What is the best way to make it into a law school? Many undergraduates or even high school students wonder what path to choose at the beginning of their academic career in order to secure their place at the law school later. While there’s no definite answer, there are patterns that indicate it’s better to pursue some of the majors than the others.
The obvious answer is to major in law or criminal justice and then go on getting into the law school. But the statistics shows that it is not always like that. So what subject should you invest your money and effort into that will then later help your application for a law school?
Main requirements for choosing the best degrees for law school
Choose a demanding subject
There are three main criteria the selection board will look at when deciding whether or not to accept you:
Your LSAT Score;
Your GPA from undergrad diploma;
Your personal statement of interest.
Judging by the scores different major students obtained in the LSAT, the best majors for law school are Physics, Economic, Philosophy, Engineering and Foreign Languages.
Table 2. Average 2007-2008 LSAT Scores
Rank
Major field
Average score
No. of students
1
Physics/Math
160.0
577
2
Economics
157.4
3,047
3
Philosophy/Theology
157.4
2,581
4
International Relations
156.5
1,520
5
Engineering
156.2
2,197
6
Government/Service
156.1
578
7
Chemistry
156.1
632
8
History
155.9
4169
9
Interdisciplinary Studies
155.5
652
10
Foreign Languages
155.30
1,084
11
English
155.2
5,899
12
Biology/Natural Sciences
154.8
2,201
13
Arts
154.2
1,438
14
Computer Science
154.0
682
15
Finance
153.4
2,267
16
Political Science
153.1
15,181
17
Psychology
152.5
4,355
18
Liberal Arts
152.4
3,892
19
Anthropology/Geography
152.2
808
20
Accounting
151.7
1,439
21
Journalism
151.5
3,408
22
Sociology/Social Works
151.2
3,123
23
Marketing
150.8
1,574
24
Business Management
149.7
4,629
25
Education
149.4
484
26
Business Administration
149.1
1,984
27
Health Professions
148.4
703
28
Prelaw
148.3
1,078
29
Criminal Justice
146.0
4,016
And it is not surprising: these are some of the most serious subjects that require a lot of work (and demonstrate that the candidate is well prepared to handle the toughness of the law school) and cover respected academic areas (which means you have worked hard to develop your reasoning, writing, presenting skills and so on).
2. Excel at the classes you take
Regardless of the major you choose, you have to have a high GPA score (usually above 3.7) to show the admission staff that you are committed and know how to deliver good results.
This is especially important if you are already studying in one of the subjects that iare not considered very hard, like many Humanitarian areas – you have to have the highest score possible on those. However, humanitarian subjects shouldn’t be underestimated – they provide you with an amazing training in critical thinking and communication skills, which is highly appreciated by law schools.
3. Be passionate about your major
There’s no bigger mistake you can make choosing a major for law school than going for the top list instead of following your inner feelings. If there is something you really enjoy doing – don’t hesitate to go and study it more.
Because other way you will be miserable studying the subject that evokes no inner motivation in you and it will definitely show on your application.
4. Choose something to complement your future legal degree
Believe it or not, there is life after law school. And having a perk to add to your legal diploma is a big reason for potential employers to hire you. That’s the main reason why science and engineering graduates are accepted into legal schools in such big numbers. They add a great variety to a class, they know what it means to work hard and they can also serve as valuable legal consultants to medical and technical corporations in future, working with patents, for example.
While there are majors that tend to be admitted into law schools more often than the others, it doesn’t mean that other majors don’t have a chance. Many legal graduates would personally suggest you go for the subject that you feel very passionate about, simply because diving into it can take you on a marvelous journey. And if you truly love your journey, it will take you to the legal school one way or the other.
