Alyssa Boone

Hello! My name is Alyssa Boone. I am a 3L fall starter from Wichita, Kan. I come from a pretty unlikely background for a law student—I was a flute performance major at KU with plans to become a professional musician and music professor. I played with several KU ensembles in my undergrad and filled my electives with topics ranging from sculpture to Zen Buddhism.

As my personal goals evolved, I realized I wanted to pursue a different professional path. I first considered applying for law school in October of my senior year of undergrad. As you might expect, there isn’t a lot of full-time employment out there for aspiring classical musicians, so I knew I needed to start law school immediately. That meant that I had a lot to do in very little time. I found that many people started the process of searching for schools much earlier than I had, and I didn’t know anyone who was in or had gone to law school. My law school search started with Google and often ended with a law school’s web page by the time I had to decide whether or not to apply. I had serious concerns about how I would make my ultimate law school decision.

My open house experience at KU changed a lot of that. There were a lot of things I liked when I came to visit the law school: the professors were engaging and involved with the students, the school obviously maintained a strong alumni network, and the curriculum allowed for specialization in a lot of areas through the available clinics, classes, and groups. But what made the decision for me was meeting the current students. The students I saw were excited about their school, they were happy to be at KU, and they clearly enjoyed each other. This was the most important factor for me because I looked at law school not just as a place to get another degree, but as the place where I would spend the next three years of my life. KU law offered an environment I was excited to have in my future.

Now in my third year of law school, I couldn’t be happier with the choice I made. After classes, clinics, two summers interning at a civil defense firm in Wichita, and two years of advising KU students as an intern at KU Legal Services for Students, I have a clear picture of many different kinds of legal paths I could take. I’m proud of the work I’ve done here, and thankful for all the student events that are available when I put the books away.

Good luck on your law school search. I encourage you to come and experience KU Law. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at alyssab@ku.edu.