Paul Ravelli

Why did you choose this law school?:
I chose Rutgers for a variety of reasons. Primarily it is because they are a competitive, well-ranked law school with a robust network of connections that will help me succeed in my law career. The school was also generous enough to offer me a significant scholarship which will hopefully allow me to obtain my degree in law without incurring any debt. With these two factors in conjunction, Rutgers Law proved to be the right fit for me.

Future Plans:
At the moment I am interested in bioethical law and intellectual property. The field of biotechnology has been exploding in recent years and shows no sign of stopping. I hope to be a part of this new wave of technology on the legal side of the equation by either securing patents for clients or working with lawmakers to make sure our country addresses the future unavoidable bioethical questions appropriately. Regardless of what I select, I know that I will want to use my biology and philosophy degrees and all I have learned while obtaining them in my future legal career!

How has Ursinus prepared you for law school?:
Ursinus was a large factor in my journey to law school. The College provided me the environment that showed me what my vocation should be. I came into college believing I wanted to be a doctor, but due to the vast array of experiences provided to me by Ursinus, I was able to see that I was more suited for the humanities than for the sciences. Influential philosophy professors like Stew Goetz, Kelly Sorensen, and Roger Florka helped me come to this realization. Biology professors such as Robert Dawley helped expand my interest in and knowledge of the biological sciences. In addition, most of the classes I took enhanced the skills necessary for my future career. My philosophy classes have made me a far better writer and critical thinker, while my science classes taught me the value of analytical thinking along with the importance of inductive reasoning. These factors in unison not only taught me the skills that I would need for law school but also helped form the individual that was able to make the hard decision sophomore year to switch career paths. Add to this a stellar pre-law advisor, Anna Marks, and it is clear how instrumental Ursinus was in my path to law school.

Involvement:
Staying involved was quite easy for me during my time at Ursinus as I played baseball until my junior year (big thank you to Coach Exeter for not only being a great coach but a better friend and mentor). Baseball kept me involved for my first three years of college as it was understandably a huge time commitment, and mock trial filled this role once I decided to hang up my cleats. If I could recommend anything to the future freshmen that will come after me, I would say to make sure you do get involved on campus. It does not need to be a lot of activities, just find things you enjoy doing!

Interesting Fact:
In my free time and I am an avid rock climber and lifter. They are both important parts of my life that I would recommend to anyone who is interested! I am also a bartender who seeks to stay socially involved. In addition, my family is very important to me and was my greatest resource in the entire law school process. As a hobby, I am a huge history buff.

One of my favorite memories from Ursinus was the first time I presented to my philosophy class. I volunteered to present an argument about a theory we had to read for homework, and then field comments and criticisms from the class. I put an extraordinary amount of effort into this assignment and had a great time engaging with my fellow students on something I had come up with. This experience really helped me see how much I enjoy formulating and delivering arguments and was really when I began to genuinely love philosophy.