Are my chances of applying to law school lowered as a bio major?

Question

I have a high GPA for a bio major based on the fact that it is above the average for top med schools (usual majors are bio, biochem, other science associated majors). However, since law schools typically have a higher GPA acceptance average than medical schools, I am just in the range for the top law schools. Would law schools take into account that I am a bio major or would they still base their assessment of my GPA on their average.

Answer 1

Law schools can be pretty sophisticated in their evaluation of applications. Not only do they recognize differential GPAs by major, but they also have a system for giving more credit to those who graduated from "tougher" universities. I wouldn't worry about it too much, if I were you.

Answer 2

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 3

Law schools typically take the difficulty of the degree and the quality of the undergraduate program into account.

A good LSAT score and good recommendations will help get you in. If you are good enough to get into a top medical school -- I doubt that you would have troble getting into some top law school.

Answer 4

GPA counts.