My long-term goal is to go into international law. I don’t know if I should do two majors, a major and two minors, or a specialist program. The programs I am interested in are Peace, Conflict, and Justice; Ethics, Society, and Law; and International Relations. Can anyone suggest an avenue for me to take with these particular programs?
Take what you’re interested in. It doesn’t need to be law related. If you’re interested in what you’re studying, you’re more likely to get a higher GPA, which you’ll need for law school admissions.
If you are interested in both, I would suggest you take the required first-year classes for both during your first year and then you can decide later which you want to continue studying, or continue doing both as a major.
I’m a first year student at U of T and my roomate is in the same situation. He says that a lawyer must have a large breadth of knowledge and that a specialist is too narrow. A specialist in ESL is pretty much pre-law (and grad schools don’t really like that). I would suggest doing what he is doing: double major in ESL and one of your other choices. PCJ is sorta prestigious and if you are really interested you should apply for the Munk One Program.
This is absolutely untrue. A lawyer will learn what he needs to practice law in law school. His/her undergrad major will not matter, unless an interest in IP law is present, where the vast majority will require a hard science or engineering background.
Applicants get into law schools with every conceivable undergrad major every year.
I have been a lawyer for over 20 years and have mentored and supervised many attorneys. I fully agree with @alwaysamom. I will add a few gratuitous pieces of advice. First, read The Future of the Professions by Richard and Daniel Susskind. The legal profession is changing. You’ll want to acquire the skills you’ll need to practice, which are not necessarily the skills that are currently rewarded. Second, other occupations pay much more for a similar level of intellect and effort (e.g., investment banking). Third, law is mostly a business, unless you are truly interested in serving the underserved. In which case, making a living will be difficult. Fourth, considering the above, do your research and homework. Talk with current practitioners, with legal technologists (e.g., Andrew Arruda) and with providers of legal services under new legal models (e.g., Axiom Cognition). Fifth, I believe that if you do what you love, your satisfaction will be great. Good luck!
Thank you all for your advice! I have actually decided to attend NYU but I will keep these points in mind! 