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[quote=Exlawdean][quote=Anonymous]Thanks for offering your expertise! Any thoughts about the role undergraduate major plays in admissions? Specifically, for STEM majors, many of the "weeder" classes (looking at you, O-chem) can take a toll on the grade point average. For an applicant who is interested in IP law, is any allowance made for a few more B's along the way in the highly challenging courses?[/quote]

[i]This is a great question. As a general matter, an enormous percent of law school applicants are political science and economics majors. Admissions deans would like to admit applicants with other types of majors. So, as a general matter, the answer is "yes," many admissions officers look at major. As to STEM, you are right. Depending on the university and the particular class, the grading can be brutal. (On a personal note, I took O-chem and I hated the class.) When I taught at Caltech I was the prelaw advisor. Caltech graded on a curve (at least at that point) and had not allowed grade inflation. Part of my job was to write letters explaining this situation and asking admissions officers to take this into account.

Do law school admissions officers take this into account? I am fairly sure the answer is something like "yes, but not as much as they would like." Why? Because neither LSDAS nor US News takes into account such considerations. Thus, in order to take this factor into account admissions officers must row against the tide. And, btw, there are a few non-STEM majors that have the same issues. Music theory and the formal logic branch of philosophy come to mind. Sorry I can't provide better news.[/i][/quote]

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