<p>As the title says, I am a high school senior. I am most likely attending Penn State University (University Park) in the fall for the start of my freshman year. At the moment, I am enrolled in the Business School with hopes of studying actuarial science. I also intend to minor, or double major in Mathematics (since both majors run side by side pretty much).</p>
<p>I'm very interested in mathematics (which is why I'm studying it), but law absolutely amazes me. I really have a passion for it, and it is one of the few areas of study that I am curious enough about to go out of my way to research it out of the classroom. Beyond the subject matter, being a lawyer is a profession that I find exciting, and I personally would LOVE something like that.</p>
<p>That being said, what advice would you guys have for someone in my position? Is Mathematics so different than the Undergraduate degrees most other people get when they're considering law that I would need to return to school at some point before applying to law schools? or should I minor in something? Or what? I really don't know where I'll stand in the world when I have a degree in math, but I do know that both Math and Law interest me.</p>
<p>Comments are appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>You could always do tax law. You're definitely in the minority if that sounds exciting to you, but if it does, go for it. As long as you take a decent number of reading- and writing-intensive classes, it won't matter what you major in. Math is fine.</p>
<p>I was actually just having this conversation with some professors tonight. Math is a surprisingly good major for law school...it strengthens a lot of skills that will help you on the LSAT, and math majors are, on average, among the highest scorers on the test (along with a few types of engineers, philosophy majors, and...maybe computer science? I forget. Whether the courses of study help or just attract certain types of thinkers is anybody's guess). There were a few other stats the professor was throwing out, and I have no idea how legitimate any of them are, but the point is that yes...you can major in math and be just fine in law. There are no pre-reqs to law school, so you won't have to go back to school to prepare. Just make sure to take some courses that improve your reading/writing skills, as well.</p>
<p>Awesome =D Thank you guys so much for the insight</p>
<p>One of the most highly regarded lawyers I know was a math major.</p>
<p>The practice of law requires highly refined skills in analytical reasoning, reading, and writing. Math is an outstanding subject to develop the first of these. As relatively few math majors apply to law school, their applications stand out from the crowds of English, economics, history, and political science majors.</p>
<p>I would also try to take a significant number of courses that require a lot of reading and essay writing, to burnish your skills in the other two areas I mentioned above.</p>
<p>For what it may be worth, I majored in applied mathematics as an undergrad and was on the math team in high school and now I'm an attorney. I agree that mathematical skills can be useful to attorneys. Nevertheless, I do miss, now and then, writing computer programs and solving problems.</p>
<p>I would say that being math-oriented shouldn't stop you from doing law, but it is a choice you will probably have to live with for the rest of your life.</p>
<p>My cousin was a math major in undergrad and she went on to ace the lsat and got into NYU law.</p>
<p>frank - what is it about practicing law that you find exciting? I have found that most people have no idea how tedious and mundane practicing can be, so I'm just curious what you see yourself doing as a lawyer?</p>
<p>frankricard2, not to burst your bubble, but I don't think most high-paying professions will turn out to be as "exciting" as you make them out to be. Being a lawyer is lots of hard work and can take years before you even make a decent salary (the big bucks come in when you become a partner, but there is no guarantee on how long that will take or if it will even happen).</p>
<p>Even in jobs that most people think of as exciting, the moments of excitement generally punctuate long periods of tedium.</p>