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I'm gonna be a sophomore next year at a big state school. I know that law schools is a numbers game and lsat/gpa matters most. But should I really just make my major something that would be really easy (communication) to get the highest gpa possible? It seems that college wouldn't be much of a challenge then but I would have a really high gpa. Or should I take something more challenging and risk having a lower gpa? I'm just wondering if a great gpa in an easy major would be looked upon favorably by the top law schools. Thanks a lot.

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Study whatever interests you, and work hard enough at that to get a good GPA. Don't pick a major based on perceived ease; you'll just have a boring 4 years of college. Also, you're more likely to work hard on things that interest you.

Balance (a) your gpa and (b) your intellectual fulfillment. Your major will not impact your law school application, except, maybe, if you go engineering (which it looks like you're not), and even then, only ever, ever, so marginally. Hope that helps.

thanks for everyones input so far

So here are a few possible scenarios

1. 3.9 gpa in a pretty easy major, and maybe a minor in something to keep me interested

2. 3.7 gpa in a tougher major, but i would be challenged

3. 3.7 gpa with a double major (two fairly easy majors)

what do you think is the best plan?

study what you love

if you don't love anything go with what you like as long as its not engineering, physics, math, or chemistry

if you don't like anything then go with the easiest

Borhas wrote:study what you love

if you don't love anything go with what you like as long as its not engineering, physics, math, or chemistry

if you don't like anything then go with the easiest

my favorite response so far. thanks a lot this put things into perspective. easiest it is.

nbafan135 wrote:thanks for everyones input so far

So here are a few possible scenarios

1. 3.9 gpa in a pretty easy major, and maybe a minor in something to keep me interested

2. 3.7 gpa in a tougher major, but i would be challenged

3. 3.7 gpa with a double major (two fairly easy majors)

what do you think is the best plan?

i dont think it necessarily works out in the above manner...lol it could easily be 3.9 in a tougher major that you enjoy as well...or a 3.8 in the easier major just because you dont give an eff about it and under-prepare

DoubleChecks wrote:

nbafan135 wrote:thanks for everyones input so far

So here are a few possible scenarios

1. 3.9 gpa in a pretty easy major, and maybe a minor in something to keep me interested

2. 3.7 gpa in a tougher major, but i would be challenged

3. 3.7 gpa with a double major (two fairly easy majors)

what do you think is the best plan?

i dont think it necessarily works out in the above manner...lol it could easily be 3.9 in a tougher major that you enjoy as well...or a 3.8 in the easier major just because you dont give an eff about it and under-prepare

haha yeah i realized that but it's just a few possibilities of what could happen. as a rising sophomore it's still early so I'm just making sure I don't ruin my chances of going to law school in the future by having a gpa thats not good enough

best thing you can do is push as many of the hard classes you have (within whatever major you pick) into your senior year, that way when you are applying in October of your senior year your LSAC GPA would only include your easier classes taken years 1-3.

DoubleChecks wrote:

nbafan135 wrote:thanks for everyones input so far

So here are a few possible scenarios

1. 3.9 gpa in a pretty easy major, and maybe a minor in something to keep me interested

2. 3.7 gpa in a tougher major, but i would be challenged

3. 3.7 gpa with a double major (two fairly easy majors)

what do you think is the best plan?

i dont think it necessarily works out in the above manner...lol it could easily be 3.9 in a tougher major that you enjoy as well...or a 3.8 in the easier major just because you dont give an eff about it and under-prepare

I would have to agree that it doesnt work out in that manner. The worst grades I've recieved in UG were in just the basic gen ed courses such as human biology. They most likely were not any more difficult, but if you don't enjoy what your studying your effort will be lacking. Also, don't forget that your paying for your education. What happens if you decide not to go to law school and your stuck with some major that you absolutely hated but just took to get a high GPA?

Borhas wrote:best thing you can do is push as many of the hard classes you have (within whatever major you pick) into your senior year, that way when you are applying in October of your senior year your LSAC GPA would only include your easier classes taken years 1-3.

This.

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nbafan135 wrote:thanks for everyones input so far

So here are a few possible scenarios

1. 3.9 gpa in a pretty easy major, and maybe a minor in something to keep me interested

2. 3.7 gpa in a tougher major, but i would be challenged

3. 3.7 gpa with a double major (two fairly easy majors)

what do you think is the best plan?

How about the best possible gpa in a major that you will benefit from? I'm sure if you pick something that you have interest in, a good gpa will follow. I picked accounting because I am interested in the business field (more specifically tax) and, if needed, I can always apply what I have learned in the accounting profession should things not go my way in the legal field. That being said, I enjoy attending my classes and learning. I'd be bored out of my mind if I had to sit through classes in the liberal arts department (not that there is anything wrong with those majors ).

acrossthelake wrote:Side note: Can somebody please explain to me what a "communications" major is? What, exactly, does one learn?

None of the universities my friends or I attend has it, and I'm curious as to an explanation from someone other than a description on some random college website.

I'm a comms major. It's the study of communication, and incorporates things from other disciplines, notably psychology, philosophy, and English. Courses range from public speaking courses (what most people think of when they think of comms), to rhetorical courses (think Socrates, Aristotle, classical rhetors, and of course the sophists), to analytical comms (research methods, statistics, using the previous to write long research papers) to more pragmatical comms, like business and professional communication (communicating in a business/company setting, other settings, etc.).

At my school at least, it's not an easy major by liberal arts standards. I believe in terms of incoming students' credentials, it is the 3rd strongest major in the Liberal Arts department (out of maybe 10 or 15 majors), behind Philosophy and something else, maybe English or History. It can be quite difficult at times, as public speaking is the most feared thing for the average person (even above death surprisingly), and the rhetorical courses are comparable in difficulty to philosophy courses.

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Pick a major that would be good for you in case you don't end up going to law school. Plans can change between now and then, no matter how certain you are about attending law school. You don't want to graduate with a worthless degree and be unemployable if you don't go to law school.

hsprophet wrote:Pick a major that would be good for you in case you don't end up going to law school. Plans can change between now and then, no matter how certain you are about attending law school. You don't want to graduate with a worthless degree and be unemployable if you don't go to law school.

This... law school isn't a sure thing.

I wouldn't ignore the fact that you'll need to be able to write well as a law student/lawyer, and your law school grades are incredibly important. I found my philosophy classes were the most useful for teaching me how to write a well-constructed and well-written argument (and grades tend to be high in philosophy departments), and also helped me prep for the LSAT, but YMMV. I think the double-major makes sense if you don't have any concrete interests yet--taking a cupcake major and classes will haunt you if you don't also take some rigorous courses.

Perhaps it might not matter for most law schools, but I've read a lot of interviews with deans of admissions at t14's, and they do seem to care about what you major in. They usually advise not to do something too common or easy.

Also, I agree with a previous poster who suggested majoring in something you could use if you decide not to pursue law school. Good thing about law school admissions is it's so LSAT heavy. A 3.7 is still very competitive if you murder the LSAT.

some of the classes I got my worst grades in in college were in "easy" classes.....don't do something just because it is "easy". Plus you are only a soph and thus law school aspirations can change or you might want work experience before school so def pick a worthwhile major

Knockglock wrote:

acrossthelake wrote:Side note: Can somebody please explain to me what a "communications" major is? What, exactly, does one learn?

None of the universities my friends or I attend has it, and I'm curious as to an explanation from someone other than a description on some random college website.

I'm a comms major. It's the study of communication, and incorporates things from other disciplines, notably psychology, philosophy, and English. Courses range from public speaking courses (what most people think of when they think of comms), to rhetorical courses (think Socrates, Aristotle, classical rhetors, and of course the sophists), to analytical comms (research methods, statistics, using the previous to write long research papers) to more pragmatical comms, like business and professional communication (communicating in a business/company setting, other settings, etc.).

At my school at least, it's not an easy major by liberal arts standards. I believe in terms of incoming students' credentials, it is the 3rd strongest major in the Liberal Arts department (out of maybe 10 or 15 majors), behind Philosophy and something else, maybe English or History. It can be quite difficult at times, as public speaking is the most feared thing for the average person (even above death surprisingly), and the rhetorical courses are comparable in difficulty to philosophy courses.

You're school is the exception then, not the norm. At most schools, the comms major is a joke.

Keep in mind, as well, that law school is pretty rigorous, and if you spend four years as a tourism management major or something with a similar workload, you may have an extremely difficult adjustment once you get to law school.

Like many have said ITT, study something that interests you. That is, by far, the easiest way to get a great GPA.