<p>Will it help my chances of getting into a good law school if I take as many honors classes as possible (I'm at a big state U)? Would it be better to have lots of honors classes and a little lower GPA or a little higher GPA and less honors classes (the honors classes are obviously much harder than regular classes)? Any suggestions would help. Thanks</p>
<p>I think its good to show that you challenge yourself and risk getting a lower GPA, though I could be wrong here.</p>
<p>The bottom line is this: get the highest GPA you can and the highest LSAT score you can. The rest is irrelevant -- well, with the exception of HYS. Honors classes mean nothing; take them because you are interested, not b/c they'll be impressive to admission officers. For every honor class you take, they'll probably have a Harvard College applicant. And, honestly, who do you think they'll pick if GPAs are the same and the other student is from Harvard and you have "honors" classes. Yes, the Harvard guy/gal. If your GPA is substantially higher, regardless of the classes you took, you may have the lead.</p>
<p>In an ideal world, Adcoms would expect all their applicants to have 4.0s from MIT or Stanford type schools and a perfect LSAT; in addition, they'd like them to have taken the toughest courses (advanced math and sciences included even if these are not counted for your major), tons of leadership and extra-curriculars, amazing summer stories/jobs/internships, work experience, tons of community service, Honors thesis/ published material, etc, etc, etc. However, a GPA close to a 4.0 and an LSAT upwards 165, will probably get you in most places -- LSs need these numbers in order to remain competitive, gain a higher spot in the rankings, or, at the very least, not lose their current spot.</p>
<p>From what I've read in previous threads, no it wouldn't if your GPA is not stellar. If you have a great GPA such as a 3.8 taking normal courses, you are in great shape. However, if you have a 3.0 taking honors courses, not so much. Essentially, what law school admission officers would say, "if you take honors courses, you better make the GPA."</p>
<p>just curiously do law schools take into consideration if you are taking a really hard major such as engineering, physics, or molecular and cell biology and have a significantly lower GPA than your typical poli sci major. At my school the GPA difference between science and non-science majors is huge science = 2.5 the rest of the liberal arts = 3.7. Thanks. Oh and by the way I am looking into being a science realted lawyer if that helps such as a patent attorney.</p>
<p>Do people consider poli sci as a liberal art?</p>
<p>Here, this wesbite says
[quote]
liberal arts (here defined as courses related to the social sciences, humanities, the biological and physical sciences, and mathematics).
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Dictionary.com says
[quote]
Academic disciplines, such as languages, literature, history, philosophy, mathematics, and science, that provide information of general cultural concern: The term liberal arts connotes a certain elevation above utilitarian concerns. Yet liberal education is intensely useful (George F. Will).
The disciplines comprising the trivium [grammar, logic, and rhetoric] and quadrivium [geometry, astronomy, arithmetic, and music].
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The answer is yes. However, it seems the sciences generally also fall into the category. Perhaps instead you should say humanities and social sciences, as political science is considered a social science, and it does not include the so-called "hard sciences" and engineering, amongst others.</p>
<p>ok... all i want to know is if law schools take into consideration the difficulty of your major and the classes one takes. I'm sorry if the terminiology i used was wrong.</p>
<p>No, lomeg329; they don't.</p>
<p>Actually, they do, but the high rigour of one's major does not compensate for an abysmally low GPA.</p>
<p>Case in point, I know a person who graduated with a 3.25 in engineering who now attends GULC.</p>
<p>Edit: My mistake: he double-majored in math and physics.</p>
<p>For tips on how to educate adcoms regarding the rigour of your major, read "The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions" by Anna Ivey (former dean of admissions at UChicago Law School).</p>
<p>Like undergraduate applications, adcom only know as much as you, the LSAC, and your university tell them. Informing them about all pertinent circumstances is crucial to obtaining a decision conforming to what you deserve.</p>
<p>Edit: If you earned a below-the-law-school's-median GPA, and you do not explain the circumstances underlying that GPA, you are at fault for not educating law schools (for the most part).</p>
<p>according to some statistics iphysics, engineers, and higher end biology and chem majors have much higher acceptance rates that all the other typical pre-law majors. For instance according to the stats these science majors have a 15% higher chance of getting into law schools. Is this true because the stats say so. Im kinda confused...</p>
<p>well, there are a lot more poli sci majors than math majors applying to LS.</p>
<p>I agree with nspeds that law schools absolutely notice the difficulty of your coursework and your major, as well as whether you went to an undergraduate institution with grade inflation/deflation. However, a really low GPA certainly won't help your case for admission no matter what classes you take or what your major is. Look, if you stack your undergraduate transcript with classes like "Physics for Poets", "Rocks for Jocks" and "History of Popular Movies", you will have a tough time getting traction in the law school admisions process (and you will have wasted an incredible amount of time and money in college). Law school is tough. Law schools want to admit students that they feel are capable of not just handling the coursework, but mastering the subjects, adding to classroom discussion (and perhaps even to legal scholarship) and future success in the real world. I still strongly believe that if you take classes that interest and challenge you, you will do better in those classes.</p>
<p>PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, what if you go to a more "prestigious" undergrad university like Yale. Is taking honors courses at a place like this beneficial enough to justify the heavier workload?</p>
<p>I do not think Yale distinguishes among classes that are "honors" and not (except for, perhaps, mathematics). You usually just ascend in course-numbers. The higher the course number, usually, the more difficult the course is.</p>
<p>Sure, earn an A in math 55 at Harvard, I think HLS and YLS would notice:)</p>
<p>Edit: Keep in mind that one usually ascends in course-difficulty by mere virtue of completing a major. A major at any decent school will require that students complete upper-division courses and, in some cases, do an honors thesis.</p>
<p>I remember asking my professor, who graduated from Harvard Law School, for some pointers. He simply told me to get highly involved in my work, and everything will work itself out. I suggest some of you take that advice. If you really love a certain discipline, spending time to develop your skills in it and demonstrating passion for it is a far better use of your time than wondering what to do by posting on CC.</p>
<br>
<p>I do not think Yale distinguishes among classes that are "honors" and not </p>
<br>
<p>Right, they don't. At Harvard, you can choose to do an honors or non-honors concentration, but this means very little for law school purposes (I did a non-honors program in what is usually considered an easy major, and it did not hurt me at all).</p>
<p>I disagree with what people are saying here. At my school, (also a huge, but well-respected state school), if you take enough honors courses in a particular department, you can have on your degree "Honors" in your major. There are also benefits to being in an honors program, such as side-by-side research with a faculty member, and perhaps a senior research paper, which would benefit you greatly in your standings as an applicant.</p>