There are many trails to the top of the mountain. This old adage is especially true when it comes to entering law school. An essential part of being a lawyer is understanding past precedents in various legal cases. Is it a surprise, then, that history is a major for law students? History students study not only the events of the past, but also how various legal systems, court decisions, contracts, and other legal agreements have evolved. Through courses in a history major, students gain experience writing research papers and learn to draw on history to make logical, concise, and clear arguments. They analyze various writings and research many dense and difficult-to-understand texts – essential skills in law school. www.lsac.org/sites/default/files/media/2016-17_applicants-major.pdf Most law school applications have multiple parts, but your GPA and law school admission test score are by far the most important. Assuming you did well in college and can write a really good essay, this is where you should focus on your LSAT. The LSAT currently consists of five sections: analytical thinking, reading comprehension, logical reasoning, an experimental part, and a writing sample. The experimental section doesn`t count, but it`s not always clear which one it is when you take the test. Your experience in critical analysis and composition will help, but also take an LSAT preparation course. “You develop writing and analytical skills when working with a piece of literature.

These skills are transferred when you study the logical and logical part of the law school admission test and are asked to find the strength of the argument,” she explained. Remembering and sharing relevant information and analysis, understanding what is required in a logic game – I honed these skills as an English student. Law schools are looking for students from diverse backgrounds and majors. For this reason, if you`re the only physicist in your application class, you`re much more likely to get into law school than the 300th candidate with a business degree. “The average score for the English majors was 162. This means that the average score for the English majors was very good – in fact, it was above the 75th percentile LSAT [score] for UK law in 2014,” she explained. There is one path we do not recommend: the pre-right major. Sounds counterintuitive, doesn`t it? Finally, the major is specifically designed to bring students to law school. So why don`t we recommend it? Students who are passionate about writing, public speaking, or negotiation often attract an emphasis on communication. This focus is on team building, organizational communication and conflict management, as well as the development of critical thinking. These are all transferable skills when it comes to transitioning to law school.

Communications majors often need to keep abreast of current events and report back to class. This habit works well for law school, as it allows students to understand different political trends and climates. Lawyers write and read in a very specific way to pick up a case and find the truth in it. While English graduates enter law school with a significant advantage, as they are very familiar with accurate and analytical reading, it can be difficult for anyone to adapt to a new system of thinking. Marlee Myers, a University of Pittsburgh and Pitt Law alumnus, who is now a partner at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, explains: “The effective use of the English language, for both written and oral communication, is essential to the study and practice of law. Law courses, especially first-year courses, are based on the method of teaching cases. The case method requires students to read cases filled with facts, many of which are not relevant to the decision, and students must understand how to distinguish material facts from irrelevant facts. Training in reading and criticizing literature is the perfect preparation for this skill. (T5F included an interview with Myers in 2013.) As I`ve said many times (and to reflect the feelings of others in this thread), I would have preferred to choose a math or science major in college.

However, I would have kept the English major and dropped political science. Strangely, English was more difficult and much more useful in the development of law school than political science, which dealt directly with law school issues. Criminal justice is a natural complement to law school, as courses focus on criminal justice topics. These programmes often include courses on judicial procedures, prison systems and many other aspects of the legal system. Criminal justice degrees emphasize strong research, analytical, and writing skills that are a necessity in law school. While this is naturally suited to law, many law schools prefer specializations in other fields of study. In fact, some schools review academic records in the criminal justice major that is much more difficult than in any other major. As Wheatley points out, “the LSAT score is king when it comes to law school admission.” However, as the experience of these A&S successes and research on law school admission tests demonstrate, studying English can provide students before law school with the best preparation for LSAT and the strict law school routine. I studied English simply because it was easy and I could graduate in three years instead of four because I hated university. If I could go back, I probably would have stayed the extra year in college and gotten a degree in digital art because it was fun and ultimately what I studied didn`t really matter. Mike Potochny, a Pitt Law student and associate attorney at Gaydos, Gaydos and Associates P.C., calls it “writing like a lawyer.” However, he points out that Pitt provided him with many resources along the way to improve his writing.

“I think one of the best things I did was walk into the writing center. It really helped me in my legal career,” he says. Potochny has worked as a teaching assistant for the first-year Literary Pittsburgh seminar and as a peer tutor at the Writing Center. Reflecting on his own appreciation of the challenges facing undergraduates, he says, “Just thinking about how many cover letters you need to write to apply to law school and internships is disgusting, so being able to decipher what to do and what not to do and effectively cut out flowery advice. Law school is about being efficient – with your time and your words. “BA & MA in English.