<p>Does UVa have a program whereby freshman undergrads are guaranteed admission to its law school so long as they maintain a certain GPA etc.??
Thanks</p>
<p>Nope. You’re going to have to work hard to keep your GPA up, and do well on the LSAT if you want to be accepted into a top law school.</p>
<p>Any major that involves a great deal of reading and writing is typically a pre-law major.</p>
<p>But if you really want to look special as a pre-law you major in math and learn all that logical thinking =p</p>
<p>There’s no such thing as a pre-law program. Pursue the classes that will allow you to get a high GPA. Get a high LSAT. That’s all that matters at 99% of law schools - check lawschoolnumbers to see what numbers get you in. I think something like 3.6/170 will get you in at UVa, especially if you apply ED.</p>
<p>Over the next few years you should spend some time researching law schools and the legal industry. It’s probably a bad career to pursue at this point unless you get into Harvard, Yale or Stanford. The legal industry is badly oversaturated and many (possibly most) recent graduates are jobless, in temp jobs or in jobs that don’t require a JD. The US is one of the few developed nations to require a graduate degree to practice law, and one of the few to allow almost anyone to pursue a JD. To add insult to injury, most schools - even UVa - treat the law school as a piggy bank to fund all sorts of inane activities. This results in absurdly high tuition and cost of attendance. At UVa, the annual cost of attendance is estimated at $67,000. Good luck paying those loans off even if you do get a BigLaw offer.</p>
<p>Other people have reported that the Law School and Darden pay 10% of their revenue to the U. I imagine that pays for various services provided by the U. (such as grounds maintenance??, bookkeeping???). Law and Darden don’t receive any of UVa’s state appropriation.</p>
<p>Unless you really want to use your law degree for public service and can complete it without too much debt, or you can get admitted to a top 30 law school, it is probably best to not go to law school. </p>
<p>The number of US law school grads has dramatically increased over the last 20 years, while technology and outsourcing are decreasing the demand. Fortunately, the number of people applying to law school is finally decreasing.</p>
<p>I would change Charlie’s advice slightly. Don’t go unless you can go to a top 10 (at worst top 14) law school. The bottom half of the top 30 presents too much risk of big debt/no job.</p>
<p>If you can’t go top 10, then don’t go. If you still can’t resist, then pick the cheapest COA law school in the city/region where you want to live and work. If you’re at the top of your class at that school (regardless of its ranking) you probably still can get a job. If not, at least you won’t be facing personal bankruptcy.</p>
<p>charlieschm, </p>
<p>I don’t think even a top 30 school makes the cut these days. Schools like George Washington cost upwards of $75k/year and place less than a quarter of their graduates in biglaw. Even if you “win” and get the major firm offer, those jobs don’t pay well enough or last long enough to pay down the $200,000+ debt.</p>
<p>If you’re dead set on being a prosecutor or something, go somewhere that gives you lots of money. Otherwise, pick another career.</p>
<p>[The</a> 20 Most Expensive Law Schools In America - Business Insider](<a href=“The 20 Most Expensive Law Schools in America”>The 20 Most Expensive Law Schools in America)</p>
<p>Interesting list - the 20 most expensive law schools in the US - some of them are not even highly rated. This list does not include room, board or books. </p>
<p>I’ve noticed that at some universities, tuition is much cheaper for arts and sciences grad school than for undergrad. That includes UVa out of state. In addition, there are more opportunities to have a large portion of your arts and sciences grad school tuition covered through TA work, research, fellowships, etc. vs. law school you are probably on your own.</p>