When filling out my college applications earlier this year, I expressed interest in pursuing a pre-law track while being a business major. However, now that I’ve considered things over time, I feel unsure if pre-law is what I really want. My college advisor assured me that if I decided not to pursue the pre-law track, I would just need to email the admissions counselor of the school I eventually decide to go to, and notify them that I am no longer planning to do pre-law, but would still like to stay in my business major. He told me that it’s not a big deal like changing a major, and not to worry.
While I trust him completely, I still can’t help from feeling anxious. I don’t want to mess anything up if I do decide not to pursue pre-law, like I stated I intended to do on my application. Is it really not that big of a deal, and the university will have no problem with it? Has anyone ever gone through this or something similar, and might be able to give more details?
You can major in almost anything and become a lawyer. I know several lawyers who started off as either engineering or computer science majors. One worked as a software engineer for several years before going to law school. At least to me this seems to imply that the “pre-law” part of it was not going to constrain the courses that you were going to take to any large degree.
I also know quite a few students who changed their major before or at the end of their freshman year of university, and it worked out fine for them also. This is very common.
Pre-Law is NOT a major at most schools, it is an advising track, as Law is a graduate degree in the United States (JD.)
If we’re talking about the “common” part of the Common Application (Personal Info section IIRC,) that asks for the highest degree you intend to earn, then yes, you’ll not be bound to that choice: colleges just want that information to learn more about your interests and career goals.
If this is something you’ve selected in a college’s specific supplement, then while it’s not binding, again, it’s may be helpful for them to know about your career goals and to help connect you with appropriate advising as an undergraduate. Your major choice is much more important if the college has a separate school of business or admits directly into the major etc.
Thanks, this helps a lot! I indicated interest in pre-law on my individual ApplyTexas applications—would this be considered specific supplements? It was just a single question that asked me to select a pre-professional program if I wanted to be a part of one. I believe this is really similar to a question you fill out for college applications using the Common app, but please correct me if I’m wrong. Is this what you’re talking about? I’m not sure if this would be the equivalent of the Common app’s question.
I have been admitted into a couple universities’ business schools as a business major, so basing off what you said, I don’t think they will have a problem if I decide not to pursue pre-law. Do you know if the process my college advisor described would be the right way to do it if I decide not to do the pre-law track?
You don’t need to email your admissions counselor, as colleges know that students’ career goals change (making a change to your major is a different story.) I didn’t use ApplyTexas, so I’m not sure about how that works, but again, colleges just want to know what career your interested in and if you’ve done stuff in HS related to your major/career.