<p>Hey... I was just wondering if anyone can give me any insights about Rice and law school placement. Do many students at Rice go into law? I know Rice is known for its science/eng. programs primarily... but are its pre-law programs strong as well?<br>
Thanks!</p>
<p>I don't know about that specifically but many successful lawyers that I know and have talked to (I wanted to major in law for quite some time b4 I wanted to become a doctor, but anywho) said that for law school there is no definitive major to go into in order to go to a prominant law school afterwards. One lawyer I know said many of the lawyers he worked with majored in mathematics (I guess they have quick mental reflexes or something). But I would do an internship with a law office during your undergraduate years. But as far as pre-law or any track you follow, I don't think it matters too much. Plus Rice graduates go to good graduate schools, so I don't think you should worry.</p>
<p>Contrary to popular belief, Pre-Law is not necessary, and is even detrimental, when applying to a competitive law school (Top 15). Since Law Schools have an excess of applicants coming from the Poli-Sci/Pre-Law/History route, majoring in something else would not hurt your chances at all; in fact, if you wish to major in engineering or do something in science, it will actually provide you with an excellent hook when applying for Law School. </p>
<p>Accordingly, mathematics/physics majors are the highest scorers on the LSAT, which is no surprise, since the LSAT is focused on symbolic and regular logical reasoning; it is also no surprise that philosophy/religion majors are at second. </p>
<p>It is worth mentioning that Pre-Law is near the bottom; if you wish to gain some sort of preparation for Law School, then Pre-Law is not the way to go. In fact, I do not think any "real" preparation is needed, so long as you do well on the LSAT. I have friends that were accepted into Harvard Law and yet did not even think about "law" until registration. Needless to say, they are flourishing at the moment. If you really wish to get ahead and peruse the material that law students typically encounter, I suggest purchasing a couple case-books and accompanying horn books, since interpreting principles and rules invoked in cases will occupy the majority of a law-student's time (at least for the 1Ls).</p>
<p>In terms of Law School placement, I know students who have made it to top law schools from Rice. My cousin, a psychology major from Rice, is now at Georgetown Law School! The only foreseeable problem in getting into a top Law School from Rice is in terms of recommendations; since Rice's student body is bright, it is fairly difficult to "stand out" and thus earn that "glowing" recommendation from a professor, so you might want to "shine" during your career at Rice:) Then again, at any top school, you will encounter the problem of not standing out academically next to peers who are also bright individuals. Even in Law School, especially Harvard/Yale law, students' self-esteem plummet since so many are used to academic excellence, yet so few ever earn straight As (or in the case of Yale, "Honors"). It must be noted that Harvard Law School's latest admitted class represents over 132 undergraduate institutions, so it is quite obvious that students outside the top tier are being accepted.</p>
<p>That being said, you should put all your effort at maintaining the highest GPA you can. In order to be competitive for a Top 5 Law School, your GPA needs to be above a 3.7, or perhaps even a 3.8.</p>