Rutgers Law Ushers in Record-Setting Class at Orientation 2024

“You are an extraordinary first-year class, and we are thrilled that you’re here,” said Rutgers Law Dean Johanna Bond to incoming law students at Orientation 2024.

She was not exaggerating. This year’s class broke a record set by last year’s class and set another. Rutgers Law enrolled the largest number of female students in the law school’s history, beating last year’s record of 241 by seven more students. In addition to improving upon last year’s numerical credentials, this 1L class of more than 420 students is also the most diverse in the law school’s history. Dean Bond welcomed the new students at Orientation opening sessions in Newark on August 19 then in Camden on August 20.

“The Rutgers Law School community is remarkable, and it extends beyond your colleagues and includes the tireless and dedicated staff and faculty,” she said. “This law school runs on heart.”

The law school’s longstanding commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is evidenced in the statistics of the incoming class. The youngest 1L is 20 years old and the oldest is age 60. In addition:

• 48% identify as students of color
• 19% identify at LGBTQIA+
• 28% are first generation college graduates
• 88% are first generation law students
• 34 countries are represented

Newark incoming MSP student Stephen Chung of East Brunswick, New Jersey, said many things brought him to Rutgers Law. “I expect to continue living and working in the great state of New Jersey, so where else but Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey, for my legal education?” he said. “Rutgers Law School, with its history and tradition of progressivism, its location in one of the largest and most diverse markets in the world, its expansive network of alumni and associates, and its overall value proposition- these are just some of the reasons that choosing Rutgers Law was a no-brainer.”

Syntyche Kane of Burlington, New Jersey, says she also chose Rutgers Law for several reasons. The incoming MSP student in Camden is setting her sights on becoming a patent attorney. “I was really drawn to the Minority Student Program which placed an emphasis on supporting the minority students through their legal education, access to the Philadelphia and New York legal markets, and the great bar passage and employment statistics,” she said.

Camden 1L student Joshua Sperling, from Marlboro, New Jersey, says he came to Rutgers Law because it was the best combination of reputation, cost, and quality of education. “I'm most looking forward to learning how the law interacts with the business and creative fields,” he said. “There's so much I don't know and changing those unknown-unknowns into known-unknowns is the first step to really getting a handle on things. My interests lie in how the law will interact with the paradigm shift which artificial intelligence promises to bring to nearly all industries.”

Rutgers alumna Ariana Astafa of Monmouth County, New Jersey, says she is open to all fields of law and believes coming to Rutgers Law in Newark was an obvious gateway to achieving her professional goals, given her positive experience at Rutgers thus far. “Everybody’s great,” she said of Orientation. “Everyone’s so nice and welcoming. It’s exciting and it’s calming a lot of the nerves.”

Click the images below for Orientation Photo Albums