Looking for Advice Regarding Undergraduate Degrees

• Iljimae wrote on 2012-12-18 05:26
  I have been trying to determine what type of degree I would like to pursue and come to a firm decision in regards to the matter.
  
  I know I would like to study international law once I have completed my degree, but what degree would best suit those interests and help improve my prospects of being accepted to my first choice law school, I am unsure of.
  
  It seems as though the more I look in depth at what degrees would best benefit myself in the future, the more I find myself confused. Some of the advice regarding law school admissions that I have gotten is to take challenging courses, yet there's a good chance if you do you won't be able to keep up as high of a gpa as you would need to really have them consider you for admission. On a side note, I personally am not strong suited in math and most of the courses that are viewed as challenging are sadly extremely math intensive.
  
  However, if I were to take one of the easier paths it would be transparent.
  
  It seems like the different advice I've been getting leads me in circles. (EX: Do not study a course directly relating to law. Study a course that shows your interest in law. Study what interests you. Focus on a high GPA only, it's a numbers game. Take a challenging route.)
  
  Right now I've decided to study something that interests myself and that I'll be able to apply towards my law studies in the future rather than look for a challenging degree or something easy for high gpa. I wouldn't mind challenging myself however, in fact I'd prefer it, if a suggested degree falls under the other specifications I'm looking for.
  
  So long story short, I'm looking for recommendations for degrees to consider or just advice in general regarding what I've talked about. Some considerations have been government, economics (behavioral)/psychology, and history. I hear there are other degrees with international relations but I have not looked into them yet.
  
  Even some shared experiences about choosing degrees would be very helpful.
  
  Thank you. :D
• Drizzit wrote on 2012-12-18 05:56
  Philosophy and Math majors statistically have the highest scores on the LSAT.
• Chillax wrote on 2012-12-18 06:19
  It all depends on what courses the law schools you think you can get into require. This is when you do your research and ask these schools' admissions departments what courses they require. Then, see which major at your school most closely fits these course requirements and choose that major.
• Sinned wrote on 2012-12-18 06:37
  I'm actually thinking about intellectual and patent law.
  Currently a higher junior with Forensic Psychology Major and Philosophy Minor, finished all my core reqs for major, taking Spanish and Programming as electives, planning to take Calculus and Physics if I have leftover credits.
  
  I've talked to my pre-law adviser and I'll share the same advice he gave me.
  >It's okay to take classes you really want to get something out of. You can talk to law schools about how you decided to take a harder course rather than take the easy way out, hence why I'm killing myself over things I can't do but really want to get things out of (some of the philosophy courses in my school are pretty cool like Critical Thinking or Logical Thinking).
  >It's okay to take a break after college, you don't have to go to law school right away. As long as it's within 5 years, you should be safe. I plan to study more in depth physics for 2-3 years after I get my BA.
  >Law school is expensive, so you have to be realistic. You can't expect yourself to get into a 60-80k starting salery unless you're lucky. If anything you have to work your way up like everything else.
  >Generally, you start out with general law requirements that everybody has to take. Afterwards, you can specialize.
• BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2012-12-18 08:44
  GPA is the most important aspect alongside with LSAT score
  but that's your individual worry that's variable
  it IS a problem if your school loves grade deflation
  
  1. Become a strong writer, a fundamental requirement that's absolutely core. Nothing will top this.
  2. Develop strong critical thinking.
  3. A good law school is not enough. Be the top of that law school.
  4. LSAT is about how well you take the LSAT. Prepare to devote time for practice tests months before taking it. However, LSAT is not your top priority. College is. Forming a network of relationships, and also maintaining good grades.
  5. Have a practical major but one you'll have interest in. Undergrad is the only time to have fun.
• Claudia wrote on 2012-12-18 20:28
  I think what the Cat hit on last is key. Practical, but something that interests you.
  
  When I was cruising some forums for prosective students, someone mentioned pre-med and whether it was advantageous to major in biology. The short answer was no. After all, what if you never end up going to med school? I ask myself the same thing as I work towards become a teacher: what if I never end up going to grad school to become a teacher (answer: not going to happen because i'll automatically be in a 5 year master's program)? It's not something that anyone wants to consider, but a back-up plan needs to be thought about.
  
  And with the med schoole example, let's be real: a bachelor's in biology is useless. You either have to go on to grad school or accept your fate of working as a lab assistant for barely above minimum wage. Granted, there are very few undergrad degrees that are explicitly useful in this regard. Engineering is an obvious one. Another thing is the pre-reqs. I can't imagine they're too extensive for a law degree. You can do your pre-reqs with any major, right? So you have the freedom to choose and you should.
  
  Most importantly, I think, you want to stand out in an application. I love history and I bet you do too, but if I were a history major applying to law school, i'd probably look like half of the applicants. Zzzz. Not that exciting.
  
  But what if I was a double major with French and Spanish, like my tour guide at a college I visited recently? Now that's something that takes a while to wrap your head around. It gives you a different perspective than all of the poli sci and history majors, and that's not necessarily a bad thing (plus, Spanish fluency? AWW YEAH 'MURICA!). In the case of med school, if you were a biology major, you could end up learning bad habits in your classes that aren't correct in the medical world, and fixing that is a bitch.
  
  /ramble ramble ramble