Legal Studies in Business: Bad choice? Forum

[minnbills]

unfortunately, this is what our parents told us too, and it leads to massive unemployment/underemployment. No one knows as an 18 year old that law school is the right choice for them, or else you might be right.

It goes beyond law school. Unless you're prepping for a specific career, I'd argue it's more important to get good grades and develop your writing and other skills than it is to get a degree in something you're not really interested in.

Most people I know who aren't working in fields that require specific degrees (accounting, finance, etc) didn't come into that job with a specific prerequisite. Many, many corporate people have degrees in liberal arts fields like history as well.

[Patriot1208]

unfortunately, this is what our parents told us too, and it leads to massive unemployment/underemployment. No one knows as an 18 year old that law school is the right choice for them, or else you might be right.

It goes beyond law school. Unless you're prepping for a specific career, I'd argue it's more important to get good grades and develop your writing and other skills than it is to get a degree in something you're not really interested in.

Most people I know who aren't working in fields that require specific degrees (accounting, finance, etc) didn't come into that job with a specific prerequisite. Many, many corporate people have degrees in liberal arts fields like history as well.

Yes, liberal arts people get into the corporate world, but in this economy you've put yourself in a huge hole by getting that history degree. You handicapped yourself from the beginning and just created an upward battle for yourself. Underemployment for recent grads is rampant and it's mostly those with liberal arts degrees.

[nphsbuckeye]

unfortunately, this is what our parents told us too, and it leads to massive unemployment/underemployment. No one knows as an 18 year old that law school is the right choice for them, or else you might be right.

It goes beyond law school. Unless you're prepping for a specific career, I'd argue it's more important to get good grades and develop your writing and other skills than it is to get a degree in something you're not really interested in.

Most people I know who aren't working in fields that require specific degrees (accounting, finance, etc) didn't come into that job with a specific prerequisite. Many, many corporate people have degrees in liberal arts fields like history as well.

Yes, liberal arts people get into the corporate world, but in this economy you've put yourself in a huge hole by getting that history degree. You handicapped yourself from the beginning and just created an upward battle for yourself. Underemployment for recent grads is rampant and it's mostly those with liberal arts degrees.

Truth. Getting that first job is a bitch, after that your LA degree won't really matter.

[upfish]

unfortunately, this is what our parents told us too, and it leads to massive unemployment/underemployment. No one knows as an 18 year old that law school is the right choice for them, or else you might be right.

It goes beyond law school. Unless you're prepping for a specific career, I'd argue it's more important to get good grades and develop your writing and other skills than it is to get a degree in something you're not really interested in.

Most people I know who aren't working in fields that require specific degrees (accounting, finance, etc) didn't come into that job with a specific prerequisite. Many, many corporate people have degrees in liberal arts fields like history as well.

Yes, liberal arts people get into the corporate world, but in this economy you've put yourself in a huge hole by getting that history degree. You handicapped yourself from the beginning and just created an upward battle for yourself. Underemployment for recent grads is rampant and it's mostly those with liberal arts degrees.

I am a living testament to this.

Unemployed/underemployed for a year post-grad in 2009.

[cinephile]

English is the most useful out of all of these. But I agree with whomever said she should just major in Art History. That should provide substantial writing and would be something she'd enjoy.

[minnbills]

unfortunately, this is what our parents told us too, and it leads to massive unemployment/underemployment. No one knows as an 18 year old that law school is the right choice for them, or else you might be right.

It goes beyond law school. Unless you're prepping for a specific career, I'd argue it's more important to get good grades and develop your writing and other skills than it is to get a degree in something you're not really interested in.

Most people I know who aren't working in fields that require specific degrees (accounting, finance, etc) didn't come into that job with a specific prerequisite. Many, many corporate people have degrees in liberal arts fields like history as well.

Yes, liberal arts people get into the corporate world, but in this economy you've put yourself in a huge hole by getting that history degree. You handicapped yourself from the beginning and just created an upward battle for yourself. Underemployment for recent grads is rampant and it's mostly those with liberal arts degrees.

I'm not saying this isn't true. What I am saying is that there are certain benefits to be had from taking a course of study, if you fully engage yourself in it, that isn't "business management" or "business in law" that are really just ciphons into entry level positions.

Also, that we are living through such an exceptionally terrible job market should just further highlight the possibility that it's not always in one's best interest to place portability or attractiveness in a major above other factors.

It would be interesting to see data on how people do by major within corporate power-structures and all that jazz over the course of their careers. I would bet, and this is the crux of my argument, that people who truly took their education seriously and applied themselves to a major they are genuinely interested in will have fared better over the long term than someone who was just following the money. This is, of course, assuming that people who are only following the money don't apply themselves in the way I'm talking about.

Regardless, I don't want to hijack the OP's thread any further. I think he should have enough food for thought here.

[nphsbuckeye]

I'm not saying this isn't true. What I am saying is that there are certain benefits to be had from taking a course of study, if you fully engage yourself in it, that isn't "business management" or "business in law" that are really just ciphons into entry level positions.

Also, that we are living through such an exceptionally terrible job market should just further highlight the possibility that it's not always in one's best interest to place portability or attractiveness in a major above other factors.

It would be interesting to see data on how people do by major within corporate power-structures and all that jazz over the course of their careers. I would bet, and this is the crux of my argument, that people who truly took their education seriously and applied themselves to a major they are genuinely interested in will have fared better over the long term than someone who was just following the money. This is, of course, assuming that people who are only following the money don't apply themselves in the way I'm talking about.

Regardless, I don't want to hijack the OP's thread any further. I think he should have enough food for thought here.

From what I've heard, management is the joke of the business world - because it is easy, and really anyone can become a manager. Real world experience is more important than learning a few things in class.

It doesn't really matter for recent grads what corporate structures look like, because those people already have career. Majoring in LA with no real world experience is extremely hard to get a worthwhile job today.

In the long run, for me, my majors won't really matter and help me with my line of thinking (I want to get an MBA anyway), but they do not at all help me gain meaningful employment right now. For anyone entering college, I would highly recommend them to not major in LA.

What do you know "fared better over the long term"? A finance major who doesn't like the work, but likes the checks will probably fair better with his checking account than a photography major (which would be a bitchin' major if it had much real world applicability).

[wojo96]

Question is irrelevant: either major in a) a lucrative field (hard science, engineering, econ, finance, accounting) or b) a concentration you passionately enjoy AND can dominate.

a) is clearly off the table, and b) is for your GF and your GF alone to decide.

[bartleby]

tell her to stick to legal studies. if she majors in english, she might read madame bovary and then want to cheat on you with her classmates or her professor.

[AreJay711]

She should study something she is truly interested in. 1) She'll be more engaged and might actually get something out of the education 2) I would imagine people get higher GPAs in subjects they actually enjoy learning about and dealing with, as opposed to a field of study where the only reason you're involved is because you think it will lead to a higher paycheck.
I saw Art History as one of the minors listed. Maybe she should major in that and take a minor or double major in something more practical?

If you're not training for a specific field, accounting for example, an undergraduate degree is more about developing the ability to learn effectively for whatever career you end up in while hopefully laying a theoretical foundation in that field.

I doubled in History and Poly Sci- neither of which would get me a good job after undergrad. But I feel like I developed my writing and "critical thinking" (which is almost an empty-buzzword, frankly) skills far more than I would have if I had stuck it out in econ, a subject I realized I hated once I took a couple of classes in.

unfortunately, this is what our parents told us too, and it leads to massive unemployment/underemployment. No one knows as an 18 year old that law school is the right choice for them, or else you might be right.

Four years of something you hate would be hard though. Actually, my advice for her would be to not worry about it freshman year and take a bunch of different classes to see what she likes. I was a comm studies major when I started

[Patriot1208]

She should study something she is truly interested in. 1) She'll be more engaged and might actually get something out of the education 2) I would imagine people get higher GPAs in subjects they actually enjoy learning about and dealing with, as opposed to a field of study where the only reason you're involved is because you think it will lead to a higher paycheck.
I saw Art History as one of the minors listed. Maybe she should major in that and take a minor or double major in something more practical?

If you're not training for a specific field, accounting for example, an undergraduate degree is more about developing the ability to learn effectively for whatever career you end up in while hopefully laying a theoretical foundation in that field.

I doubled in History and Poly Sci- neither of which would get me a good job after undergrad. But I feel like I developed my writing and "critical thinking" (which is almost an empty-buzzword, frankly) skills far more than I would have if I had stuck it out in econ, a subject I realized I hated once I took a couple of classes in.

unfortunately, this is what our parents told us too, and it leads to massive unemployment/underemployment. No one knows as an 18 year old that law school is the right choice for them, or else you might be right.

Four years of something you hate would be hard though. Actually, my advice for her would be to not worry about it freshman year and take a bunch of different classes to see what she likes. I was a comm studies major when I started

ya, I don't advocate doing something you hate. But I think you can find some useful degree that is somewhat interesting. Sometimes things surprise you too. I always thought i'd hate accounting and I really ended up enjoying every accounting class besides the intro financial accounting class.

[aliarrow]

She should study something she is truly interested in. 1) She'll be more engaged and might actually get something out of the education 2) I would imagine people get higher GPAs in subjects they actually enjoy learning about and dealing with, as opposed to a field of study where the only reason you're involved is because you think it will lead to a higher paycheck.
I saw Art History as one of the minors listed. Maybe she should major in that and take a minor or double major in something more practical?

If you're not training for a specific field, accounting for example, an undergraduate degree is more about developing the ability to learn effectively for whatever career you end up in while hopefully laying a theoretical foundation in that field.

I doubled in History and Poly Sci- neither of which would get me a good job after undergrad. But I feel like I developed my writing and "critical thinking" (which is almost an empty-buzzword, frankly) skills far more than I would have if I had stuck it out in econ, a subject I realized I hated once I took a couple of classes in.

unfortunately, this is what our parents told us too, and it leads to massive unemployment/underemployment. No one knows as an 18 year old that law school is the right choice for them, or else you might be right.

Four years of something you hate would be hard though. Actually, my advice for her would be to not worry about it freshman year and take a bunch of different classes to see what she likes. I was a comm studies major when I started

Communist studies?

[in my eyes]

Major in something useful. None of these are useful.

Accounting, Finance, Econ if the school isn't TTT, engineering, hard sciences, computer science, actuarial science, math etc. Don't just major in something. Get some useful work experience even if it's just summer internships.

I just graduated from Temple and having a useful undergrad is prob the only reason I scored a job ITE (slightly better than median). Note that my class has several students that graduated magna cum laude and don't have jobs yet.

[jamaal.willis11]

Accounting, Finance, Econ if the school isn't TTT, engineering, hard sciences, computer science, actuarial science, math etc. Don't just major in something. Get some useful work experience even if it's just summer internships.

Props for knowing what that is! People usually give me a confused look when I tell them my major.

[dr123]

Don't most actuaries just major in applied math?

[in my eyes]

At my undergrad we had an actuarial science program.

[blsingindisguise]

What kind of majors would be more employable than Legal Studies or Marketing? She's not a very analytical person so that rules out Finance, Economics, Engineering, Computer Science, etc.

Thanks for all the input so far!

Do you really mean that she's not analytical, or just that she's not quantitatively oriented? The former should pretty much rule out law school. The latter is pretty common in law school

[in my eyes]

I can't stress this enough. If you aren't a Biglaw autohire (either T6 or top 25% at a T14) your background will absolutely matter and help/hurt you in interviews.

With that said. These options for majors have me questioning whether her goal is to get degrees or to someday get a job. If it's the latter she needs a major that makes her employable. Stacking one useless degree on top of another never helped anyone.

[jamaal.willis11]

Do you really mean that she's not analytical, or just that she's not quantitatively oriented? The former should pretty much rule out law school. The latter is pretty common in law school

I should say she's not "quantitatively oriented." She just does not enjoy math or science enough to have a major with a significant math or science component. Just to give everyone an update, she is now considering an Economics/English double major. She's always enjoyed reading about the more "sociology" related fields in economics like labor economics and development economics. Would this option be preferable to the English/Management path?

[bdubs]

Do you really mean that she's not analytical, or just that she's not quantitatively oriented? The former should pretty much rule out law school. The latter is pretty common in law school

I should say she's not "quantitatively oriented." She just does not enjoy math or science enough to have a major with a significant math or science component. Just to give everyone an update, she is now considering an Economics/English double major. She's always enjoyed reading about the more "sociology" related fields in economics like labor economics and development economics. Would this option be preferable to the English/Management path?

English/Economics is infinitely better than the previous options listed.

[Patriot1208]

Do you really mean that she's not analytical, or just that she's not quantitatively oriented? The former should pretty much rule out law school. The latter is pretty common in law school

I should say she's not "quantitatively oriented." She just does not enjoy math or science enough to have a major with a significant math or science component. Just to give everyone an update, she is now considering an Economics/English double major. She's always enjoyed reading about the more "sociology" related fields in economics like labor economics and development economics. Would this option be preferable to the English/Management path?

English/Economics is infinitely better than the previous options listed.

Yes, but be aware many economics programs require a good bit of math

[jamaal.willis11]

Yes, but be aware many economics programs require a good bit of math

At my school it depends on the track you take. There's a BA and a BS option, and the BS is much more mathematical. The BA only requires calculus 1 and econometrics.

[ahduth]

Do you really mean that she's not analytical, or just that she's not quantitatively oriented? The former should pretty much rule out law school. The latter is pretty common in law school

I should say she's not "quantitatively oriented." She just does not enjoy math or science enough to have a major with a significant math or science component. Just to give everyone an update, she is now considering an Economics/English double major. She's always enjoyed reading about the more "sociology" related fields in economics like labor economics and development economics. Would this option be preferable to the English/Management path?

Accounting involves little to no math. You just have to be able to apply some semblance of logic to business situations.

[YaSvoboden]

Do you really mean that she's not analytical, or just that she's not quantitatively oriented? The former should pretty much rule out law school. The latter is pretty common in law school

I should say she's not "quantitatively oriented." She just does not enjoy math or science enough to have a major with a significant math or science component. Just to give everyone an update, she is now considering an Economics/English double major. She's always enjoyed reading about the more "sociology" related fields in economics like labor economics and development economics. Would this option be preferable to the English/Management path?

Accounting involves little to no math. You just have to be able to apply some semblance of logic to business situations.

Accounting involves little to no complex math, but you are constantly adding, subtracting, dividing and plugging formulas into excel, or doing the algebra by hand. It doesn't take strong quantitative ability, but if you don't like this stuff it really won't be enjoyable.

Econ involves more complex math (well that B.A. sounds like it is about the same) and probably an extra few classes that are truly math oriented, but I don't think that it is quite as pervasive throughout the entire program. An econ major can probably comment more accurately on that part.

[wojo96]

Your major doesn't matter. Aside from paying lip service, very few schools take a holistic view of the application (with the exception of Boalt, etc).