“The discipline covers so much ground I feel like whatever your specific interest is, if you take sociology you can find a professor who is exploring a facet that interests you.”

Burnell also had plenty of opportunities to roll up his sleeves and apply classwork to real-world situations. In a service-learning course with Sociology Professor Kathy Fox, he and a fellow UVM student created a Criminal Justice Club. They planned a kickoff event by inviting local experts in law enforcement including Vermont Assistant Attorney General David Scherr. Over 40 students attended, and Burnell has plans to have the club officially approved by the Student Government Association next year.

Burnell also discovered he could take a Law and Society minor through the sociology department, which gives him access to courses in law from across the university—he’ll be taking business law and real estate law next semester through UVM's Grossman Business School

“If I hadn’t discovered sociology I’m not sure if I’d have made my way to law,” he says. After graduation, Burnell plans on gaining some more real-world experience, perhaps working as a paralegal, while studying for the LSATS in preparation for law school.