Pre-Law Program
What's New?
- 10/14/2011 The 2011 Law Fair page is active and ready for viewing. Don't forget to take advantage of having over 70 law schools right here on campus. COme prepared to ask good questions and to explore your law school options. It is never too early to explore, this event is open to all levels of students and to the public.
- 10/17/2011 Now that fall has arrived, there is no better time to get involved in activities outside of the classroom. This provides invaluable experinece that law schools want to see.
The Basics
Preparation for law school is a continuous process, and being a "pre-law" student means more than just taking a certain combination of courses. Instead, it means:
Planning an undergraduate program that will help you develop the skills necessary for the successful study of law
Learning about the study of law and the diverse career paths available to lawyers
Participating in activities (extracurricular and volunteer activities, internships, related employment) outside the classroom that will contribute to your personal growth.
These steps will give you the information you need if law is the goal you seek, will give you the discipline and skills to study law, and will help you develop the maturity and confidence to be successful.
Pre-Law Education
There is no set list of courses required for law school. Instead, law schools want to see students have a balance of courses in literature, language, speech, composition, logic and semantics as they are directly concerned with the cultivation of the skills necessary for law school. These include:
Reading skills: the ability to take in and remember large amounts of information
Analytical skills: the ability to organize and analyze information, to reason and draw conclusions based on the reading and organizing
Communication skills: the ability to present your arguments and conclusions both orally and in writing
Just taking the courses, however, is not enough. You must also do well-GRADES ARE VERY IMPORTANT. This includes grades in all courses taken at any university while completing your undergraduate degree. Consequently, you want to major in a subject in which you are interested and one in which you will work hard to do well. Take challenging courses appropriate to your strengths; choose courses in which hard work will be rewarded with good grades.
