College Experiences That Helped A Stanford Law Student Succeed
To achieve success, Isabel prioritized pursuing authentic academic interests ("psychology and American studies"), even if unconventional, which ultimately clarified career goals and fueled motivation. Furthermore, the development of healthy boundaries and a strong mentorship relationship with a professor, significantly contributing to a successful law school application, despite less-than-average GPA and LSAT scores, underscore the importance of self-care and networking in undergraduate success.
Authenticity, Boundary Setting, Mentorship, Academic Performance, Work-Life Balance
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Isabel Mendiola
Law Student
Stanford Law School
Claremont McKenna College 2018
Stanford Law School (JD Forthcoming)
Psychology
Law
Legal
Honors Student, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Be authentic and pursue your interests, even if they are unconventional.
2. Establish healthy boundaries and work towards a balanced lifestyle.
3. Cultivate meaningful relationships with professors to gain mentorship and strong letters of recommendation for graduate school applications.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
I would say three huge things come to mind.
The first is being authentic with what I was interested in. Where I went to undergrad, a lot of people were interested in economics and government. I was interested in government and economics, but I felt that couldn't be me. I really respect people who are interested in those fields.
I studied psychology and American studies, and I really felt like I was on the fringe. Not a lot of my friends were studying that, especially American studies, which was kind of random honestly. But it really did help me understand what I wanted to do after college and why I wanted to go to law school. It's really driven me for the five years since I graduated.
Sometimes you feel certain pressures in college, but those melt away; they do not last. The learning you had and the interest you cultivated, those do last. So, as hard as it can be sometimes to reject the pressure to seek out what you're really interested in, I think that was a huge help for me in undergrad.
The second thing was practicing boundaries with myself. I worked really hard to get good grades and cared a lot about that, but I also grappled a lot with questions of balance. What do I want my work-life balance to look like? What does it mean for me to feel healthy physically? What does it mean for me to be a good friend?
Trying to figure that out lays a good foundation for when you're in the workforce and also now in law school. A lot of my friends in college had the mindset of "this is only four years; grind." But there's always a moving finish line, a moving target. So starting to grow up with those questions was really helpful for me now that I'm in law school and still grappling with them.
The third thing, and honestly maybe one of the biggest, was finding a professor who was interested in what I was interested in. Just forming a relationship with her, asking if I could do research for her, going to her office hours, asking for advice for classes and other random things. I was really persistent in forming that relationship.
I can think of one professor who I felt was my mentor and one professor who I felt would remember me if I asked for a recommendation. To be totally honest, my LSAT scores were lower than the average to get into Stanford, and my GPA was lower than the average. I'm sure my letters of recommendation really helped my application. I'm really glad that I was intentional about forming relationships with my professors.