For April Rosenkrantz, ending up in prison was an educational experience.

The visit was a field trip as part of her summer internship at the Federal District Courthouse in Hartford, Conn.

"It was good to get a perspective on what happens to people after they are convicted and sentenced to prison for a term of years. It makes it a lot more personal actually seeing where the people go as opposed to just having them sent to some far away, unknown place," said Rosenkrantz, a second-year law student.

She likes hearing feedback from the judge about different lawyering styles and getting the behind-the-scenes perspective on cases. "It's been a really nice experience," she said. "Everyone is very friendly."

Rosenkrantz says it's also a great opportunity to practice her research and writing skills. Much of her time is spent finding the case law to support the judge's decisions. She helped to draft the summary judgment for one case, putting to use lessons learned from her Legal Skills class at Quinnipiac.

As an undergraduate, she studied pre-med and planned to apply to medical school. But then she had a change of heart and switched her major to philosophy after taking a course on ethics. After graduating from the University of Maryland in 2007, Rosenkrantz became interested in the connection between ethics and the law, and decided to apply to law school.

She chose Quinnipiac in part because of its size. "It's a much more personalized experience," she said, having attended a large university as an undergraduate. "The professors know your name."

She also feels a strong connection to the faculty. "The professors are really invested in your education and making sure you do well. They want to help," she said. One class she particularly enjoyed was Property Law with Professor Jeffrey Cooper. "He really goes out of his way to make it interesting and be sure people are engaged."

Rosenkrantz applied to numerous East Coast schools, but especially liked the admissions process at Quinnipiac. "Everyone was very nice and warm. They made you feel like you're the only person in the room," she said.

She advises first-year students to keep the responsibilities of law school in perspective: "Take time to do something social and spend time with your family and friends every week. You're a law student, but still a daughter, a sister, a friend."