MORE ABOUT ELIZABETH
Graduation Date:
May 2010
Hometown:
Arlington, Virginia
Undergraduate School:
- Yale University
Graduate School:
- Columbia University
Awards & Achievements:
- CALI Awards for top exam grades in Torts, Contracts I, Criminal Law & Property, Art & the Law and Legal Analysis, Research, and Communication III
- Dean’s Merit Scholar
- CIPLIT scholarship recipient
- Women’s Law Caucus McGillicuddy Scholarship Recipient
- Health Law Fellow
- Certified Mediator, Center for Conflict Resolution
Campus Involvement:
- DePaul Law Review, Editor of Articles, Notes and Comments
- Women’s Law Caucus, Co-President
- Health Law Institute Student Board, Director of Events
- DePaul Advocate
- Intellectual Property Legal Writing Section (as a 1L)
Elizabeth Hermann Smith
Area of Study:
Law
I chose to study law because... I want to do something real — something that could impact other people’s lives.
I decided to attend DePaul's College of Law because... I really liked the focus on gaining practical experience. Too many law schools are still focused only on the theoretical, but at DePaul I could sense from the start that they strive to teach their students how to be lawyers.
The learning environment here at DePaul is... competitive and collaborative at the same time. Many students are willing to work together to help each other.
The law class I have most enjoyed here... Constitutional Process I & II. Professor Siegel taught me how to think in a new way, and much more critically and methodically than I ever had before.
When I have free time, I like to... play or snuggle with my dog, go to the movies, socialize.
Here, the diversity of students, faculty and staff... makes for a wonderfully enriching learning environment. There are many different points-of-view and ways of thinking, just like out in the 'real' world!
For College of Law students, the opportunity to attend school in the city of Chicago is... great! There are so many lawyers, law firms, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, etc.... there are just so many opportunities! DePaul’s location right in the Loop puts many of them right at your fingertips. There are countless legal opportunities within a stone’s throw, making it all that much easier to work part-time while you’re in school. Plus, the Chicago Bar Association is literally a couple of blocks away, making it very easy to stop in whenever they are having a lunchtime or evening talk or event that interests you.
DePaul's College of Law is unique compared to other schools I considered attending because of... its focus on practical experience. The clinics are strong, as are the many other opportunities to work in the field while in law school through externships, internships or employment.
The instructors at the College of Law are... impressive, knowledgeable, inviting, eager to teach and engaging. I have been incredibly pleased with most of my professors and have felt welcomed into their offices to discuss any questions or ideas I might have had.
My greatest success has been... winning the CALI award for the highest exam grade in Torts. I really enjoyed the class, and I felt that I had a good grasp on it, but there was so much material to cover! Plus, that was the first exam I took in law school – it was an exhausting experience! It’s such a funny thing to gear up for an exam, study so hard, spend three heart-thumping hours in the exam room, only to have to push it all out of your mind as you prepare for the next final and then wait a number of weeks for your grade. To find out after the fact that I had done so well on the first exam was so satisfying!
After graduation, I plan to... be a lawyer. I’ve only just finished my first year. I have a lot of ideas, and I’m keeping my mind open!
The one thing I’d like to say to students considering DePaul's College of Law... contact a student to get their take on things — the Admission office can definitely put you in touch with one. Also, spend some time on the Web site, looking at the various programs, institutes and professors. Don’t hesitate to e-mail or call any professors who intrigue you. I did this and found it really valuable — it gave me an insight into the school and the many opportunities I would have when I got here.
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