Best college for a Lawyer?

Question

So...yeah? If someone were to become a lawyer, what would be their best shot when it comes to colleges? Also, if you can, tell me if they need to take any specific classes in high school to be admitted to said college?

This is what really confuses me. If a real lawyer could take the time to send me an IM, I'd be REALLY greatful. It seems like everywhere I go, I get so many different answers from people and it seems like nobody really understands what they're talking about...

Answer 1

Like everyone else has said, you first need a bachelor's degree. Although it is true, your major is not the most important factor when determining admittance, you can certainly select an undergraduate major that has a positive impact on your appeal to the law schools you apply to. For instance, patent and copyright attorneys usually major in engineering in undergrad. If you have a particular type of law you want to practice keep it in mind when selecting your undergraduate major.

The guy who said poli sci is a terrible major is just flat wrong. I am a poli sci graduate that has already been accepted to one law school and is hopeful about two others. The fact is that law and politics are intertwined. Poli sci is a great major for a law student who wants to become a lobbyist. The fact is that the most popular major amongst law students is political science. I have had plenty of people tell me what a bad decision I made and they were usually people that had no expertise on the subject and had just "heard that somewhere." Bottom line: whatever school you go to, whatever major you pick, you must keep GOOD GRADES, 3.5+ GPA.

Once you're at your undergrad university, there is a law school qualifying exam, the LSAT, that you should take in the summer between Junior and Senior year. Many people take expensive prep courses for this; I just took the test. The LSAT tests your logical reasoning skills, something which your college major will have no effect on.

Your undergraduate GPA and LSAT score are the main tools which administrators use to evaluate your admittance to the law school of your choice. Other less important factors include, letters of recommendation and work experience.

There is really no specific college you should go to in order to be admitted to law school. Simply choose the college of your liking and excel there. There will be no time for partying and the such if you really plan on going straight into law school. There are no specific high school classes you should take, although you may enjoy a class in business law if it is available. My initial interest in law was a result of participating in a high school mock trial competition. I know it sounds dorky but a lot of people in my class did it and enjoyed it.

I think that pretty much explains the process. Feel free to post any additional questions you have.

Answer 2

To become a lawyer you have to first get your undergraduate degree from a 4 year university, with any major you'd like. Most students who go to law schools tend to major in political science, history, philosophy, and english. If you want to start preparing now, take some courses that requires analytical and critical thinking. Also you can take a look at the LSAT prep books. I believe Yale law school is the highest ranked, and you need a really high gpa, high lsat score, a killer personal statement, and best recommendation letters from professors.

Answer 3

OK, just to clearify things up you don't actually do law in your undergraduate studies. I am a sophmore at Eastern Connecticut State University and am a Political Science major, as most potential lawyers are, but you can get an undergraduate degree in anything from English, History, etc. I would encourage you to enroll in your college's Pre-Law program, it will help you prepare for your LSAT's which are used to get into Law School after your undergradate years. I would recommend also to keep your GPA up like a 3.5 or higher in college if you want to get into a competitive law school like UCONN Law or Yale Law.

Check out ECSU though, they have a terrific undergraduate Pre-Law program and alot of support networks. Best of luck.

Answer 4

I myself have been contemplating law school in 2008.After alot of research, I find that entering law school has to do with two things. Are you interested in Law or interested in making the salaries that pays 100K+ a year. The best way would be getting in to the college that you want to do your law school. Most people major in Social sciences and English because you must have a strong grasp of the language. If possible take a latin language course in college. Having a good graduating CGPA and scores for your LSATs are important as well. The best place to check which law schools are the best in its respected concerntration would be theprincetonreview.com. Please note that hiring percentages of graduates from the school right after graduation or 9 months after graduation. These are very important factors in choosing your school. Law school is not cheap and most people take out huge student loans unless your parents can afford it. If you are going to take out loans and such be aware that you need to have good credit. Take care of your credit ratings. Back to the basics i would suggest you see a student advisor of your high school or carreer advisor about classes you need to take. Also you can inquire with the college that you want to get into as at times they have college class for high school students. Its a tough road getting to this goal. Alot of hard work and i am sure you will make it.Here is a few Universities i have checked that offers good law programs. Northwestern Uni. IL,Boston Uni,NYU and many others.

Answer 5

Law schools require nothing but a bachelors degree of some kind (could be basket weaving for all they care), grades, and LSAT score. The more competitive the school, the more your extra currics, essay, and letters of rec matter.

But there's no major or course you need to take or that really helps you.

You write a lot, so English can be helpful. However, English tends to be a hard major so you have to weigh the benefits against the possibility you may not get as high a GPA as you'd like.

Anyone who says to major in poly sci or history knows absolutely nothing about law school admissions in the past couple of decades or so. Law schools know these are ridiculously easy majors and they provide no real benefit as "background" subjects for law school. If you just want to major in these because you want a 4.0, that's a different, but legitimate strategy. Just don't do it to try and impress law schools.

Answer 6

Fortuneately, there is no best college to go to in order to become a lawyer. You can go to any college that you find "fits" best. You can find out more about the rankings of prestigious colleges by going to www.usnews.com, click on "Best Colleges" then click "National Universities" Some examples include- UCLA, UC Berkeley (both in California), Yale (in Connecticut), Harvard (in Massachusetts), University of Virgina, Stanford (in California), Columbia University (in New York), University of Chicago and Georgetown University (in Washington, DC).
To find out their admissions requirements, search on the web for each school and go to "admissions" on each page. Keep in mind that you can become a lawyer by attending any school but the schools mentioned above are all very prestigious.
Hope this helps.

Answer 7

properly, uh, you're gonna want a bachelors degree first, so so that you may move for a regularly occurring college. Pre-regulation is tremendously lax. Speech is a diverse one you may ought to get out of ways. you may besides take that at comm college.