I want to become a lawyer, what program should I study in university?

Starting with your specific question about leveraging courses to achieve a certain GPA, I would say not to be so single focused. Think about areas that are challenging but that you enjoy. College is all about pursuing your interests and taking a few risks in exploring new areas by way of elective courses.

Land on a major that you will enjoy and that you are confident you will be able to do well in. So if science isn't your thing, don't be a biology major.

Also, as someone else said, take a major that allows you to pursue other career options in case you change your mind about becoming a lawyer.

Lawyers are required to read a lot, synthesize and analyze information and write well. So taking courses that require papers may help.

If you know you want to be a specific type of lawyer, such as a patent lawyer or one that specializes in the technology field, you may want to gear your undergraduate course work to provide you with a background in this area.

But don't be overly concerned about what type of law you will practice. Concentrate on studying hard, preparing for exams and papers to achieve good grades, and participating in extracurricular activities. Similar to getting into a good college, law schools will look at the entire package -- your grades, your activities, your commitment and any leadership roles you've taken on. Start looking at how law school admissions work and throughout undergraduate take on things that will enhance your chances of getting into law school.

Think about not immediately going to law school after college. Take a couple of years to work in an area law schools will view favorably for admission purposes and then apply.

Once in law school, you will have a chance to participate in clinics, work as a law clerk or get involved with special interest groups that will help you decide in what direction you want to go once you have your law degree.

Good luck. If you really want to be a lawyer you will find your way and will enjoy your career.

Hi Brandon!

The purpose of Undergrad is to prepare you for law school. Given that law school is extremely challenging, you need to challenge yourself in undergrad as well. I would recommend you take courses that give you a solid foundation on the rules of grammar, Latin vocabulary, speech, debate, and logic as a beginning. (Esp. Logic!!) Try to develop good study, time management, and note taking skills, as, you will need them!

Beyond that, think about what type of law you want to practice, and select a major accordingly, but keep it broad. For example, if you want to practice criminal law, and the offense involves computer hacking, you will need to understand technology. If you are handling a vehicular homicide, you will need to understand science: road surface, lighting, etc, and how all the variables contributed to the accident.

Finally, be prepared for the possibility that you will either change your mind and not want to go to law school, or, will go, but not be able to find a job. Law is very saturated. So, should either of those be the case, what would you want to be doing? Study that!

Also, look at the law schools you are interested in, and become familiar with their admissions policies. Get involved in activities, not just as a member, but, as a leader.

Best of luck!
Kim

The practice of law can involve specialization as well. If there is subject matter that interests you (ie. medical, science, social policy etc.) and you excel at, consider that as a course of study. Not only would that provide you with knowledge to potentially specialize in that area of law but also provide you with an option if you decide against pursuing the practice of law.

Law school students have all kinds of degrees. Depending on what type of law you may be interested, you may be able to choose a related undergraduate program. Additionally, i would recommend a program that you are truly interested in in case you choose another career path down the road (you never know).

Hi Brandon,

I think this is a common struggle for people choosing universities and degree programs.

In my opinion, you should always strive for the best when completing your studies, regardless of what course you are studying. This will always ensure that you are getting the best GPA you possibly can.

With that said, I do believe you should always pursue what you are genuinely interested. Naturally, if you are interested in a topic, you will not only succeed in it, but you will genuinely enjoy it which will keep you motivated and wanting to learn more. This does not mean that you won't be challenged and that there may be certain aspects of your degree that you may not find interesting. However, overall I believe e you would be more successful and happier with that decision. This could also have a long-term career impact; especially with a career that has numerous specific concentration, such as law.

In many cases, if you pursue something that you are not genuinely interested in, you may find that you maybe demotivated, but also long term, you may realize that your lack of interest could have a lot of significant career impacts.

The law is very large. Within the law there are many specialties such as criminal, family, patent, library/research, environmental l, international, contract, medical malpractice. Persue an undergraduate in those areas that will help your law degree.
Criminal - criminal justice
Family- psychology?
Patent - engineering
Contract - business and finance
Medical malpractice- medical/premed
International law - political science
Tax - finance/accounting