<p>Competitive Nature of Undergraduate Program </p>
<p>Obviously, a program of study that consists of a large number of upper-level courses with honors classes or thesis courses is more competitive than one in which a student takes the majority of his or her courses at the introductory level. Clearly, any student who has taken mostly 100 level classes, even in his or her third and fourth years in school, has not challenged himself or herself as strenuously as possible; that student may look less attractive to a law school. If you have had the introductory courses in a subject, move on to the more advanced classes.</p>
<p>Pursuing an Inadequate Undergraduate Curriculum
As explained elsewhere, law schools are usually impressed by students who can demonstrate convincingly that they have challenged themselves with a rigorous curriculum of classes that exercised their thinking and reasoning abilities. Law Services encourages students to study in a focused, intensive way in your major field, but . . . also [to] expose yourself to several other disciplines. . . .Law schools want students who are intelligent, who have well-developed academic ability, and who are of high character. It's not so much a matter of what you study as it is a matter of selecting courses in your major field that interest you, challenge you, are at a level that is advanced well beyond the mere introductory, require research, and require you to express your ideas in writing. </p>
<p>Obviously, to the extent that a student fails to accomplish this goal, his application will look weaker to an Admissions Committee.</p>
<p>but it's so hard for them to tell what's advanced and what's not. I bet they go by course numbers a lot, which stinks...for example, in one department at my school, 243 and 343 are considered tough courses for the major, but 399 is an easier "readings" course. And sometimes the course titles don't help much, either. I think adcoms must really grasp at straws to figure out what's hard and what's easy, so getting letters of recommendation to specifically mention the hard courses you took might be a good way to go.</p>
<p>and because of the things that stacy mentions, the "prestige" of the school may play a role into admissions. if it's a school known to be prestigious, regardless of how difficult it is, then its students will get the boost over statistically equalivalent students from less prestigious schools.</p>
<p>
[quote]
but it's so hard for them to tell what's advanced and what's not. I bet they go by course numbers a lot, which stinks...for example, in one department at my school, 243 and 343 are considered tough courses for the major, but 399 is an easier "readings" course. And sometimes the course titles don't help much, either. I think adcoms must really grasp at straws to figure out what's hard and what's easy, so getting letters of recommendation to specifically mention the hard courses you took might be a good way to go.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You are allowed to submit an addendum that elaborates on the significance of the course. </p>
<p>I recommend Anna Ivey's text on law school admissions. It provides an excellent explanation regarding this.</p>
<p>Sakky - I'm on vacation and taking an internet break before bed. Does that answer your question? ;)</p>
<p>Off-topic - but drop emails this week & next if you really need me. :)</p>
<p>My thoughts: harder courses might be a "tip" factor - all other things being equal, you might get in ahead of someone else because you worked hard. Harder majors might get a bit more of a tip. On the other end of the spectrum, easy courses & majors might work against you a bit. HOWEVER, the slight advantages & disadvantages really do not compare with the radical difference in work, effort, mental acumen, and grades which result from the slew of harder courses. Go the middle road - hard enough so the admissions officers don't laugh at your pathetically easy major (i.e. fashion merchandising), but not hard enough so that half the class winds up with Cs and Ds. I'm actually serious - unless your major is comical, you shouldn't worry about the bump down. You're also not going to get many points for taking hard courses (says the masochist engineer).</p>
<p>Law schools don't really mean that students should take the hardest possible courses - if they did, GPA wouldn't be such a huge factor. I've said this a lot - but it should be repeated: law school admissions is set up to evaluate poli sci majors. Oh, yeah, the other Aries statement: you will always do better in courses which fascinate you - which you want to study for when your friends are out drinking or you're tired or have a ton of other stress in your life. Doing something just to look impressive on a law school application will, at best, be a waste of time.</p>