One of the best ways to see if a specific major is right for your interests and abilities is to enroll in a college summer class before you finish high school. For example, if you think you want to specialize in banking or financial law, try an introductory undergraduate economics class to see if you like it. By studying history, you can develop an understanding of how certain laws and regulations developed. You can also learn about historical cases that have set precedents for future cases.
Many future law school applicants may be attracted to political science as undergraduate students because of the close relationship between politics and legislation. Needless to say, knowing how government and judicial systems work is crucial for lawyers. While the relationship between law and English may not be as obvious as in other specialties, the law requires that a great deal of emphasis be placed on reading and writing. This area of study will help you refine your grammar, critical thinking, and general communication skills.
You'll also develop a sophisticated understanding of culture and society. For example, the Harvard Summer School course, The Culture of Capitalism, analyzes capitalism in the context of literature, theater, and film. Studying philosophy will encourage you to exercise your logic and reasoning skills, skills important to lawyers who must support their interpretation of facts or material by citing evidence. A class such as Introduction to Political Philosophy covers the purpose of democracy and how to defend it.
Kenneth Suhariono and Nathan Wongkar, who met on campus during the course “Emerging Markets in Europe and Asia”, worked with Professor Bruno Sergi to publish an economic research article. Political science is a very popular specialty before law because politics is closely interrelated with legislation. The study of political behavior, government systems, and the functioning of the judicial system are very useful in law school. Students in this specialty also explore the legal systems of other countries and understand how laws are created and executed. Psychology is one of the five most popular undergraduate majors overall, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics, so it makes sense that it would be a popular choice among pre-law careers.
Psychology also provides students with an understanding of concepts such as stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, cognitive dissonance, and other theories and issues that are useful to future lawyers. Criminal justice is a natural choice for those who are interested in pursuing a career in criminal law. In this specialty, students learn about the correctional system, court procedures, and other parts of the legal system. A pre-law curriculum may include a variety of humanities and social science classes, such as history, philosophy, and political science. If your undergraduate school offers a pre-law specialization, selecting it will not make you a suitable candidate for law school.
Once again, it's best to choose a specialty that challenges and excites you, and then opt for a full selection of courses that will increase your reading, writing and critical thinking skills. Students who specialize in the following are also better prepared to manage the situations that law students and practicing lawyers routinely face. So let's take a look at some of the best undergraduate specializations for law school. English language students also learn about a variety of topics related to writing and reading, most notably creative writing and literary history.
In addition, grammar, critical thinking, and other skills acquired by specializing in English are useful in addressing questions of logical reasoning and reading comprehension. Both of these areas make up a large part of the LSAT exam. Because the admissions board knows the value of all of these skills, English language learners tend to have a high admission rate to top law schools. A good alternative to specializing in English is linguistics, as it provides skills similar to those offered by English courses.
However, it focuses much more on technical English skills than on abstract ones. By comparing both aspects, linguistics helps analyze the more subtle details of the law, while English helps with broader lines. Classical studies are one of the best specialties for law school preparation because of their high acceptance rate, which exceeds 83 percent. Classical studies students are the ones who learn the most about the ancient language and how it affects society. They also learn to interpret ancient texts, along with some anthropology.
With a specialization in classical studies, you'll find it easier to read and understand the meaning of old and complex laws or sentences. Law schools are interested in these applicants because it means that the student has experience reading and understanding classical texts and languages. This is a valuable skill, considering that many of our laws and other legal documents were written in more outdated English. In addition, environmental sciences teach students the patterns of human behavior, which is crucial for effective negotiation and argument skills.
Finally, environmental sciences should also provide students with a basis for reading texts and legal decisions. Both aspects are necessary for legal practice. In addition, literature students can interpret the content of books by applying literary theories in the same way as a lawyer who has to apply the relevant laws to specific scenarios. Law schools seek these skills, and literature majors have an acceptance rate of 75 percent. Policy studies are another less common specialty, with a high law school acceptance rate of over 81 percent, in fact.
By studying this as a university student, you will learn a general knowledge of public affairs, conflict resolution, and what laws affect the public and how. In addition, if you practice civil law, many of your clients (companies and industries) may need it for cases related to labor relations (employment, compensation, dismissal, insurance, and others). Therefore, the real concepts learned in this specialty can be valuable on the job. As you study history, your courses will include learning about famous lawsuits, developing societies and political systems, and international events that shaped the course of the world.
Specializing in this course of study exposes you to a wide range of courses that law schools want for applicants with comprehensive knowledge. A degree in arts and humanities studies a wide range of subjects, such as language, arts, literature, history, music, religion, and more. Arts and humanities courses tend to encompass all of these fields and teach students how to find common ground. The rarity of the course also means that there is less competition and more chances of being accepted.
However, certain universities specifically offer pre-law programs for those who are aspiring to attend law school. These programs typically encompass writing, politics, reading, history, and government to ensure that students have the fundamental knowledge necessary to succeed in law school. The second largest number of admitted law students specialized in “Other”, subjects that were not included in the other 144 specializations listed. You can apply to law school with any academic background.
In fact, if you plan to specialize in a specific legal industry (for example, the most popular specialty for law school applicants is political science, as it provides a solid foundation in government systems, political theory, and judicial processes). However, there is no single specialty that is best for law school. This major is also often intensive in research and writing, which can help students prepare for the large amount of reading, research, and writing that they are expected to do in college of law. Now that we've reviewed the best specializations for law school, you'll hopefully have a better idea of what field of study aligns with your interests and professional goals.
If you complete a specialization in criminal justice, you must obtain a dual specialization in another, more rigorous liberal arts degree. A degree in psychology can be very useful for future lawyers, since the practice of law is based both on the people involved and on the law itself. Since your score on the LSAT is an important factor in your application, as well as when it comes to obtaining law school scholarships, considering which specializations will best prepare you for the LSAT could be another factor to the time to make your decision. These areas of study are necessary for success in law school and in legal practice, regardless of the area of law you want to specialize in.
Since a pre-law program is created for the sole purpose of preparing students for law school, you might think that it's the best major for law school. In addition, finding opportunities to cultivate your research and writing skills will prepare you for law school and demonstrate your commitment to success in law school. If you want to become a lawyer to help defend people accused of crimes, this specialty makes a lot of sense. The American Bar Association (ABA) states that it does not recommend any specific specialization for college students or courses to prepare for law school. Political science is one of the best specialties for law school if you don't necessarily intend to practice law.
For example, engineering requires so many prerequisites that it may not leave room for a second specialization or even a smaller area of concentration. Therefore, this specialization will only benefit part of your education or if you want to pursue criminal law. Taking courses that allow you to strengthen these skills will make you a more ideal candidate for law school and will help you achieve better results in your legal studies. While the specializations mentioned above can help you prepare for law school, there is no such thing as a perfect major for law school.
