My best friend, Tammi, has known she has wanted to be a lawyer since she was 9. She completed an LSAT class over the summer and just finished taking the test a few days ago. Ahead of the game, she has already applied to 12 schools with rolling admission, so she would be in the first round of candidates to be considered.

I have always envied Tammi for her confidence in choosing a career path and her commitment to seeing it through. She has been dedicated in researching schools, carefully completing applications, and choosing coursework to better prepare her for law school. She had begun contacting the appropriate people at Princeton when she was a Junior, so that she was not left with too much work her senior year. And because of all this, I know Tammi will get into a great law school and become a very successful lawyer.

Fortunately, for the rest of us, there are a few different places on campus to get information about further education after college. The Graduate and Professional School Fair this Friday (Oct. 15 in Dillon Gym) offers students the opportunity to meet with representatives from over 100 schools and ask specific questions about application procedures, studies, and how to make yourself look appealing to admissions teams. For students who want more information about specific schools, or even fields of interest, it is the perfect environment to ask personalized questions and receive direct answers. (Here is a link to the list of schools attending, http://princeton.experience.com/stu/cf_details?fhnd=4572).

I know a lot of students would rather research a school online and ask questions via email or phone, etc. I understand this approach because there is little pressure and everything is done on one’s own time. However, attending the Fair could have major (and unforeseen) benefits. I found this link on the Career Services website very helpful: http://www.princeton.edu/career/undergrads/grad-prof/graduate_school_fair/.

Another way to gain exposure to educational programs offered in several fields is to attend the many events planned for Princeton undergraduates through Career Services. In the upcoming weeks, there is a Business Ph.D. panel with admissions officers from Chicago Booth, Harvard, MIT Sloan, Northwestern Kellogg, NYU Stern, and Stanford (Oct. 15, 302 Frist); a meet-and-greet with the Yale Law School Dean (Oct. 19, 307 Frist); and a Quinnipiac University Law School Admissions Dean visit (Oct. 22, 36 University Pl.). There are several more events planned for November.

Finally, as always, the last way to stay informed is to meet with a career counselor to go over your progress in the application process, or ask any questions you may have concerning professions in law, business, etc. They will work with you to help you make the best, educated decisions possible.