<p>Hi, I am going to UC Davis next year and I was wondering if taking honors classes would make me a more competitive candidate for law school, even if it means a lower GPA.</p>
<p>It is called the Davis Honors Challenge, and it spans for over 4 years of undergraduate.</p>
<p>Here is a link: <a href="http://dhc.ucdavis.edu/html/overview.html%5B/url%5D">http://dhc.ucdavis.edu/html/overview.html</a></p>
<p>Any feedback would be great, thanks!</p>
<p>I doubt it would.</p>
<p>The way I look at it is if your GPA is lower than someone else's GPA who didn't do honors, you're at a disadvantage. But if all things equal (GPA, LSAT) between too applicants, I think the one in the honors college might get the boost since his/her curriculum was more challenging/intellectual.</p>
<p>I'm not even sure if law schools see the courses you take, let alone see honours designations and know the relative difficulty of them. </p>
<p>Unless I'm mistaken, LSDAS sends your grades (within ranges - A, B, C, D), the number of credits you took, and the GPA that they calculate for you to the law schools. My impression was that the transcript is essentially stripped of the courses and the course numbers. Even if it isn't, law school admissions isn't like undergrad with its emphasis on AP work.</p>
<p>What about if you were to recieve a certificate of some sort for the honors program? (I'm going to villanova btw if that has an significance to anyone)</p>
<p>So basically you are saying its not worth the risk?</p>
<p>Take the courses because they will help you write more, and because they may be slightly more Socratic - don't take them just to pile them up.</p>
<p>If you are aiming for a top law school, it could make a difference. Law schools often ask for letters of recommendation and sometimes dean certifications and being in an honors program at a large public U often makes a big difference in terms of the quality of references you can get. Two letters from profs who know you well and say good things about you can matter. </p>
<p>Ask for a chance to review the law school admissions data for the college and see whether that data differentiates among "regular" students and those in the honors program. The school may well have statistics which will help you see what impact being in the honors program has.
Moreover, LS isn't all about getting in. You may have the opportunity in an honors program to really develop your writing skills. These may be crucial to how you perform once you are in law school. </p>
<p>Finally, I sometimes feel like the lone voice here...but college isn't --or at least shouldn't be--just about picking up piece of paper so you can advance to the next step. Believe it or not, you may not even want to go to LS 3 years from now. You're going to spend 4 years in college---get the best education you can. I suspect that means enrolling in the honors program.</p>
<p>"Finally, I sometimes feel like the lone voice here...but college isn't --or at least shouldn't be--just about picking up piece of paper so you can advance to the next step."</p>
<p>Very true. </p>
<p>There is a big difference between not completely screwing your chances of getting into law school (such as going for something with massive grade deflation - on the scale of a full point, not a "Oh no, I might get a 3.8 and not a 3.9") and doing something which has a very theoretical effect on admissions (sports, honors, economics v. history, etc). </p>
<p>If the median grades in the honours college are under a 3.0, then don't do it. Otherwise, follow Jonri's advice.</p>