Dickinson placed a high value on his education

Dickinson received his education at home from his parents as well as newly hired immigrants. Francis Alison, a Presbyterian clergyman who subsequently founded Chester County, Pennsylvania's New London Academy, was one of them. The most significant person was William Killen, his instructor who eventually became Delaware's first Chief Justice and Chancellor and who remained a lifetime friend. Dickinson was young and vivacious, and despite his affection for Poplar Hall and his family, he felt pulled to Philadelphia. He started his legal studies at age 18 in Philadelphia with John Moland. There, he became acquaintances with several other students, including George Read and Samuel Wharton.

John Dickinson traveled to England in 1753 and studied law at the Temple in London, an education that not many people could afford. Following in the footsteps of his lifelong friend, Pennsylvania Attorney General Benjamin Chew, he spent those years studying the writings of Edward Coke and Francis Bacon in the Inns of Court. His father was happy to learn that he had graduated as a solicitor. Additionally, he made crucial relationships with other individuals who would later be helpful to him. In 1757, he was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar and began his career as a barrister and solicitor.

John Dickinson had a strong foundation thanks to the education he acquired and his zeal, and this was evident whenever he had to speak in front of an audience or when he penned articles or letters. John also studied antique scholars, philosophers, and ancient languages. He was also urged to use writing as a means of self-expression, and he excelled at it. Shortly after his adored son, John returned to the US, Samuel Dickinson passed away. As a result, John received an inheritance from his father's Kent County Estate.