Better prep for law school: philosophy/political science or philosophy/history?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of the best lawyers I know majored in disciplines that demand and cultivate analytic skill, like chemistry, math, and music.

I'm a STEM major who went to law school and graduated at the top of my class.

I thought the law degree was easier than my undergrad degree.

That's generally true, it's those that attended less rigorous institutions and less academically rigorous programs of study that really struggle. Of course it's difficult to graduate in the top ranks a T14 schools because everyone has high cognitive abilities and those in less serious programs and institutions don't get admitted in the first place.

Not true. If you have a high enough GPA and LSAT, no one cares where you went or what you studied. I had a fluff major at a liberal arts college and got into every T14. I knew plenty of people in law school who went to undergrads I’d never heard of and studied elementary ed.

Elementary ed majors from SUNY Potsdam are graduating at the top of the class at Cornell Law? I have my doubts.

[Anonymous]

It doesn’t matter as long as the student can think critically and write.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just major in something you find interesting and know you will get easy As in.

Key advice: Go to a less rigorous college that offers great merit aid to save money, get As and focus on prepping for LSAT to get a high score, then get into a prestige law school and no one will ever care where you went to college. Grades plus LSAT matter more than your major or college.

FWIW, most of my peers at law school who attended a more rigorous undergrad had a much easier time doing well at law school.

+1
I felt very well prepared for law school coming from my Ivy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of the best lawyers I know majored in disciplines that demand and cultivate analytic skill, like chemistry, math, and music.

I'm a STEM major who went to law school and graduated at the top of my class.

I thought the law degree was easier than my undergrad degree.

My neighbor was advising my kid that getting a STEM degree would be a great major for undergrad and then going to law school. The STEM degree would be beneficial for understanding cases dealing with tech/science businesses or patents. He was an appeals attorney for death row inmates before retiring.

For "cases"? Meh. That's what your experts are for.

You don’t sound like a lawyer. I agree with the lawyer’s advice. It’s super useful to have knowledge in your area of the law.

[Anonymous]

A lot of these replies seem like they are from people whose experience with law school admissions is somewhat out of date

Once upon a time, it was all about GPA and LSAT. Since Covid, everyone has a 4.0 GPA and 175 LSAT scores are much more common. For a Top 14 law school, admission today is much more like admission for the most selective undergrad institutions. In addition to top grades/test scores, an applicant needs to have a story line, showing a course of study that intersects with extracurricular activities, summer experiences and - ideally - at least a year of professional work that can all be woven into a narrative about law school is the next logical step. The undergraduate major doesn’t matter as long as it is a logical part of the applicant’s narrative

[Anonymous]

Personally I would make in stats or data analysis or something and then apply to a law school with a really strong program in intellectual property, specializing in tech and emerging tech IP issues. Get some internships with tech companies. Make some money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:accounting

+1

I would say economics with a minor/concentration in accounting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personally I would make in stats or data analysis or something and then apply to a law school with a really strong program in intellectual property, specializing in tech and emerging tech IP issues. Get some internships with tech companies. Make some money.

Not sure that data analysis or stats qualifies you for the patent bar. I think you need a true science or engineering degree? A double major or minor in data science/analytics or stats would be good to have.

[Anonymous]

Major doesn’t matter at all. If your kid cannot quickly pick up the intellectual tasks of law school then they shouldn’t go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just major in something you find interesting and know you will get easy As in.

Key advice: Go to a less rigorous college that offers great merit aid to save money, get As and focus on prepping for LSAT to get a high score, then get into a prestige law school and no one will ever care where you went to college. Grades plus LSAT matter more than your major or college.

FWIW, most of my peers at law school who attended a more rigorous undergrad had a much easier time doing well at law school.

Meh. It’s pure IQ and being willing to spend time understanding test taking skills that matters for LS. There is no particular preparation that matters. I took the route of less rigorous undergrad with a lot of merit aid and that worked out fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I definitely see the value of philosophy: no area of study in the humanities and social sciences does better in teaching students to think critically and analytically. At least a minor in philosophy is useful. But in terms of political science or history, which is better as a background? Political science focuses largely on how institutions work and obviously understanding the workings of the state is helpful (but make sure to take some political theory courses too). History is good in terms of constructing narratives and careful documentation. Thoughts?

I majored in government (with a concentration in political theory). Also, English. Honestly, law is a new language. Philosophy doesn’t have much to do w civil procedure, contracts, torts. Constitutional Law is only first year class that is anything like political science or philosophy. Major in anything you have passion for. Any liberal arts course teaches critical thinking. There’s no magic, believe me. Law school to me (went to Columbia) was totally not intellectual a real disappointment. It’s a trade. Don’t overthink.

lol fellow Columbia grad here concurs. If anything the kids who came from Princeton after a polisci degree seemed disappointed that nobody cared about their deep knowledge and they had no place to show it off other than con law.

I do think an economics degree could be useful if you want to suck up to a professor and be a research assistant then get recommended for a clerkship. If the ultimate goal is to become a law professor then cultivating a second academic discipline is the way to go - but this means joint PhD/JD, not just undergrad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of these replies seem like they are from people whose experience with law school admissions is somewhat out of date

Once upon a time, it was all about GPA and LSAT. Since Covid, everyone has a 4.0 GPA and 175 LSAT scores are much more common. For a Top 14 law school, admission today is much more like admission for the most selective undergrad institutions. In addition to top grades/test scores, an applicant needs to have a story line, showing a course of study that intersects with extracurricular activities, summer experiences and - ideally - at least a year of professional work that can all be woven into a narrative about law school is the next logical step. The undergraduate major doesn’t matter as long as it is a logical part of the applicant’s narrative

Well … I think this is all just part of making sure you actually want to go to law school, which was important then and now! You shouldn’t be weaving a narrative - you should actually know why you are going to law school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of the best lawyers I know majored in disciplines that demand and cultivate analytic skill, like chemistry, math, and music.

I'm a STEM major who went to law school and graduated at the top of my class.

I thought the law degree was easier than my undergrad degree.

That's generally true, it's those that attended less rigorous institutions and less academically rigorous programs of study that really struggle. Of course it's difficult to graduate in the top ranks a T14 schools because everyone has high cognitive abilities and those in less serious programs and institutions don't get admitted in the first place.

Not true. If you have a high enough GPA and LSAT, no one cares where you went or what you studied. I had a fluff major at a liberal arts college and got into every T14. I knew plenty of people in law school who went to undergrads I’d never heard of and studied elementary ed.

Elementary ed majors from SUNY Potsdam are graduating at the top of the class at Cornell Law? I have my doubts.

Yes. I graduated with honors, was on law review, and had a federal clerkship. My peers went to undergrads ranging from HYPSM to West Chester University, Sacred Heart University, Western Michigan University, University of Michigan Flint, UMBC, St. Mary's College of Maryland, UC Merced, and SUNY Buffalo. And these are just the people I'm thinking of off the top of my head.

[Anonymous]

Poli sci is the default pre-law major for a lot of students. Which is a good reason to major in anything but poli sci if you want to go to law school.

[Anonymous]

Whatever 1) the student finds most interesting and 2) is most intellectually challenging. Some subjects are on average more challenging, but any student in any subject will be well prepared if they seek out challenges and work hard.