Student: Nicholas Wiggenhorn, Class of 2024
Attending Law School: University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Describe your law school search process. How did you know if a school was the right fit?
For me, I looked at schools that had good statistics regarding placements following graduation. I wanted to ensure that such placements were aligned with my personal goals of working in public interest, and looked at schools that had a good number of students enter this field. Besides that, I looked at physical location. My first preference was to remain in the Philadelphia area, as I grew up 15 minutes east in New Jersey, but I was open to being anywhere on the East coast, preferably in a city. Finally, I looked at the general culture of schools and how the experience of being a student was there. Penn, from what I have gathered through research and speaking with current students, is a friendly campus that is on the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to toxicity and over-competitiveness. Collegiality is a big trait that the school advertises, and that was huge for me.
Who was your support system during the application process? Who did you know you could rely on, both in your personal and academic life?Single line text.
I am the first person in my entire family to attend law school, or even graduate level education, so a lot of this process was uncharted territory for me. As a result, my support system played a big part in my application process. My parents were patient with me and also gave me honesty especially when I needed it. My friends also were a great help, especially those also applying to law school.
They offered me great advice and taught me valuable tips, such as looking at 509 reports to get more accurate details on schools and chances of admittance.
Finally, and arguably the most important, were the faculty at Villanova. Our pre-law advisor, Alex Karlesses, was a huge help in my process, and went above and beyond for me. We met several times over the course of my Junior and Senior year, and she provided help in a variety of areas from finding me an open position to work at in Villanova’s Legal Clinic, to reviewing my application materials. She also helped overlook my plan for the application process in Spring of my junior year and gave me advice before it had even started, which was absolutely vital to the process; and in my opinion, the results probably would have been different without.
I also had several professors such as Arthur Donato and Dr. Wesley Proctor who were absolutely great in the classroom and outside of it, who gave me several pieces of advice ranging from going to law school and practicing law, to how to help serve those in need. They were there for me whenever I had a question or favor to ask (such as letters of rec), and played big roles in my application process.
How did you know you wanted to pursue law?
Growing up, my family faced financial struggles, and this led to me witnessing several challenges of life from an early age. And through this process I ended up realizing how difficult it is to fight some of those battles, especially without help. The legal system in my eyes is one of the areas where challenges are presented, and those without the knowledge or resources to effectively participate in it are hit the hardest. As a result, I wanted to join this system and assist those who were dealing with legal challenges but had the odds against them due to other challenges they have dealt with in life, whether that be a financial or educational obstacle.
What type of law are you interested in studying/what do you plan to do with your law degree?
Mainly, I am interested in criminal and immigration issues and would love to practice some form of public interest law in these fields.
When it comes to applying to law school, what is your best piece of advice that you would like to pass on to students?
Don’t procrastinate, and ensure you give yourself enough time for what you need to do throughout the process. This way you don’t have to rush and can give yourself breaks to avoid burnout.
