Lindsey McCready (Class of 2019)

photo of Lindsey McCready

  • honors junior Pre-Law student with a Political Science and Psychology double major
  • minor in Business Legal Studies
  • from Springfield, OH
  • Law and Public Policy Scholar and 2017 Ohio Public Leaders Fellow
  • Inside Washington participant (Summer 2017)
  • President of the Amicus Curiae Pre-Law Society
"Miami also offers great internship and study-away programs that I have had the privilege to take part in, such as Inside Washington and Ohio Public Leaders. These are great opportunities during J-Term or the summer or even during the semester. When you explore all your options here on campus, you'll find an amazing amount of programs that Miami makes available to you."

Why Miami?

"It's a funny story — I didn't think I would come to Miami at all! I am the eighth Miami student in my family — both parents, aunts and uncles, and my older sister — so when I was looking at schools I thought I needed to do something different. Then I spent some time here on campus, went to class with a girl who later became one of my best friends and a sorority sister, and I just knew why my family members had attended Miami. I was able to see both what it's like in the classroom and the general vibes around campus. By around January or February of my senior year, I was sold.

"I spent my first year at Miami trying to find my own place. My older sister was a senior at the time, and although we are very close, we are also very different people. While getting acclimated, I was lucky to meet my freshman year roommate who became one of my best friends. Along with other girls in our hall and various people on campus and in my classes, I was able to make a great network of friends right off the bat.

"Miami pulled me in both in terms of academics and social life. I've met my best friends in the entire world here, but I'm also so grateful for the academic opportunities I've been given. In addition to the Honors program, I am also a University Academic Scholar in Law and Public Policy and former vice president of standards in my sorority, Kappa Delta.

"I had declared my major in political science coming in as an Honors student. I had always figured I was going to double-major in something, but I just had no idea what my second major should be. I took courses in history and international studies my first semester, and then for my second semester on a whim I joined an honors social psychology course and loved it. It was a great professor leading a class of 20 students, so we had a lot of discussions. I knew psychology was exactly what I wanted!"

Best Miami Experiences

Lindsey McCready with 3 full-time staff for Representative Warren Davidson

"My favorite experience so far was the Inside Washington program last summer in DC. For three weeks we traveled around the city and met a bunch of different people associated with government and politics from the very first day. We even happened to bump into Vice President Mike Pence after a scheduled meeting with his communications director in the Eisenhower executive office building. While in DC I started looking at three really good law schools, so Inside Washington has really helped narrow my focus.

"Two organizations at Miami have really impacted my time — but I prefer to be busy! The first is my sorority, Kappa Delta, where my role gives me a lot of responsibility and the opportunity to know many of the girls on a deeper level. The other club is the Amicus Curiae Pre-Law Society, where I'm currently the president (and former vice president of pre-law relations).

"I discovered Amicus Curiae my freshman year when I attended MegaFair, when all 500 or so clubs on campus come out. I found the Amicus booth and attended an info session. The club brings in key people from the community to talk to its 50 members at bimonthly meetings: judges, professors, and practicing attorneys in all different areas of the law. It's very cool.

"Being in Amicus has exposed me to a lot of different ways that people practice the law — it's not just as an attorney! I've met people who work in law-related businesses and people who use their law degrees in consulting and other services that you might not expect. It has really given me an idea of all the different things I can do with a law degree besides just going to court every day.

"In terms of faculty and staff, Maria Vitullo, the director of the Sue J. Henry Center for Pre-Law Education, has been amazing. I took her Intro to Careers in Law (PLW 101) class my first semester freshman year, and she has been a role model ever since. I've spent a lot of time with her by working in her office and in Amicus Curiae, where she is our advisor. I also helped her plan last fall's Women in Law and Leadership (WILL) Symposium. [See the November 2017 CAS press release Miami students and alumni discuss gender and law at the Women in Law and Leadership Symposium.]

"My experiences in the Pre-law Program and Amicus Curiae have helped me decide what kind of law I might want to go into. I plan on going straight into law school, and so far I've found my classes in constitutional law and political psychology especially interesting. I probably won't be a practicing attorney, but I'd love to work in consulting or some other non-traditional area.

"Mark Morris, who is clinical faculty in the Department of Political Science, has also been great. I took one of his upper-level public administration classes and served as a TA last fall for in his 7-week sprint UNV 101 course for incoming Miami freshmen. I like watching those new students to remember what it was like for me when I was new — it's fun to see them figure it out!

"Over in psychology, I really enjoyed my course taught by professor Kurt Hugenberg. I am in the process of figuring out which thematic sequence I want to take, but Dr. Hugenberg has been one of the most interactive, exciting professors I have ever had."

Miami and the Liberal Arts

Lindsey McCready and friend

"I came to Miami knowing I wanted to study politics, but I've always loved math and science as well. Being a liberal arts student has allowed me to continue to take all kinds of classes that I enjoy. They allow my focus on politics to be much more well-rounded.

"My Chemistry in Modern Society class (CHM 111), which had a lot of practical applications, is a good example of how I'm always amazed that my classes often seem to connect, specifically with psychology. There's a lot of overlap between something I learn in chemistry and then the next day the exact same thing in my bio-psychology course!

"Since I'm a pre-law student, I knew that having a major in political science would be good. I remember a conversation I had with a family friend, who said to me, 'Why would you study political science? If you decide not to go to law school, you can't do anything!' I realized after taking several poli-sci courses that even if I don't go to law school, I still want to do something in politics. I could work on Capitol Hill, since my experience in DC was amazing, and I want to be back there — or I could do some actual policy work on a campaign or something similar. I was fascinated by everything, especially constitutional law and the Supreme Court, and I feel this will become my passion.

"This decision would often lead to the next question, which was, 'What exactly do you want to do with psychology that would help you as a lawyer?' Because I want to work in policy, psychology helps to understand what people are thinking so you know how policy is perceived and what is going to be considered good policy. This means my Social Psychology class (PSY 221) was definitely relevant!

"I've also taken some poli-sci courses, such as POL 345, that were designed for Law and Public Policy Scholars. They are usually discussion-based and analyze a different constitutional issue, such as a key Supreme Court decision, and turn them into amazing opportunities to meet faculty and students who have similar focuses. You can just pick and choose the topic you want, and often they'll ask students what they are interested in learning that semester."

A Fast-Paced 10 Weeks on Capitol Hill

Lindsey talks about her DC internship and other experiences with the Inside Washington program.

Inside Washington Video Transcript

Advice to Students

"It's very important to explore your options. When I arrived to Miami, I had no idea what I wanted to take besides political science. As a CAS student, it was wonderful to be able to shop around for different classes that meet the CAS graduation requirements. Be sure to take advantage of those opportunities and find classes that interest you. You can always find a way to make it work into your schedule somehow.

"On top of your classes, find a couple clubs that you love. That has been a big help to me in meeting people and getting acclimated to college life. Whether it's professional societies, Greek organizations, club sports teams, intramural teams, anything like that I would really recommend.

"Miami also offers great internship and study-away programs that I have had the privilege to take part in, such as Inside Washington and Ohio Public Leaders. These are great opportunities during J-Term or the summer or even during the semester. When you explore all your options here on campus, you'll find an amazing amount of programs that Miami makes available to you."

[March 2018]