Practicality of going international for undergrad then back for law school (St. Andrews vs.Michigan)

Student Lounge International Students
1

Hello! I was recently accepted to both the University of Michigan and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

I’ve been obsessed with St. Andrews since I could first think about college, but I have a huge family legacy of attending Michigan, and I really like UMich too.

I am double majoring in International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies at both schools. St. Andrews has a world renown international relations program, and Michigan is considered one of the best schools in the US. I plan on going to law school and/or pursuing a career in DC in government intel/diplomacy/politics.

My heart says St. Andrews, but I just don’t know if its practical for my career choice! If anyone has any info on students returning to the US for internships/law school/careers, I would love to hear it. Also if anyone wants to know my stats I am welcome to share.

2

What study abroad options does UMich offer for your major? A year abroad at St. Andrews might be a good solution :slight_smile:

3

I am pretty sure your LNAT score will determine where you end up in law school rather than where you did your undergrad.

4

^ LSAT. GPA also matters, but I don’t know how they handle applicants from the UK. T14 may require a First (possibly a 2:1 from Oxbridge).

5

Know a number of students who have done just that. The only difficulty that I have seen is that getting summer internships in the US is challenging b/c of term dates- US unis tend to break up for the summer holidays much earlier )and start later in the autumn) than those in the UK, so deadlines can be a challenge. It is possible to overcome this, but it helps to be out in front of it.

6

Same boat: into Tulane, UMich, St. Andrews, and St. Andrews/W&M… Majoring in International relations and modern languages (arabic and persian)… can’t decide… ugh.

7

@lourveamerican wow we’re doing the same thing!! I would love to connect on Facebook to talk more!

8

My kid is also planning on law school after either UK or US university. Her path will be a little different as she plans to become a patent agent and work for awhile first.

9

StAndrews is hard to beat for your desired subjects. And if you don’t like it, you can transfer back to Michigan (assuming you are instate).

10

^ Not sure how willing UMich is to take credits from abroad, however.
Plus, if grades are bad, transferring back isn’t a sure thing (a school like UW-Madison is actually harder to transfer in to than to enter as a freshman).

11

Hello - is a law degree really necessary? If your ultimate goal is international relations/policy, then why do you need a law degree?