Vanessa Vanpopic’s Post

Check out the following list from Harvard Law School. You will find the 147 undergraduate institutions represented by the 1L class in the J.D. program at Harvard Law for the 2023–2024 school year. Sure, you'll see Ivies on this list. You'll see schools like Michigan and UCLA and Oxford (in the United Kingdom). But you will see many, many other institutions that accept the MAJORITY of undergraduate applicants. Students in Harvard's 1L (aka first year) class hold undergraduate degrees from Arizona State (~90%), Indiana (~80%), Boulder (80%), Iowa (80%), and so many more! (The percentages relate to the number of undergraduate applicants who are admitted each year.) College is what you make of it! The name of the school isn't what matters at the end of the day; what matters is taking full advantage of the resources--academic, extracurricular, internship, research, etc--at the undergraduate institution that you attend. This holds true whether you plan to pursue a law or dental or medical or veterinarian degree after those first four years of higher education. #collegeadmissions

🌟 Big News! 🌟 I am in the process of applying for admissions into Columbia University's School of Law for the Fall of 2025. 📚 Yes, I am early into the process, but your boy has a lot going on from studying for the LSAT 📖, writing a book ✍️, and completing an MSc Program at Grenoble Ecole de Management 🏫🇫🇷. I plan on applying to Columbia Law School early decision. While I am not guaranteed a spot at this institution, and I may even get rejected 😬, despite those fears, I wanted to share with you all my personal statement, an anecdote, that is a reflection of who I am. 🪞 I truly believe in fostering a collaborative environment where everyone is empowered to be vulnerable enough to share who they are, where they came from, and the unique value proposition they bring to any situation they may find themselves in. 💬✨ While we work in "professional" environments, facades of formality, they are composed of real human beings, with real feelings and real stories. 🧑🏽🤝🧑🏽 I attempt to integrate my profound connection with The Walt Disney Company to reflect on how I internalize my resilience, hopes and aspirations. So, here's to sharing a piece of myself with all who are willing to listen. 💖 👨🎓✨📝💪🌍📚🚀 #ColumbiaLaw #Admissions2025 #PersonalJourney #Vulnerability #Authenticity #Community #FutureJD #LawSchoolAdmissions #LawSchool #Admisisons #HigherEducation

Students admitted to Harvard Law School last year attended 100+ different undergraduate institutions. The colleges represented include highly selective colleges and universities, public flagships, small liberal arts colleges, HBCUs, women's colleges, and military academies. There are probably at least a few you've never heard of on the list. I'd love to see more graduate programs and employers publish lists like this. They would help tone down the idea that success as an adult relies on attending one of a couple dozen colleges as an undergrad, rather than on what students do in college and after earning their degree. (BTW, you can also use the tools here on LinkedIn to get a sense of where people working at a company attended.)

EVERY graduate school, EVERY employer should do this on a regular basis: a list of colleges where students who enrolled or were hired went to college. Looking at this list from Harvard Law School in the 1L class shows undergrad degrees from Arizona State University, Auburn University, Brooklyn College, Canisius University, Clark University, DePaul University, DePauw University, Drake University, Florida International University, Montclair State University (shoutout to president Jonathan Koppell), Santa Clara University, The College of New Jersey, University of Central Florida, The University of Memphis, University of Oklahoma and more. I only wish they'd list number of enrollees per university and do it on a three-year rolling average. But it's a start for what I want to do in my next book, "Dream College," which will try to widen our aperture of perspectives in our college search beyond the T20. What will it take to make this the rule rather than the exception across higher ed and the workforce? https://lnkd.in/eB9W-wgK #LITrending

Prestige schools lead to prestige outcomes? We need to really question this widely accepted narrative. First, a correlation is there, but not strong as the narrative claims. Second, the anecdotal data (which really drives the narrative) is often self-referential, cherry picked, and is survivor biased. Also, "averages" and "typical examples" have their uses in many analysis, but higher education success isn't one of them. The outcomes related to higher education last a lifetime, are multidimensional, and include definitions which are not enduring nor universal. Take for instance "prestige." Coming out of school, that means a higher paying job at a widely recognized company. Later in life "prestige" is about recognition among peers and community. And on one's deathbed, no one's saying: "I wish I had more prestige." Humans are complex and idiosyncratic. Lifetime results are the same. What matters more is what someone does with the circumstances they have. What matters less is the brand prestige of any particular institution along the way. Yes, it may matter a little in some time bound metric, but it is far from a key driver of a life well lived. Early adult debt levels probably have a far greater effect than any institutional prestige. That's the new narrative by which we need to select our educational institutions, and we need to drop the focus on X at any cost.

Aris Karagiorgakis, associate teaching professor of psychology and Hakan Can, professor of criminal justice, led students on a journey through London, England, as part of the course CRIMJ 499: Serial Killers and European Criminal Justice. "If people have the opportunity, and they are able to participate in a study abroad program, they should absolutely do it. I know there are often financial, personal, or work-related barriers, but if there's any chance that you can overcome those, go somewhere and experience people and cultures different than what you’re used to,” said Kenadi Erdely, who graduated last semester from Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus. Read more about what the students have to say about the experience! 🔗 https://ow.ly/ur8F50QrRy7

Did the words Marbury v. Madison, a key U.S. Supreme Court case, unlock cherished core memories of your early 20's yesterday? 😄     This had to of been a common experience, right? I'll explain; I'm travelling for business and there's a news channel on in the background. I overheard 'Marbury v. Madison' and was immediately struck with joy with the memory of something from over two decades past. 📕 What I recalled was the total joy and fun I had in my constitutional history courses from my undergraduate days in 2002-2003. I remembered a couple core foundations of the precedent the case set (and was psyched to run a quick Google search to refresh my knowledge). More serendipitously, however, those words unlocked memories of taking notes in glittery brightly colored gel pens and then having the best time typing them at my apartment (my laptop was too clunky back in the early aughts to take to class - and wasn't typing and organizing your notes the best fun?). 💻 I recalled fond memories of my professors, their teaching and coaching, and how much those classes, and my history courses overall, contributed to my writing abilities (and maybe more importantly my confidence in them) before graduate school. I can even look back fondly at the (now very much relatively) stressful times of preparing papers and studying for exams.   More importantly, and the takeaway I want to share, looking back reminded me of the broad range of experiences that shape us and the joy the memories bring us today. Something unexpected in your daily routine could spark a memory of an enjoyable and meaningful first job that shaped your trajectory, friendships that sparked your growth, or even moments of pure fun that are hallmarks from a page of your life. These memories shaped, and now carry meaning, what we value, our experience, and are an opportunity to learn more about each other. What memory did you recall recently that sparked reflection and pride in how far you've come? (Photo from 2002 around the time of the delightfully fun and formative constitutional history classes) Purdue University College of Liberal Arts Jon Teaford #MarburyVMadison #ConstitutionalHistory #UndergraduateDays #Memories #Reflection #Growth #learninganddevelopment Tonya Gonzalez Bryan Lepper Leisha C. Phyllis Tracy Christine W. Corvirtus

Proud to have presented on my latest pride and joy project at NYU’s Student Affairs Conference. I created “The Black Girl Safe Space” (TBS) at Stevens to empower Black women students with a sense of community and guide them with insight into the college experience and beyond. Not only did TBS succeed in supporting a group that is 1% of the total undergraduate population, it also encouraged a sense of solidarity from Black men and other students of color. Some takeaways:  1) Leverage the third space: There are classrooms, there are workshops, and then there are third spaces. In these more casual learning environments, formal learning norms can be disrupted and students can focus on practical application.   2) Be clear about affinity vs. shared spaces: Who is your space meant to serve? What kind of safety are they looking for?  3) Solidarity > support: bell hooks writes that support can be occasional, but solidarity requires sustained, ongoing commitment. If dismantling oppression is a collective responsibility, then this responsibility needs to be built on the basis of solidarity. 

I get asked a lot from prospective clients if they are "good enough" to apply to a top MBA program if they haven't gone to a competitive undergrad university. AND my answer is always the same – do you think these MBA programs (HBS, Stanford, Columbia, Wharton and more) ONLY are interested in people who went to Ivy League schools??? The answer is absolutely NO. And while Harvard Law School isn't Harvard Business School, I'd argue their approach is pretty aligned. Check out this list of students at Harvard Law School this academic year!!! https://lnkd.in/eicEdrgY

We're excited to announce that applications for our Annual Scales of Justice Scholarship are now open! We know how expensive it is to go to college, so we created our scholarship to help students offset these costs. We are privileged to do our part to help the leaders of tomorrow. Learn more and apply at https://lnkd.in/ghK8hRFF. #scholarship #lawfirm #georgialawyer #georgialawfirm