“I was beside myself. Excited is an understatement,” says Richard Stockton College student Jana DiCosmo when describing her feelings after a phone call from her mother and sister informed her that she had been offered a scholarship to attend Widener Law. A political science major from Pleasantville, New Jersey, Jana expresses profound enthusiasm for public interest law and a desire to help people who have trouble securing legal representation.
“Widener was one of the schools that I felt I might end up at,” says DiCosmo, noting, “I chose Widener because it felt like a community where I could be comfortable.” Her visits to Widener Law’s Delaware campus convinced her that she could feel at home. She describes the campus as “It’s own little place,” and notes that she preferred it to the inner-city campuses of many other law schools that she visited, adding, “that kind of environment wasn’t for me.”
After graduating from high school, Jana decided that she wanted to set herself on a path to law school. “I was interested in using a system of set rules and applying it to different situations,” she says, adding that discrimination cases are “something that really interests me.” She cited the admissions staff as another reason for her decision to chose Widener Law, describing the admissions process as “Really easy. Everyone was really friendly, and I felt like people knew who I was.”
With her first year of law school over now, Jana notes, “Widener has exceeded my high expectations. The professors are engaging, thoughtful, and approachable.” She has become an active member of the Widener Law community, serving as an Admissions Ambassador while working part-time in the library and enjoying membership in the Christian Legal Society. “The campus atmosphere is wonderful! The students, faculty, and staff are very friendly.”
Asked if she had any advice for future applicants, Jana answers, “Apply early. The earlier you apply, the less stress there is.”