<p>I know that this is early to be asking, but...
I will be attending a fourth-tier public university 5 minutes from my house (conveniently located and I got in on a full ride to the honors program; my family situation does not call for me to move out of my house at the moment). I was also recently accepted into the University of Michigan.
I changed my major and decided to go into Political Science and Global Studies (I want to become a lawyer and become involved in international issues) rather than nursing (which I realized is not for me).
I've been bummed because UM was my dream school and I was hoping to attend. Unfortunately it will be too difficult to attend next year, so I was wondering if I should either transfer in a couple of years OR just aim for UM law school (and save up my money)?
If any of you law school experts could give me some real and useful advice on how to prepare myself to apply for UM law, I would appreciate it very much (new to this law school thing). What do they look for? GPA? LSAT? Rigorous undergrad curriculum? When should I start preparing for the LSAT? What else should I do in college (participate in debate, legal internships, etc.)?
I don't want my current situation to hinder me from aiming high and UM's law school is great. And I figure since it is one of the top in the nation, I'd have to prepare well in advance if I want a shot.</p>
<p>Or, is this too idealistic, thinking I could transfer from my local university's undergrad into UM law? Is it possible?</p>
<p>Again, I'd appreciate all the help I can get. I'm passionate about what I am going to study and will do everything possible to have a chance at a top law school.</p>
<p>Yet, I understand a top law school might not be the most important thing and I could still become a lawyer if I go to a state law school, but I think the kind of job I seek might require a law degree from a higher ranked institution.</p>
<p>You can definitely get into UM law school with a degree from a lower-ranked undergrad school, so long as your GPA and LSAT score are good enough (UM is very selective, but you don't need a higher GPA and LSAT score from your future school than you will from a higher-ranked school). I go to UM law and my classmates went to all different schools for undergrad.</p>
<p>I think the most important things you can do for the next few years are:</p>
<p>a) get the best grades you can
b) get to know some professors so you can have them write you good recommendations--taking smaller classes or ones that require lots of writing assignments will help
c) have fun, and get involved with at least one job (paid or volunteer) or group that will at some point allow you to take on a leadership role.
d) learn more about being a lawyer. Read a lot about what lawyers do, what different options there are in the field (and how many lawyers do certain things--for example a lot of college students say they want to do "international human rights law" or something, but there aren't actually a whole lot of jobs in that field), maybe try to intern with a lawyer (or several different lawyers who do different types of work). None of this will make a big difference in your chance of admissions, but it could help you decide if you really do want to go to law school.</p>
<p>If you decide you want to go straight to law school after college, sometime towards the middle or end of junior year you can start studying for the LSAT--good times to take it are June after junior year or October of senior year--these allow you a chance to retake if necessary, and to get your applications in early.</p>
<p>I agree with stacy that you can get in to Mich Law (and Harvard Law for that matter) from pretty much any undergrad, but you'll need a strong GPA/LSAT combination. At the least though, I would recommend transferring in a year or two to a better school. It doesn't necessarily need to be on the level of UMich, but your academic record will be better if you come from a school that is at least somewhat reputed (Michigan State, etc.) Good luck and way to plan ahead, but don't stress!</p>