hi, i’m an underclassman at a very competitive public high school. i definitely plan to go to law school after my undergrad but there are definitely a lot of majors i could do. i do plan to go to a top 25 (or at least ~40) school, georgetown is the dream but definitely a school well known for majors in the field that i want to go into. i’m humanities-inclined, in the gifted program, and i’m taking two ap’s as a freshman (hgap and physics), i am not a fan of math but i do plan to do ap stats, and both ap calcs, and i’m taking four legal studies classes (one each year). i hope that’s enough information to gauge a good major to focus on. i was thinking of economics, especially since i’ve been advised to major in stem because the whole world is going digital, etc. etc. but i can’t do math to save my life (i’m a freshman still in algebra 2).
(and i’m asking not because i need to have my life figured out at such a young age, but to decide on ec’s, research, classes, etc. that would be good preparation) thanks!
You can major in anything and go to law school - journalism, art, music, nutrition - anything.
But perhaps majors focused on reading and writing are best. Some recommend philosphy. Some recommend outside the box majors - poli sci, econ, history are common and perhaps something different works.
If you want to be a tax attorney, maybe business. Patent attorney maybe engineering.
You can look at the schools attended of the Harvard, Yales of the world.
Where you go - and if you’re an underclassman, it’s way too early - but where you go is less important than how you do academically and LSAT wise. Work experience is also becoming common. In other words, if you put up the academic and test record, you can go to Western MIchigan or Boise State and still go to Harvard law.
It’s a 7 year path - so finances are important.
But you are very early. Excel in HS. See which areas interest you and you can go from there once it’s time to apply to college. And even then you might apply undecided depending on your mindset. As a Freshman, you don’t know if you’re going to top 25 or 40 because you’ve yet to have a record.
Focus on school and extracurriculars and check back in 2.5 years.
Good luck.
Generally, for law school preparation, the major that most engages you also will represent your best choice of major. Nonetheless, you may want to emphasize the development of certain skills as an undergraduate, especially writing. For this, certain colleges may be worth looking into in the future: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/writing-programs.
I’d urge you to read this piece from MIT admissions despite not liking math and probably having little desire to attend MIT. The principles are true for any of the Top X colleges: Applying Sideways | MIT Admissions
Algebra 2 is what juniors in high school usually do. You’re on the +2 track in math (i.e. two years ahead of normal). If you legitimately are having a hard time in math and you’ve been studying and getting tutoring and any extra help you can, then consider dropping down a level. If that’s not the case and you’re doing well in your math class, then you should acknowledge to yourself how advanced you are in math.
I.e. you are two grade levels ahead of the normal math progression.
The LSAT and law require logical thinking. Math is the closest high school subject to that (particularly if logic and proofs were included in geometry), though computer science also has some of that. In college, practice in logical thinking can also be found in philosophy. This does not mean that you have to major in any of these subjects, but some courses in them may be helpful, in addition to the usual recommendations about courses that include a lot of reading and writing practice.
Choosing Your Major for Prelaw | Law School Numbers has some suggestions on choosing a major as a pre-law student. Making Undergraduate Courses Count for Law School | Law School Numbers has some suggestions on college course selection beyond your major.
+1 to @AustenNut’s recommendation on the “Applying Sideways” post.
The best advice- but also most resisted by students!- is the simplest: at each juncture, follow the path closest to your truest interests. You will be growing and changing really, really fast over the next 4-6 years, and the easiest way to not artificially limit yourself is to learn how to be honest with yourself: which of these choices is the truest to me? and to trust yourself that your obvious drive & ambition will keep pushing you forward.
A couple of underlying facts:
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Your major will not (in itself) affect your law school admissions at all. IF it helps you hone your writing / analytical / logic skills, that can be helpful. IF it is in a field that runs to lower GPAs and you aren’t able to keep a top GPA (eg, engineering), that is unhelpful.
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Your HS ECs are unlikely to make the slightest difference to anything except you. If you like Model UN or JSA or debate- great! do them b/c you love them. But don’t do them b/c you think that they will help a future law school application. The majority of people with law degrees never step foot in a courtroom (at least, not in a professional capacity!), nor do they engage in formal debates. There is a good, but far from perfect, overlap between students who enjoy thinking/analyzing/discussing the fine points of an argument and those who are happy to parse every word of a contract, or to find the argument as to why your side in a deal or a disagreement has the stronger argument.
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The first and biggest cuts that law schools make are 100% stats: whether you are applying from Harvard or West Backofnowhere, your GPA and LSAT are the first, biggest gate you have to get through. The name of your UG college rarely features.
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Increasingly, law schools (especially the top ones) are taking students with a couple of years of work experience: in 2010, about 30% went straight through, in 2017 admissions round it was about 19%. By 2029, when you are finishing college, the % is likely to be lower again. What you do in the 1-3 years between will be more interesting to AOs than your major (though your GPA is still likely to be highly relevant).
OP, @collegemom3717 is 100% spot-on in her post. I was getting on to post a response, but she said literally everything that I was going to say (and more eloquently). But, as someone who has a lot of experience working with law students, I’ll add/emphasize a few points.
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Don’t major in political science or econ or philosophy unless those subjects are your passions. Law school admissions offices could not care less what you major in, and legal employers get sick of seeing those majors on resumes (and talking about them in interviews). They would be much more excited to hear about your environmental studies, theatre, or linguistics major. And, if you major in something you’re truly interested in that also a good fit, you’re more likely to do well (and grades are the most important factor for law school admissions). If you absolutely love political science, then, of course, major in it. But, don’t think that law school admissions will prefer that even one iota more than majoring in anthropology.
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Where you go undergrad also doesn’t matter at all to law school admissions. They only care about your undergrad GPA and your LSAT scores. Plus law school is really expensive. Both of those facts would suggest that you go to a somewhat less competitive college where it will be a little bit easier to get very high grades , and where you’re likely to get a lot of need-based and merit aid. Graduating from a medium tier college or university with all As is significantly better for law school admissions than graduating from an Ivy League school with Bs.
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This last point is most important in my view. As @collegemom3717 stated, the majority of law students these days are taking a few years off to work prior to attending law school. This is critical, possibly for admissions, and definitely for your legal job search. Some law school admissions offices prioritize work experience for admissions purposes (ie, Northwestern). But, where you’d be at a real disadvantage if you go straight through to law school is when you’re looking for jobs. If the majority of your classmates spent 1-3 years post college doing Peace Corps, Teach for America, working in finance, working as a paralegal at a law firm, etc, and all you have on your resume are your summer internships while in college, you’ll be at a big disadvantage. Plus that extra couple of years of maturity and personal growth can made a big difference in your performance in law school.
Boy, you sure have a lot of “definitely” in your life right now!
Keep your mind open… you have no idea what might happen if you do…
if you want to do business law, you should so a business degree. if not, I think that psychology is a great pre-law major. I’m going to Texas A&M University and majoring in psych, and I’, 50/50 for getting my Masters in Counseling or going to law school (criminal law). Psychology is a good pre-law major because it’s the study of human behavior, and that’s a lot of what law is.
What is “business law”? Every single law student in America takes Civil Procedure, Contracts, Constitutional Law, etc. The bar exam does not distinguish between students who studied “business” vs. everyone else- the exam is the exam. And learning “business” in HS or college does not help a bit once you get to law school. Nobody is learning how to draft legal documents for a merger in college…
Join the Speech Team if your school has one, and take a Drama class. Both of these help with poise and verbal presentation in case you want to actually practice in a courtroom. Consider the fact that excellent reading comprehension is the single most important skill for success in law school. Develop your ability to read quickly without sacrificing retention. Learn to write succinctly and persuasively. Seek out the most rigorous Honors/AP English Teacher at your school. “Compare and Contrast” essays are especially good training for legal writing which often revolves around citing or distinguishing case law. Spend some time thinking about what matters to you in a larger sense. Are you passionate about the environment? Reproductive freedom? Human Rights? Agribusiness and energy company profits? What do you hope to contribute? The numerical “rank” of your undergraduate school (as determined by a deeply flawed algorithm designed to sell content) is much less important than you believe it to be. Find something you care about and spend some time volunteering or interning in that arena. Ideally you will do something meaningful to you. Secondarily you will be able to show a sustained interest in something and build a record of accomplishment. That DOESN’T mean starting your own non-profit, but rather identifying an existing agency, business or non-profit which will allow you to contribute while gaining life experience. Then pick a major so interesting you read about it in your free time. Because it’s fascinating. To you.