pre law?

[valkyrie]

I have a question for those of you who are interested in law school: what are you majoring in and (if you feel like it) why? Were you encouraged to major in a certain area by an advisor? Did you just pick something you liked? Did you pick something that you think will prepare you for law school?

I'm thinking about this because I participated in an interesting discussion the other day about majors and how some were helpful in terms of law school and others weren't. It got me thinking, and I'd love to hear what current "pre law" students are studying.

[JennCarey]

I'm a pre-law student at Washington College in Chestertown, MD. I'm majoring in Environmental Studies with a minor in Poli Sci. I want to be an environmental lawyer. In preparation for law school, I am taking a variety of classes, that not only pertain to my area of study, but to help me overall with law school. We have a pretty good Pre-law program here. Next Fall I will be taking the LSATs, so to prepare, I taking Logic in the Spring. Hope this helps!

[PKTSU01]

Just a little opinion from someone who is already in law school. Take what you enjoy in college, now what you think you "should." Law school admissions want to see that you are well balanced, not that you aced Con Law (which wouldn't be a bad thing.) But, don't make the mistake that i did in thinking that if I took every poli-sci and law oriented course I'd be better off, because it doesn't work like that. Law school is a different style of teaching and learning. Besides, what ya should be concentrating on is beating the hell out of the LSAT, because it is the type of thinking needed on that test that will prep you for the thinking you'll need to do in law school.

In hindsight, I took as many philosophy courses as I could and as many poli-sci courses as I could. If I could do it all over again, i would have been a music major or something that I enjoyed and was relevant to the type of law I'd want to go into. But, as far as general suggestions go, brush up on your english, writing and try to have some business sense if that's what you want to go into. Don't stress over what you need to know, becasue that is the stuff that you'll learn when in law school, not stuff you can learn at an undergrad institution.
good luck!

[IowaHawkeye]

I'm a political science major....
my advisor told me to pick something i thought would benefit me once i was out of law school - for example, if i wanted to go into corporate law, be a business major (i'm actually an international business minor) if i wanted to be in sports law/be an agent do something that involved athletics and the rules behind them....

i decided political science (with an international business minor) because i know i want to get into politics after my successful law career

i've always had ambitions to be a senator or member of the house - possibly one day being a judge - and i don't see myself abandoning those dreams anytime soon

[valkyrie]

PKTS, I agree with everything you said (except the LSAT part, because I don't think it's relevant to anything). The type of thinking you have to do in law school is completely different from anything I did as an undergraduate. Plus, I don't know jack about poli-sci.

I totally agree with the "study what you like" idea. That's what did, and looking back, it ended up being the best thing in the world. I majored in English and psychology, which were things that I really enjoyed, but didn't even consider whether they would ever be useful to me in the future. Well, it turns out I made a good choice without even knowing it, and here's why --

Your whole grade for an entire semester is based upon ONE exam, which is usually an essay exam. To do well on these exams, you need to know how to write well and how to explain yourself. You also need to sort of get into the head of the professor, so not only can you say what you know, but so you can say it in exactly the way the professor wants to hear it.

That's why I personally think it's beneficial to take classes where you learn to express yourself and understand people, because these are the keys to law school success.

My friend who majored in chemistry, on the other hand, said that he thinks it actually hurt him in law school. In chemistry, he said, you get the answer to a problem, and that's that; you don't have to sit there and explain it. So he'd be taking a law school exam and would have a really hard time explaining the answer, which is what you need to do. I just thought that was interesting.
Plus, if you get good enough grades in law school, employers will be falling all over you regardless of what you did as an undergraduate. It's all about the grades, baby.

[bruinaphi]

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to throw in my two cents. I think it is important to develop your analytical skills in college b/c they are what is tested by the LSAT, in law school and on the bar. I don't know about taking logic, but I have noticed that people who enjoy logic games, crossword puzzles and the like tend to do well on the LSAT and in law school.

As far as majors, I think its important that your undergrad major be interesting and challenging. I majored in Geography & Environmental Studies and had an emphasis in Programming and Computing in undergrad. I went to law school thinking that I wanted to practice environmental law and now I practice corporate law. You never know where your law school education is going to take you.

Grades are important, but I don't think they are everything. Your LSAT score and being well-rounded are equally as important. I was the student representative on the admissions committee at my law school. While I can't speak for my law school and I can't tell you how many poli-sci majors with 4.0s and 160's on their LSATs exist, I can tell you I didn't admit a lot of them. Law schools look for people who will excel at anything they take on and who will represent the school well in the community. They look for people who push themselves just a little bit harder; people who will have something different to add in the classroom setting.

[IowaHawkeye]

Originally posted by lauradav

Grades are important, but I don't think they are everything. Your LSAT score and being well-rounded are equally as important. I was the student representative on the admissions committee at my law school. While I can't speak for my law school and I can't tell you how many poli-sci majors with 4.0s and 160's on their LSATs exist, I can tell you I didn't admit a lot of them. Law schools look for people who will excel at anything they take on and who will represent the school well in the community. They look for people who push themselves just a little bit harder; people who will have something different to add in the classroom setting.

i can't tell you how good it is to hear that... i get good grades (my cum. gpa is a 3.22 as of now, my soph. year) but sometimes i wonder how good it could be if i wasn't so involved with my sorority or apo, or dance marathon especially since that consumes so much of my time. but i do love being involved in these things, and i work my butt off for them, so it's good to know that in the end, it may pay off!

[ZTAngel]

I'm thinking of going to law school and it is so good to hear that you don't have to be a poli-sci major in order to succeed in law school. So many advisors have told me that I should at least minor in it if I want to do halfway decent in law school because I will have the right background. I am double majoring in Marketing and Finance with a minor in Sociology. I want to do corporate law. I'm supposed to take a LSAT prep course this summer. Do these really help?

[bruinaphi]

LSAT prep courses are the bomb! First, they teach you how to master the different types of logic games. When I started studying, logic games were my worst section on the LAST. When I took the exam, I only missed a couple of questions in the whole section. I attribute that to a great teacher, terrific course, and my love of studying them.

Second, there are a lot of tricks in reading comprehension that can improve your timing and your results.

Finally, the best way to improve your score is practice, practice, practice, in a test like setting. I took Kaplan and they had a study room where I went for a few hours each day when I wasn't in class or working. It was nice b/c it wasn't as social as my university library.

As far as poli-sci goes, I don't think it is important at all. After thinking through all of my friends in law school, I can only think of a handful at most who majored or took poli-sci classes. Take something that interests you or is associated with what you want to do in life. My friend was a biochemistry major and is now a patent attorney. She loves her job, loved her major and did very well in law school even though she had a science background and wasn't used to the essay format of the tests. If you are majoring in something in the sciences, make sure you save GE's in the liberal arts to take essay classes.

Good luck!

Edit to add p.s.: I met my boyfriend who I dated for my senior year of college and all through law school in my LSAT class. Look out for those hotties!

[G8Ralphaxi]

I gotta stick up for Political Science majors here...

YES, it's the stereotypical major for pre law students. YES, it's the easy fall-back choice.

However...

So much of what I've covered in my first year of law school related back at some point to American politics or history.

ESPECIALLY in Constitutional Law and Civil Procedure - two of the hardest courses. I can't tell you how helpful it is to have a strong background in the history of our country, the structure of our government, etc. Whether it was the War Powers Resolution, Brown v. Bd. of Education, or just the original establishment and evolution of our government branches, knowing American history and politics makes it all so much easier.

My roommate was a business major and so much of this was new to her. So she not only had to study the cases and law, she was always asking me about the history, etc. behind them.

But I'm not saying that you HAVE to be a Pol. Sci. major to do well in law school. I think watching CNN and reading the paper could help too. It's just that a general knowledge of politics and history are so useful.

[CaitlinDG]

I'm pre law at Albion College...I'm a poli sci major with a minor in sociology, I hope to go into international law...I'm sticking with poli sci because it's what I enjoy and the reason I want to go to law school...but follow your heart is my best advice, only do what you love!

[candygirl]

I plan on going to law school when I complete my undergrad. I will have a B.S. in Child Development upon graduating. I'm not quite sure what my emphasis will be when I enter law school but I know I still want to work with children or for children. I still need to do a bit of research though. My question to the current law students is whether or not I should take a practice course or simply rely on the books. I bought one last week and it has proven to be helpful. Of course I don't know if this will suffice so your input is appreciated. Also I would love to know more helpful tips in succeeding in law school.

[PKTSU01]

Originally posted by candygirl
I plan on going to law school when I complete my undergrad. I will have a B.S. in Child Development upon graduating. I'm not quite sure what my emphasis will be when I enter law school but I know I still want to work with children or for children. I still need to do a bit of research though. My question to the current law students is whether or not I should take a practice course or simply rely on the books. I bought one last week and it has proven to be helpful. Of course I don't know if this will suffice so your input is appreciated. Also I would love to know more helpful tips in succeeding in law school.

If you see the books helping you already, ya might be comfortable with it. But, the practice courses tend to give people more confidence, which isn't a bad thing heading into the LSAT. Definetly take older, actual LSAT tests, its the ONLY real way to practice. No point in doing anything in terms of exersises ya wont see come test day.

Helpful tips on law school?

Make friends with 2L's and 3L's early.

Get the scoop on the good and bad professors early.

Don't fall behind on reading, the tests aren't like college where you can cram a weekend before.

Concentrate ONLY on the FINAL. I can't tell ya how many people stressed on the meaningless class excersises that meant 5% of the total grade, and then freaked that they didn't prepare enough for the final. In most cases, especially first year classes, you need to prep for the final from day one.

Once you know your professors, get older exams they administered so you can see their test style.

Briefing is, essentially, a waste of time. No one cares about dates, Prof's just want to see your ability to convey solid analysis on the situation. Briefing is just to give a sense of structure.

For God's sake, follow EVERY instruction given on any assignment, and don't insist on writing everything in your own style. Especially assignments in writing class that are supposed to be objective. prof's will nail your ass to the wall if you don't follow good format.

Other than that, its not as hard as you think it will be.

[Virtual Violet]

Originally posted by PKTSU01
Just a little opinion from someone who is already in law school. Take what you enjoy in college, now what you think you "should." Law school admissions want to see that you are well balanced, not that you aced Con Law (which wouldn't be a bad thing.) But, don't make the mistake that i did in thinking that if I took every poli-sci and law oriented course I'd be better off, because it doesn't work like that. Law school is a different style of teaching and learning. Besides, what ya should be concentrating on is beating the hell out of the LSAT, because it is the type of thinking needed on that test that will prep you for the thinking you'll need to do in law school.

In hindsight, I took as many philosophy courses as I could and as many poli-sci courses as I could. If I could do it all over again, i would have been a music major or something that I enjoyed and was relevant to the type of law I'd want to go into. But, as far as general suggestions go, brush up on your english, writing and try to have some business sense if that's what you want to go into. Don't stress over what you need to know, becasue that is the stuff that you'll learn when in law school, not stuff you can learn at an undergrad institution.
good luck!

I would say take whatever major you would enjoy that would make you the most marketable in the long run. I wouldn't want to say that pre-law is a waste of time, but when I was in law school, I don't think any of my classmates were pre-law or criminal justice. We had everyone from an English major, to an Engineer, a Nurse, a finance major, etc.

Nothing you do in undergrad can prepare you for law school. It is its own "special" experience.

[candygirl]

Thanks a lot PKTSU01. Your suggestions were just what I was looking for