Pre-Law Planning

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>There's a good chance I will want to go to law school, but I'm not 100% sure so I want to double major in one major for law and another major that is not pre-law related. I have read that a lot of Philosophy majors get into law school. My school has a Philosophy BA with concentration in philosophy and law. They also have a Criminology, Law, and Society BS. I do not want to pursue a double degree, and I want to be able to do an unrelated (to law) major. Criminology, Law, and Society is also available as a minor. If I took the Philosophy with law concentration and Criminology minor is that enough? Also, will I have time for my double major plus the other minor I wanted to take, if I do this? I'm still a freshman. I get good grades but I'm bad at tests so I don't think my LSAT will be very helpful to my chances, making this decision even more important.</p>

<p>One more thing - do you have to be a really outgoing person to be a lawyer? I am not but I'm still interested in doing it. Am I on the wrong track?</p>

2

<p>You can get into law school with any major. Focus on getting good grades now (3.7+) and worry about the LSAT later. When you get to that stage you can learn the test. There’s no such thing as “bad at tests.” If law school is your goal you should pick your major according to three criteria:</p>

<ol>
<li>You like it</li>
<li>You can do well in it</li>
<li>It provides you salable skills</li>
</ol>

<p>Finance/economics (with work experience), Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering are all majors that give a leg up in law firm hiring. If you like one of those, go for it. If not, you’d hardly be the first Philosophy major around (I’m one too). </p>

<p>You do not have to be an outgoing person to be a lawyer. Plenty of great lawyers are introverts and plenty are extroverts. I recommend taking time over the summer to intern for your local District Attorney/Public Defender/Legal Aid to get a taste of what the practice of law is really like. That will also let you see the variety of people practicing it.</p>