3 answers
Marcelo
Student
La Ceiba, Atlántida Department, Honduras
1
Question
Asked
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What should I consider studying befor egoing into law school?
I am a Freshman, and really want to get into law schoo, but I also want to be prepared. So I really want to know what I shoukld study beforehand. #law #law-school
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3 answers
Doc Frick
Career Coach and Mentor
1590
Answers
California, CA
Updated
Doc’s Answer
Marcelo, the first step for a law student who wants to attend law school is to earn an undergraduate degree in a subject matter that provides a strong pre-law foundation. In the United States, most law schools do not require any specific undergraduate major or set of courses. Students are admitted to law school from almost every academic discipline. However, there are some undergraduate majors that are considered to be more "pre-law"-friendly than others. These majors typically include courses that teach critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and writing skills. Some examples of popular pre-law majors include:
🚨 CRIMINAL JUSTICE — This may be an obvious choice, but this is one of the best majors for law school. It’s directly related to law and can give you a good foundation to begin learning about criminal law. However, you will also be learning about various other types of law in law school, such as family law, environmental law, international law, tax law, and more. So, this major will only be beneficial for a portion of your education or if you’d like to pursue criminal law in particular. If you decide to complete a criminal justice major, experts suggest you double-major in another, more rigorous liberal arts degree. Criminal justice degrees are often viewed as less demanding than others. Law schools appreciate when students excel in challenging programs.
⚖️ POLITICAL SCIENCE — The best major for prospective law school students is Political Science. Political Science offers a deep understanding of government, legal systems, and political theory. It also hones your critical thinking, analytical skills, and communication— key to law school and being a successful lawyer. Plus, studying Political Science gets you involved with real-world issues, prepping you for the tough tasks of legal practice and advocacy.
🅿️ PSYCHOLOGY — Another popular choice for undergraduate students interested in pursuing law is a psychology major. Psychology majors allow students to begin understanding human behaviors and predicting them. Lawyers are expected to be able to not only understand humans and their actions but also anticipate how their opponents may react during trials. This major is also generally research and writing intensive, which can help students prepare for the copious amounts of reading, research, and writing they’ll be expected to do in law school.
🌐 PHILOSOPHY — Philosophy majors focus on theory and ethics to a great extent. In law school, you’ll be expected to learn legal theories and put them into practice. Ethics are also inseparable from law, as lawyers must act ethically in order to best represent their clients and the justice system. Philosophy also delves into the way people think, which can be useful for lawyers who must understand people in order to do their jobs effectively.
🚨 CRIMINAL JUSTICE — This may be an obvious choice, but this is one of the best majors for law school. It’s directly related to law and can give you a good foundation to begin learning about criminal law. However, you will also be learning about various other types of law in law school, such as family law, environmental law, international law, tax law, and more. So, this major will only be beneficial for a portion of your education or if you’d like to pursue criminal law in particular. If you decide to complete a criminal justice major, experts suggest you double-major in another, more rigorous liberal arts degree. Criminal justice degrees are often viewed as less demanding than others. Law schools appreciate when students excel in challenging programs.
⚖️ POLITICAL SCIENCE — The best major for prospective law school students is Political Science. Political Science offers a deep understanding of government, legal systems, and political theory. It also hones your critical thinking, analytical skills, and communication— key to law school and being a successful lawyer. Plus, studying Political Science gets you involved with real-world issues, prepping you for the tough tasks of legal practice and advocacy.
🅿️ PSYCHOLOGY — Another popular choice for undergraduate students interested in pursuing law is a psychology major. Psychology majors allow students to begin understanding human behaviors and predicting them. Lawyers are expected to be able to not only understand humans and their actions but also anticipate how their opponents may react during trials. This major is also generally research and writing intensive, which can help students prepare for the copious amounts of reading, research, and writing they’ll be expected to do in law school.
🌐 PHILOSOPHY — Philosophy majors focus on theory and ethics to a great extent. In law school, you’ll be expected to learn legal theories and put them into practice. Ethics are also inseparable from law, as lawyers must act ethically in order to best represent their clients and the justice system. Philosophy also delves into the way people think, which can be useful for lawyers who must understand people in order to do their jobs effectively.
Michael Torio
Consultant - Data Reporting & Analysis (HQ Finance)
342
Answers
Alpharetta, Georgia
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Hi Marcelo:
While in high school, one will need to focus on science and math classes to prepare for a career in law. Chemistry and biology will be the core science courses. For math, algebra, calculus and statistics will be needed. Other classes to take will be English, social studies, and American history and government. The combination of these concentrations will enable you to focus and refine your analytical skills for research; complex problem solving; investigative and innovative critical thinking; attention to detail; etc.
Other skills that will need to be built upon center around team building, team work and communication. In any work culture, collaboration among team members, staff and partner departments occur on a daily basis. As a Lawyer, communication is essential and critical when dealing with clients, legal staff, law enforcement, etc. A college course in public speaking, communications and English will help with one's communication and writing skills. While in high school, the debate team will provide the opportunity to sharpen communication skills which are backed with research and factual data and information.
The educational pathway to become a lawyer will be between 7-8 years. 4 Years will be to earn a Bachelor Degree. Law school will be 2-3 years to earn a Juris Doctor Degree. Then, there is the bar exam to take, to pass and to be earned in the state where you plan to practice law.
According to U.S. News & World Report, here is a link to the Best Colleges and Universities for Law school:
- Stanford University
- Yale University
- University of Chicago
- University of Pennsylvania (Carey)
- Duke University
- Harvard University
- New York University
- Columbia University
- University of Virginia
- Northwestern University (Pritzker)
- University of California (Berkeley)
- University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
- Cornell University
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/law-rankings
When reviewing colleges and universities, it is best to check the following:
- In-State vs Out of State Tuition
- Internships
- Scholarships
- Career Placement upon graduation
- Course work and offered classes
- Post-Graduate Degrees - Master and Doctoral
There will be a application fee to pay for when submitting college applications. The amount of application fee will depend on the college that you are applying to. If there are questions about the college application process, please reach out to the college's Registrar Office.
College and scholarship applications can start to be submitted during your Junior year and will continue throughout your Senior year in high school. It is best to ask your Academic Advisor/School Counselor on the timeline process as well. College and scholarship applications will have specific deadlines and requirements to meet in order to be submitted for review and consideration.
You may want to start to compile your resume/portfolio since a majority of college and scholarship applications will require academic grade point average (GPA), academic accomplishments, school activities (clubs, sports, etc.), community involvement (volunteer, church, etc.), academic and personal recommendations, etc. There may be essay requirements on why you are a qualified candidate to receive the scholarship and to gain entry to the college of your choice, what your future goals are academically and professionally and other questions centering around who you are, your beliefs, etc.
Here are a couple of links for College Scholarships:
https://www.mometrix.com/blog/scholarships-for-college/
https://www.nchchonors.org/students/awards-scholarships/national-scholarships
Also, it will be best to check with the colleges and universities that you will be applying to. You can check with the School/Department of your desired major, the Campus Career Center and the Register's Office for additional information for college scholarships and grants and specific requirements for qualifications.
There should be no limit on the amount of scholarships that one can apply to. It will take time to fill out the scholarship applications and provide all of the necessary required information. Also, there should no fee and no cost to fill out and submit scholarship applications. If there is a fee or cost that is associated with a scholarship application, then please do not send this particular scholarship application in. It will be a scam and money will be lost.
Best wishes for your education and career path as a Lawyer!
While in high school, one will need to focus on science and math classes to prepare for a career in law. Chemistry and biology will be the core science courses. For math, algebra, calculus and statistics will be needed. Other classes to take will be English, social studies, and American history and government. The combination of these concentrations will enable you to focus and refine your analytical skills for research; complex problem solving; investigative and innovative critical thinking; attention to detail; etc.
Other skills that will need to be built upon center around team building, team work and communication. In any work culture, collaboration among team members, staff and partner departments occur on a daily basis. As a Lawyer, communication is essential and critical when dealing with clients, legal staff, law enforcement, etc. A college course in public speaking, communications and English will help with one's communication and writing skills. While in high school, the debate team will provide the opportunity to sharpen communication skills which are backed with research and factual data and information.
The educational pathway to become a lawyer will be between 7-8 years. 4 Years will be to earn a Bachelor Degree. Law school will be 2-3 years to earn a Juris Doctor Degree. Then, there is the bar exam to take, to pass and to be earned in the state where you plan to practice law.
According to U.S. News & World Report, here is a link to the Best Colleges and Universities for Law school:
- Stanford University
- Yale University
- University of Chicago
- University of Pennsylvania (Carey)
- Duke University
- Harvard University
- New York University
- Columbia University
- University of Virginia
- Northwestern University (Pritzker)
- University of California (Berkeley)
- University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
- Cornell University
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/law-rankings
When reviewing colleges and universities, it is best to check the following:
- In-State vs Out of State Tuition
- Internships
- Scholarships
- Career Placement upon graduation
- Course work and offered classes
- Post-Graduate Degrees - Master and Doctoral
There will be a application fee to pay for when submitting college applications. The amount of application fee will depend on the college that you are applying to. If there are questions about the college application process, please reach out to the college's Registrar Office.
College and scholarship applications can start to be submitted during your Junior year and will continue throughout your Senior year in high school. It is best to ask your Academic Advisor/School Counselor on the timeline process as well. College and scholarship applications will have specific deadlines and requirements to meet in order to be submitted for review and consideration.
You may want to start to compile your resume/portfolio since a majority of college and scholarship applications will require academic grade point average (GPA), academic accomplishments, school activities (clubs, sports, etc.), community involvement (volunteer, church, etc.), academic and personal recommendations, etc. There may be essay requirements on why you are a qualified candidate to receive the scholarship and to gain entry to the college of your choice, what your future goals are academically and professionally and other questions centering around who you are, your beliefs, etc.
Here are a couple of links for College Scholarships:
https://www.mometrix.com/blog/scholarships-for-college/
https://www.nchchonors.org/students/awards-scholarships/national-scholarships
Also, it will be best to check with the colleges and universities that you will be applying to. You can check with the School/Department of your desired major, the Campus Career Center and the Register's Office for additional information for college scholarships and grants and specific requirements for qualifications.
There should be no limit on the amount of scholarships that one can apply to. It will take time to fill out the scholarship applications and provide all of the necessary required information. Also, there should no fee and no cost to fill out and submit scholarship applications. If there is a fee or cost that is associated with a scholarship application, then please do not send this particular scholarship application in. It will be a scam and money will be lost.
Best wishes for your education and career path as a Lawyer!
Andre Smith
Lawyer
2
Answers
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
Andre’s Answer
Speaking from my experience as a lawyer, Philosophy, English, and History majors tend to excel in law school. The key to succeeding in law school is mastering the Socratic method, which requires quick thinking, analytical skills, and reasoning. Even though my major was criminal justice, it didn't fully equip me for the challenges of law school. Regardless of your major, remember that your primary objective should be to score high on the LSAT. After that, focus on compiling your applications for your preferred schools.