What is the best field to major in before applying to Law School?

Question

Everyone is telling me that I should major in Journalism before applying to Law School but I was wondering if there were any alternative options that are just or even more effective.

Answer 1

No major is best- I double majored in Biology and Social Science (I don't recommend a double major). Just do what you love- you'll get a higher GPA, and you'll enjoy your undergrad a lot more.

Lots of law school applicants major in History or Political Science, because they do prepare you for law school; the problem with that is that with common majors, you won't distinguish yourself.

Go to the website of the law school you would like to go to and check out the FAQs. According to the Harvard Law website:

"The nature of candidates' college work, as well as the quality of academic performance, is taken into account in the selection process. As preparation for law school, a broad college education is usually preferable to one that is narrowly specialized. The Admissions Committee looks for a showing of thorough learning in a field of your choice, such as history, economics, government, philosophy, mathematics, science, literature or the classics, rather than a concentration in courses given primarily as vocational training. The Admissions Committee considers that those programs approaching their subjects on a more theoretical level, with attention to educational breadth, are better preparatory training for the legal profession than those emphasizing the practical."

Answer 2

Pick anything that you find interesting but will also give you some decent job prospects if you choose not to go to law school. Undergrad is a long four years during which time you will undergo a number a personal changes. I can't tell you how many friends I have that choose something like philosophy because they wanted to go to law school and then ended up deciding that they didn't want to go to law school but still had an utterly useless degree. Pick a major that gives you some options (whether it be going directly to work for a company, getting a masters degree, going to business school, law school, etc.) and I think you'll be much happier as long as you choose something that interests you from the start. If you pick your major for the wrong reasons (i.e. the only reason is to "prepare" you for law school, you're in for a LONG four years).

I was a business major for undergrad, but I didn't decide that I wanted to go to law school until I was a year out of undergrad. I've found that there isn't a real big difference between students that majored in one subject over the other. The writing aspect of law school is overrated unless you plan on becoming a litigator. I'm going into transactional work and I've found that having a business background has helped me out in a number of my business law classes.

Answer 3

Here is what I always tell people who want to go to law school: major in whatever area you can get the best grades. If you really think you can do well in bio-chem (and if you are serious about medical school, you better do well), go ahead and major in science. If you end up in law, you either want to get into the best school in the region where you want to practice and play the alumni connections, or one of the top schools (Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Chicago, etc.) where any firm in the country will hire you. The only way to do that is have high grades and an awesome LSAT. The first poster was almost right when he said no major is going to really apply to law (see below). There are no pre-requisites to worry about. You will start at square one with torts, contracts, and property, just like everyone else. Since you sound like a science minded person, you may also want to look into patent law. I majored in English, so I don't know too much about the process, but there is a special bar exam, and prior science knowledge is helpful when you look to get a job, especially if you want to go into medical patents. If you plan on teaching (I did it for a year, and it convinced me to get into law school), you could try to get into Teach for America (I know a guy at Harvard Law right now, and that is what he did). The program does not require an education degree. Law Schools will love to see that you are not afraid of a challenge, and that you might be willing to take a low-paying job to help the underrepresented. Get a 3.8 in college, a high score on the LSAT, and teach science to kids on an Indian reservation for two years, and Harvard will probably let you in. I would say it sounds like you have big plans, and the only way you can screw yourself at this point is get over-extended and have a bad semester. I think the answer is, if you know you are going to do well, focus on the science, maybe join the pre-law society and go to any events they host to see if law really might be your cup of tea, work your tail off in college, and study for the MCAT or the LSAT when the time comes.

Answer 4

All things being equal (abilities, availability, your interests, etc.), a combined Electrical Engineering & Computer Science major is the best if you want an almost-guaranteed job in Patent Law ($$). People with that background don't have to be as concerned with the prestige of their law school, or their law school grades, because they are a rare breed that's in high demand. And they'll probably continue to be, because IT becomes bigger and more complicated every day. Or, if the school doesn't have the combined major, just Computer Science. Journalism, English, History, Philosophy and the like are probably good if you want to learn how to think and write the way good law students do. Take classes you can get good grades in. Look the classes up on pickaprof.com to make sure they're not D-traps; it's cynical but who cares, you'll forget all that social-science b.s. by the time you're twenty-five. If I did it over I'd do EE/CS, because even if you don't go to law school, there's awesome work out there for engineers. Look on monster.com and craigslist, you'll see how many patent law jobs are out there, and how many of them specifcally want EE/CS, and not mechanical eng, industrial eng, etc. Good luck in your endeavors!

Answer 5

It doesn't matter. My law school class had students who majored in art, business, journalism, political science, English, Spanish, French, computers, etc. You do need to be in a field where you read and write a lot or use logic a lot (not just your brain, but logic as a formal science).

To be honest, the journalism majors in my law school class did not do so well. No offense, but many journalism programs are not as rigorous as science or math.

You should major in what you love. Don't worry about picking the "right" major. The right one is one you will excell in and enjoy. You might decide that law school is not for you.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

Anything you want. But mind you, the majority of law students majored in political science, so if you plan to go to Yale or Harvard law, you have to go to a top undergraduate school and do very very well in political science. However, the way you are taught to interpret law in a poli sci major is very different from how you interpret it in law school.
Philosophy majors have the highest average LSAT score, and economics and science majors do well. Remember, if you major in a hard science or some variant of one, or in an engineering field, you ca become a patent lawyer, which is a comfortable career--more comfortable than NY BIGLAW attorneys.

Answer 7

Jounalism will get you ready for the amount of writing it takes to be successful.

I would advise doing an undergrad in Political Science. Within this content area you are engrossed with the history and reason how laws began. Studying the ancient greek polis and learning about current bills being passed. This will give you the historical perspective on our current legal system.

Indiana University has a great J-School and a great Poli Sci Department.

Answer 8

I majored in business and found that especially helpful for courses such as tax and corporations in that I didn't have to learn a lot of background information during the law class. Anything that requires a lot of reading, research and writing would be beneficial.

Answer 9

Political Science and History are two good alternatives.

Answer 10

Political Science or History will give you a good basis. Both offer a decent number of courses about legal issues.