RobertB

Hello! I'm a sophomore in college and haven't declared my major yet. As of now, I plan on attending law school. But, I'd like to have some type of head start before I arrive. Is a pre-law major the answer? If not, what is?

Thanks!

Longsx3

Pre Law is not a major at any of the schools we have looked at, it simply helps you to ensure your have all of the law school prerequisites met outside of your major.

My D will major in Marine Bio and she wants to go into Environmental Law. Where are your interests?

rankinr

The #1 factor in law school admissions is LSAT and GPA - your major doesn't matter, and there are no pre-requisites. You'll note that according to this chart (Average LSAT Scores for 29 Majors with over 400 Students Taking the Exam) pre-law is 28/29 majors in terms of average LSAT score. I'd recommend something like philosophy which encourages critical thinking skills.

Neonzeus

Keeping in mind that you need to major in something that will give you a very high GPA and good references from professors for your application, I'd recommend a major that could give you a career if you don't get into law school or change your mind. Something with corporate internships could be helpful for purposes of possible networking.

Being a general business major might be a fall-back (minor in HR or labor relations?) if you can't handle science majors or the math of accounting. Your school might offer some career counseling and aptitude tests that could give you ideas about possible majors too. If you find something that you like, you're more likely to do well in your classes. If you can fit a logic class into your schedule, you might find it helpful to the LSAT and law school.

IMO, the job market for young lawyers is so bleak and the cost of law school is so high, that you should have a backup plan if you don't get into a top school at the end of the day.

RobertB

Firstly, thank you all for your descriptive answers!

After taking a few aptitude tests, all arrows point directly at a major in philosophy. I have a keen interest in it's teachings. Also, the attributes I'd attain would be applicable to any occupation/situation.

But, my pragmatic side leads me to believe that I should take a more practical approach. As the post above eludes to, the law field is over-saturated at the moment. So, I agree; I should have a backup plan.

The only plausible answer here seems to be a double major. That being said, what could be coupled with my philosophy degree to make me more employable? Lastly, does a double major translate to double the workload?

Thanks!

kkuo12887

Unfortunately, the majors that would give you a well paying and marketable career after undergrad are also the same majors that make it much harder to earn a high GPA to get into a better law school such as engineering, computer science, etc.

rankinr

I'm doing the same thing. My double major is in biology and philosophy, with a fallback of teaching biology. Biology majors are usually in high demand, supposedly.

Are you at all interested in teaching? If so, adding a major in English might be a good idea. That will both help you to prepare for law school as well as provide you with a backup plan. Or perhaps math, though math is one of the harder majors, IMO. But it does complement philosophy well.

In terms of it being twice the work - usually not. Most of the time what you'll do is replace your general education requirements with more specific requirements. However, I suppose it could be harder because the classes you'll be replacing the general ones with will be upper level, more complicated, courses.

bluebayou

Absolutely NOT. If your college offers it, run far, far away. Any liberal arts major will do. Top law schools just don't like pre-professional majors, including "pre-law" and undergrad biz.

Find a major which awards easier A's. Language majors usually fall into this category. Philosophy is great, but it depends on its generosity with grades. At Cal-Berkeley, Phil has a lower mean gpa than one of the more popular premed majors; Phil at Cal has brutal grading policies -- always has. At other colleges, Phil is a lot more generous.

Wrong. Rejected med school applicants, bio majors are a dime-a-dozen, many working retail after graduation. And of course, bio requires competing for A's with the premeds. Not a good plan for LS, unless you want to do patent law.

Ya' think?

swattiechick

No way! LSAT scores are among the worst for pre-law students. Major in something that will teach you how to think.

Pre-Law Doesn’t Exist | The Collegiate

alwaysamom

Law schools don't have prereqs. Where did you get that idea?

bluebayou

AP Stats: correlation does not equal causation......

swattiechick

Admissions officers I'm sure read applications and make implicit associations. Pre-law major "ehhh." Philosophy or poly sci major "mhmm." Or maybe not.

LoveEssence

^ Philosophy? Perhaps. But political science? NOT. If majors for law school were in a race, pre-law would finish last and poly-sci would be 2nd to last. Like the other poster said about bio majors in med school: they're a dime a dozen.

bluebayou

Poli Sci? Absolutely. (If not, there would be thousands of fewer law students. hahaha)

Any traditional liberal arts major will do.

ryanans

Actually in a large poll on majors that get the better LSAT score, poly sci was in the top five majors. As opposed to Pre-law which was 28th. Another top five major possibility, Economics. If you want a true leg up, just go with a major you enjoy that will spur your critical thinking because that is what law schools want. They don't want someone who go through the motions, they want thinkers and people who show that they know what they are talking about.