<p>I've finally decided. I want to go to law school. It was always in the back of my mind, but now I am determined!</p>
<p>I'm a 30 year old undergraduate. I owned a business before going back to school and I've also done financial writing and advising. I have two more years of undergrad left, so I still have an opportunity to pick my major/skew my undergraduate experience towards law. </p>
<p>I love business, and I thought I would like Economics---but I'm taking some courses and find that I really don't. I think their models are simplistic and their analysis seems like a big set of rationalizations that can be argued either way. (It's because of this factor! No, it's this factor!) They can't seem to tell the difference between correlation and causation, and this bugs me.</p>
<p>I have the opportunity to take some business school courses here as part of my undergraduate degree (and there is a top 10 business school here), but only if I choose an "easier" major with less unit requirements. So I'm thinking of English, Communications, or Psychology (which would also be fun, just because I like to write, and who doesn't like to learn about people?).</p>
<p>I'm wondering what you think of my switch in focus. I'm thinking of doing contract law (because I like business) for which Economics might be useful, if I can stand it, but open to copyright/intellectual property law, and other stuff too.</p>
<p>I KNOW THAT LAW SCHOOLS DON'T CARE WHAT MAJOR YOU HAVE. </p>
<p>Sorry to shout, but I just wanted to make sure that it was clear that I was aware of that fact. I'm looking for some strategy/benefit of hindsight type advice. (Ariesathena? :))</p>
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I am not sure I can identify your question/s.
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<p>The following is not a question, but I think it constitutes the purpose of his post:</p>
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I'm wondering what you think of my switch in focus. I'm thinking of doing contract law (because I like business) for which Economics might be useful, if I can stand it, but open to copyright/intellectual property law, and other stuff too.
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<p>Being a meticulous reader is helpful for law school.</p>
<p>Well, it's likely that different majors will require you to take specific classes. If you do psychology, it's most likely that you'll have to take some biology classes, a chem class, and possibly even a physics class in addition to the psychology classes. Consider philosophy, which is great training for reading, thinking, writing, speaking, and the LSAT. English has similar strenghts, and also concentrates on close reading written texts. Do something that interests you . . . perhaps you can sit through the rest of econ and then take stuff you're interested in (if you don't have many more econ classes to go).</p>
<p>Speaking as an attorney who drafts contracts that are primarily concerned with intellectual property rights, I'd advise you to study whatever strikes your fancy as an undergraduate. Any course that challenges you to think and write clearly will be good preparation for law school. </p>
<p>None of my undergraduate courses specifically prepared me to do what I do for a living now, but every one of them contributed to my general preparation.</p>
<p>I guess my difficulty is that I don't feel that strongly about any of the undergraduate majors over another. I thought I liked Economics, and I liked that it was a "hard" major, not a "fuzzy" one. English, Communications, and Psychology all seem fun, but I'm not sure which would be good. I'm more interested in law school itself---and I'm wondering what my "hook" will be for law school, which might depend on what major I choose.</p>
<p>EDIT: Oh, and thanks, nspeds and Wildflower! I sent off that post rather quickly and then realized I had only listed two of the names! :)</p>
<p>"I'm wondering what my "hook" will be for law school, which might depend on what major I choose."</p>
<p>Ok, now this makes more sense :). To be honest, I don't think your "hook" and your major will be interconnected. I think your best hook will probably be your age, and the maturity/experience you bring as an older student. And that does not depend on what you major in. Personally, if you are finding Economics boring, I would switch to English --may be Psychology, as a second choice. I am afraid Communications may be seen as a soft major.</p>
<p>"Sorry, the last line was directed at wildflower's frivolous post."</p>
<p>Listen nspeds: </p>
<p>First of all, my post was not directed towards you. It was directed towards the OP. I sincerely felt that he would be best served if his post was a bit clearer.</p>
<p>Second, my post was not frivolous. It seems to me as if the one that needs to be a meticulous reader is you. My intention was always to help the OP. I dont need to explain myself to you, but given your personal attack I had to state the obvious. I am sorry you didnt comprehend that.</p>
<p>Third, unless I address you specifically, feel free to ignore my posts. I am rather impressed by your childish behavior. </p>
<p>Knowing your past behavior on this forum and the way you have reacted to replies in the past, I foresee you will give a long reply to my post and try to engage in some sort of long, confrontational, debate. I hope I am wrong. But if not, let me tell you that I don't have the time for that. Furthermore, I don't have the inclination to be replying to your posts. So, read this, digest it, and stop addressing me from now on. Or, do whatever you want, knowing that I'll dismiss whatever your reply. </p>
<p>Being a mature person is helpful for law school and life.</p>
<p>First, I understand what you mean about the causation/correlation problem - and you'll find out that some highly intelligent people have NO CLUE about how they are different. </p>
<p>Second, why do y'all suddenly want me when I go on vacation? I'm killing time during a layover- next stop is some airport food. :p</p>
<p>Third, I would avoid a communications major - might seem too fluffy. As long as your major isn't at either extreme (so hard that you can't get good grades or so easy that law schools are unsure of the validity of your As), you're fine... but communications might fall into the fluff category.</p>
<p>Personally, I would (just me the masochist) take extra courses so I could get my major requirements in and do the courses that I wanted to take. Hard for me to answer your question directly. If I were you, I would structure my resume (and undergrad transcript) with an eye towards being employed by law firms when you interview as a law student. </p>
<p>I think that your huge hook will be your age - I know someone who went to law school at about your age and got in, in part, because he had spent a lot of time doing manual labour. Employers won't know your age right off the bat - after all, your resume will list graduation from college in 2008 (not 1997). So get the courses that you want... for what difference it might make to list them on your resume or have them on your transcript.</p>
<p>Copyright law requires very little in the line of coursework.</p>
<p>Thanks, Wildflower for your advice. (And thanks to everyone for being as mature as possible with each other. We're all here to help and be helped, right?)</p>
<p>Aries, thanks for taking time to reply! (And I hope you have a great vacation.)</p>
<p>Oddly, there are some interesting programs going on in the Communications Department (regarding electronic communities) that interest me. I might be able to participate if I'm not a major, though. I'm not sure. </p>
<p>Aries, I'm a masochist too. I'm planning 20 units (the maximum allowed) per quarter, but as a transfer student with a lot of requirements to fill, that still doesn't leave that much room.</p>
<p>English is fun, just because I like to read and I love to write. It's also an easy major, relative to Econ.</p>
<p>I would think that ease is very relative, based on factors such as student skill leve, department expectations, and student interest. I'd be surprised if your school's English classes were not difficult, returningstudent, but I could be wrong.</p>
<p>Well, English classes come very easily to me. I love to read and to write. If I were to do English, I would do a Creative Writing concentration. It really does seem too easy.</p>
<p>Would being a first generation college student (as well as only person in the family to graduate from High School (this includes cousins, brothers, parents etc.) be considered a hook?</p>
<p>Well it certainly makes you a "first generation" student. If you are asking whether it is an advantage for you, then yes you do; but only if you have high stats.</p>
<p>The same way you would make any other topic the focal point of an essay -- you use it as the angle to talk about yourself as a person and as a student. In other words, you tell a good story -- as every good essay should do.</p>