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Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 9:29 pm
by stanfordxhopeful
Hey everybody,
I've only lurked on this site once or twice but I thought this would be a good place to get some law school related advice. I'm currently in undergrad and I'm trying to decide what I want to major in with the goal of preparing myself for law school. My uncle works at a law firm in Northern California and he mentioned that getting a degree in a science-related field would make me eligible to do something called "IP" law, which he says is very popular right now.
I want to be able to get a good job when I graduate from law school, and it sounds like if I prepare myself to do IP law then I'll be a desirable candidate for employment. However, I don't really have any interest in any of the hard sciences and don't see myself using the degree other than to prepare for law school. My question to you, TLS, is whether or not I should major in a science field so that I can prepare myself for the apparently booming field of IP law (even though I am not interested in the subject) , or should I major in something I'm more interested in?
More simply, just how much of a boost employment-wise would being IP law eligible give me? Is it worth it to pursue a science degree just so I can do IP? Or is the employment boost fairly negligible?
Thanks a lot!
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 9:47 pm
by ymmv
stanfordxhopeful wrote:Hey everybody,
I've only lurked on this site once or twice but I thought this would be a good place to get some law school related advice. I'm currently in undergrad and I'm trying to decide what I want to major in with the goal of preparing myself for law school. My uncle works at a law firm in Northern California and he mentioned that getting a degree in a science-related field would make me eligible to do something called "IP" law, which he says is very popular right now.
I want to be able to get a good job when I graduate from law school, and it sounds like if I prepare myself to do IP law then I'll be a desirable candidate for employment. However, I don't really have any interest in any of the hard sciences and don't see myself using the degree other than to prepare for law school. My question to you, TLS, is whether or not I should major in a science field so that I can prepare myself for the apparently booming field of IP law (even though I am not interested in the subject) , or should I major in something I'm more interested in?
More simply, just how much of a boost employment-wise would being IP law eligible give me? Is it worth it to pursue a science degree just so I can do IP? Or is the employment boost fairly negligible?
Thanks a lot!
It's 4 formative years of your life. Study whatever you're interested in and do it well. Law schools don't give a shit about what you majored in, but they give many shits about your GPA.
Yes, there are additional employment opportunities that may be open to those with hard science backgrounds, but you shouldn't go that route unless you have a legitimate interests in one of those fields and patent law. Keep in mind that it's typically much more difficult to maintain a good GPA in many science majors, though adcoms may take take that into account (I don't know the data on this).
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 9:58 pm
by kevgogators
The best advice I've ever received in this regard is to "major in what you enjoy". If you enjoy the subject, you'll do better. Law schools don't factor care what your major is, they care about your GPA, LSAT score, and extra curricular activities.
With that said, a lot of people tend to major in fields such as History, Political Science, Sociology, Criminology or even English. These fields train you to begin thinking "analytically", and help you polish your writing skills. Good luck!
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 10:03 pm
by hawk5
It's too early to know for sure if you actually want to be a lawyer. Please major in something that would be useful both in the legal field and the normal entry level job market. Some example majors for this would be engineering (especially electrical), accounting, or finance. Those majors seem to help for careers in patent law, tax law, and corporate law, respectively. More importantly, those majors also give you the best chance at a $55k+ job at a global company right out of college, which you will want to be able to fall back on if you decide against law school or to work for a few years before law school (which is becoming much more common). If you still truly want to be a lawyer after college, law school is still very much on the table with those majors as long as you keep your grades up. Keep your options open.
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 10:03 pm
by phillywc
Pick a major you enjoy, yes, but try to pick something that makes you employable. You might not want to or be able to go to law school right out of undergrad
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 1:39 pm
by The Dark Shepard
Pick a major that you both enjoy and will actually give you job prospects out of undergrad. Don't pick a major that won't give you any job prospects because then your options will be low, and that's not a fun place to be.
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 11:14 am
by frankunderwood91
Major doesn't matter.
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 3:26 pm
by El Principe
I didn't read anything posted but you should pick something that:
Will get you a paying job after graduation/good internship experience -> Is somewhat interesting to you -> Is relatively easy so your GPA isn't low.... in that order.
Something business related can be a good balance of difficulty and good job prospects. Engineering & CS will probably get you the best job after graduation, but your GPA may suffer, especially if you're not interested in the subject matter.
TL;DR pick something that you're interested in that will get you a good, non-legal job after 4 years of study, because honestly, it doesn't matter.
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 3:30 pm
by toothbrush
meh tbh i wish i had taken more econ classes. i took 0. if i did it again i'd major in econ, throw in some accounting, and more than 1 public speaking. some writing classes too.
if you dont like reading shit with numbers, take classes to get used to it (thats if you want corporate work)
if you dont like public speaking, take some more classes in it (even if you dont want to litigate, you will be talking to attorneys every day who are more senior...)
i hate writing, but cant get away from it. take writing classes.
and have fun. and keep your gpa up.
all of my advice is my own opinion
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 3:30 pm
by DELG
Your uncle is trying to trick you into being an engineer instead because he loves you and wants you to be happy.
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 3:35 pm
by jchiles
Even if you pick a major that is not that marketable, you can make up for that if you keep your GPA high and apply pretty broadly to corporate internship positions in undergrad. I did this and despite having two pretty fluffy, non-business/non-science majors had pretty good options for jobs after graduation.
A lot of places don't specify what exact major they want, and even if they do I think if your GPA is high and you can convey interest before and during an interview they may take a chance, especially for just an internship position for the summer or during the year.
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 3:37 pm
by lhanvt13
DELG wrote:Your uncle is trying to trick you into being an engineer instead because he loves you and wants you to be happy.
+1
If you're sadistic like me, come to law school with an engineering degree (preferably EE or CS). Should give u a slight leg up in employment. Otherwise, don't worry about what major. You can get a degree in shooting the shit and still go to H. You're only compared via GPA and lsat
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 6:27 pm
by jbagelboy
mathematics is objectively the best undergraduate major
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 6:35 pm
by stanfordxhopeful
Thanks for the responses everyone! At this point I think I'm leaning towards getting a CS degree since it's a field I wouldn't mind working in if for some reason I decide against law school
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 9:32 pm
by speedtracer
jbagelboy wrote:mathematics is objectively the best undergraduate major
This is a good point. The #1 guy at my school is a math major. It gives you a lot of the analytical tools that are necessary to success in law school.
Don't do the English/history thing. Like you said, you want to leave yourself with something you'll enjoy in case you don't find that law is for you. However, you'll also want something that will give you a job. The CS major is a great idea.
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 12:03 am
by The Dark Shepard
stanfordxhopeful wrote:Thanks for the responses everyone! At this point I think I'm leaning towards getting a CS degree since it's a field I wouldn't mind working in if for some reason I decide against law school
Very good choice! Good luck!
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 12:09 am
by ScottRiqui
stanfordxhopeful wrote:Thanks for the responses everyone! At this point I think I'm leaning towards getting a CS degree since it's a field I wouldn't mind working in if for some reason I decide against law school
If you're thinking about possibly parlaying the CS degree into intellectual property law and want to take the patent bar, make sure you check the
ABET/CSAB accreditation of your school's CS program. Not all CS degrees will automatically qualify you to sit for the patent bar.
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 1:35 am
by stanfordxhopeful
ScottRiqui wrote:stanfordxhopeful wrote:Thanks for the responses everyone! At this point I think I'm leaning towards getting a CS degree since it's a field I wouldn't mind working in if for some reason I decide against law school
If you're thinking about possibly parlaying the CS degree into intellectual property law and want to take the patent bar, make sure you check the
ABET/CSAB accreditation of your school's CS program. Not all CS degrees will automatically qualify you to sit for the patent bar.
Thanks for the tip, looks like my school is on the list.
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 3:03 am
by prezidentv8
stanfordxhopeful wrote:Hey everybody,
I've only lurked on this site once or twice but I thought this would be a good place to get some law school related advice. I'm currently in undergrad and I'm trying to decide what I want to major in with the goal of preparing myself for law school. My uncle works at a law firm in Northern California and he mentioned that getting a degree in a science-related field would make me eligible to do something called "IP" law, which he says is very popular right now.
I want to be able to get a good job when I graduate from law school, and it sounds like if I prepare myself to do IP law then I'll be a desirable candidate for employment. However, I don't really have any interest in any of the hard sciences and don't see myself using the degree other than to prepare for law school. My question to you, TLS, is whether or not I should major in a science field so that I can prepare myself for the apparently booming field of IP law (even though I am not interested in the subject) , or should I major in something I'm more interested in?
More simply, just how much of a boost employment-wise would being IP law eligible give me? Is it worth it to pursue a science degree just so I can do IP? Or is the employment boost fairly negligible?
Thanks a lot!
DANGER WILL ROBINSON
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 5:43 am
by stanfordxhopeful
DANGER WILL ROBINSON
According to Wikipedia you're telling me I'm about to make a mistake / overlooking something. Care to elaborate good sir?
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 7:25 am
by PrideandGlory1776
Basket weaving is tcr - that GPA tho
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 2:36 pm
by OutCold
DELG wrote:Your uncle is trying to trick you into being an engineer instead because he loves you and wants you to be happy.
Re: Undergrad student choosing major for law school
Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 3:14 pm
by prezidentv8
stanfordxhopeful wrote: My question to you, TLS, is whether or not I should major in a science field so that I can prepare myself for the apparently booming field of IP law (even though I am not interested in the subject) , or should I major in something I'm more interested in?
I'm not going to tell you not to major in a hard science, because that would be doing you a disservice, but I am going to tell you not to major in a hard science just because of some vague notion that it will help you get a legal job later on.
If you're still at the stage where you are picking a major, you're probably at least five years away from starting a legal career in the first place. I don't think there is any way to tell with much accuracy what the market will look like in five years, and there are several more important variables relating to your ability to just get a decent job as a lawyer, e.g., law school, grades, journal, connections, geography, interest in whatever job/firm you are applying for, etc.
Here's what I would advise: Major in something that opens doors/develops hard skills that a random communications degree would not; i.e., math, nursing, accounting, engineering, statistics, economics, CS, whatever, and take electives in a bunch of random shit that interests you. I'd include a couple voc ed classes at the local JC too -- those are pretty fun and extremely useful, not just professionally. You will learn lots of useful stuff and interesting stuff, enjoy life, and probably have the exact same legal job prospects as you would otherwise.
Also, this:
OutCold wrote:DELG wrote:Your uncle is trying to trick you into being an engineer instead because he loves you and wants you to be happy.