Hey guys, I’m currently a junior in high school and I’m really interested in patent law as a future profession.
My question is, what is the best undergraduate major for patent law? I personally do well in English classes and I like English as it comes easily to me, but 1) I am a female (so less acceptance because it’s such a majority) and 2) I did some research and to even take the patent bar exam you must have a STEM related major.
My problem is that so far, most of the STEM classes I have taken (with the exception of Calculus and Chemistry) have been, well, dry for me, and my grades in STEM are not stellar (and also: do applicant pools for STEM fields tend to be stronger?). Additionally, I know that if I do apply with a major other than something STEM related and later want to transfer in, it will be much more difficult to do so than if I first apply with a STEM major in mind and transfer out.
Additionally, most of the research I did indicated that those pre-legal majors didn’t do much help, but what do you guys think? Will applying with the intended major “pre-legal studies” or something of that sort help in any way?
Most of the research I did for law in general recommended political science, english, history, or philosophy majors; however, for patent law especially I see more people talking about majoring in a science or engineering (but I also see that if you do study engineering, it must be an accredited class by the CSAC, CAC, or ABET… do most schools offer these accredited classes?).
The alternative to these approved majors is doing coursework (lab hours)… is this manageable?
I’ll probably get more questions as time passes by. I am talking to a friend whose father is a patent lawyer soon, and hopefully asking him some of these questions.
On another note, would shadowing a patent lawyer be a good idea (for a summer activity)?
Thanks in advance!
What is it about patent law that you are drawn to? If you don’t like/enjoy science, what sorts of patents do you think you will be reviewing/processing/applying for?
The core requirements for getting in to a good law school are GPA and LSAT; there is no particular advantage to any major in and of itself.
To be a patent attorney in the US and prosecute before the patent office, you need to pass the state bar AND the patent bar exams. In order to sit for the patent bar (USPTO), you need to have an undergraduate degree in a technical discipline - engineering, life science, pharmacy, etc.
Sorry, i didn’t fully read your whole question. Most technical degrees build on one (year) after another so it is more difficult to transfer in than say, history.
While all law schools are looking for high GPA and LSAT scores, they aren’t all the same. Some are developing high profile programs in areas like international law, criminal defense, gender inequality, labor relations, solo practice, maritime and so on. For each specialized legal area certain undergrad majors do in fact provide better essential skills. For example, language study helps for international; economics helps with alternative dispute resolution (arbitration and mediation).
Patents, trademark, intellectual property all have technical components, but then there is the larger business motivations to securing and protecting legal status on work products. While you will need to show competency on the technical side, you may want to study entrepreneurship and innovation with some type of business major.
Common among all legal specialties is the necessity to write clearly and persuasively. If you do nothing else in college to prepare for law school, build your writing skills.
@collegemom3717 I liked Chemistry and Calculus, and I’m fine with computer programming (though I don’t have much experience in coding yet- will take AP Computer Science next year).
Would you guys recommend applying with EECS major intended or something like business, but then I would have to fulfill lab hour requirements? From your experience, are lab hours worth it?
Also: sorry, maybe I was unclear but are “pre-legal” or “pre-law” majors good? I did some research and a lot of sources say not to major in those and it’s better majoring in something more specific (engineering, business, etc.)
@Portercat So do you recommend, if even just a part of me wants to do engineering, to apply into engineering schools because it’s always easier to transfer out than to transfer in?
I guess my question would be: does it matter if I do a STEM major and English minor, or if I do an English Major and a STEM minor, but then I have to complete lab hours? Are lab hours worth it?
If I do apply to be a STEM major, I guess my question would be do grades in respective classes matter more or the fact that I’m a minority because women in technology? My grades in STEM classes are lower than my grades in humanities classes (but overall GPA is still decent) which could be a problem if I apply into STEM, but I used the UC admissions calculator and I found out that I would have a much higher chance getting into a college if I applied with a STEM major versus humanities (because so many women have humanities majors).
Sorry for all these questions!
‘pre-law’ like ‘pre-med’ is unnecessary. Choose a major that you like and are likely to do well in! Except for engineering (and sometimes CS) most majors don’t require you to pick them before starting college. Have you looked at the requirements for eligibility to take the Patent bar exam? take a look [url=<a href=“http://www.patentbarexamprep.com/frequentquestions.html%5Dhere%5B/url”>http://www.patentbarexamprep.com/frequentquestions.html]here[/url]
It is 4.5 years until you are ready to apply to law school. Think back to Grade 7. Heck, look at the kids in Grade 7! In 4.5 years you will be looking at HS juniors the same way you look at middle schoolers now. If you don’t evolve and grow a lot over those years something is very wrong.
So, if you think that engineering looks as if it would be fun- do it! But picking a major you have no real interest in is going to seem like a terrible idea when you are spending hours studying something you don’t find interesting- and guess what? if you don’t find it interesting in it’s raw form, reading and parsing pages of summaries of it is going to be even less fun.
@collegemom3717 Thanks! Yep, those were the requirements I were talking about. Even if I do pick a major I like, I would still have to do lab hours in a field I wouldn’t like as much, right?
So I guess: major in something I don’t like as much and minor in something I do like, probably making it easier to meet the requirements for the patent bar exam VS major in something I like and minor in something I don’t like as much, but then I would have to do lab hours which may take time?
For those who opted for Option B to take the patent bar exam, how did you find lab hours? Manageable, or was it hard to plan out time around your college schedule?
I know it’s a bit early for me to start considering these questions but I really, truly am interested 
I’m considering shadowing a patent lawyer this summer!
I don’t think that I can be helpful, as I don’t understand what you like about the idea of patent law when you dislike the idea of majoring in a science. What do you think you will be reading all day as a patent attorney?
@collegemom3717 Not all patent law has to do with a science- for example, there are patent prosecution attorneys. My question is if I should major in English and earn the qualifications to become a patent lawyer via lab hours. I don’t dislike the idea of majoring in a science- I’m asking if it matters whether or not if I do vs lab hours. I do like science/math, but only specific branches as mentioned in my original post.
Thanks for the clarification. The good news is, if you aren’t going to go for engineering you have 2 years before you pick your major(s). When you are choosing colleges check distribution requirements (GenEd), so that your schedule will have room for the 30 hours of chem (btw, you may have some math pre-reqs for some of the chem classes). You can also consider doing summer school to knock out some of the chem courses.
I know this is hopeless, but here is a job description for a patent prosecution attorney that a company I work with is looking to hire. I am told by the people doing the hiring that it is pretty typical:
Qualified candidates will have:
At least three years of patent preparation and prosecution experience, including in the chemical, materials science, and/or biomedical areas;
Preferably, an advanced degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, or a related discipline;
A law degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association;
Registration to practice law before the USPTO; and
A license to practice law in at least one state, preferably including a state within the firm’s geographic footprint.
@collegemom3717 Thanks, it was really helpful.
Let’s start with the STEM undergrad question. First, in the twenty-teens, almost no school will cut you much of any slack in the grades department for being a woman. Seriously, no one cares; your ability and willingness to do the work matter far more. (It was not even that big of a factor when I applied in the '90s.)
Second, do not major in engineering unless you really love engineering, math, and science. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up to fail (either literally, or at least figuratively). It is difficult, the grades are low, the classes can be dry, and your electives are constrained by the realities of the heavy courseload.
Third, maybe I missed this, but why do you want to be a patent lawyer? Or if you want to do IP law, why patent prosecution instead of technology transactions, patent litigation, trademarks, etc?
I can really understand high school juniors who want to be lawyers and pick a subject to major in that they really love, then plan on doing “law related to something they really love.” What I cannot fathom is taking an incredibly difficult major that you do not much like for the purpose of being eligible for an area of law that is very much like the stuff you do not enjoy.
@ariesathena The thing is I’m wondering if lab hours are better v.s. just majoring in STEM-- if it’s the same amount of work, why not just major in STEM so I also have something to fall back on in case law doesn’t go well?
My question is whether or not I have more of an advantage when applying to colleges if I apply with an intended STEM major (even though my grades are lower) compared to an intended humanities major (even though women are considerably more likely to be rejected because they are such majorities).
I really like chemistry and calculus; I’m taking AP Computer Science next year so I think I’ll decide after taking it for a while which STEM major to go into if I do decide to major in a STEM field.
I want to be a patent lawyer because I truly am interested in the job- my close friend’s dad is a patent lawyer, so I’m able to see the work he does (I’m also meeting with him soon to ask him the very questions I asked on this forum). Additionally, I love how patent law unites both English skills as well as STEM skills, which is something that I’ve always loved, something interdisciplinary.
As of now, I’m not sure what type of IP law I want to do, but I do know that no matter which type of patent law I go into, I’ll have to take the patent law bar exam which requires STEM lab hours or a STEM major.
First, you need to let go of the idea that a female undergrad applicant is going to have any advantage in admissions b/c they have an intended STEM major and equally let go of the idea that female applicants who say that they intend to be humanities majors are ‘considerably more likely to be rejected’. Both statements are simply wrong.
Most colleges don’t take whatever you put down as your intended major particularly seriously, which is just as well given how many people change their majors: ~80% change at least once, and on average students change 3x (National Center for Education Statistics).
So to repeat (and please read this carefully: between all the posters, these points have already been made, above):
- Unless you are applying for engineering or some select CS programs you do not need to know or declare a major for 2 more YEARS (some 30-50% of students apply 'undecided').
- Saying on your application that you are planning to be a Chem major or an English major is not going to affect your chances of getting in at the vast majority of colleges and universities.
- Stop fixating on "Labs"- you don't have to take just the Lab, you have to take the course and the Lab; so whether you declare your major in a science, or double major in a science and a humanity, or major in a humanity and take a lot of science classes, the Labs will come along with the science classes. In essence they are requiring the guts of a major one way or the other.
If you like chem or CS major in them. If you don’t, don’t.
Sorry if I was unclear before. The question I really need answered is if it matters majoring in STEM vs getting course/lab hours.
For patent law they require a stem major or lab hours so what do you think would be better? Majoring in stem (cs) or English (but have to do lab hours on the side).
Although I do like English more than STEM (by a little), I’m willing to go into STEM if it means a more stable future (example: something to fall back on if law doesn’t work out). I’m willing to sacrifice doing something I don’t like as much (I still like CS, but not as much as English) for the sake of doing something I do like in the future (patent law).
Also @collegemom3717 many colleges don’t require you to declare majors (it’s fine to apply undecided), BUT you do apply to a certain college, WHICH will effect admissions. If I do study STEM, basically I have to apply for the college of engineering of whatever university I want to go to because there are requirements for most schools saying that if you do plan on studying CS/Engineering, you must apply to the College of Engineering instead of, let’s say, applying to the humanities department and then transferring into the College of Engineering.
So that’s why I need to know soon if I should focus on STEM now or English so I can plan my future activities accordingly, like if next year I should pursue more STEM activities or get research internships v.s. more humanities oriented awards.
Collegemom - your posts sound like you have been reading the thread that I began posting years ago, and Ariesathena and I go back a long ways together.
drakonus:
first of all, let me echo Colegemom’s echoing of me. Do not, repeat, DO NOT major in anything that you don’t enjoy. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for four or more very uncomfortable (and unhealthy) years in order to fulfill what you believe is a good career objective.
second, you should read my thread on intellectual property law.
third, chemistry is one of the subjects that qualify you for the PTO examination, so you could consider majoring in that. But, just as with STEM courses, you need to start that major immediately if you want to graduate on time.
fourth, patent prosecution involves science all the time.
fifth, read my thread.