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What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:03 pm
by VTOrange19
I have been looking around the TLS Stats and have become quite perplexed. Some of the people attending law school have studied the following things in their undergraduate careers (these are all from the Top 50 or so):
- Theatre
- Worship Ministry
- Visual Arts
- Japanese (or any foreign language)
- Dance Performance
Before I continue, I must confess I did not look up every requisite course for a degree in said fields and that I am biased for having a major that includes reading and writing (History). These sound absolutely ridiculous. So, how do law schools view majors? Would a 3.8 in Dance Performance be viewed better than a 3.5 in History? Would an AdCom choose the 4.0 Theater major over the 3.6 Political Science student? If a 4.0 is simply a 4.0, I wish I would've known to major in Cooking or Elementary Education with a concentration in Fingerpainting.
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:04 pm
by fatduck
VTOrange19 wrote:Would an AdCom choose the 4.0 Theater major over the 3.6 Political Science student?
yes
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:08 pm
by rman1201
Engineering/Hard Science > Finance > everything else
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:08 pm
by hipstermafia
VTOrange19 wrote: If a 4.0 is simply a 4.0, I wish I would've known to major in Cooking or Elementary Education with a concentration in Fingerpainting.
Same, but this is the game.
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:25 pm
by kalvano
rman1201 wrote:Engineering/Hard Science > Finance > everything else
L-O-L.
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:26 am
by rinkrat19
VTOrange19 wrote:I have been looking around the TLS Stats and have become quite perplexed. Some of the people attending law school have studied the following things in their undergraduate careers (these are all from the Top 50 or so):
- Theatre
- Worship Ministry
- Visual Arts
- Japanese (or any foreign language)
- Dance Performance
Before I continue, I must confess I did not look up every requisite course for a degree in said fields and that I am biased for having a major that includes reading and writing (History). These sound absolutely ridiculous. So, how do law schools view majors? Would a 3.8 in Dance Performance be viewed better than a 3.5 in History? Would an AdCom choose the 4.0 Theater major over the 3.6 Political Science student? If a 4.0 is simply a 4.0, I wish I would've known to major in Cooking or Elementary Education with a concentration in Fingerpainting.
Well, the engineers think your history major's pretty weak, so...
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:28 am
by dr123
I doubt Theatres that much easier than Poli Sci
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:29 am
by Ignatius Reilly
once you are in a quartile it should not matter. A 3.9 mathematician at Princeton > 4.0 woman's studies major at shit state school
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:35 am
by r6_philly
Ignatius Reilly wrote:once you are in a quartile it should not matter. A 3.9 mathematician at Princeton > 4.0 woman's studies major at shit state school
No. Remember these are law schools. A 3.9 mathematician could be very, very unsuitable to study law. It depends on the person. 4.0 is also not a good indicator to compare because the 4.0 student may not be anywhere near the upper bound of his/her potential.
3.8 Princeton math > 3.9 state BFA I will give you.
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:38 am
by 2L2011
A 4.0 from an accredited clown college majoring in pietossing will do better than a 2.9 in Prelaw from Harvard when applying to ANY lawschool(even Harvards own).
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:40 am
by MrPapagiorgio
2L2011 wrote:A 4.0 from an accredited clown college majoring in pietossing will do better than a 2.9 in Prelaw from Harvard when applying to ANY lawschool(even Harvards own).
lolwut (btw, there is no pre-law major

)
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:40 am
by Ignatius Reilly
r6_philly wrote:Ignatius Reilly wrote:once you are in a quartile it should not matter. A 3.9 mathematician at Princeton > 4.0 woman's studies major at shit state school
No. Remember these are law schools. A 3.9 mathematician could be very, very unsuitable to study law. It depends on the person. 4.0 is also not a good indicator to compare because the 4.0 student may not be anywhere near the upper bound of his/her potential.
3.8 Princeton math > 3.9 state BFA I will give you.
With an appropriate LSAT and a well written PS, princeton math has shown that he can most likely out think 4.0 from shitty state school.
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:41 am
by r6_philly
2L2011 wrote:A 4.0 from an accredited clown college majoring in pietossing will do better than a 2.9 in Prelaw from Harvard when applying to ANY lawschool(even Harvards own).
There will be a school far down the food chain that would want a Harvard grad on their student body more than a clown college student. 1 student is only 1 data point, it may not even move the median.
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:42 am
by r6_philly
Ignatius Reilly wrote:r6_philly wrote:Ignatius Reilly wrote:once you are in a quartile it should not matter. A 3.9 mathematician at Princeton > 4.0 woman's studies major at shit state school
No. Remember these are law schools. A 3.9 mathematician could be very, very unsuitable to study law. It depends on the person. 4.0 is also not a good indicator to compare because the 4.0 student may not be anywhere near the upper bound of his/her potential.
3.8 Princeton math > 3.9 state BFA I will give you.
With an appropriate LSAT and a well written PS, princeton math has shown that he can most likely out think 4.0 from shitty state school.
That was not in the hypo. Math skills != language skills.
ETA, the 3.9 could be due to Cs in the only TWO writing course he/she is required to take.
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:43 am
by 2L2011
Perhaps not at harvard, but plenty of other schools do have it.
My point is GPA and LSAT matter MORE than Major or school. Even a 4.0 at university of pheonix(in ANY major) trumps 3.9 from Duke in any other major.
MrPapagiorgio wrote:2L2011 wrote:A 4.0 from an accredited clown college majoring in pietossing will do better than a 2.9 in Prelaw from Harvard when applying to ANY lawschool(even Harvards own).
lolwut (btw, there is no pre-law major

)
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:44 am
by r6_philly
2L2011 wrote:Perhaps not at harvard, but plenty of other schools do have it.
My point is GPA and LSAT matter MORE than Major or school. Even a 4.0 at university of pheonix(in ANY major) trumps 3.9 from Duke in any other major.
It does not at T6.
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:45 am
by Ignatius Reilly
r6_philly wrote:
That was not in the hypo. Math skills != language skills.
C'est vrai. I knew a guy that pulled an 800 math and was in the 500s for verbal GRE.
Mathemtics and Physics are law schools favorite major, at least according to my advisor, which is a claim I cannot substantiate.
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:50 am
by r6_philly
Ignatius Reilly wrote:r6_philly wrote:
That was not in the hypo. Math skills != language skills.
C'est vrai. I knew a guy that pulled an 800 math and was in the 500s for verbal GRE.
Mathemtics and Physics are law schools favorite major, at least according to my advisor, which is a claim I cannot substantiate.
If I take the GRE, I would score around there right now. I took a diagnostic and got like 790 math and like 450 or something verbal. LS like them because it's diversity and no so many are good at reading/writing. Many top math/physics majors are international as well.
But I think in your hypo, Princeton >>> state, so it isn't even about the majors. No one cares about my major...
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:53 am
by Ignatius Reilly
r6_philly wrote:Ignatius Reilly wrote:r6_philly wrote:
That was not in the hypo. Math skills != language skills.
C'est vrai. I knew a guy that pulled an 800 math and was in the 500s for verbal GRE.
Mathemtics and Physics are law schools favorite major, at least according to my advisor, which is a claim I cannot substantiate.
If I take the GRE, I would score around there right now. I took a diagnostic and got like 790 math and like 450 or something verbal. LS like them because it's diversity and no so many are good at reading/writing. Many top math/physics majors are international as well.
But I think in your hypo, Princeton >>> state, so it isn't even about the majors. No one cares about my major...
whats your major?
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:54 am
by 2L2011
GRE, really......really.........nah you can't be......yep B-school.
WTF?!?! Keep the sewage in the gutter where it belongs.
r6_philly wrote:Ignatius Reilly wrote:r6_philly wrote:
That was not in the hypo. Math skills != language skills.
C'est vrai. I knew a guy that pulled an 800 math and was in the 500s for verbal GRE.
Mathemtics and Physics are law schools favorite major, at least according to my advisor, which is a claim I cannot substantiate.
If I take the GRE, I would score around there right now. I took a diagnostic and got like 790 math and like 450 or something verbal. LS like them because it's diversity and no so many are good at reading/writing. Many top math/physics majors are international as well.
But I think in your hypo, Princeton >>> state, so it isn't even about the majors. No one cares about my major...
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:56 am
by r6_philly
Ignatius Reilly wrote:
whats your major?
Computer Science
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:57 am
by r6_philly
2L2011 wrote:GRE, really......really.........nah you can't be......yep B-school.
WTF?!?! Keep the sewage in the gutter where it belongs.
GMAT = B school
GRE = grad school in sciences
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:58 am
by dr123
You have to take the GRE for a lot of Lib Arts grad programs too.
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:58 am
by Ignatius Reilly
r6_philly wrote:Ignatius Reilly wrote:
whats your major?
Computer Science
thats credited.
Re: What Does Your Major Matter?
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:59 am
by Ignatius Reilly
r6_philly wrote:2L2011 wrote:GRE, really......really.........nah you can't be......yep B-school.
WTF?!?! Keep the sewage in the gutter where it belongs.
GMAT = B school
GRE = grad school in sciences
If I wasnt lazy as hell i wold totally have gone to grad school for phd