<p>I'm going to be a senior in high school next year and I've got tons of questions. If anyone could answer any of them, I would be SO appreciative.</p>
<p>1) Do you need to attend a four-year-college before you go to law school?</p>
<p>2) I am so lost - - I don't even know what I want to study. Possibly law/criminal justice/something along those lines.. but I'm not sure. Any advice?</p>
<p>3) Is it better to live on campus or commute back and forth (I'm not rich-- but would it be easier to live there?)?</p>
<p>4) Can you obtain more than one scholarship?</p>
<p>5) How much financial aid can I get?</p>
<p>I am so lost haha. If anyone has any advice at all, thank you SO MUCH.</p>
<p>Welcome laur,
Your questions are good and you will find lots of excellent information on this site. I have two recommendations before you post questions on this board:
Google for general information, for instance, I searched "preparation for law school" and got this URL:
<a href="http://www.abanet.org/legaled/prelaw/prep.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.abanet.org/legaled/prelaw/prep.html</a>
Try other keywords and you will gain a basic knowledge of what it takes to get into law school.
Second, use the search function on this site to gather information, as many of the questions you ask will have been asked before. There are specific forums for financial aid and law school where you are likely to find the information you need. Good luck! EM</p>
<p>Laur, you must earn an undergraduate degree before you can apply to Law Schools. You can major in anything as an undergrad, but generally, most Law school applicants major in traditional fields (Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Classics, English, History, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Sociology etc...), but some major in more hands-on subjects like Business and Engineering.</p>
<p>You can obtain many scholarship, provided you look for them and that you qualify. I would recommend living on campus the first year, but it is not necessary.</p>
<p>Don't worry, you don't need to know what you want to study right now, and if you do then good for you though it really isn't important and plenty of college students enter their freshman year undecided so you definitely have enough time to really consider it. Though if you know what you want then good for you.</p>
<p>As to commuting, i guess you bring this up b/c the colleges you are considering are in the near area, hmm though I think if you have travel more than half an hour or more than 45 minutes I think it's too much and the gas money could very well compensate for room and board, but it all depends. </p>
<p>You can get more than one outside scholarship, that's for sure, any plenty of schools which focus on merit aid will give multiple scholarships, so look into the colleges in question and apply for outside scholarships.</p>
<p>Financial aid basically depends on your family's income, b/c if you can pay then you will be paying, so... Though colleges that give merit can get you plenty of money with good scores and rank, so...</p>
<p>(1) yes</p>
<p>(2) study something that intrigues you. College shouldn't be (IMHO) merely vocational training; that's what the professional schools like law or medicine are for AFTER you get your undergrad degree. Law schools are very interested in your GPA and LSAT scores, so by studying something that you have a passion for you will likely get better grades than if you choose a major because you feel obligated for some reason. Don't worry if you don't know what your major will be yet; that's why you take survey courses your 1st 2 years in college. It would be beneficial to choose a major or minor that emphasizes reading/writing because you'll need to have sharpened those skills for law school.</p>
<p>(3) live on campus if at all possible. Again, college is more than just job training. Its a chance to meet new people, try new experiences, explore the world around you, challenge yourself and be challenged. You miss out on so much of that if you live at home! Many adults can remember life-altering conversations they had with friends sitting around one night, plus there is the freedom to take chances in what is basically a forgiving environment.</p>
<p>(4) yes</p>
<p>(5) how can we possibly tell you since we don't know your circumstances? ;) Aid ranges from 0 to a full ride; go online and fill out one of the free FAFSA estimators and see what they say for your family. It sounds like finances are a big concern; rather than getting a few sentences of advice here and there go to the library or bookstore and get a book on financial aid for college or a book that has a chapter discussing it. One book I like is called "Admission Matters". As a quick comment, it's better for FA to apply to a school where you'll be one of the better candidates since they'll often tilt the mix more towards grants than loans to win you away from their higher ranked competition.</p>
<p>misc advice: why do you want to be a lawyer? Have you had experience working in a legal setting to know it's right for you? A LOT of kids start down the path towards a career, often in well-known fields such as medicine, investment banking, law, etc. because they've heard of the jobs and believe they pay well without finding out if it is a type of work they'd enjoy. If you can type or even just file you can get a summer job in a law firm, and that would be <em>valuable</em> in discovering now whether law is really right for you rather than sinking 7 years of your life into something that may not be right for you.</p>