Need some advice for undergrad Forum

[20170322]

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[Emma.]

I'm fairly certain I want to attend law school after college, and while I know it isn't wise to put all of one's eggs into one basket, I still think it is appropriate to begin considering the ramifications of my choices for undergrad on a probable route to law.

That being said, I wanted some advice on where to go to school. I have the option of a full ride at the University of Alabama, or paying full tuition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I would finance Chapel Hill with 40k from parents and 40k in loans, whereas I could simply pocket and save 40k if I go to Alabama. I want to be a philosophy major, if that makes any sort of difference.

I appreciate the advice!

Don't have any advice about which school, but I strongly recommend you major in something at least semi-practical (this coming from a Phil major) so you don't wind up in a position where law school is your only real career option.

[TheThriller]

Roll Tide. #RTR

[franklyscarlet]

NC lover here, but... Roll tide. Easy choice.

[jbagelboy]

I cant see how anyone would be certain about law school coming into UG: your interests could completely change in college. Anyway, if you were to attend law school, don't take any unnecessary debt. That $40K you save will also help tremendously with law school Col or even tuition.

UNC will give a better education with more opportunities w/ the BA, but if you want to k-jd to law school anyway, Id go to 'bama and save the cash since it wont matter at all which BA you have.

[rinkrat19]

Which undergrad you attend matters almost zero for law school. Just get good grades, and major in something useful to fall back on if you change your mind. Minimizing debt is also good, since you're probably going to take out more for law school.

[20170322]

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[Cicero76]

Between these two schools, it won't matter

[twenty]

1) Alabama.
2) Please don't do philosophy. ;_;

[Motivator9]

I'm fairly certain I want to attend law school after college, and while I know it isn't wise to put all of one's eggs into one basket, I still think it is appropriate to begin considering the ramifications of my choices for undergrad on a probable route to law.

That being said, I wanted some advice on where to go to school. I have the option of a full ride at the University of Alabama, or paying full tuition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I would finance Chapel Hill with 40k from parents and 40k in loans, whereas I could simply pocket and save 40k if I go to Alabama. I want to be a philosophy major, if that makes any sort of difference.

I appreciate the advice!

Don't have any advice about which school, but I strongly recommend you major in something at least semi-practical (this coming from a Phil major) so you don't wind up in a position where law school is your only real career option.

This!!" Please stay away from pre-law; Economics is good. Something that will be a good backup

[20170322]

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[TheThriller]

Also doing political science. I realize that it's not incredibly practical, but it really interests me.

I did classics as undergrad and although it was incredibly rewarding and I loved every second of it, I wouldn't do it it again knowing my post-graduation options. Bama has a decent engineering and business school...

[Balthy]

I'm going to parrot what others are saying. I have a philosophy degree. Don't do it. If you want the intellectual rewards, read on your own, talk to profs and audit their courses, minor in it, or double major with something else practical (it's usually a pretty short degree). You simply cannot predict how seriously you'll want to pursue law in four years, and if you change your mind then, you're going to be glad you have other avenues available to you. If you are very serious about law, try finding something both practical and easy to maintain a high GPA in.

[ManoftheHour]

If you don't have to pay for UG, then don't.

40k + interest? AND having your parents shell out 40k?

I'd rather go to UG for free and save my parents some cash. If they want to spend it on you, then go buy a BMW. Think about that for a second. Free UG + a BMW.

No brainer here. Bama all the way.

[dr123]

There is pretty much zero difference between a philosophy degree from Bama and a phillsophy degree UNC

[ManoftheHour]

From billionaire Mark Cuban:

"Pick a school that you can afford to go to. Dont take on debt. Debt is the anchor you dont want when you graduate. It will force you do to things that may not be in your best long term interests. If it were me and i were graduating from high school or close, i would be online taking as many of those MIT/Stanford classes that I could to push and challenge myself. And of course to get the actual knowledge. I would find an inexpensive university close by and work with them to have them help me create a program that leveraged those online classes with the classes i needed from the school to get the best education at the best price."


http://www.celebritynetworth.com/articl ... ark-cuban/

Anecdotal, but I know a guy that chose UCI for free over UC Berkeley. The fact is, he was studious and smart. He would have been a great student anywhere he went. Four years later, he's a successful biomedical engineer. Also know a girl who got into Stanford and chose UCI. It's definitely an extreme case. Both her parents are doctors and wanted her to stay in the area. She was one of the most brilliant people I've ever met. She pretty much was destined to be a doctor since the day she was born. In UG, she completely dominated. Guess where she's at now? UCSF medical school, the best medical school in the nation. Great people can come from anywhere. In your case, it's not even an outrageous difference like the gap between Stanford and UCI.

Save yourself and your parents some money. Seriously.

That, and pick a useful major. If not, pick a minor that matters in this world in case law school doesn't work out.

[Motivator9]

Save that 40k for law school

[arklaw13]

I'm a philosophy/ political science major who went to a public college for free. I don't regret it at all and I'd advise anyone who is sure about law school to do the same (the school, not necessarily the major). I could have attended a tougher liberal arts college, but going to the easier school probably boosted my GPA a lot. A 3.8 at Bama is going to count the same as a 3.8 from UNC for law school admissions, even though NC probably has a more rigorous curriculum. If you're unsure at all about law school, which you should be since the job prospects are so terrible, I'd at least consider a major that would actully get you a job when you graduate. I'm pretty much locked into grad school even if I decided against law school, since I graduated with a humanities degree from an no-name school. On the other hand, a chemical engineering degree with a 3.3 GPA will probably land you a good job, but it will hurt you getting into a top law school, even with the slight bump science/engineering majors get. Most people in know who wanted to be lawyers before going to college changed their minds. I would be screwed if I did, but my 4.0 made applying easier.

[20170322]

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[jbagelboy]

The thing is, I'm doing these majors not for "pre-law" but because they are among the few the genuinely interest me. I read the Economist magazine cover to cover each week, read countless books on philosophy and history, and love being taught with the Socratic method. Meanwhile, I can rarely stay awake in math/science.

I could reasonably enjoy English and History majors in a similar way as poly sci and philosophy, but I feel that those are equally "useless."

You're fine in philosophy. Don't stress. College is the one opportunity you will have to study what you love. College should be fun and intellectually inspiring -- work with great professors, read great books and enjoy/be engaged in what you are studying. My philosophy and politics classes were great GPA boosters and some of my most cherished coursework (after history, the best). Its been said most of Yale law are phil and history majors, so you'll be in excellent company if you succeed. All my upper div math and econ helped me get a job, but it was pretty uninspiring.

That being said, tacking on a couple econ, math, or computer science classes is never a bad idea. The phil majors who minored in a stem or quantitative econ easily found jobs in consulting and other professional fields if they had the grades -- those who only took humanities wound up in grad school or law school inevitably. Study what you love, while slowly but surely retaining some practical curriculum if you want to work bfore law school.

[20170322]

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[ManoftheHour]

The thing is, I'm doing these majors not for "pre-law" but because they are among the few the genuinely interest me. I read the Economist magazine cover to cover each week, read countless books on philosophy and history, and love being taught with the Socratic method. Meanwhile, I can rarely stay awake in math/science.

I could reasonably enjoy English and History majors in a similar way as poly sci and philosophy, but I feel that those are equally "useless."

You're fine in philosophy. Don't stress. College is the one opportunity you will have to study what you love. College should be fun and intellectually inspiring -- work with great professors, read great books and enjoy/be engaged in what you are studying. My philosophy and politics classes were great GPA boosters and some of my most cherished coursework (after history, the best). Its been said most of Yale law are phil and history majors, so you'll be in excellent company if you succeed. All my upper div math and econ helped me get a job, but it was pretty uninspiring.

That being said, tacking on a couple econ, math, or computer science classes is never a bad idea. The phil majors who minored in a stem or quantitative econ easily found jobs in consulting and other professional fields if they had the grades -- those who only took humanities wound up in grad school or law school inevitably. Study what you love, while slowly but surely retaining some practical curriculum if you want to work bfore law school.

+1

As a history major, tacking on a math minor did wonders for me when it came to finding a job. I'm still law school or bust, but it helps to be employed while studying.

[ManoftheHour]

I am taking some computer science, but only the essentials. Thanks for the feedback!

So, in summation:
Definitely bama, with majors in philosophy and poly sci, with maybe a minor in business?

This sounds great. Also, don't forget to enjoy undergrad.

Btw, college football >>>>>>>>>> college basketball so you're definitely making the right choice.

Of course, I may be a bit biased.

[Emma.]

I am taking some computer science, but only the essentials. Thanks for the feedback!

So, in summation:
Definitely bama, with majors in philosophy and poly sci, with maybe a minor in business?

Major in business, minor in Phil.

[TheThriller]

I am taking some computer science, but only the essentials. Thanks for the feedback!

So, in summation:
Definitely bama, with majors in philosophy and poly sci, with maybe a minor in business?

Major in business, minor in Phil.

Don't major in Phil or Poli Sci whatever you do, the 2 most useless majors there are besides Art History and Classics.

Also, Bama football