A Podcast Hosted by the UVA Law Admissions Office
Assistant Dean and Chief Admissions Officer Cordel Faulk ’01 and Director of Admissions Ashley Merritt ’15 talk to members of the UVA Law community about their admissions experiences and time at UVA.
Episode 1: Luis Alvarez ’88
Luis Alvarez Jr. ’88 explains how he got admitted and his path to becoming president and chief executive officer of the Law School Foundation. Transcript
Episode 2: Dean Risa Goluboff
Dean Risa Goluboff discusses opportunity and being the first female dean of the Law School. She reflects on how some of her preconceptions about UVA shifted after she came to work here. Transcript
Episode 3: The Admissions Office Readers
Kelly Conlan Barron ’01 and Susan Dove, two members of the admissions team who read applications, discuss whether it’s better to go straight to law school after undergrad, or to work in between, and other thoughts on the admissions process. Transcript
Episode 4: What’s Your First Year Like?
Drew Calamaro ’21 talks about his experience at UVA Law from a first-year’s perspective. Transcript
Episode 5: Money and Law School
Jennifer Hulvey, director of financial aid, gives advice on what students should be on the lookout for as they make decisions about aid and where to go to law school. Transcript
Episode 6: The J.D.-MBA Program and 2L Life
Second-year law students Ethan Silverman and Trevor Quick discuss their experiences at UVA Law and as part of the J.D.-MBA program. Transcript
Episode 7: Advice and Aspirations From a 1L
First-year law student John Ghazoul talks about his aspiration to study transaction law and help rebuild the economy of Syria, where he still has family. He also gives some advice for aspiring law students about what to do and what not to do when applying. Transcript
Episode 8: 2Ls Discuss Their Decision To Come to UVA Law
Director of Admissions Ashley Claffee Merritt ’15 talks with second-year law students Jasmine Lee, Courtney Davis and Lise Guerrier about why they decided to go to law school and why they chose UVA Law. They also discuss their experiences as African-American women living in Charlottesville and being a part of the Virginia Law community. Transcript
Episode 9: Going East for Law School
First-year student Ambroise Decilap discusses his experience coming to the Law School from the West Coast with the Admissions Office’s Cordel Faulk ’01 and Ashley Merritt ’15. Decilap talks about his interest in public advocacy work and getting involved in UVA’s Program in Law and Public Service. Transcript
Episode 10: From Rural Life to a Top Law School
Molly Cain ’20 talks with Admissions chief Cordel Faulk ’01 about how her background growing up in rural Delaware influenced her passion for civil rights and public interest work. She also discusses her involvement in the UVA Law Peer Advisor program. Transcript
Episode 11: From Detroit to UVA Law
Toccara Nelson ’19, the former secretary of the Student Bar Association, talks with Admissions chief Cordel Faulk ’01 about her experience applying to law school as a first-generation college student from Detroit. She discusses her work with UVA President Jim Ryan’s Community Working Group and gives prospective students some tips about when is the best time to bring up Janet Jackson in an interview. Transcript
Episode 12: A Conversation With BLSA Leader Rachel Barnes
Rachel Barnes J.D.-MBA ’21, president of UVA Law’s Black Law Students Association chapter, joins Chief Admissions Officer Cordel Faulk ’01 and Director of Admissions Ashley Merritt ’15 to discuss her passion for corporate logistics and her work towards a joint J.D.-MBA degree. Barnes also describes her experiences during and after the Charlottesville protests in 2017 and how the UVA Law community supported its newest students throughout.Transcript
Episode 13: How to Spend the Summer Before Law School
Sarah Davies ’91, assistant dean for student affairs, talks with Cordel Faulk and Ashley Merritt about her path from UVA Law to Philadelphia for a partnership track position at a large law firm, and then back to the Law School for her current role. Jennifer Hulvey, director of financial aid, also joins the podcast to cover what incoming students should be doing this summer to prepare themselves financially for law school. Transcript
