Law Questions

Student615
Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:19:04 +0000

They’re not. Don’t take them if you don’t like them. They might be beneficial, I suppose, in getting you used to fast and close reading, but I’d more strongly recommend a philosophy class for that, anyway. It’s marginal, at best. Your writing and debating skills will serve you well and, if you continue to choose classes and activities that hone them, will probably give you everything law school-related that you might otherwise get from history courses.
YES! Math and science majors are typically among the very highest scoring majors on the LSAT (law school admission test), which tests critical thinking, analytical abilities, and logical reasoning. You’ll want to stretch your mind in other ways, but this will definitely serve you well. There are also some fields of law that are particularly well-served by a math/science background. Interestingly, I believe that pre-law is generally among the lowest scoring (this isn’t to make any negative claims re: pre-law students, but it is to support that it is a way of thinking, rather than a set of facts, which is most valuable to prospective law students).
Anything in which you think you’ll do well, and anything you’ll enjoy. You can take classes that will help prepare you for things like the LSAT, but it tests a way of thinking, not a specific type of material. Also, keep in mind that undergrad will be a long 4 years of a topic you don’t like, and you may well change your mind about law school. You can do a search here for suggested majors. The overwhelming response is “do what you like and will do well at.” That said, philosophy is awesome (note: very biased) ;-)


Good luck! The beauty of law school is that you can do what you like without ten years of advance “I’m going to law school” planning. You’re doing well to ask basic questions in advance, but you don’t need to have a handle on what you want to do in college for another 2-3yrs. Get the best grades you can, get to know the basics like you’re obviously doing, worry not, and good luck!