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Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 7:23 pm
by cali12
Hi, firstly I want to introduce myself . I am from California and currently attending in first year of college. Chemistry is my major, but I am not happy with it. Law field has always been on my mind...so I want to ask what should I major in if I decide to go for Law? I heard it should be Political Science but I'm not sure. For example, if my major is Political Science then I have to get a 4 years bachelor degree of Political Science and then apply to Law School? What are the different concentrations in law? I'm interested in Family Law and Torts Law though.
Thanks for reading my thread and I hope some people can help me out.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 7:35 pm
by im_blue
1) whatever gives you the highest GPA
2) whatever develops your reading and writing skills
The most common pre-law majors are poli sci, history, English, and econ.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 1:09 am
by kswiss
Do something you think you'll enjoy. Then get amazing grades. Major isn't really important unless it is something off the wall, like clothing design or something, and even then the GPA is still probably more important than the course of study.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 1:10 am
by Grizz
You're a freshman. Drink moar and have moar secks.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 2:25 am
by bk1
rad law wrote:You're a freshman. Drink moar and have moar secks.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 2:28 am
by hijodehombre
rad law wrote:You're a freshman. Drink moar and moar triple secks.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 2:29 am
by Lieut Kaffee
Most important considerations are GPA and studying something that actually makes you not hate going to class (these are also highly correlated in my view).
I was Chemistry for two years, then Poli Sci with a Philosophy minor, and ended up finally declaring Philosophy after my junior year and barely graduating on time. I can't tell you how much I wish I had known going into college how much I would end up enjoying Philosophy. I got a 3.95 in all those major classes primarily because I liked them, and I feel slightly ahead of the curve in 1L when it comes to reading, writing, and analytical thinking.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 2:22 pm
by kaftka juice
seriously do whatever makes you happiest. it sounds like you're more of a social-science than hard science person, but if you think you even have the slightest inclination towards patent law, do engineering. i kick myself everyday for switching out. oh, well.
and although it seems like you're pretty serious about your interest in law, please, please, PLEASE take at least a year off before you go to grad school. although i've known several people who were fine with going straight through, NO ONE i know was unhappy with taking a year or so off, whereas i know a LOT (i would guess about 50%) of people who went straight to grad school who wished they had taken a year off. burnout sucks. it doesn't even matter if you're working at subway--you'll not only thank yourself for the break, but you will also have SO much more motivation when you go back to school. during my time off i've started to teach myself calc 2 because i am bored from the lack of intellectual stimulation. if i didn't take time off and went to law school immediately i would probably be slacking off right now. educational starvation feeds the intellectual appetite. PSA done.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 2:35 pm
by rayiner
Do you test well? Eg: did you get a high SAT score without much studying? If so, major in something easy that you like and get a 4.0 so you can apply to top law schools. If not, then major in something practical like business, nursing, or engineering so you can get a job after graduation if you don't get into a top law school.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 3:51 pm
by Patriot1208
rayiner wrote:Do you test well? Eg: did you get a high SAT score without much studying? If so, major in something easy that you like and get a 4.0 so you can apply to top law schools. If not, then major in something practical like business, nursing, or engineering so you can get a job after graduation if you don't get into a top law school.
Not sure what this has to do with it. I did relatively poor on my standardized tests after high school. I didn't do any studying but it would seem I'm going to do a good bit better on my LSAT than I did on the SAT.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 6:13 pm
by rayiner
Patriot1208 wrote:rayiner wrote:Do you test well? Eg: did you get a high SAT score without much studying? If so, major in something easy that you like and get a 4.0 so you can apply to top law schools. If not, then major in something practical like business, nursing, or engineering so you can get a job after graduation if you don't get into a top law school.
Not sure what this has to do with it. I did relatively poor on my standardized tests after high school. I didn't do any studying but it would seem I'm going to do a good bit better on my LSAT than I did on the SAT.
It's about managing risk. If you have a 2200+ SAT score then you have a decent shot at getting a good LSAT score. Now, if you don't that doesn't mean you can't get a good LSAT score, but rather that you don't have any evidence that you can. I wouldn't pick a useless major for undergrad and essentially bank on getting into a good law school without prior evidence that I could get the requisite tests scores.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 9:43 pm
by AreJay711
You should take classes you like that will get you a good grade. Just take one seminar/small writing class to get a recommendation and above all else TAKE LOGIC CLASSES. LSAT questions, especially LR, are a joke after a formal logic class. If your school offers it also take a strictly symbolic logic class and the questions will become intuitive and you won't even have to think.
No matter what you major in you will have to get a Bachelors first then your law degree.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 10:28 pm
by Patriot1208
rayiner wrote:Patriot1208 wrote:rayiner wrote:Do you test well? Eg: did you get a high SAT score without much studying? If so, major in something easy that you like and get a 4.0 so you can apply to top law schools. If not, then major in something practical like business, nursing, or engineering so you can get a job after graduation if you don't get into a top law school.
Not sure what this has to do with it. I did relatively poor on my standardized tests after high school. I didn't do any studying but it would seem I'm going to do a good bit better on my LSAT than I did on the SAT.
It's about managing risk. If you have a 2200+ SAT score then you have a decent shot at getting a good LSAT score. Now, if you don't that doesn't mean you can't get a good LSAT score, but rather that you don't have any evidence that you can. I wouldn't pick a useless major for undergrad and essentially bank on getting into a good law school without prior evidence that I could get the requisite tests scores.
Ok, I can handle that. I actually think I have the lowest SAT score of any single person at my current university (i'm a transfer). But I honestly would suggest everyone get a degree in something useful. No one can be sure law is exactly what they want to do at eighteen because at eighteen no one really understands the wealth of different things they can study and usually what the practice of law is like.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 2:50 am
by pkrtbx
There are almost no circumstances under which I would recommend a Poli Sci major. When I entered UG, I knew I wanted to do Econ but also knew I wanted a second major. A bunch of parents' friends/big time MBAs that I talked to all told me to just take what I thought was interesting and not worry about picking a career because b-schools and law schools (I was eyeing both at the time) wouldn't care.
To be honest, I think that was terrible advice. Not only did Poli Sci turn out to be not that interesting to me, but from what I have gleaned from 3 years of applying to internships and exploring post-UG employment options in areas ranging from finance to govt relations, that second degree will not be worth the paper it's printed on.
I truly think Econ and my random Logic/Philosophy core courses have prepared me way more for my LSAT study than anything in Poli Sci except maybe Political Theory. But nowadays my Poli Sci dept is focusing on empirical/media research which for me is a complete bore.
If you don't want to do Chemistry, switch to something interesting to you AND that can provide you with some tangible benefit whether you do or don't go to LS. At this point I am really wishing that I had gone the Accounting/Applied Math/CS + Econ route instead.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 4:08 pm
by Capitol A
rayiner wrote:Do you test well? Eg: did you get a high SAT score without much studying? If so, major in something easy that you like and get a 4.0 so you can apply to top law schools. If not, then major in something practical like business, nursing, or engineering so you can get a job after graduation if you don't get into a top law school.
I would say major in something practical either way. I could not be happier that I majored in nursing. It has been a great way to make/save money so that I can go to a great law school with out worrying about going into debt. Also, it gave me something to put in my diversity statement, and its a little factor that helps set me apart from all the poly-sci majors who I'm competing with for admissions into law school.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:15 pm
by HeavenWood
rayiner wrote:Do you test well? Eg: did you get a high SAT score without much studying? If so, major in something easy that you like and get a 4.0 so you can apply to top law schools. If not, then major in something practical like business, nursing, or engineering so you can get a job after graduation if you don't get into a top law school.
Meh. I got 98th %ile SAT/ACT scores with little work, but I had to bust my hump for a 93rd %ile LSAT. Other than RC, there isn't really any overlap between the SAT and LSAT.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:21 pm
by krad
bk187 wrote:rad law wrote:You're a freshman. Drink moar and have moar secks.
+1million
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2010 5:39 pm
by r6_philly
krad wrote:bk187 wrote:rad law wrote:You're a freshman. Drink moar and have moar secks.
+1million
And start writing a GPA addendum while you are recuperating.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 5:00 pm
by isaiahnielsen
Lieut Kaffee wrote:Most important considerations are GPA and studying something that actually makes you not hate going to class (these are also highly correlated in my view).
I was Chemistry for two years, then Poli Sci with a Philosophy minor, and ended up finally declaring Philosophy after my junior year and barely graduating on time. I can't tell you how much I wish I had known going into college how much I would end up enjoying Philosophy. I got a 3.95 in all those major classes primarily because I liked them, and I feel slightly ahead of the curve in 1L when it comes to reading, writing, and analytical thinking.
this is sooo important...i originally wanted to do poli sci as a major, but ended up in the music department somehow, and really loved music. however, as i started getting in to theory, i realized that my aptitude for music was not as strong as i thought it was, and wish now that i had changed majors, because in all my logic and philo classes i was pulling A's, but i was not doing so well in some of my music classes. because of my silly stubborn attitude that i needed to finish what i started, i ultimately hurt my g.p.a. in the long run, and got to the end of my degree realizing that i didn't want a career in music after all. undergrad choices are vital when you know that you are going to want to go to the next level, because if you are unhappy or not as talented in the area where you are, this will follow you as you go towards grad school.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 5:03 pm
by Mustard Blood
im_blue wrote:1) whatever gives you the highest GPA
2) whatever develops your reading and writing skills
The most common pre-law majors are poli sci, history, English, and econ.
3.
rad law wrote:You're a freshman. Drink moar and have moar secks.
Just do whichever major you find interesting, but only if you think you can keep your GPA high. Then follow number three.
Re: Undergrad major and the steps into Law
Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 5:05 pm
by s0ph1e2007
Major in whatever you're passionate about. You'll do better in it, enjoy your UG experience, and be more sure when you go to law school that law is what you want to do.
I agree though, do fill all your extra class slots with easy A classes.