Undergraduate degrees: one or two? Forum

[sp_crowell]

Does anybody know how much of a difference two undergraduate degrees make when applying to law schools? I am a sophomore right now and I'm bilingual and have solid extracuriculars including study abroad, volunteering, etc. but I can graduate a year early with a CJ major and a Spanish minor. Or I could stay all four years and have a CJ major with a general studies minor and a Spanish major with a history or English minor. I know CJ doesn't exactly prepare me super well for law school but I want other options in case I decide law school isn't for me.

[dingbat]

Little to none - it's a tiebreaker if they need to choose between you and someone else with the same numbers

[bk1]

2 degrees and/or majors won't matter. You seem to mean two majors, not two degrees. Your LSAC GPA will be calculated as of the issuance of your first degree. Purely for law school you would want to graduate whenever your GPA was highest. However there are other factors to consider for when to graduate such as the cost of an extra year, wanting to chill and party for an extra year, etc.

[KibblesAndVick]

You should stay for four years because college is awesome. Real life sucks. So does law school. Unless you're paying for college yourself graduating early is a horrible life decision.

[sp_crowell]

2 degrees and/or majors won't matter. You seem to mean two majors, not two degrees. Your LSAC GPA will be calculated as of the issuance of your first degree. Purely for law school you would want to graduate whenever your GPA was highest. However there are other factors to consider for when to graduate such as the cost of an extra year, wanting to chill and party for an extra year, etc.

I really do mean two degrees. My university won't let me get two majors in Spanish and Criminal justice. It's literraly two diplomas with two separate minors

[09042014]

Little to none - it's a tiebreaker if they need to choose between you and someone else with the same numbers

If the degrees are Spainish and CJ, then it's a tiebreaker you lose.

[09042014]

What kind of steaming piling of shit school gives a minor in "general studies."

[emkay625]

A few things:

1. LSAC will only calculate your UGPA using the first degree. So don't let the prospect of raising your GPA sway you.
2. Can you afford the extra year of school?
3. From a law school admissions standpoint, I think you're better off just getting the one degree and then using that year to gain some good work experience and study/take the LSAT.

You say you're unsure about law. It's good to be skeptical. Talk to some recent graduates who went to schools with your GPA/LSAT range and see how they're doing and if they like what they're doing now and how they felt about law school.

Also, what are your numbers? That would help us give you better advice.

[sp_crowell]

I have a 3.82 GPA and I have a long ways to go till the LSAT but I've tried a couple practices and I've gotten around a 155. I'm studying though because I really want to get a 170. I know that's super hard to get but I'm a good test taker and that's what I'm striving for. And yeah I've talked to all kinds of different law students and lawyers and clerks so I'm getting a pretty solid idea of what the law profession can include

[VasaVasori]

.

[tigershark]

The difference it would make for your app is negligible. But why CJ? Admissions seems to be less impressed with "legal majors" these days. If you're doing CJ just because you think you might be interested in law school, I would caution you against that.

I think emkay brings up a good point though--you could take the extra year to work and study for the LSAT. However, as others have said, don't be so quick to move through undergrad because working a 9-5 sucks and law school sucks the fun out of your life.

[shifty_eyed]

1. LSAC will only calculate your UGPA using the first degree. So don't let the prospect of raising your GPA sway you.

I don't think this applies here because he would be obtaining the two degrees simultaneously. Or, if it did, could he just call LSAC and tell them which one to count?

If you get two undergraduate degrees simultaneously (like a BA and BS), they count both. He seems to be talking about two majors, though, which is just one degree. NVM. Just saw that it is two different degrees. My advice remains the same:

Go for whatever gets you the highest GPA.

[Kronk]

What kind of steaming piling of shit school gives a minor in "general studies."

this one does

[sp_crowell]

It's a general studies minor in relation to the CJ major, classes such as communications, sociology, psychology and substance abuse. I chose CJ just in case law school wasn't for me but I'm focusing on the Spanish aspect in hopes I can increase my chances at finding a job (either law related or not).

[rad lulz]

What kind of steaming piling of shit school gives a minor in "general studies."

this one does

Shit beat me to it.

[09042014]

What kind of steaming piling of shit school gives a minor in "general studies."

this one does

Shit beat me to it.

Stung me bad bros.