Starting list for pre-law

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get the highest undergraduate GPA possible. Major is totally irrelevant. In fact, a Theatre major would stand out in a sea of polisci majors applying to law school

Major is irrelevant to law school admissions, but it can help with recruitment. I graduated law school during the 2008 recession and those with a compelling story were more likely to get offers than those with an indecisive resume. You still needed a good law school GPA, but there were too many of those for everyone to get a job. It was a huge leg up to have a finance degree and to be going into securities law, a hard science or engineering degree to go into IP litigation, or an MPH to work in health law. Even the theater majors billed themselves as trial specialists. A generic English or Poly Sci degree was of absolutely no help.

If my kid wanted a law degree I'd encourage them to study and undergrad major that intersects with a legal area. [b]There are lots of options.

[/b]

This is good advice!

Basically, you can major in anything. I can't think of a single subject that wouldn't be helpful when thinking about its application to law. Hard sciences are great for people who want to go into patent or IP, philosophy for clear and logical thinking and writing, even gender studies if you're interested in gender and the law. You could even major in studio arts and make a compelling case for arts and the law. Find a major that you can be passionate about and earn good grades in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if major doesn't matter, are all GPAs deemed to be equivalent across majors? It's hard to believe that admissions committees in their right minds would consider a 3.9 in physics or computer science to be the same as a 3.9 in theater or sociology.

They do. Sorry. That’s reality. They report that’s on admitted gpa and last and they select to be high

I don't know that I necessarily agree that it is as formulaic as this. People in hard sciences / engineering / math often don't have anywhere close to 4.0 GPAs and get into law school with high LSATs. I don't think all majors are necessarily viewed equally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if major doesn't matter, are all GPAs deemed to be equivalent across majors? It's hard to believe that admissions committees in their right minds would consider a 3.9 in physics or computer science to be the same as a 3.9 in theater or sociology.

They do. Sorry. That’s reality. They report that’s on admitted gpa and last and they select to be high

I don't know that I necessarily agree that it is as formulaic as this. People in hard sciences / engineering / math often don't have anywhere close to 4.0 GPAs and get into law school with high LSATs. I don't think all majors are necessarily viewed equally.

Law school admissions officers usually also admit "splitters" -- those with High GPA, Low LSAT or vice versa. And there are over 200 law schools in the country -- likely someone wanted them.

As for the poster above who said that it's crazy they can't distinguish a 3.9 in electrical engineering from a 3.9 in basket weaving, that's all because of US News. You can thank them for this craziness. Same for a kid from UPenn (or equivalent) with a 3.4 vs. a 3.9 from Liberty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get the highest undergraduate GPA possible. Major is totally irrelevant. In fact, a Theatre major would stand out in a sea of polisci majors applying to law school

Major is irrelevant to law school admissions, but it can help with recruitment. I graduated law school during the 2008 recession and those with a compelling story were more likely to get offers than those with an indecisive resume. You still needed a good law school GPA, but there were too many of those for everyone to get a job. It was a huge leg up to have a finance degree and to be going into securities law, a hard science or engineering degree to go into IP litigation, or an MPH to work in health law. Even the theater majors billed themselves as trial specialists. A generic English or Poly Sci degree was of absolutely no help.

If my kid wanted a law degree I'd encourage them to study and undergrad major that intersects with a legal area. [b]There are lots of options.

[/b]

This is good advice!

Basically, you can major in anything. I can't think of a single subject that wouldn't be helpful when thinking about its application to law. Hard sciences are great for people who want to go into patent or IP, philosophy for clear and logical thinking and writing, even gender studies if you're interested in gender and the law. You could even major in studio arts and make a compelling case for arts and the law. Find a major that you can be passionate about and earn good grades in.

No. Philosophy doesn't intersect with any legal area. Feel free to double major in it, but it won't help you find post-law employment by showing dedication to a particular practice area. Studio art may make a compelling case for an interest in the arts, but there are so few jobs in this field that you will struggle to find employment. Pick a major that intersects with a significant legal field. One with jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if major doesn't matter, are all GPAs deemed to be equivalent across majors? It's hard to believe that admissions committees in their right minds would consider a 3.9 in physics or computer science to be the same as a 3.9 in theater or sociology.

They do. Sorry. That’s reality. They report that’s on admitted gpa and last and they select to be high

I don't know that I necessarily agree that it is as formulaic as this. People in hard sciences / engineering / math often don't have anywhere close to 4.0 GPAs and get into law school with high LSATs. I don't think all majors are necessarily viewed equally.

Law school admissions officers usually also admit "splitters" -- those with High GPA, Low LSAT or vice versa. And there are over 200 law schools in the country -- likely someone wanted them.

As for the poster above who said that it's crazy they can't distinguish a 3.9 in electrical engineering from a 3.9 in basket weaving, that's all because of US News. You can thank them for this craziness. Same for a kid from UPenn (or equivalent) with a 3.4 vs. a 3.9 from Liberty.

Does anyone actually believe this??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if major doesn't matter, are all GPAs deemed to be equivalent across majors? It's hard to believe that admissions committees in their right minds would consider a 3.9 in physics or computer science to be the same as a 3.9 in theater or sociology.

They do. Sorry. That’s reality. They report that’s on admitted gpa and last and they select to be high

I don't know that I necessarily agree that it is as formulaic as this. People in hard sciences / engineering / math often don't have anywhere close to 4.0 GPAs and get into law school with high LSATs. I don't think all majors are necessarily viewed equally.

Law school admissions officers usually also admit "splitters" -- those with High GPA, Low LSAT or vice versa. And there are over 200 law schools in the country -- likely someone wanted them.

As for the poster above who said that it's crazy they can't distinguish a 3.9 in electrical engineering from a 3.9 in basket weaving, that's all because of US News. You can thank them for this craziness. Same for a kid from UPenn (or equivalent) with a 3.4 vs. a 3.9 from Liberty.

Is it really craziness? Maybe a kid couldn’t get into a “rigorous” university out of high school but excels at the one they get into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get the highest undergraduate GPA possible. Major is totally irrelevant. In fact, a Theatre major would stand out in a sea of polisci majors applying to law school

Major is irrelevant to law school admissions, but it can help with recruitment. I graduated law school during the 2008 recession and those with a compelling story were more likely to get offers than those with an indecisive resume. You still needed a good law school GPA, but there were too many of those for everyone to get a job. It was a huge leg up to have a finance degree and to be going into securities law, a hard science or engineering degree to go into IP litigation, or an MPH to work in health law. Even the theater majors billed themselves as trial specialists. A generic English or Poly Sci degree was of absolutely no help.

If my kid wanted a law degree I'd encourage them to study and undergrad major that intersects with a legal area. [b]There are lots of options.

[/b]

This is good advice!

Basically, you can major in anything. I can't think of a single subject that wouldn't be helpful when thinking about its application to law. Hard sciences are great for people who want to go into patent or IP, philosophy for clear and logical thinking and writing, even gender studies if you're interested in gender and the law. You could even major in studio arts and make a compelling case for arts and the law. Find a major that you can be passionate about and earn good grades in.

No. Philosophy doesn't intersect with any legal area. Feel free to double major in it, but it won't help you find post-law employment by showing dedication to a particular practice area. Studio art may make a compelling case for an interest in the arts, but there are so few jobs in this field that you will struggle to find employment. Pick a major that intersects with a significant legal field. One with jobs.

Can you major in car accidents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get the highest undergraduate GPA possible. Major is totally irrelevant. In fact, a Theatre major would stand out in a sea of polisci majors applying to law school

Major is irrelevant to law school admissions, but it can help with recruitment. I graduated law school during the 2008 recession and those with a compelling story were more likely to get offers than those with an indecisive resume. You still needed a good law school GPA, but there were too many of those for everyone to get a job. It was a huge leg up to have a finance degree and to be going into securities law, a hard science or engineering degree to go into IP litigation, or an MPH to work in health law. Even the theater majors billed themselves as trial specialists. A generic English or Poly Sci degree was of absolutely no help.

If my kid wanted a law degree I'd encourage them to study and undergrad major that intersects with a legal area. [b]There are lots of options.

[/b]

This is good advice!

Basically, you can major in anything. I can't think of a single subject that wouldn't be helpful when thinking about its application to law. Hard sciences are great for people who want to go into patent or IP, philosophy for clear and logical thinking and writing, even gender studies if you're interested in gender and the law. You could even major in studio arts and make a compelling case for arts and the law. Find a major that you can be passionate about and earn good grades in.

No. Philosophy doesn't intersect with any legal area. Feel free to double major in it, but it won't help you find post-law employment by showing dedication to a particular practice area. Studio art may make a compelling case for an interest in the arts, but there are so few jobs in this field that you will struggle to find employment. Pick a major that intersects with a significant legal field. One with jobs.

Can you major in car accidents?

A huge part of tort law is calculating damages. Major in economics or something with economic theories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get the highest undergraduate GPA possible. Major is totally irrelevant. In fact, a Theatre major would stand out in a sea of polisci majors applying to law school

Supplement the high GPA with some kind of relevant interest that connects to law school. Like volunteer for a drama program that works with incarcerated people or with at-risk kids. Then write a personal statement about how this experience has been the inspiration for a career using the law to address societal iniquity

Get a 170+ on the LSAT

This. Applying to law school is a pretty straightforward numbers game. Get the best GPA and best LSAT score possible. That’s the advice. Yes, the extras never hurt, and I definitely recommend doing something “interesting” for a year or so after undergrad and before law. But nothing matters like the top-line numbers.