Hannah Carlson | Art History '21

Major: Art History
Minors: Philosophy, Sociology, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Hello! My name is Hannah Carlson, and I graduated from the Degree In 3 Program. I was Pre-Law and majored in Art History with minors in Philosophy, Sociology, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. My career goals entail going to law school and becoming an international entertainment lawyer. I am from Simi Valley, CA which is just outside of Los Angeles. I have been given the opportunity to be involved in many organizations on campus, such as Greek Life, and I have been blessed with the experience of being founder and president of the Mock Trial Team of Purdue, along with being vice president of Pre-Law Society. 

I chose the Degree In 3 Program because I want to go to law school, which has an average 7-year journey. Obviously, this is a lot of years of school, so I tried to figure out ways to cut down that time, so that I could start my career as soon as I could. Also, law school is a very large financial investment, so it was important for me to limit the amount of debt I would have upon graduation. Amazingly, the Degree In 3 Program gave me that opportunity, so I will be able to be a lawyer in 6 years, instead. In addition, because I had many AP credits from high school, I didn’t have to take any summer courses to complete my degree on time, so it didn’t feel like an overwhelming amount of extra work to complete the program. Also, the program still gives you room to study abroad for a semester, which I did in Spring 2021 in Singapore. 

The College of Liberal Arts has been extremely helpful in understanding my academic and career goals by helping me strategize a suitable academic plan to graduate within three years. Also, the College of Liberal Arts study abroad advisors were very helpful in helping me take the right classes abroad so that I wasable to fulfill as many requirements as I can to make every class count towards graduation. 

Purdue has many amazing things to offer, but one of my favorites was the large number of international students on campus. I have been able to become friends with people from all over the globe, and I have learned so much about other cultures and languages. This experience has inspired me to pursue an international law emphasis while in law school. I think it is very important for everyone to make friends outside of their culture in order to be globally conscious and empathetic towards others who might be different from you. 

If you have ever thought of pursuing a Degree In 3 program, let this be the sign you should try it out! I know it has been very beneficial for me, so I am convinced you will enjoy it too!