Since we have numerous posters asking what to major in to prepare for, or get admitted to, law school, I thought that a master thread, where all of those types of questions can be posted, would be useful, since all info will be in one place.
Here’s the short answer: major in whatever will get As for you. It’s best if that field is marketable in the job market, since plans may change and law school might not happen, and it’s also good if that field has reading, writing and analytical thinking components, but, again: major in whatever will get As for you.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
“Master Threads” do not exist here. Edited out.
That’s a tad cynical, @HappyAlumnus, but I get where you’re coming from. In my opinion, it is not only “good” but critical that your major involve reading [what major doesn’t?], writing, and critical analysis. It can be English lit; it can be rhetoric; it can be psychology or anthropology or biology. Grades are good for getting you into law school; grades in a lax major will not prepare you for success in law school or in a legal career.
@AboutTheSame: A friend of mine from law school was a fine arts major. That didn’t involve very much reading. She also did just fine in law school. Frankly, I think the idea of certain majors preparing people better (or more poorly) for law school is an idea without any evidence to support it.
Any major will prepare you for law school.
Any major at all.
To get into a top 5 law school you need 1) great grades 2) some sort of developed expertise or passion developed either in undergrad or after; 3) LSATs in the top 2% range.
@Demosthenes49 : You may be right, but one person is a very small sample to draw conclusions from. Regards.
Study what you like. I would suggest taking a nice broad range of classes, but I’d give that advice anyway, regardless of grad school intent…
If I wanted to prepare myself for law school, I’d major in maybe Political Science, Sociology, Philosophy, Psychology or Econ (and take classes in the rest)… and take a nice range of other courses from areas like Math/Science, English/Lit, Communications & Linguistics, Business/Marketing/Finance, History/Anthro, etc.
@AboutTheSame: I agree, one person is an anecdote, not data. On the other hand, despite lots of people saying “my major was so helpful” (and them all having different majors) I have seen no data whatsoever supporting the belief that certain majors help more or less in law school.
@Demosthenes49 : Agreed, save that I think courses that require critical thinking and writing are a sound basis for success in law school. Your friend may have had an excellent high school education. 