Opportunities
Experiential Learning
The College offers dozens of internship opportunities in
many departments, all of which are open to any qualified student. Students
most interested in legal internships find that Allegheny's location in Meadville,
a county seat, multiplies the number of on-site learning experiences available
to them. A number of other internships are available in Washington, D.C.
Internships
- Office of Chief Counsel, Northwest Region, Department of Environmental
Resources, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Meadville Office: This branch
office is devoted to environmental crime, regulation and investigation.
Students work closely with the chief counsel in charge of the office, who
also has conducted "mini-courses" in legal research for the benefit
of interns and other students.
- Office of the District Attorney, Crawford County: Students work closely
with the District and Assistant District Attorneys in learning the administration
of criminal justice.
- Office of the Public Defender, Crawford County: Students work closely
with the Public Defender and assistants to learn the criminal justice system
from the perspective of defendants. Limited legal research on pending cases
is included.
- Office of a practicing attorney, Crawford County: Students experience
the many facets of private practice and engage in elementary legal research
and writing.
- Office of the City Solicitor: Students work closely with the City Solicitor
to learn municipal law.
- Crawford County Office of Adult Probation: Includes study of criminology,
the probation and parole system, and the administration of criminal justice,
as well as serving as an adult probation officer with a caseload of approximately
10 individuals. Involves some work with the Court of Common Pleas as a
representative of the Office of Adult Probation.
- Office of Judge, Court of Common Pleas, Crawford County: Students are
introduced to civil and criminal litigation through courtroom observation.
- Washington, D.C.: A number of internship opportunities are available.
Other Special Opportunities
The Washington Semester
Allegheny is one of 90 sponsoring institutions for this
program in the humanities and social sciences, conducted by and at American
University in Washington, D.C. Areas of concentration include the Washington
Semester Program (emphasizing the study of national government), the Peace
and Conflict Resolution Semester, the Foreign Policy Semester, the Justice
Semester, the American Policy Semester, the Journalism Semester, the Art
and Architecture Semester and the Economic Policy Semester. Students spend
the first semester of the junior year at the School for Social Science and
Public Affairs at American University, working with source materials and
government institutions.
The Washington Trip
Every two years, about 35 Allegheny students travel with
faculty to Washington, D.C., for a two-day program involving receptions and
visits (both at home and at the workplace) with Allegheny alumni. These one-on-one
encounters pair students with practicing attorneys employed by private law
firms, government agencies and corporations, introducing students to the
myriad career and professional paths open to them.
Pre-Law Library
The Allegheny College Center for Experiential Learning (ACCEL)
maintains an extensive pre-law reference library including law school catalogues,
books on the study and pursuit of law, and publications that discuss and
explain the law school application process.
Other College Resources
- Full-time faculty: 132 (average per department: 6)
- Average class size for freshmen: 19
- Average class size in upper-level courses: 10
- Courses offered: approximately 500, plus Independent Studies, Internships,
and Senior Projects
