Finance major Evan Glover '12 turned to the Student Professional Development Center for critiques of his applications to premier schools.
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Evan Glover ’12 was majoring in finance when a summer internship in the nation’s capital introduced him to another career opportunity: law. The native of Bowie, Md., returned to campus for his senior year and soon found himself working with faculty and staff mentors in the Student Professional Development Center to begin crafting strong law school applications.
The story doesn’t end there. Rather than go straight to law school after graduation, Glover deferred his acceptance for a year – and for good reason. Now, with his matriculation into George Washington University Law School only a few months off, the former executive intern in the Office of University Advancement reflects on the resources he discovered in making plans for life after Elon.
Glover is the latest person to be featured this year in a series of E-net profiles on the recent experiences of students and alumni who use the Student Professional Development Center to not only find job and internship openings, but to prepare for interviews and improve applications with guidance from Career Services staff.
He answered questions recently from the Office of University Communications.
Tell me about your interest in the legal profession and law school.
Though law school had always been in the back of my mind, it was not until the summer before my senior year when I ultimately made the decision to apply. In addition to the intellectual curiosity of understanding how the legal system works, I also found a more interesting career path than I was currently on. During my internship at the Federal City Council, a member-based business leadership organization in Washington, D.C., I frequently worked with numerous lawyers and ultimately found their work more interesting than those on the business side of meetings and deals.
I was fortunate enough to be accepted into 15 great schools even though I started the process late. Ultimately I decided to enroll at George Washington University Law School. Although I am not certain exactly what type of law I would like to study, I have gravitated toward international law and corporate law.
After being accepted into several top programs, you deferred for a year, and for a really great reason. Do share!
I deferred my enrollment into law school year to take a position on the Obama for America campaign as an advance staffer. Advance staffers travel and prepare venues for when the president, First Lady, vice president or Second Lady visit. I worked my way to crowd lead, a position on the advance team that meant I was responsible for public access to the venues for people to see the principals. Once the campaign concluded, we changed our focus to preparing for the 57th Presidential Inauguration and all of the official inaugural events of the week. Now that we are into the second term, many have transitioned back to the traveling world.
How will that experience make you an even better law school student and, in a few years, a better attorney?
Advance staffers are known for always being prepared for anything, having the flexibility and versatility to adapt and making calm decisions under highly stressful situations, and paying attention to small details. Taking this into law school will not only make me a more successful student but a more successful lawyer. As hindsight is 20/20, deferring for a year was by far the best decision I could have made. Not only do I find myself more prepared to be a law student, but I find myself anxiously waiting to go back to school, rather than going to school because that is what I have always done.
With whom did you work in the Student Professional Development Center as you applied to law school, and what help did you receive?
In the Student Professional Development Center, words cannot describe how great and influential René Jackson was to my post-Elon experience. I found myself in her office at least every two weeks. By following her advice, I was able to develop meaningful relationships with several top law school admission counselors and was accepted to every school where I developed such a relationship. She also connected me with the pre-law department, which played a large role in my application. She did more than tell me what I should do and who I should speak with; she genuinely cared about me. I was worried that senior year was too late for me to change my path from finance to law, but she instilled in me a sense of confidence.
Why was that assistance important?
My mentors were able to see strengths in my application that I deemed irrelevant and left out. Additionally, they worked with me to accomplish what I wanted with my application in creative ways. Looking back, the most important thing that I did to get me to where I am now is walking into René Jackson’s office. After that first session, my path changed from a lost law school applicant studying for the LSAT with a terrible personal statement and application packet to a student at a top 20 law school.
Which faculty member did you work with to prepare for the law school admissions process and what help did you receive?
Dion Farganis in the Department of Political Science and Policy Studies and my pre-law advisor. I often tell people that he is the reason that I had a very successful application. As someone who has lots of relationships with people who work in law schools, and especially in the admissions departments, he provided amazing support and guidance to paint the best picture of who I am on a law school application. From going through the personal statement drafting process, finalizing the application, and preparing for the LSAT, he guided me through the confusing and often frustrating process of a law school application. I took the LSAT twice, first taking a course online and the second time working with him. My score improved by double digits on the second test.
What recommendations would you share with students about the SPDC and the Office of Career Services?
First and foremost, the people inside the center are fantastic. Not only do they genuinely care about your growth and success, but they are very good at what they do. I frequently bump into other alumni who work on Capitol Hill, major business firms in various sectors, teachers and graduate students doing exceedingly well, and all of them I remember seeing using the resources in the Student Professional Development Center.
Three big suggestions that I have for any student: 1.) Go into the SPDC and work with any of the counselors there. 2.) When you meet with a counselor, be as open and honest as possible. The more they know, the better they can help you. 3.) Attend their workshops and fairs, especially their career and graduate school fairs. In both graduate school admissions and career hunting, its not what you know, or who you know, it’s who knows you!