Recently, I had the opportunity to represent California Western at graduate and law school fairs throughout Northern California.  Of course, given the average Californian’s affinity for abbreviating words, most would simply say I went to NorCal.  Fair enough.  From the Golden Gate Bridge to the East Bay, and from the Napa vineyards to Sacramento – NorCal is rich and diverse.

When I heard the cable car conductors rhythmically clang-clang-clanging their bells (thank you Judy Garland), and I smelled the salty (and slightly fishy) air from the Wharf, I knew I had arrived at my first destination – San Francisco!  What a great city!  Over two days, I visited the University of San Francisco and San Francisco State University.  At each event, I spoke with some very interesting students.  Whether through environmental law or international human rights law, many students shared the common goal of making a positive impact on the world.  In a city where so many people supposedly leave their heart (thank you, Tony Bennet), meeting these students was a heartening experience.

Talking to so many students that wanted to make a difference reminded me of the several clinics and institutes at California Western.  There is, of course, the California Innocence Project, which is a clinical program dedicated to freeing the wrongly convicted and that has, in fact, freed eight wrongly convicted men.  With a more international flair, Proyecto ACCESO – an arm of the Center for Creative Problem Solving – is a program dedicated to establishing the rule of law in the Americas.  Beyond the clinics and institutes, California Western also has a strong international law program, spearheaded by international human-rights experts like Associate Dean William J. Aceves.

As you might imagine, then, it was easy for me to interact with those passionate, motivated, and idealistic students in NorCal.  In fact, I was happy – and perhaps somewhat proud – to talk about California Western, to talk about what California Western has to offer.  Indeed, talking to these students reminded me strongly of the interactions I had with my colleagues and professors when I myself was a student.

Needless to say, NorCal was a success.

One of my most anticipated trips this recruiting season was to Toronto, Canada. I mostly recruit nationally but this year, the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) organized the first ever Canadian Forum.  

Packing is my least favorite part about a trip. You’d think I had the packing down to a science with all the travelling I do, but unfortunately that’s not the case.  It’s still a work in progress; and checking what the weather’s like accross the country is something I always forget to do.  Except this time. For this trip I made sure to pack accordingly. It’s no fun walking around in flip flops and a thin sweater in Northeast (fall/winter) weather.  As soon as I landed and was greeted by the cool Canadian wind, out came the gloves, scarf, and heavy coat. It was only 49 degrees but for Southern California standards, that temperature calls for all the winter accessories =).

Toronto is a beautiful city with a diverse and cosmopolitan population. It is very clean and well organized. I can’t imagine what the winters are like there but I can imagine they can get very chilly. And the city seems to be well prepared for the rough winters. There’s  an underground walkway full of shopping, services and all sorts of entertainment. I guess winters in Toronto are not so bad afterall.

The LSAC Canadian Forum attracted many students from local colleges and universities.  I had the pleasure of meeting many prospective applicants and seeing many friendly faces.  I learned that the increased competition for the limited number of Canadian law schools have caused many Canadians to consider an American legal education.  If there are any Canadians reading this blog that would like to experience warmer winters and learn more about what law school ought to be, click here!

Well it’s that time again…I am back on the road (cue Willie Nelson). This time I am heading to the Midwest; to the great state of Minnesota. Actually, I am pretty excited about taking this trip! Having grown up in the Midwest, it is always nice to be able to get back to that area. Farmland, wheat and corn fields, harvest moons, fall foliage… Who am I kidding? I didn’t grow up in the country… but I still appreciate it. Seriously though, tomorrow will be my first time on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. I think it will be a good day though. Each year anywhere from 5-8% of our entering class come from the Midwest and Great Lakes area.
As excited as I am about being here, I could do without the 40 degree “chill’ in the air tonight. It is quite a long ways from the 90 degree sunny weather I left in San Diego earlier today. I cannot help but think about what my strategy will be tomorrow when I talk to people about California Western. Of course I will talk in depth about our amazing faculty and their exciting research and accomplishments. I’ll tell them how impressive and collegial our students are and how they’re always willing to help each other out. I will, with sincere excitement and respect, tell them about the Innocence Project. PROYECTO ACCESO. STEPPS. I know we will talk about all of these things and more. As for what it’s like to live in San Diego…I will let this picture of a the San Diego coastline speak for me.

Sunset Cliffs in San Diego, CA

Ahh the life of a jet-setter! Traveling as a recruiter isn’t *quite* as glamorous as traveling as a rock star, but it’s still pretty great. I got home Friday night from 7 days in Manhattan and upstate NY, and left yesterday early morning for the Bay area. After a relaxing and laundry-marathon weekend at home, I’m in Berkeley, collecting my thoughts about NY and hoping to meet some strong candidates for our spring and fall 2011 terms.

The upstate NY trip is one I look forward to every year. It starts with a fair in Buffalo on Monday, followed by stops at Cornell, Binghamton University, Colgate University, Syracuse University and finally University at Albany-SUNY. Whew! What a whirlwind.

I usually spend three nights in Ithaca, which I adore. The college town and surrounding areas remind me, oddly enough, of my roots in Alaska. Lots of little shops, great hiking,  green trees, beautiful lakes, friendly people and good food! Usually I visit a local winery or two but this year my colleagues and I were on a quest to find the best pumpkin ice cream, which we found at the Cayuga Lake Creamery. In fact, I was on a quest to find pumpkin anything, and I pretty much had it all: pumpkin soup, pumpkin beer at the Ale House in Ithaca, pumpkin ice cream… upstate NY is a pumpkin heaven! We made our annual stop at the Iron Kettle Farm to say hello to the goats and chickens, and buy baby pumpkins to take back home.

For our last night in Ithaca, about 8 recruiters decided to hit The Haunt for some karaoke. It was fun – we burnt off some road tension and loosened our muscles dancing and laughing – the local guy who sang “Footloose” had the entire bar on their feet, and it was so much fun to have a blast with the locals. Thank you, Ithaca, for another great visit!

Driving from Syracuse to Albany late on Thursday night was… interesting. It was super dark and we weresurrounded by tons of giant trucks on a tiny highway in a monsoon! I am pretty sure I saw, in the passing glare of a semi, a man on the side of the road building an ark! After finally making it to our hotel, we were awakened at 4:30am to the fire alarm. Luckily it was a false alarm, but it still got my heart going. 

Despite all these extra-curricular adventures, I didn’t forget that I was in upstate NY to represent my school and meet prospective candidates. I met a couple of excellent candidates at Cornell, several folks at the fairs following Ithaca, but I must say that this year, Albany was the biggest success for CWSL.  I’ll be following up with all the folks I met at these fairs, so be on the lookout for my emails!

Reporting live from  Berkeley, California, this is Agent Westcott signing off. Whether you come visit me on the beautiful California Western campus or we meet somewhere on the road, I look forward to meeting you!

Every year, I look forward to kicking off the recruiting season in the east coast. This year, my New York trip got off to somewhat of a rough start. With a cancelled flight and a medical emergency landing halfway to JFK , I feared I was never going to make it to the city. I managed to keep my spirits high and some optimism flowing by focusing on all the great food, dynamic people, and electric energy that awaited in NYC.

After several hours, I finally hear the flight attendant instructing all passengers to buckle seat belts and prepare for landing. At this point, I look out of my window and catch a glimpse of Lady Liberty; Manhattan’s aerial view never seizes to impress me. Upon landing, my mood instantly improves and my travel woes are soon forgotten. Now I’m off to see the city!

With its natural vibrancy, the city is far more than fashionable high-speed lifestyles and dazzling lights. The city’s history and imposing iconic buildings are so intriguing; it’s easy to get lost in amazement. After walking for hours admiring all of my surroundings, I stopped at my favorite NYC spot to decompress: Central Park. This place, with its calming beauty, is a pleasant contrast from the busy city.

On Saturday, I attended Latino Justice Day at Pace University. Law Day is a recruitment event organized by the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund for prospective law students of diversity. Students have the opportunity to learn more about the admissions process, meet law school representatives from all over the country, and speak to current law school students. During the law forum, I had the pleasure of meeting some really nice people with great questions. Many students were attracted to the idea of studying in sunny San Diego and inquired about some of our unique programs like the Institute of Health Law Studies and our Clinical Internship Program.  This event, for many that attended, is the first step towards considering a legal education. In turn, it’s a great opportunity for me to help inspire students to consider, not only California Western for their choice of law school, but also all the benefits that a legal education can offer.

I hope to hear from all the New Yorkers I met at Pace University soon and I look forward to meeting more of our future law school students on the road. Check out our recruiting schedule here!

You know that feeling you get when everything around is unfamiliar, novel, and generally peculiar?  For me, it’s a partly scary, freshly funky, and unusually unique feeling. 

During my recent admissions exploits throughout Florida and Utah, that feeling arose as an urge to jump with joy – coupled with the compulsion to curl into the fetal position.  I concluded, in the most idealistic way, that this feeling must be what people call…adventure.

I recognized the feeling.  In fact, I had felt it before – perhaps most notably when I moved from my home state of Utah to attend law school at California Western in San Diego.  For some reason, however, I was only able to synthesize the unruly emotional experience into the concept of adventure on my recent trips, apparently not recognizing it or being too busy to appreciate it in years past.

Just last week, I returned to my home state on my second trip as a newly minted recruiter.  As I navigated through the high-desert plains and the Utah Rocky Mountains – on roads familiar to me since childhood – I had the privilege of witnessing the burgeoning fall foliage overtaking the green leaves of summer. 

Sardine Canyon - On the Way to Utah State

“Fall is change,” I thought.  “And change,” I continued, “almost always coincides with adventure.”

Early last Wednesday morning, when dewy air still rested above the Cache Valley fields, I arrived on the campus of my alma mater, Utah State University.  It was “Ag Week” – a time when tractors and baby farm animals occupy the Quad, reminding students of USU’s agriculutral heritage.  Eager to share my experience at “Cal Western,” I thought of how I might incorporate my own Utah history into conversations with prospective students. 

"Ag Week" Participants

“Coming from Utah, I know what it’s like to transition to life in San Diego,” I said to myself.  No, that wasn’t quite right.  “I went to Utah State, so I can answer questions you might have about attending law school at California Western.”  That wasn’t right either.  Turns out, returning to my undergraduate university in my new role as recruiter was different than expected. 

Then I realized that, while I undoubtedly share many experiences with prospective students at USU, California Western speaks for itself.  At the same moment, I realized that – no matter how many questions I answer or how much these students learn about California Western – these students are embarking on their own adventure.  As they prepare to take the LSAT and begin completing applications, they will undoubtedly experience that contemporaneous joy and nausea.  With this realization, I understood that my role as “recruiter” might more aptly be described as “guide” or “mentor” – ready to offer fellow adventurers the tools they need to find a law school that will be the right fit for them.

Weber State University Graduate School Fair

After USU, I continued to graduate school fairs at Weber State University and the University of Utah.  At all moments, I was cognizant of the fact that my adventure at California Western began more than three years ago and has not yet ended.  It has merely transformed…metamorphosed, if you will.  And, as I prepare to visit San Francisco, Davis, and Sacramento, I look forward to my role as guide and mentor.  I look forward to adventure.

Recruiting highs….and lows

I set out earlier this week to recruit in the DC/Maryland area. All in all it was a great week with a few exceptions. The worst parts of my week were my hotel room in Maryland (filthy shower curtain, candy wrappers behind the chair and dried milk on the desk…???). Needless to say, I was anxious to check out of that hotel and begin my recruiting tasks!

First of all the weather in DC was awesome – much nicer than when I was here in June (burning up)! My first event was at George Washington University. It was a slow day for us overall but I was fortunate to be able to talk to several great students!

The following day I went to the University of Maryland. Their campus is beautiful! Later that evening we hosted a reception for prospective students and local alumni with the Alumni Office!  

(Admissions/Alumni Reception at Capital City Brewery in DC)

Today I was at Howard University in DC! I always love coming to Howard because the students are always so sharp and engaging! Also, it being a historically black college, it is always invigorating to be on that campus which was the birthplace of so many philanthropic organizations and was inhabited by the likes of David Dinkins (1st black mayor of NYC); Thurgood Marshall (1st black Supreme Court Justice); Toni Morrison (Pulitzer Prizewinning novelist); and Sean ‘P-Diddy’ Combs. One of the organizations, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., is one in which I am a member (see photo).

Today was an awesome day; I met a student whose father was one of the few African Americans who graduated from California Western in 1991. I also became reaquainted with a two women I had met at the LSAC Forum in DC in June. They both remembered me (and I them), and stopped by to say hello!

So let me sum it up: great weather, impressive students, nostalgic experiences, and beautiful campus views…yep, definitely there were more highs than lows this week. Now off to Los Angeles!  Check out our recruiting schedule here!

It is Wednesday. Already this week has produced such quotable moments I hardly know where to begin. I am on an LA basin rampage, high-tailing it to a new school every day and soaking up the collegiate spirit that meanders by my table. Whilst perched under my umbrella-ella, I sit with my elbows on the table, waiting to stand to speak to the next California Western law student. I gaze at the crowd, admire the atmosphere and speak to the students. So many things occur during a four hour graduate fair. I subconsciously measure the passing periods, excited that something interesting might occur during the next swell of students. People watching – and listening – at a law fair might take second only to the “filet of folks” served hot at the airport.

I thought I should share some of the most memorable moments of the last three days. Not all of them are inspiring sonnets meant to leave you with a warm sensation of remembrances, but I’ll do my best to throw those in.

Monday: A tall slender gentlemen approaches my table. He is wearing a white button up, jeans and aviator sun glasses. He appears well groomed. We exchange pleasantries, he fills out a card, and I answer his questions. He seems like a very nice person. After our handshake goodbye, he graduates to the table next to me, another California school. After a similar dance, I hear him say aloud, to the recruiter, “I need to take a shower.” And then he walks away.

Tuesday: Positioned under a giant oak tree, and with me sitting at it, my table is quite cool. I greet an enthusiastic student who is excited about applying to law school. I tell him we are an independent not-for-profit ABA-accredited law school in beautiful downtown San Diego. He asks me if we have a dentistry program. I make a mental note: separate “independent not-for-profit ABA-accredited law school” into a one-fact-per-sentence format.

Wednesday: The weather is overcast. The cool air feels good on my collar. I am standing under an umbrella that is too short for me to do so and if anything unnecessary. A young man in his mid-20s approaches. He is wearing a black sport coat and black slacks, the pant only a shade off gives him away. His tie boasts the school colors. He has reminiscent eyes. After our conversation about law school we stand considering the weather and the umbrella, both favorite topics by now. I ask about his graduation ceremony. A leading question, my subconscious is already ahead of me. I want to know how he feels about being back on campus, post-graduation.

–My first recruiting trip was just that – a trip. It took me to a mid-west university just after the start of fall semester. Circling the food court at lunch, I couldn’t help feeling old. At 27 years of age, it seems foolish to say.–

My young man in his mid-20s gazes at the air. His reply stocks me. “It feels as if I’ve gone to my own funeral.” I’m taken back by how morbid and strange that sounds, but at the same time how utterly precise. He elaborates, “everything ended at once. My classes all ended, my on-campus job, my volunteerism at the student center. I lost my life. It’s not that I had no life, it’s just my life was this campus. Being back here is visiting my former life, now dead and gone.”

Now into my fourth fair, I tried to remember back to the first, and that feeling that washed over me and nipped at my heels. I immediately realized that is exactly how I felt. Fortunately, I already had my response. I gave it to him and then scolded my subconscious for its curiosity.

Ah, fall. The time of year when I pull out my Swiss Army bag, dust off my CWSL-issued name badge, pack my multitude of hair products into 3oz bottles and re-memorize my frequent-flyer number.

Recruiting new students is probably my favorite part of working in Admissions for California Western. For the past 5 years, not only have I been able to visit parts of the country I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to visit otherwise, I get to spread the word about our fantastic programs and help connect potential students with a school that might possibly be the best fit for them! I love meeting students at a university law fair and then seeing them at Orientation.

Last week, I spent a day in Chico and a day in Reno, connecting with pre-law students. To the two guys I met in Chico who expressed an interest in environmental law with a focus in water rights, I hope you’ll do as I suggested and contact Professor Finkmoore here at the law school! And to the young mother in Reno with whom I had a great discussion about diversity issues, I  hope you’ll keep us in mind.

I’ll be heading out to upstate New York next, and then the Bay area. Check out our recruitment calendar to see where you can meet CWSL admissions reps: 

See you on the road!