Law School Bound- Best Major?

Graduate School Law School
1

Im only a sophomore in high school but know I want to go to law school, i get good grades and am involved and will hopefully go to a top school (Upenn goal but a little unrealistic) anyways,

I have heard that majoring in political science/international relations isn’t always a good choice because everyone does that essentially?
While that field is interesting to me, a lot of other things are too
Should i shift my track to something different or is it okay to try to do poli sci… i know i am young but want make sure i take the right steps before its to late

2

Major in whatever you enjoy, that you will do well in. It can be art history, for all the difference it makes.

3

Unless you really love poly sci major in something else. According to my aunts who went to law school last century, English majors do best in law school because they write well, Pol sci writing is different than law writing. However, English in college is hard so unless you are a great writer find something else that interests you because having the highest grades is important. If something uncommon interests you, all the better. Brush up on your writing now if possible, clarity is important

4

Absolutely. Lots of lawyers in my family, including partners (meaning they do the hiring). Three things they like to see: the ability to write and express your thoughts clearly (which can be all sorts of majors, from history to philosophy to int’l relations to English to whatever); breadth of knowledge (so actually STEM courses are good too if that’s your thing); and demonstrated capacity to do research very thoroughly and quickly.

The reason they want breadth of knowledge is pretty obvious – think of what types of cases law firms take on. Could be medical, could be engineering, could involve a museum or a rap musician. You never can tell. So they want folks from a lot of different academic backgrounds, and folks that can learn quickly. That’s not just puff talk for some brochure about the importance of a well-rounded individual. It’s completely pragmatic.

I can’t imagine why someone would tell you that poli sci/int’l relations is somehow a bad choice. If you do badly in it, it’s a bad choice. Otherwise it’s as good as art history or zoology or anything in between. As for getting into law school, heck, that’s just a matter of a good academic record plus the LSAT. So major in what you enjoy and are really, really good at and build your skill set in a demonstrable way. Good luck; you’re a smart kid to be planning ahead so early :smile:

5

Law schools do not care what your major is. Employers, however, may care.

There are certain subfields in law that either prefer or require certain undergrad majors. For example, to work in intellectual property you generally must be eligible to take the patent bar. That requires a science undergrad (you can google the list of accepted science degrees). Plenty of the corporate law groups prefer, but do not require, undergrad degrees in things like accounting. Antitrust groups prefer, but do not require, degrees in economics. The preferences are slight and take a back seat to law school grades everywhere except in IP.

Law schools do care about your undergrad GPA. Most employers will not. Therefore, whatever you major in, you should strive to keep your GPA at a 3.7 or better. If you pick a hard major that means taking on enough additional fluff classes to boost your GPA.

I also generally advise undergrads to double major or minor in something that provides you with a backup plan. Law school is a very tough and volatile game and most people fail or drop out at one of its many stages. Having a backup degree that can open up other fields is a really good insurance plan.

Since you’re still in high school, now is a great time to make sure you actually are interested in law. There’s only one way to do that: go work for a law firm. Your local DA/PD/Legal Aid may take on interns, which would be a good summer plan (they may or may not take high school students). The more experience you have with actually practicing law the better you can know if it’s the right move for you.

6

Thanks for all the replies! I do think poli sci is what interests me but that could just be because i always associated it with being a lawyer, i think i will just try new things and see if i find a different interest

7

Do what you like, as long as it will have some use when you’re out working, and as long as you’ll have amazing grades in the field. (Even a foreign language or English can be useful, since they’ll give you reading and writing skills that you can use when you’re out working.)

8

One of the challenges with majoring in poli sci, english and history is that you will have to stand out from all of the other poli sci, history and english majors. I would recommend getting a copy of Richard Montauk- How to get into the top law schools

In chapter 8 he discusses making the most of your credentials including majors, where he has gathered information from deans at some of the top law schools. Montauk states

Section does it Matter what a candidate Major is?

9

@sybbie719: Despite law schools’ claims to the contrary, the data do not support the view that law schools care about major. They didn’t care before the sharp decline in applicants, and now they certainly cannot afford to care.

10

I concur with demo. Montauk is out of date.

With the significant drop in applications, and high scores, 17x, law schools are scrambling to keep their medians. At best, a major will count as a tie breaker. Going in, the only thing Penn cares about for the unhooked is GPA+LSAT. A 3.8 Comm major will beat a 3.5 most-rigorous-major nearly every time.

But in reality the quote below is plain bogus, and insults our intelligence.

Penn, like every LS, has a strict curve. There will always be someone at the bottom of the class. By definition. Sure, it might help Penn if that bottom decile were STEM PhD’s and thus (perhaps) marketable even with low grades.

(Coming out, job placement is about the only thing Penn cares about.)

And to UVa, Accounting majors are (already) marketable. Again, it can be plus to the LS to accept some; if, as UVa infers, Accounting majors will struggle, they will end up on the bottom half the class. But that is ok, since they have a much better shot at a job than rigorous-non-STEM major in the bottom half of the class. Accounting majors may gravitate to Tax, which is also marketable. For the LS, Win-Win.

Heck, even if those vocational majors struggle and drop out after 1L, it’s still a Win for the top LS, who will just fill that slot with a full-payor for 2 years. (Given the drop in top scores, merit aid has increased exponentially over the past few years. So, a law school is more than happy to accept a few extra full pay transfers to offset the increased merit money.)

11

I am a lawyer and I always thought my friends that were English majors had an edge. They know how to express themselves and are usually very bright and articulate when they speak. I agree with the previous responders that it does not really matter what your major is (in terms of getting in) as long as you get good grades.