When you’re at TD’s, and “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel comes on, it doesn’t matter if you’re young, old, cliche, or niche; everyone sings along! Another well-known bar, the Bar Exam, isn’t as musical, but so many different undergraduate majors and minors come together after their law school journey to take it! Pre-law is one of the most well-known routes for any college student, nestled along pre-med and an MBA. While most kids fantasize about being doctors and lawyers, only a couple end up charting their course towards graduate school. On the law side, what exactly is a good undergraduate degree to get into law school? And what exactly is a pre-law undergraduate degree? Better yet, does an aspiring lawyer even need a pre-law undergraduate degree?
A personal friend and mentor of mine, retired lawyer and founder at HonorOne, LLC, Lane Ostrow, once told me that I shouldn’t stress myself out about determining which undergraduate degree to pursue in relation to a career in law.
“I liked both of my majors [psychology and business],” Lane Ostrow states, “but I’m not sure it really matters that much. If you have an idea of what type of law might be of interest to you, then I would identify related areas.” AKA: do what interests you!
A pre-law undergraduate degree is essentially anything related to law in a Bachelor’s Program. Some examples include, but are not limited to: legal studies, law, international law, etc. Most colleges offer multiple minors in pre-law related studies, but an actual degree emphasis in the area isn’t typically offered. Even though there isn’t usually a “pre-law” degree at most colleges, you can learn more about some specific colleges that offer “pre-law” degrees and Bachelor’s in Law on msn.com!
Another option for an undergraduate degree on the route to law would be a Bachelor’s in Economics. Not only is economics a widely applicable degree, but, according to the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University, a major in economics will not only provide a basis for many law school-related topics, but it will also give students an easy track to fall back on if they decide against a degree in law.
Conversely, if you are interested in the Arts and Humanities, there are plenty of undergraduate major options to lean on when picking, such as Political Science, Philosophy or English.
Ultimately, it’s completely up to you, and the biggest thing law schools want is an undergraduate major that promotes critical thinking and academic prowess. Additionally, a good tip is to choose a major that involves a lot of writing, as you’ll be writing numerous papers while in law school.
Just like all those different songs at the bar, some pre-law tracks will work for you, and some won’t seem as appealing. Even if everyone else seems to like one track, it doesn’t mean you have to lean the same way.
However, if you want to get into writing early in a no-stress environment, join Her Campus at Clemson University. We would love to have you!