Getting to Know the Class of 2014
By: Brenda McKinney
While I know that there are many of you thinking that ten weeks in law school time (yes, we’re only ten weeks in) feels like a year. As we emerge from and move beyond the likes of OCI interviews, midterms (congrats 1Ls!), those first big journal assignments and a sledge of job application deadlines (3Ls), now seems like as good of a time as any to step back and look at, well, the newest kids on the (Water Tower Campus) block.
So who exactly are they, this group of fresh-faced 1Ls? Well, this year they include: a carpenter, a molecular geneticist, a dog-walker, a music instructor, a pastry chef, a phlebotomist, a ski instructor, and a White House intern.
Despite a downturn in applications nationally, Loyola University Chicago School of Law was able to enroll a stellar class of highly qualified individuals for the Fall 2011 J.D. program. The percentage of out-of-state students was higher than previous years, and the percentage of minority students matched last year’s class, which are the two largest in over ten years.
We asked Dean Pamela Bloomquist (known affectionately to many students as “Dean B”) of the Admissions office to give us some insight into what makes this class stand out. The energy and initiative of this class was apparent the first day of orientation, when they moved the wooden benches from the lobby to outside the law school to enjoy the great weather. Their enthusiasm and engagement was made known when many of the students introduced themselves to the first-year faculty. “Perhaps most important is the sense that everyone in the first-year class is happy to be at Loyola and truly understands the mission and focus of the school, and embraces that concept as a style of educational learning,” said Dean B.
One 3L commented on her experience volunteering with the new class, stating, “They seem like a very enthusiastic and excited group. I can’t wait to get to know them better.”
The most telling piece of evidence, however, came completely unsolicited. While we were discussing the class, Dean B mentioned an experience she had in the elevator earlier that day with one of the contractors working on the law school remodeling projects. She told me that one of the contractors, who have no affiliation with the law school side of Loyola, commented, “The new students this year are very excited about being here. They are also very friendly. I have been with Loyola for eleven years, and this is the first group of new students who were this enthusiastic.”
While it might be fun to know there’s a phlebotomist among your future legal colleagues, it’s this class’s spirit that sets them apart.
Highlight: WHERE are they from? Map representing the home cities for class:
