future and be aware of all of the possible alternatives available as well.

Juris Education is proud to interview experts like Rose Hissom to help future lawyers understand the benefits of extracurricular involvement in college. Learn more about how our experts can help you get into law school today.