<p>What was your undergrad major and why? Thanks!</p>
<p>Are there no law students or lawyers here on the Law School Forum?</p>
<p>Economics and Math. Reason: term papers. Well into my second year, I came to the conclusion that the one exercise in college that was worse than having root canal was term papers. At some point in history, they outlawed physical torture in college but some sadistic college administrator, who couldn't get a real job, decided to fill the void with term papers. That person, whoever he was, is on my list of people who should have been executed before he was allowed to visit such evil on the world, along with the persons who invented tuxedos and formal affairs, the necktie, 8 a.m. start times for college classes, and machines that answer telephones and give a sequence of numbered choices when you need service for a product which invariably leads to more numbered choices until you ultimately reach a message that tells you a real person will actually talk to you in about two years.</p>
<p>I researched many majors and their courses and discovered that, with careful choosing of courses, I could major in economics and math and be able to avoid having to write another term paper in college and thus my majors were born. That was also a driving force behind my choice of going to law school. I wanted to go graduate school and learned that, other than a legal writing class, I could go through law school without ever having to write a term paper.</p>
<p>I majored in history. I was already virtually certain that I was headed for law school, and believed that I could accordingly study whatever I wanted. Majoring in English would have been the path of least resistance for me, as I received my highest grades, with the least effort, in English courses. I read literature for the pure pleasure of doing so, and knew that regardless of my major, I'd be likely to read my way through the standard English major's canon on my own. Obtaining a good grounding in history struck me as more important to my quest to develop a decent understanding of how the world works, and seemed like something I would be less likely to achieve without a formal course of study. I've never regretted my decision.</p>
<p>drusba: Did you have any previous interest in Math and Economics before you found out that they required minimal term papers?</p>
<p>Greybeard: Did you partially chose your major based on the fact that you knew you were going to law school?</p>
<p>Odwalla,</p>
<p>I knew that my plan to go to law school would give me the freedom to major in whatever subject I pleased. I knew that majoring in history would further my aim of becoming a better writer, which would serve me well in a legal career, or in any of the alternative careers I considered. But I didn't select my major with a view toward impressing an admissions committee.</p>
<p>Well I'm not in law school yet, however I'll be applying this year. I'm a History major and have a minor in Political Science. The reason I chose History is honestly because I love learning about it. I've been pretty sure for a while Law School is what I wanted, and knew I wanted to study something I'd enjoy. I also figured if I changed my mind on Law for some reason, I could go to grad school and continue in history.</p>
<p>Engineering and a liberal arts major.</p>
<p>Engin. because I loved science and math and wanted a practical major that would give me good career options. I also wanted the rigour and wanted to avoid foreign language.</p>
<p>After a lot of that, I knew that I missed some of the liberal arts stuff, so I took a second major that involved dead languages, history, and literature - wanted to balance out my brain. I also felt as if half of my brain was being fried from over-use, while the other half was atrophying from lack of use.</p>
<p>Classics?</p>
<p>10</p>
<p>"drusba: Did you have any previous interest in Math and Economics before you found out that they required minimal term papers?"</p>
<p>Not really. I had taken calculus and the first two economics courses as part of Gen Ed requirements, which was all I was doing through first semester sophomore year. I found those courses fairly easy and figured I could be good at those majors. And no, at the time I had given no thought to law school. I had a simple philosophy: it did not matter what I did as long as whatever I was doing at the time I tried to be the best at.</p>
<p>That's a good philosophy, unfortunately for me, I worry too often about the direction of my future.</p>
<p>Yes. I liked the mix of languages (that I don't have to speak!), history, and lit - a very good second major when the first one is regimented and allows for all of two electives.</p>
<p>I'm a freshman and majoring in Govt and Intl Politics...would you say that major is a bad choice for law school? If law school doesnt work out would I have a horrible time finding a decent job?</p>
<p>^I have a similar question to yours, Dee. I want to major in History and minor in Political Science, but worry that if law school does not work out, what can I do with the aforementioned majors. I have qualms about these two majors, although I do love History and gov. Sigh, maybe I should just major in Business, eh, maybe not.....</p>
<p>^ Yes. As of right now, I feel like the most practical liberal arts major would be Economics in terms of career options after college. Unfortunately, my high school teacher was horrible, and I know practically nothing about the subject. So I would be starting from scratch on that one...</p>
<p>Odwalla, my biggest fear is that when I am finally a senior in college majoring in history, I all of sudden will no longer desire to law school. Then, my little history major will be close to worthless(no, I don't want to be a school teacher) I really love history, really I do; as of now, I really want to law school. But, what if I no longer want to be a lawyer in a few years. Business seems very practical, but I am not a math oriented person. I could do management, but I don't know. Any help appreciated!</p>
<p>Could you consider an MBA? You would only need to suffer through some statistics and accounting courses, and then you would have the option to use your degree for a less "quantitative" career path in management, marketing, etc. Heck, you could even embrace your love of history by being the director of a history museum!</p>
<p>Can you really get an MBA after receiving a BA in history? I never really thought of that. Thanks! :)</p>
<p>No major requirements for MBAs. Do bear in mind, however, that you will need to demonstrate analytical skill and have three years (at least) of solid work experience. You could take evening courses to brush up on your math/statistics, but that's not a big deal. </p>
<p>If you love law and decide not to go to law school, try to think of what you love about law school and make a career out of that. There are many jobs on Capitol Hilll that do not require a law degree (or where a law degree is not very useful); there's work with lobbyists, nonprofits, etc.</p>
<p>^Thanks! Now, if I were to major in history, then seek to earn my MBA, what kind of work experience would I have to carry out? With regards to work experience, where would a history major "work" in order to gain entrance in an MBA program?</p>