Anonymous wrote:IME, it's more about specific majors. No college is going to transform accounting majors into great writers. If I had to pick, good history departments produce the best writers, as a general matter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fwiw, I went to Cornell and started out in engineering. Floundered in it and switched to history, of all things, after freshman year. T14 law school afterwards and eventually tax partner at a v50 firm. Now, I'm not saying I'm head and shoulders above the rest, but the improvement in writing I enjoyed during my time at Cornell was remarkable and while law school certainly wasn't a breeze, I easily transferred my new found talent into legal writing and actually found it somewhat enjoyable.

Was it Cornell? Was it history? Was it history at Cornell? Who knows!

All I'm saying is that my time in college really sharpened my ability read, analyze and write.

Professors with high expectations of their students are critical. Any school in the top 20 heck, top 50, will give you that imho.

All that being said, i vote Cornell.

LOL. I'd give your writing a B+.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fwiw, I went to Cornell and started out in engineering. Floundered in it and switched to history, of all things, after freshman year. T14 law school afterwards and eventually tax partner at a v50 firm. Now, I'm not saying I'm head and shoulders above the rest, but the improvement in writing I enjoyed during my time at Cornell was remarkable and while law school certainly wasn't a breeze, I easily transferred my new found talent into legal writing and actually found it somewhat enjoyable.

Was it Cornell? Was it history? Was it history at Cornell? Who knows!

All I'm saying is that my time in college really sharpened my ability read, analyze and write.

Professors with high expectations of their students are critical. Any school in the top 20 heck, top 50, will give you that imho.

All that being said, i vote Cornell.

LOL. I'd give your writing a B+.

Except I'm not the one saying I'm a great writer. See the difference?

DP. By that standard, using "LOL" gets you an F.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fwiw, I went to Cornell and started out in engineering. Floundered in it and switched to history, of all things, after freshman year. T14 law school afterwards and eventually tax partner at a v50 firm. Now, I'm not saying I'm head and shoulders above the rest, but the improvement in writing I enjoyed during my time at Cornell was remarkable and while law school certainly wasn't a breeze, I easily transferred my new found talent into legal writing and actually found it somewhat enjoyable.

Was it Cornell? Was it history? Was it history at Cornell? Who knows!

All I'm saying is that my time in college really sharpened my ability read, analyze and write.

Professors with high expectations of their students are critical. Any school in the top 20 heck, top 50, will give you that imho.

All that being said, i vote Cornell.

LOL. I'd give your writing a B+.

Anonymous wrote:Fwiw, I went to Cornell and started out in engineering. Floundered in it and switched to history, of all things, after freshman year. T14 law school afterwards and eventually tax partner at a v50 firm. Now, I'm not saying I'm head and shoulders above the rest, but the improvement in writing I enjoyed during my time at Cornell was remarkable and while law school certainly wasn't a breeze, I easily transferred my new found talent into legal writing and actually found it somewhat enjoyable.

Was it Cornell? Was it history? Was it history at Cornell? Who knows!

All I'm saying is that my time in college really sharpened my ability read, analyze and write.

Professors with high expectations of their students are critical. Any school in the top 20 heck, top 50, will give you that imho.

All that being said, i vote Cornell.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What do you mean by great writer? A novelist, or just someone who is able to write a grammatically correct email, Power Point presentation, or business plan? IMO, the best way to become a good writer is to read a lot.



OP here

Yes, fair question.....

DC, a HS junior, wants to pursue a career in law or business. So in that sense.



Such a silly question for someone interested in law or business. If you want to pursue a career in law, get top grades in a good school and score well on the LSAT while majoring in whatever you want. If writing is a big deal to you, major in English or philosophy. If you want a career in business, go to a school with a good B-school.



No, not a silly question. Being a good writer as an attorney is a must. Being a great writer as an attorney puts you head and shoulders above. Anything that puts you in that second category is a HUGE plus.

And being a great writer in business, coupled with very good quantitative skills, makes you stratospheric.



Being a good LEGAL writer is a must. There are plenty of generically good writers who can't write like lawyers to save their lives. You need to understand the difference.



LOL! Law school has turned many a fine writer into a terrible writer.



I don't disagree. But you've proven my point that being a good writer doesn't necessarily translate into being a good legal writer. Two different skill sets.

I wasn't trying to disprove your point. I just thought it funny that you thought that being a good writer was a must to being a successful lawyer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you mean by great writer? A novelist, or just someone who is able to write a grammatically correct email, Power Point presentation, or business plan? IMO, the best way to become a good writer is to read a lot.

OP here

Yes, fair question.....

DC, a HS junior, wants to pursue a career in law or business. So in that sense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What do you mean by great writer? A novelist, or just someone who is able to write a grammatically correct email, Power Point presentation, or business plan? IMO, the best way to become a good writer is to read a lot.



OP here

Yes, fair question.....

DC, a HS junior, wants to pursue a career in law or business. So in that sense.



Such a silly question for someone interested in law or business. If you want to pursue a career in law, get top grades in a good school and score well on the LSAT while majoring in whatever you want. If writing is a big deal to you, major in English or philosophy. If you want a career in business, go to a school with a good B-school.



No, not a silly question. Being a good writer as an attorney is a must. Being a great writer as an attorney puts you head and shoulders above. Anything that puts you in that second category is a HUGE plus.

And being a great writer in business, coupled with very good quantitative skills, makes you stratospheric.



Being a good LEGAL writer is a must. There are plenty of generically good writers who can't write like lawyers to save their lives. You need to understand the difference.



LOL! Law school has turned many a fine writer into a terrible writer.



I don't disagree. But you've proven my point that being a good writer doesn't necessarily translate into being a good legal writer. Two different skill sets.