<p>I am a high school senior this year preparing for an undergraduate major in chemical engineering. I love chemistry, physics, and math, so the choice was a piece of cake. Though I really enjoy these things, I also enjoy humanities based courses and I especially LOVE a good argument. I'm a very hard worker and I always try to be challenged. Since I was young people always said they could see me as a lawyer because I never ever lose an argument. So needless to say that idea also sounds a bit interesting to me! So my main question is would going to law school with an undergrad major in chemical engineering be doable? and In addition to being doable, would it be useful? Would I be marketable. or would my undergrad in engineering mean absolutely nothing? Does anyone have any insight on the usefulness of this, and also any other information that might help me decide on this? Are there certain programs I should be aware of? Also I am doing ROTC in college so I will be required to serve active duty for 4 years after graduation. Is law school after that still okay?
Thanks!</p>
<p>One of the problems that you will face with a Chem E major is that typically those that graduate from Engi or hard sciences have very low GPA’s which keep them from being accepted to (not just the elite) any law school. </p>
<p>Listen to those in the know or hire a law school admissions consultant and they will tell you to major in the easiest thing that you love so that you have a high GPA and start studying for the LSAT the summer after your first year in College.</p>
<p>Being a lawyer is honestly less about arguing as it is seeing both sides of the case and thinking like a lawyer. The market is awful right now, but it might be better in a few years when you graduate… law is definitely not a path to riches, but it is an unrelenting calling for some. If you really think that you would enjoy law school you might want to look into the pre law club at your college as many of them are very good.</p>
<p>Your commitment to our great nation is very admirable and will help you in your legal studies as you will be more mature and also a bit older. If you want to be a lawyer go read “1L” it is THE book to read for students aspiring for their J.D.</p>
<p>Becoming a patent attorney usually <em>requires</em> an engineering or hard science major and the job prospects seem to be better than most others in the legal field. If intellectual property copyrights & patents interest you, it’s definitely something to consider. It seems the most logical choice for someone who loves engineering, math, science and law.</p>
<p>So I’m getting mixed signals from you two. Chemical engineering is definitely going to be my undergrad. There is no way that is going to change. I’m aware of the difficulty of the major, but I intend on graduating above a 3.0. I’m shooting for a 3.4-3.6. Would I be able to get into law school, maybe even a fairly decent one? Obviously being a patent attorney deals with the patents and copyrights, presumably for larger corporations? What exactly does this entail? Would I still be able to use my undergrad education, or would my job entirely revolve around my grad law degree with no reference to my chemistry knowledge, etc? By better job prospects does that mean it’s good, or decent? Because I hear the engineering job prospects are good. Thanks for all the input. This is really just a shot in the dark, collecting data. For now it is not a serious consideration for me. I’m much more likely to go to grad school for chemE.</p>
<p>Check out this forum to read more about intellectual property law: [The</a> Intellectual Property Law Server](<a href=“http://www.intelproplaw.com/]The”>http://www.intelproplaw.com/)</p>
<p>When I said the job prospects are better, I was comparing it to other jobs in the legal field. I think engineering usually has very strong job prospects & it’s one of the few area of study where an undergrad degree will take you far.</p>
<p>You could go to law school with any undergrad degree. I was just throwing out the possibility of become a patent attorney because it’s one of the few fields of law where you are actually required to hold an ABET/EAC accredited engineering degree or other hard science degree. On top of that, if you have an engineering undergrad degree, you could actually even skip law school and take the patent bar & then you could be a patent agent. </p>
<p>You have plenty of opportunities in all fields. You’re doing the right thing by just concentrating on your ChemE undergrad right now. Who knows where life will sway you in the future.</p>
<p>Material Science & Engineering would be a better choice if pursuing Law School… (Just based off my observations at UF)</p>