Hello! I’m a junior in high school who aspires to become a child advocacy lawyer one day, but have no idea where to start when it comes to colleges. I’ve been researching lately, and i’m aware of the fact that it might best if I do not major in Pre-Law studies, which is good for me because I was planning on majoring in Philosophy or Anthropology, possibly Journalism even before I decided on what I’d love to become.I’ve got a measly 3.5 gpa, and I know I won’t have very good test scores, but i’d like to get into a college that isn’t too expensive or one that I could get a large scholarship at so I can save money for law school. All of the other aspects of my applications should be very good. I was also thinking that a LAC would be best for me. Any suggestions?
Go to the Financial Aid forum and look at the pinned threads for some merit aid options.
I think the cheapest LACs (the ones that give the most aid) are some of the most selective. Also, not that many LACs give merit aid, it’s almost only need-based aid.
However, you might consider Grinnell and Davidson as reaches, as they have some of the most generous merit aid in LACs.
Some LACs have reduced tuition for in-state applicants, so look around and visit some places near you.
You should also check the strength of the colleges you apply to in your intended majors.
I’m not sure where you got that impression @merlion. Many LACs offer merit aid to varying degrees. Some even offer full tuition merit (Denison used to have a NMF full tuition but it apparently is no longer available - now just competitive full tuition).
LACs are private colleges. I can think of none that offer in-state discounts except if they fall under specific scholarships funded by private organizations (once again Denison has some funded by Batelle, a local company, for students in a specific county).
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1678964-links-to-popular-threads-on-scholarships-and-lower-cost-colleges.html links to lists of low cost colleges and merit scholarships. Depending on your actual price limit, some of the schools may be worth looking into.
No specific major is required to do pre-law. However, high GPA and LSAT score are needed. See http://lawschoolnumbers.com . Philosophy and math majors tend to do well on the LSAT, presumably because the logical thinking involved in those majors helps give practice for the LSAT’s logic puzzle section.
You should go to your local state school and study something employable (like accounting) as a backup.
Most higher education is a scam (e.g., pay $200,000 for a worthless English degree at Harvard to have no job at the end) so might as well keep it cheap and practical.
^^probably a poor example. Big Consulting hires lit majors from Harvard. Moreover, H is as generous as they come for undergrad aid. Someone who is full pay at H is pretty wealthy to start, and the COA may not even be a rounding error in their family wealth.
^ Maybe before Lehman.
But yes, some of the richer private schools give good need-based aid.
I would, however, NOT major in English or some other worthless degree no matter where you go.
I agree with Biglaw Lawyer’s advice to go to a state school and major in a marketable field, where the degree would hopefully give you some career-relevant training.
Child advocacy law probably won’t be particularly highly paid and you don’t need to go to a super-fancy law school to do it, so don’t squander cash on an expensive school.
But see, that is the “beauty” of law school. As long as you have a 3.9, HYS won’t care if your major is “worthless.” Its not the applicants’ faults, that Law School have only two standards: GPA+LSAT.
A’s in basket-weaving are just as good as A’s in geothermal-nuclear…
So, if you can ace English, go for it. (Just don’t change your mind about LS.)
I think that the issue is that with a 3.5 GPA now, and given a desire to specialize in a niche practice area that isn’t standard for HYP and the like, the track towards HYS is neither likely nor desirable. It’s good to have a back-up degree that can be marketable in the job market.
@bluebayou: law school won’t care what your major is, but a freshman has no guarantee that they’ll graduate with a decent GPA, get a decent LSAT score, still be interested in law school after graduation, be able to get into a good law school, find a job, or enjoy the practice of law. A backup degree, taken concurrently with their English degree, can provide a safety net in case any of the above turn out to be true.
I don’t disagree demo – taking a so-called vocational degree can be beneficial for getting a real job upon graduation if plans for LS change.
But as we both know, law schools care ONLY about GPA, not major. So, if that vocational degree is gonna cost you grade points, it will hinder law school chances. A 3.9 English/other Lit major at directional state U in English will beat a 3.7 English/Accounting major EVERY time.
btw: OP, I would not recommend Journalism for finding a job. (The Internet has pretty much killed off journalism jobs.) OTOH, Journalism classes can be ‘easy’ graders.
Are you sure a lower T14 would do the trick for child advocacy law?
In fact, are you OK with attending a lower T14 (this means one of Georgetown, Duke, UVA, UPenn, Cornell, NWU, Boalt Hall or Michigan) if you realized that your GPA is out of range of HYS?
If yes, then aim for 169+ on the LSAT, and then apply to NWU, Georgetown, Duke and Cornell.
@Catria, I am curious as to why a lower T14 would not do the trick for child advocacy law? Are you saying that positions in child advocacy law, like positions in Biglaw, are increasingly reserved for graduates of the biggest-possible-name schools? Regarding UVA specifically, there are is a year-long child advocacy clinic that has an outstanding reputation in VA. The clinic’s adjunct faculty members staff the Legal and Justice Center’s JustChildren program, which is VA’s largest children’s law program. https://www.justice4all.org/who-we-are/staff/
Last year, the Child Advocacy Clinic’s director moved on to become the director of Virginia’s Department of Juvenile Justice. One of my d’s friends was named a Skadden Fellow to pursue her interest in education rights for homeless children. I mention these data points to suggest that UVA’s network is well-positioned to assist grads in finding child advocacy positions. It seems to me that most child advocacy positions have a local, rather than national, focus. My own d had some gratifying results while she was enrolled in the clinic; and although she has a Biglaw associate position to take after completing two federal clerkships, she has in the back of her mind that she may return to child advocacy at some point.
Now that we know UVA is one of the best choices with respect to child advocacy law, I realize I merely suggested aiming for T14 schools should the OP change his/her mind about child advocacy law once in law school.
Oh, of course, the child advocacy legal job market may well be quite different from the legal job market at large, but who am I to judge?
I know that a JD from biggest-possible-name schools is no guarantee of a legal job but no more than that.
OP: unless you can figure out a way to test better, LS may not be a practical alternative for you. A poor tester will never be able to score high enough on the LSAT to get into a decent LS with merit money. And non-decent law schools are just not worth attending. Sorry.