The University of Tennessee College of Law’s incoming class of students is both the largest and most accomplished in several years.
The class of 2022 boasts a median Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score of 159, the highest of any class since 2012, and the median undergraduate grade point average of 3.65 is the highest of any class since well before 2005.
The class of 126 has an equal number of male and female students with 19% of them identifying as ethnically diverse. And there are 86 in-state students, 39 out-of-state students, and one international student.
Dean Melanie Wilson said the academic accomplishments of the incoming class are impressive.
“The beginning of a new school year is always special, and this group of students is particularly unique. They have already a demonstrated commitment to high levels of achievement and service,” Wilson said. “We look forward to watching this group of excellent students develop into outstanding lawyers.”
Orientation activities began for students on Saturday with a service project at Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries. Nearly 40 of the incoming students along with faculty and staff members visited three stores to help clean, sort, and assist each location with a variety of needs.
Olivia Kennedy, a recent graduate of the University of West Florida in Pensacola, said the activity offered an opportunity to both serve and get to know her classmates prior to the start of classes. It is that commitment to service that drew her to the UT College of Law.
“Having the clinic program that can give you that experience and actually prepare you is important,” she said. “I feared I could go to some other schools and not actually have done anything that would prepare me to practice law.”
“A lot of other schools talk about it, but I feel like they’re just talking the talk and not really walking the walk,” she said.
Throughout the week of orientation activities, students attended introductory classes, learned about UT’s student organizations, and familiarized themselves with the college’s research and career opportunities.