Contrary to popular belief, pursuing law school does not mean that you need to be a graduate of the social sciences.
The demand for lawyers does not decline through times. Aside from the reputation linked to the law professions, people who choose to defend various sectors of the society may consider pursuing law school as one of the concrete means of doing so.
The Challenging Law School
Upon entering law school, students are already provided the immediate essentials for “lawyers-in-the-making.” These include voluminous case reading assignments, case digesting, statutory construction and matters of law practice. In the process, aspirants are being exposed to huge doses of law material and tricky law decisions. Given these loads, students are still expected to champion all the challenges from the start up to the actual bar examination.
Social science courses include history, government and political studies in its curriculum; that is why many believe that these are the best pre-law majors. But contrary to this, graduates from the social sciences do not necessarily translate to advantages over the others. Students from any undergraduate course or career can pay for essays and have an equal opportunity to study law.
No Specific Undergraduate Degree Required for Law School
The Pre-Law Committee of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar prepared a discourse on law and undergraduate courses. In an article entitled Preparing for Law School, the group writes,“There is no single path that will prepare you for a legal education. Students who are successful in law school, and who become accomplished professionals, come from many walks of life and educational backgrounds.”
On the other hand, the Pre-law at Santa Clara University believes that, “being a pre-law student does not mean pursuing a “pre-law major.” The University’s school admission representatives considers “no specific courses of study required of pre-law students” and “recommend that you choose a major – any major, that personally interests and challenges you.”
But even though some law institutions adhere to the fact that one’s undergraduate course does not really matter upon entering law schools, others believe that students need to possess certain qualities including practice of diligence, intellectual curiosity, organizing ability and critical analysis. Santa Clara University adds, “a broad understanding of human nature, human institutions, and values; mastery of a specific body of knowledge or discipline.”
A Helpful Tip for Law Studies
While the legal profession demands familiarity on topics such as government, history and politico-administrative behaviors, non-social science degree holders (psychology, religion, behavioral sciences, physical sciences and mathematics) only need to take extra efforts in developing their skills on writing, listening, general research, management, public speaking and inclination to current events to successfully finish law school.
An article entitled Recommended Undergraduate Courses for Law School says, “the best advice is to choose challenging college courses and a major that interest you and then do well in them. Law school admissions officers will be most impressed by the fact that you challenged yourself and succeeded in the material you chose.”
Although social science courses may have advantages, statements from law institutions mentioned suggest that the other disciplines are welcome to law schools. Indiana University at Bloomington says, “intellectually curious renaissance people” are what they are searching for.
