WHAT ARE MEDIA STUDIES ALUMNI DOING?
Meggie Wade ’08
I am a law student at the University of Minnesota Law School. This “job” required the LSAT and a rigorous application process. During the summer of 2008, I was in residency in the publishing office at the National Gallery of Art, which required a long application process. In Fall 2008, I did some freelance journalism (I had a couple essays published in a book this spring!) and worked as a tutor while studying for the LSAT. In January 2009, I worked for Rep. Erik Paulsen (an ole) and I got the job through Andrew Foxwell ’08 who is still a Paulsen staffer in DC.
I am interested in intellectual property law because it is an exciting, growing field and I have a background in media/publishing/journalism to apply to a possible future practice in copyright law. Since I am passionate about the arts and media, I hope to pursue a law career that involves protecting creative expression.
I think media studies applies to a broad spectrum of issues in the same way the law covers a broad range of topics. The practice areas I described above definitely relate to media. I’m also interested in trademark law and constitutional issues such as free speech. It will be interesting to see how music, movies, and the internet develops in the law.
Nearly all of my media studies classes were writing-intensive, which has helped me prepare to study and practice law. Pretty much all I do as a law student is read and write. It’s very interesting, but I do miss the creative aspect of courses I took at Olaf. In nearly every job interview I have had, I am asked about what media studies entailed. It’s a point of distinction on my resume and gives me a chance to talk about a variety of interesting things from Theater in London to Journalistic Writing.