佩珀代因大学

Many students who major in one of the social sciences—economics, political science, psychology, or sociology—use their social science degree as a springboard for gaining admission to law school and pursuing a legal career. Since gaining admission to law school does not require undergraduates to pursue a rigid, highly structured course of study, many students are left with questions about how best to prepare for legal studies.

The below handbook is designed to answer those questions. It seeks to give guidance in choosing your major and planning your undergraduate education in such a way as to maximize your preparation for achieving success in law school and, later, in the legal profession.

Selecting a Major

There is no single academic major that is best for all students planning for a legal career. Law schools accept applicants with degrees in almost every major. Business, philosophy, economics, history, accounting and English all provide a solid background for law school. The social science disciplines in particular prepare students for gaining admission to law school, excelling in legal studies, and, eventually, for the practice of law. All of the social sciences place a strong emphasis on critical reading skills, analyzing and evaluating what one has read, thinking clearly and logically, and expressing one's self clearly, both orally and in writing. These are all skills crucial to gaining admission to law school, doing well in legal studies, and practicing in the legal profession.

But this leaves the question of which discipline—economics, political science, psychology, science, history, accounting or sociology—is the best one for you. There is no one right answer to this question. What may be right for one person may not be right for another. There is—most importantly—the question of your own interests, likes, and abilities.

A good general rule to follow is to major in the field in which you are the most interested and in which you enjoy studying the most. All of us have different interests and aptitudes. The student who does well in and loves one subject area may dislike and not excel in another area. You will learn more, mature, and develop more quickly and fully if you are working in an area in which you have aptitudes and strong interests.

You will then be better equipped to gain admission to the law school of your choice and to do well in legal studies. Students who have already identified a field of law in which they have special interests can use those interests to help guide their choice of a major. Also, each of the social sciences has certain special characteristics that are relevant to legal studies.