Accounting program led me to law school

By Katie Hirv ’21

Like many students, Will Dix ’21 came to Wartburg thinking he wanted to do one thing, but after taking some classes, meeting new people, and talking with advisers and other vocation professionals, he changed his mind not once, but twice.

As a new Waverly-Shell Rock High graduate in 2018, Dix headed just down the road to Wartburg where he planned to study business. And while 7:45 a.m. courses are rarely student favorites, Dix found himself especially interested in his Principles of Accounting course.

“I had thought accounting would be boring, but I got it and really enjoyed tackling the content. It was a challenge in a good way,” Dix said.

Through more conversations, Dix started to think that he wanted something more than his accounting degree. So, working alongside Karen Thalacker, Wartburg’s Title IX coordinator and pre-law adviser, Dix prepared to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and revised his law school application materials.

“One of the fun things about filling out law school applications is they ask you what areas you’re interested in. And the nice thing about accounting is that like law school, there’s so many fields in it,” Dix said. “I think corporate law is an area that I would love to go into. There is something fascinating about how corporate America works and the imperfections, the rules, and the guidance. It allows for creative problem solving and conversation.”

Dix said Wartburg’s liberal arts education helped him succeed on the notoriously difficult LSAT.

“Once you’re about to graduate, you look back and say, ‘Man, that religion course I took, that has really helped me formulate ideas and arguments.’ It might also be your humanities courses or your sciences. Law school demands that of its students. They want students who take problems apart, not through a formulaic approach, but by approaching it holistically and saying, ‘Okay, I’ve got a problem. And I know how to find solutions.’ I think that’s really a way that Wartburg has helped me approach some of those problems that will be coming up in law school,” said Dix, who will attend the University of Iowa College of Law this fall.

“Whatever field you are in, you can go anywhere with the ability to tackle problems because the world needs problem solvers in every field,” Dix said.

To learn more about Wartburg’s pre-law program, visit https://www.wartburg.edu/law/.