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In this “Pre-Law Q&A” series, Ms. JD Pre-Law speaks to pre-law students around the country. Joining us today is Evelyn Mau, a Class of 2017 undergraduate majoring in linguistics and rhetoric, and Chinese literature at Hunter College, The City University of New York.

Hello Evelyn! Thank you for taking the time to chat with the Ms. JD Pre-Law blog. To start, can you tell us a bit about yourself—for instance, where did you grow up, and what are you majoring in?

Evelyn: Thank you for the invite! I was born and raised in Brooklyn by first-generation Chinese immigrants. My parents did not speak English so I grew up translating documents for them. It was difficult because I was ten years old and translating documents from the bank, the IRS, etc. Translating documents like those… puts a lot of stress on a child. So once I entered college, I decided to double major in Linguistics and Chinese to be a better translator and daughter to my parents. As part of my Chinese program, I will be studying Chinese in Beijing for ten months, starting Fall 2017.

When and how did you develop your interest in the legal profession? Do you know what type of law you're interested in?

Evelyn: My high school had the option of “majoring” in law and society. The other options were STEM related, and I was bad at math and science so I went for the one that was closest to humanities. It is still too soon for me to decide what type of law I’m interested in, but I’m interested in Real Estate Law as well as Employment Law.

You currently serve as Treasurer of the Hunter College Pre-Law Society. Can you tell us a bit about what the club does?

Evelyn: The Hunter College Pre-Law Society is an organization made by students, for students. We bring legal experts in their respective fields of law to talk and also recruit students into their internships. The organization is also a space where students could interact with each other, where students could share their experiences with different classes, professors, and internships. We also host a trip to a law school every year. For the past few years, we’ve visited Georgetown, George Washington, Boston University, Boston College, UPenn, and Penn State. This year, we are visiting Cornell Law.

You've interned at multiple law-related organizations: a law firm, the New York City Criminal Court, and now a legal recruitment organization. What advice would you give our readers who are looking for their first pre-law internship?

Evelyn: Hunter College is fortunate to have a Pre-Law Program. The Program provides students with a lot of Pre-Law events sponsored by law firms, schools, and the New York Bar Association. I keep track of the people that I’ve met in these events and follow up with emails and meetings. They could offer you advice about how to prepare and apply to law school and could even offer you internships. All the organizations I’ve worked with have been because of the connections from events suggested by our Pre-Law advisor.

What's one thing about you that people find surprising?

Evelyn: A lot of people assume that I have my life very put together, or that I know where I will be in the next five to ten years. The truth is, I kind of make this up as I go. I have a general direction to law school, but I am very open to other things that might pop up on the way.

Thanks again, Evelyn!

Evelyn: Thank you!