I go to UCSD. I was thinking of majoring in Philosophy. I want to go to law school. My dream school is USC. UCSD has TA’s who grade pretty hard and give out very few A’s. I took a philosophy class my first year and I got a C. Looking back now I see what areas I could have put in more effort to get a B, but I’m not sure that my best efforts combined all the tutoring, studying, or practice in the world could have guaranteed me an A. I’d like to believe I’m a strong writer but that class really made me doubt myself. I felt like the grades were really subjective to the TA. It felt like even if I thought I wrote a strong argument and my peers did too, if the TA didn’t think it was world class enough, I wasn’t getting the good grade… for no errors, obvious reasons, or flaws other than it just wasn’t enough for him. I was thinking of majoring in philosophy because I find it very interesting and I think that learning how to strengthen arguments would be great practice for all the writing that has to be done in law school, but if it’s going to make my GPA lower, I don’t know if I should do it. I could major in something else like Critical Gender Studies, which interests me a lot. But I thought that if someone was reviewing my app and saw Philosophy, even if my GPA was lower, that they’d prefer it over someone with a major in something else that most people at UCSD would consider easier. I don’t want this to be viewed as taking the easy way out. I just don’t want to be denied from USC and look back and say, “I should have gone for an easier major and higher GPA if it’s just a numbers game.” [I want advice on majors/GPAs, not the LSAT. I know that’s a huge component of my chances at USC. Thanks] What would admissions at USC think of an easier major w/ a higher GPA vs a philosophy lower GPA with the same LSAT?
Should I major in Philosophy for Law School or Something where I'd be more likely to get a high GPA?
Nope. GPA+LSAT is the ticked to nearly every law school. Get A’s, and lotsa of 'em. Any major will do.
btw: broaden your LS horizon; this is professional school, not undergrad where fit can be important. There is no “dream” school in Law, except for Yale. Moreover, with perhaps the exception of real estate, USC is no better than UCLA.
Would philosophy be considered a hard major? I don’t know. If you are passionate about a field, it will come naturally to you and if you also have good study skills (which anyone can have), you’ll get As in the field.
Maybe pick a major you can support yourself with, in case you end up joining the ranks of deeply indebted, unemployed law school graduates.
Try another philosophy class, one by a professor who’s highly rated on RMP. See if it clicks.
You could always take whatever major you’re interested in, plus formal logic or a full minor in philosophy.
Most importantly, figure out how to get an internship next summer meaning work on your resume right now, figure out what skills you have, go to career center asap, and have everything ready by October when the best opportunities are announced.
American Bar Association - Preparing for Law School
http://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources/pre_law.html