<p>If graduated with a degree in Sociology or Political Science (while being involved in a Pre-Law Society), could I attend a good law school in the Carolinas (i.e. Wake Forest, UNC, Duke)? Or does Alabama not have enough ‘prestige’ to gain me acceptance? Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>*could I attend a good law school in the Carolinas (i.e. Wake Forest, UNC, Duke)? Or does Alabama not have enough ‘prestige’ to gain me acceptance? Thanks in advance! *</p>
<p>Uhhh…Bama’s law school is ranked ahead of Wake Forest’s law school. Bama’s law school and UNC’s law school are similarly ranked, and one year one will be slightly higher and then the next year the other one will be. Bama has a Tier 1 Law School.</p>
<p>That said, of course a graduate from Alabama can get accepted to a top law school.</p>
<p>I don’t know the actual stats for law school admittance, but I do know that several Bama students were accepted to Ivy med schools this year…so since it’s harder to get accepted to Ivy meds, it makes sense that Bama grads can get accepted to top law schools.</p>
<p>BTW…Law Schools mostly look at GPAs and LSAT scores. That’s what matters most.</p>
<p>Found this on Bama’s Pre-Law Advising website…</p>
<p>Where do University of Alabama students go to law school?</p>
<p>The University of Alabama School of Law is the most popular choice of UA students who apply to law school. However, UA students annually are admitted to over 100 ABA-approved law schools across the country. This includes elite law schools such as Harvard, Yale, Columbia, New York University, The University of Virginia, Northwestern, Chicago, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Duke.</p>
<p>I would encourage you to expand your thoughts on majors as well. When law schools look at applicants they also look at majors and it seems these days they sometimes look for something a little outside the box. DH is in charge of 1L’s who do internships at his firm for the summer. I asked him about majors and he said that currently the thought is an English major (or minor) is sought after due to brief writing (hons skills) as well as an econ major or minor. Sociology and Political Science are fine but having something different will distinguish you a little bit.
M2K is right…key components are the LSAT and GPA but if you have a competitive group applying they will look further into your “resume” so to speak. Also remember when you are applying that each law school will do a composite for what they want that particular class to “look like”. If you are interested in the Carolinas schools then you might be able to look back and see just how the previous classes were composed and get and idea of what they might be looking for when it comes to your time. DH aso said that extra curriculars are important. Get involved…it will help!<br>
Finally I would tell you as well that Alabama’s Law School is excellent. DH is very good friends with a professor there who left a very good mid-west law school to teach at Bama. The gentleman and DH have co-authored several books together on the UCC Code and the man i thought to be an expert in this field. If he is at Alabama then you can bet that the law school faculty has others of his caliber.<br>
Good luck! It’s a long road but a worthwhile and exciting one! I taught while DH went to law school many years ago. He loves his job and said when I asked he would do it all over again (even flipping his days and nights to study for his Con Law final…I remember that one particularly 
).</p>
<p>AhPimommy–DS will be double-majoring in History and Classics, with lots of writing involved in the former! Does that sound like a good combo for law school? (His goal, BTW.)</p>
<p>BTW–does UA Law School have special scholarships (etc.) for talented UA undergrads who want to go right on to law school at UA?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!!</p>
<p>LadyD … not sure about scholarships, but the UA Law school DOES have expedited entrance requirements for those UA grads that entered undergrad study with a certain ACT or SAT score and who maintained a certain GPA throughout undergrad study. I those cases the UA grads are NOT required to take the LSAT and are automatically admitted to the UA Law School … this per their website. That being said, unless the UA Law School is their only choice, they will likely take the LSAT anyway since they’ll be applying to other schools. :-)</p>
<p>Thanks much, Dad!</p>
<p>FYI … [Honors</a> Admissions Program | The University of Alabama | School of Law](<a href=“http://www.law.ua.edu/admissions/honors-program/]Honors”>http://www.law.ua.edu/admissions/honors-program/)</p>
<p>I’ve been told that a UA student who just graduated is attending Northwestern Law on a full ride.</p>
<p>Check into an Economics Major</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.suu.edu/faculty/baker_j/econ%20lawyers.pdf[/url]”>www.suu.edu/faculty/baker_j/econ%20lawyers.pdf</a></p>
<p>[Do</a> Economics Majors Make Better Lawyers? | Whittemore School of Business & Economics](<a href=“http://www.wsbe.unh.edu/node/13830]Do”>http://www.wsbe.unh.edu/node/13830)</p>
<p>A friend of mine has a daughter who graduated in 2008 from Bama. She graduated 2 weeks ago with top honors from Emory University Law School.</p>
<p>ahpimommy is correct about expanding one’s thoughts on majors/minors. My son has a roommate who is a chemical engineering major who plans to attend law school following graduation. One does not need to limit himself to a specific major. The same is true with med school. If one has the scores and requirements met, regardless of one’s major, one could land a spot in med school.</p>
<p>I am an Alabama grad with a major in Accounting from the mid - 1980s. My law school admission results: Yale (accepted), Harvard (wait listed), Vanderbilt (accepted – full tuition), SMU (accepted – full ride + plus stipend). I was happy with the choices available to me.</p>
<p>Diane…DH was a History/Poly Sci major with an English minor. I think your son will be fine with his majors as they stand. DH said anything that requires lots of writing is helpful :). He said to remember that law school does not require you to regurgitate information but rather learn the information and how to apply it to situations/cases. I can remember HUGE flow charts taped on our bedroom walls during his first year that mapped out the various scenarios in a couple of classes (maybe Torts???). Paying4collegex4…where did you end up? Are you still practicing? With an accounting degree are you by chance a Tax Lawyer? DH does corporation insolvency/bankruptcy and LOTS of litigation in those areas.
Diane… after he settles in have your S go over the Law School and introduce himself and see if there might be a prof who needs help with research ect. We have had several of our kids who have done this and it has been to their advantage. Your S might also contact firms in your area and see if they need some sort of summer intern…basically a “go-fer” of sorts but will get your S in the door and he will be able to get "hands on " experience in the workings of a law firm. DH’s firm has several college kids who help out in this capacity :).</p>
<p>Wow! Thank you so much for all the rapid and thorough responses. All the information provided gives me great assurance in my future. I am so excited to learn about Alabama’s Law School’s prestige. I defiantly will be working hard through out college to prove myself as a scholar, and hopefully follow the path of some the Bama alumni mentioned above. Again thank you for you’re knowledgable input!</p>
<p>Ahpimommy – I took the full ride + stipend at SMU. After my great results with my Alabama degree, I knew that I didn’t need the imprimatur of Yale to sell myself. Had a fabulous law school experience with lots of personal attention from law school profs, graduated at the top of my law school class, took a federal clerkship, received offers from Big Law in all the cities I interviewed in (Texas, Chicago and both coasts), married my law school sweetheart, practiced in the area of bank insolvency litigation for many years and am now a stay at home mom sending my first child to Alabama in the fall!</p>
<p>This question really is: After attending UA, will any other law school other than UA be good enough?</p>
<p>As previously stated, get good grades and LSAT’s and UA can take you anywhere!!!</p>
<p>Attend UA and soon you will be using vocabulary like “imprimatur”! Great story, paying4collegex$ and perfect illustration of where UA can take you. I live in Ivy League territory and still get askance looks when I mention my son is going to UA. What they don’t know…</p>
<p>You have to be a little bit of an iconoclast to follow the path that I did – but with the absence of any undergraduate or law school debt came freedom – to pursue the lower paying federal clerkship right after law school instead of jumping right into big law, to open a firm with my husband, and to stay at home with my kids and volunteer in the community when the dual law career, four kid life style became overwhelming for my family.</p>