BS vs liberal arts degree

thescholar
Sat, 29 Jul 2006 01:30:51 +0000

I’m at a point where I have to make a decision on which major to choose. Right now I’m a biology major but I can’t decide whether I should change into an easier major like political science. So far, I have a 3.9 GPA, but I’m worried that as I keep taking the required courses (ie: Organic Chemistry, physics, Calculus II, etc.) for my biology major that my GPA might slip. These are hard courses and, while I’ve been able to ace my previous courses, I don’t know if I will be able to do as well in these courses like I’ve done in the past since I know it’s only going to get harder this year. I want to go to a top law school and, as you know, these schools are very competitive to get into so I need to have a high GPA.

If, on the other hand, I choose a different major that is much easier like political science (I’ve some interest in politics) I’m confident that I can maintain or strengthen my GPA. And I would be able to have a little bit more time for extra circular activities (I hardly did any activities my freshman year because I was so busy studying for my science courses). I would also like to remain in the top of my class and taking easier courses would help me accomplish that. Since this is a liberal arts major, it is probably a better prep for law school too; however, I know so many law school applicants are political science majors so I’m afraid that I might not stand out very much.

What do you think? Should I stick with bio or should I switch to something more easier for the sake of maintaining a high GPA in order to get into a top ten law school? The reason why I chose biology in the first place (besides the fact that I find the subject very fascinating) is because I’m interested in being a patent lawyer. Do law schools actually consider how challenging one’s courses are when evaluating GPA? I’ve heard that the only thing law schools really look for is a high GPA and LSAT, and that the difficulty of one’s major is of little importance. Is this true? Please let me know.