What to do before Law school

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I am currently a high school (online) student hoping to go to law school in the future. I do not live in the US, but that will be where I will eventually go to college. I was wondering what steps should be taken before getting to law school. What are good degrees for Undergraduate school that are attractive for admissions and also helpful for a life in law. </p>

<p>Since I do not live in the US, I am not a resident of any state but I am an American Citizen. So is private school better than public in this situation? (out of state tuition more expensive) </p>

<p>Any help at all would be very much appreciated! </p>

<p>Christopher</p>

2

<p>I have repeatedly heard that English is one of the best pre-law majors. But if you’re interested in a particular kind of law, that could steer you. E.g., engineering or science for patent law, biology, history for politics.</p>

3

<p>There is no particular major needed to prepare for law school. Good practice thinking analytically is, of course, useful but that could be history, philosophy, political science or a number of other disciplines. Public schools are not necessarily inferior to private at all----in the US News rankings some of the universities at the top are private and some are private. University of Michigan and University of Virginia, for example, are excellent and UVA is re-instituting early action while Michigan has rolling admissions, so you have a chance to hear from them early in the process. You might want to think where you might learn best----a large or small school.</p>

4

<p>You might want to post this question in the CC Law School forum here: [Law</a> School - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/law-school/]Law”>Law School - College Confidential Forums) Similar threads have been posted recently, and you’ll probably find their input helpful.</p>

<p>As I understand it, the single most important factor in law school admissions is your LSAT score, followed by your GPA. Internships, work experience, ECs, recommendations, etc., have some impact but not as much as the LSAT/GPA. I’ve read repeatedly on CC and other law school discussion boards that your undergrad major and school are of relatively little importance. You’ll want to choose a major you’re interested in, and earn a very strong GPA. It’s also possible that you’ll find you’re attracted to another field - it’s wise to explore many possibilities when you’re in college. Good luck!</p>

5

<p>Is it better to study at the same college or university and then apply to its law school? Are the chances of getting in bigger? Also, if I go to a not so important undergraduate school and then apply to Harvard or Yale, will my chances of getting be slimmer, even though my LSAT an GPA are high?</p>

6

<p>Thanks for your help! :D</p>

7

<p>One last question :stuck_out_tongue: Do law schools care about high school diplomas?</p>

8

<p>Law schools don’t care about high school diplomas.</p>

<p>* I am not a resident of any state but I am an American Citizen. So is private school better than public in this situation? (out of state tuition more expensive)*</p>

<p>It’s going to depend on your stats. Privates cost more than publics with OOS tuition, but some privates (not all) give good aid. Many privates will expect you to pay for all/nearly all costs. </p>

<p>If you have very high stats, then you’ll probably need to apply to schools that give top aid (those are the hardest to get accepted to) and to publics that give big merit scholarships.</p>

<p>If you have modest stats, then your options will be very limited because you won’t likely get accepted to the schools that give great aid, and you won’t get merit scholarships.</p>

<p>How much will your parents pay each year?</p>

<p>What are your stats?</p>

<p>As for a major…</p>

<p>The best prep for law school is a curriculum that develops critical thinking skills and writing skills. If you could design your own major (as some colleges let you do), you could combine courses in English, History, Poly Sci, Philosophy, Econ, Sciences, Communications, and Business to give you a well-rounded education.</p>

<p>This is from a Tier I Law School…</p>

<p>The Law School does not require applicants to have specialized in any particular academic majors or subject areas closely related to law during their undergraduate education. However, potential law students should choose courses that will enhance their abilities in the areas of critical thinking, oral and written expression, and logical and analytical reasoning. Applicants considering law school are encouraged to enroll in a broad range of courses that will help develop these skills</p>

9

<p>Poli Sci and Econ majors traditionally go to law school in large numbers. Philosophy majors, particularly those coming out of rigorous undergrad programs, tend to do very well in law school because the close analytical reasoning and argumentation of philosophy bear a strong resemblance to legal analysis and argumentation. Classics majors also do very well in law school, I suspect because all that careful grammatical parsing is good training for careful reading of cases and statutes and such. English and history are also common undergrad majors among law students. Not as many math, science, and engineering majors end up in law school, but the rigorous analytical work required in those fields is actually very good undergraduate training for future law students; I’ve known some stellar law profs who started out in math or science. But at the end of the day, law schools aren’t going to care what your undergrad major was; they just want bright, thoughtful, well-educated, hard-working, highly disciplined students. Other things equal they might prefer to have an entering class that brings a variety of disciplinary skills and perspectives to the table, but that takes a back seat to GPA and LSAT scores at admissions time. So if you’re determined to go to law school, you should just study what you love as an undergrad and do spectacularly well at it. And who knows, maybe you’ll find yourself on another path entirely before it’s time to put in the law school applications.</p>