2 answers
Lillyanne
Student
North Bend, Washington
1
Question
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I am a high school student, and I plan on going to law school to become a defense or personal injury lawyer or paralegal, but first, I have to go to a four-year college, obviously. What would you recommend for majors/minors and colleges, preferably in cold places?
colleges on the west coast of the USA in the wue
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2 answers
DENNIS BREEN
Lawyer
157
Answers
Cary, North Carolina
Updated
DENNIS’s Answer
Lillyanne:
I agree with Amber. Your major and/or minor does not matter - you do. What I mean by that is you being the best person you can be makes you a better lawyer and/or paralegal. College is a time to explore who you are and what you like. Take courses you are interested in; get involved in things or clubs you like. Learn, grow, have fun.
Try to keep your GPA up there. Don't take just fluff courses. Take courses that are challenging. Remember, law school is hard. You need to work hard to get through and to pass the bar exam. Learning good study habits early will help in the long run!
As to the school you choose, that is up to you and your parents. Money comes into play and college and law school can be very expensive. Geography also becomes important - getting home for holidays is a great plus!
Good luck Lillyanne. A better person makes a better lawyer. When someone comes in to hire you as a lawyer they not only hire your brain but they also hire your heart. The better, more well rounded, person you are makes you a better lawyer.
Enjoy the journey!
I agree with Amber. Your major and/or minor does not matter - you do. What I mean by that is you being the best person you can be makes you a better lawyer and/or paralegal. College is a time to explore who you are and what you like. Take courses you are interested in; get involved in things or clubs you like. Learn, grow, have fun.
Try to keep your GPA up there. Don't take just fluff courses. Take courses that are challenging. Remember, law school is hard. You need to work hard to get through and to pass the bar exam. Learning good study habits early will help in the long run!
As to the school you choose, that is up to you and your parents. Money comes into play and college and law school can be very expensive. Geography also becomes important - getting home for holidays is a great plus!
Good luck Lillyanne. A better person makes a better lawyer. When someone comes in to hire you as a lawyer they not only hire your brain but they also hire your heart. The better, more well rounded, person you are makes you a better lawyer.
Enjoy the journey!
Amber Lee
Tax Associate
49
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Amber’s Answer
Hi Lillyanne,
Congratulations on taking the first step towards your goal of entering the legal field! It seems you have a pretty good idea of what you'd like to do.
I typically tell aspiring law students it doesn't matter which major/minor to pick. Obviously there are the popular ones (e.g., political science, history, English, economics, and philosophy), but honestly it doesn't matter what you study for your bachelor's degree so long as you're able to develop skills during your undergrad years that would be critical to have as a law student. For example, you would ideally want to take classes that allow you to focus on skills such as communication, reading, and writing. Having some basic knowledge in U.S. government and history is helpful but not required. The one practical advice I would give is to consider a major that will give you marketable skills in case law school does not pan out, so perhaps philosophy (while an important humanity subject) might not be the best choice given the limited job opportunities outside of academia.
As for college recommendation, I think that will depend on a lot of factors. I know you've at least narrowed it down geographically to cold places, but there are other things like tuition costs and availability of specific college programs that you might also want to look into. If prestige is also important to you, that will further narrow your list down to a smaller pool of options.
Just to share my own experience--I went to a large state school in Florida for my undergrad (I majored in art) and I went to another large state school for law school. In the grand scheme of things, it really didn't matter what I studied in undergrad, but I did maintain a very high GPA, I was active in student orgs, and I participated in internships. My LSAT scores were decent enough to land me a spot at a regionally respected law school down south, and now I work at a large firm up in NYC. In hindsight, I probably should have devoted more time to studying for the LSAT, but things sort of worked out well for me.
Best of luck to you!
Congratulations on taking the first step towards your goal of entering the legal field! It seems you have a pretty good idea of what you'd like to do.
I typically tell aspiring law students it doesn't matter which major/minor to pick. Obviously there are the popular ones (e.g., political science, history, English, economics, and philosophy), but honestly it doesn't matter what you study for your bachelor's degree so long as you're able to develop skills during your undergrad years that would be critical to have as a law student. For example, you would ideally want to take classes that allow you to focus on skills such as communication, reading, and writing. Having some basic knowledge in U.S. government and history is helpful but not required. The one practical advice I would give is to consider a major that will give you marketable skills in case law school does not pan out, so perhaps philosophy (while an important humanity subject) might not be the best choice given the limited job opportunities outside of academia.
As for college recommendation, I think that will depend on a lot of factors. I know you've at least narrowed it down geographically to cold places, but there are other things like tuition costs and availability of specific college programs that you might also want to look into. If prestige is also important to you, that will further narrow your list down to a smaller pool of options.
Just to share my own experience--I went to a large state school in Florida for my undergrad (I majored in art) and I went to another large state school for law school. In the grand scheme of things, it really didn't matter what I studied in undergrad, but I did maintain a very high GPA, I was active in student orgs, and I participated in internships. My LSAT scores were decent enough to land me a spot at a regionally respected law school down south, and now I work at a large firm up in NYC. In hindsight, I probably should have devoted more time to studying for the LSAT, but things sort of worked out well for me.
Best of luck to you!