Are these two good majors in preperation for law school?

Hey Babak,

The other answerers gave you some really excellent points. My answer will focus not so much on what you should major in (for reasons I will present below) but, rather, what you should do within that major (and in college) to really maximize your law school chances.

My overall suggestion would be that you do what you love, both academically and extracurricularly, during your college years; this will ensure that you do it passionately and well, which will hopefully translate into excellent grades, and deep commitment to the groups and causes you believe in.

Law schools don't look for any particular major at all--in fact, almost any academic subject is a fine choice when it comes to picking a major that will look good on a law school application. Although there are certainly "traditional" majors that students interested in eventually pursuing law undertake (economics, political science, etc.), there is no one "perfect" major when it comes to preparing you for law school. There are some majors (particularly those that aren't strongly academic, such as the arts) that may place you at a slight disadvantage but, even so, plenty of students in those fields get admitted to law school every year. If you major in something you love, then you have a greater chance of doing extremely well in school, which will translate to a high GPA, which will in turn increase your chances of admission. You will not miss much of anything by not majoring in PoliSci (particularly if you end up majoring in History), so don't let that be a worry.

The key is not so much what you major in but, rather, what you do within your major. Aim to do the following:

1. Pick a college major that will require a lot of reading- and research-intensive classes. Both English and History fall into this category nicely. This will not only prepare you for law classes (which themselves are incredibly research- and reading-heavy), but it will also demonstrate to law schools, when you apply, that you can handle the academic load of law school.

2. Keep an upward grade trend throughout college. This means that your grades either get stronger as you go through school, or start off strong and remain there for all 4 years of college. Most law schools will want to see GPAs of 3.5 or above (the closer you can get to a 4.0, the better).

3. Take a challenging class load: Intro classes are okay for freshman and (maybe) sophomore year of college, but once you get to junior and senior year, your focus should be on upper-level classes and seminars that allow you to really hone in and focus on your specific interests within the major. And, as always, keep your grades up throughout.

4. Establish rapport with your professors (particularly during your junior and senior years of college). You can do this by attending office hours, working for them as a research assistant, and talking to them after class. They will be the ones writing your letters of recommendation, and will only be able to write effective, overwhelmingly positive ones is if they have specific, anecdotal knowledge of you and can favorably compare you to other students in your class.

Another useful thing you can do, regardless of your major choice, is to take formal logic courses (which can be found under the Philosophy Department at the college you end up attending) during your sophomore and junior years; this will help you later as you prepare for the LSAT.

As a side note, it doesn't hurt to start thinking about what else you can do in college to maximize your law school chances:

1. Work on your extracurriculars. Don't worry about being a part of 30 student groups; instead, focus on 2 or 3. Become a part and get involved during your freshman and sophomore years, and then obtain leadership positions in them during your junior and senior years.

2. Take the LSAT either the summer after junior year or the fall of your senior year of college. This will allow you to get the LSAT out of the way and apply as early in the admissions cycle as possible, which is incredibly beneficial to your overall chances.

3. Research law schools and become familiar with their LSAT and GPA requirements, as well as their acceptance percentages. Law school admissions center around your GPA and LSAT combination, so knowing where to aim is definitely a plus. A great place to start is the LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools: http://officialguide.lsac.org/

I know I gave you a lot of info, but I hope this was helpful! Feel free to reach out if you have any further questions; I'm happy to help!

You will not miss anything by not majoring in political science.

However, in the event that after law school you are unable to land a legal position, you should have an undergraduate degree that you can "fall back on." Understand that the legal market is especially affected by the recession. There are many many unemployed attorneys all competing for very few jobs. Therefore, you need a back-up plan in the likely case that you simply cannot land a legal job (which is what's happening to many law grads these days). Whether or not you get a job, the bills will come due and you're gonna need the income. So get a useful undergraduate degree to fall back on. A poly sci degree alone is useless, there is nothing you can do with that degree other than practice law. At least with a history or english degree you could go into teaching if necessary to earn income.

I would highly recommend you get an undergrad degree in business. A business degree is very flexible, will help you in law school, and it can provide the income security you'll need in case law does not work. The legal market is in real bad shape, you should prepare accordingly.

While an undergrad Poli Sci major, I thought that my major was what you were supposed to take to get into law school. Turns out that that both History and English majors outscore Poli Sci majors on the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test).

I ended up taking a job in city government and will be starting my grad work in Political Science with an emphasis in Municipal Governance.

I have graduated from law school and practiced law.

I started college as a political science major. I switched to English and then to history.

You will miss nothing important by mot majoring in political science. Most law students did not major in political science for their undergrad degree and law school professors do not expect them to have an political science degree.