<p>Does UCSB have a law program?
I really want to go to UCSB, and saw that they have some kind of a law program, but not so sure about a law SCHOOL.
UCSD has a law school.</p>
<p>Now, my question is...</p>
<p>How does the whole law program work? I am transfering from a CCC to a UC. How do I enroll in any kind of law program? </p>
<p>I am just interested to know, probably going to get into engineering, not sure. Thanks!</p>
<p>Not sure if I’m understanding your question completely.</p>
<p>Law school is a graduate program in which you obtain a professional degree after you receive a Bachelor’s from an undergraduate institution. A law program will generally not help your chances into law school. Your undergraduate major will not influence law school admissions. </p>
<p>If there is indeed a law program at UCSB or UCSD, then it is just another undergraduate major like Legal Studies at UCB. It will teach you about society and law, but will not really help much with law school. If you want to get into engineering, I suggest you major in something related to engineering, and then after you graduate, apply to law school if you feel necessary.</p>
<p>@ConfusedCMHS: UCSD doesn’t have a law school. USD does, but that’s a private school and not in the UC system. </p>
<p>And as Koreo said, I think you’re misunderstanding what a law program is. Law schools are grad schools, which you apply for after you finish your undergrad degree. Whether or not the school which you attain your undergrad at has a law school will have no bearing whatsoever on your application for law school. Law isn’t offered as an undergrad degree. The closest you can get at UCSD is poli sci with a public law focus.</p>
<p>yeah I reallly do not understand the system. So okay. I finish the 2 years general ed, and get into say UC Berkley , then what? </p>
<p>I want to get into a law school. After I finish my 2 years of CC, what do i do? Im sorry I just really have no idea how college works. </p>
<p>Thanks you guys for the replies.</p>
<p>Koreo please will you elaborate a bit on that?
Please explain to me the process of college.
How many classes does one take, and what is each class geared towards?</p>
<p>how do the words undergrad, grad, major, degree, all fit into this pizzle?</p>
<p>College generally goes like this:</p>
<p>1) You get your undergraduate degree (known as your “bachelor’s degree”) first. Some people do this by going to a two-year CC first to finish up most the general ed, then they transfer out to a University to finish the 2nd half of their undergraduate work, which is mostly comprised of upper division courses (specific to your major.) Others go straight to a University out of high school and spend all four years there, but the degree is identical to those who go to a CC first. </p>
<p>2) After you get your undergraduate degree, you have the option of applying to graduate schools. These don’t necessarily have to be in the area of study that you had for your undergraduate work. For example, you can have your undergraduate degree in English and apply for law school as a graduate school. Or you could have your undergraduate degree in math and apply for an electrical engineering graduate degree. Basically, graduate school isn’t necessarily a continuation of your previous studies. </p>
<p>3) After getting your graduate degree (JD for law, MBA for business, or a Masters degree in psych/communications/economics/anything else) you can apply for post-graduate studies, which generally earns you a PhD. Technically, you don’t have to have a graduate degree in order to apply for PhD programs, but that’s usually the norm.</p>
<p>Grimes nailed it.</p>
<p>^ He always does…</p>
<p>Soo… does it really matter what undergrad work I do? </p>
<p>The one thats going to end up giving me a degree is graduate work?</p>
<p>when looking for a job do I use my gradwork and not undergrad work?</p>
<p>Some colleges offer undergraduate “Pre-Law” programs, but these are generally frowned upon for people planning on law school. Some people say that law schools greatly prefer other undergraduate majors to pre-law, though I’m not sure how big of a difference it really makes.</p>
<p>The two most important factors, by far, in law school admissions are GPA and LSAT score. If you’re dead set on law school, go to whatever undergraduate college/university and major that gets you the highest GPA (within reason). Prepare like heck for your LSAT, and you’ll be in good shape.</p>
<p>As for specific majors, the common path involves political science majors attending law school. That’s almost cliche now–political science majors are a dime a dozen (and I’m one of them). Law is largely focused on writing, so I hear law schools tend to respond favorably to English and literature majors. I’ve also heard that science and engineering majors can be prized, as an understanding of such subjects can be very helpful in patent law.</p>
<p>So I should study English or History or Political Science in undergrad school (UCSB) and go to Cal for my grad work?</p>
<p>Soo… does it really matter what undergrad work I do?</p>
<p>The one thats going to end up giving me a degree is graduate work?</p>
<h2>when looking for a job do I use my gradwork and not undergrad work? </h2>
<p>No your undergraduate degree does not matter. You will still get an undergraduate degree (Bachelor’s degree) but if you plan on attending law school, that degree (JD) is the degree that you will use for jobs. You will still list your bachelor’s degree in your resume, but employers will be looking mainly at the school that you got your JD from.</p>
<p>So I should study English or History or Political Science in undergrad school (UCSB) and go to Cal for my grad work? </p>
<hr>
<p>Study whatever you want in undergrad, as long as you can maintain a high GPA and find the time to study for the LSAT. I don’t know much about undergraduate degrees and their usefulness in law school, but I’d recommend just studying whatever you enjoy. I doubt any undergraduate degrees will give you a large advantage over others for success in law school.</p>
<p>Sure you can go to Cal for graduate school (law school in your case). I’m not really sure what you’re asking specifically, but it’s not very easy to get into Cal’s law school. Like many of Cal’s graduate programs, it’s one of the top in the nation.</p>
<p>You mean Berkeley’s law school, Boalt? Sure, that’s fine, but don’t limit yourself to public law schools. Nearly every private law school costs $40,000 per year, give or take. UCLA and Boalt run $30,000 or so in-state. Not as big a difference as undergrad.</p>
<p>Take a look at US News’s list of top law schools. Though the methodology is highly debatable, it’s considered the standard ranking. Ideally you’d end up in one of the top 14 law schools, and since you’re in California, I’d add in UCLA and USC too. Boalt is 7 currently, if I remember correctly.</p>
<p>The top 14 is grouped that way because those schools haven’t changed in decades, if ever. The top 14 switch positions among each other, but no law schools are added or removed. UCLA is 15 IIRC… If and when a non-T14 school breaks into the top 14, it will almost certainly be UCLA.</p>
<p>This is not to say there aren’t worthy law schools further down the list–there are. But you’re just starting your post-High School education, so you might as well shoot for the best.</p>
<p>English, history, and political science all translate well to the study of law. However, if you can major in a science while also being great at writing and analysis, that would be preferable. However, you don’t want to be a pure numbers guy who can’t write.</p>
<p>Yeah I understand. I hate to insult anyone by coming on here and mouthing off that Ill get into Cal and whatnot, Just giving examples =P But, are there classes to study for the LSAT? Or is it up to me?</p>
<p>The LSAT is all on you. Like the SAT, MCAT or any other entrance examinations, you’ll have to find methods of studying for it yourself. You can ask others on College Confidential for studying tips but I can’t help you there since I’m studying for the GRE, not the LSAT.</p>
<p>There probably are classes out there for the LSAT, but if they’re anything like SAT/GRE prep courses, they won’t teach you anything that you can’t find in a book or with some simple online research. They’re also incredibly expensive.</p>