what is the differences in the courses a student wishing to be an attorney takes and a student wishing to become a lawyer takes?

Your undergraduate classes can be focused on the area of law you would like to go into. For instance, if you are thinking of a business law focus you will want to major in business. Or if you are thinking of a criminal law focus then you will take more law enforcement types of classes. In addition as an undergraduate, there are courses focused on law in general. I highly recommend taking those courses so you can get a better idea on how you want to focus your legal career. If you are not sure or want to remain open I know that many of my colleagues majored in political science and took the law related courses available. There are really a lot of options. I hope this helps give you some direction to think about.