After obtaining a bachelor’s degree, a student is offered many options upon finishing their degree, such as graduate school, medical school, joining the workforce, or applying to and attending law school. Many students have already decided which of these options they will pursue after obtaining their degree, but others find that they have changed their minds over the years. Some wonder if they are able to get into law school with their degree.
You can get into law school with any degree. There are no specific degrees that are required in order to be accepted into law school. At this time, a student with any bachelor’s degree can apply and possibly get into law school.
Continue reading to learn which degrees help to prepare you better for law school. Also, continue reading to learn what requirements need to be met in order to apply and get into law school, despite there being no specific degree requirement.
Requirements For Law School
While there are no specific degree requirements to get into law school, there are some requirements a student must meet in order to be considered when applying. These requirements are:
- Having a bachelor’s degree
- Taking the admissions test (LSAT) and performing well
- Having letters of recommendation
- Having a personal statement
The biggest of the requirements that students will focus on is the LSAT. Much like the SAT, the LSAT is meant to test your reading comprehension, reasoning, and analytical skills. You do not have to have any previous knowledge of the law in order to do well on this test.
Applying to law school is similar to applying to a university, except you already have gone through this process once before and obtained a degree.
Best Degrees For Law School
While it is possible for a student with any bachelor’s degree to apply and get into law school, there are some degrees that help students better prepare for law school over some other degrees.
Some of the best degrees that help prepare you for law school are:
- Political Science
- Criminal Justice
- History
- Philosophy
- English
- Business
Political Science
Political Science is more of the obvious choice for students who plan on attending law school after graduating with an undergraduate degree. Most college students pick majors that are interesting to them and that they will enjoy. This applies to using a political science degree to prepare for law school, as those who are interested in law are often also interested in politics and government.
Students who pursue a degree in political science are able to gain a more solid understanding of how the judicial system works, and this can help them when pursuing a law degree.
Criminal Justice
Along with Political Science, Criminal Justice is another degree path that students who plan on going to law school follow. The coursework required to obtain a degree in Criminal Justice focuses on topics such as exploration of the law, the corrections system, court proceedings, as well as other aspects of the legal system. Students who work on this degree path are also able to work on their research and writing skills.
All of these different aspects of the Criminal Justice degree path can help to prepare a student for law school.
History
History is another popular degree path for students who plan on attending law school. Studying history helps to give a better and deeper understanding of how the American legal system developed. The coursework can also involve the study of landmark court cases and rulings as well as treaties and the development of other political and judicial systems throughout the world.
Philosophy
When choosing a degree that can help one get into law school, many students can overlook philosophy as an option. Law tends to be heavily based on aspects of philosophy, such as ethics and human nature, so a degree in philosophy can help a student better understand those concepts before dealing with them in terms of the law.
English
A degree in English can also be beneficial to anyone planning on attending law school. The coursework for an English degree heavily relies on reading and writing. More specifically, it relies on reading comprehension and persuasive writing. Reading comprehension, as well as the critical thinking skills obtained through the coursework of an English degree, are helpful when taking the LSAT, which is an exam that must be taken to get into law school. Not to mention you’ll need those persuasive writing skills when you’re drafting your opening and closing statements!
Business
When a student chooses to pursue a business degree, they may first be considering working in the corporate world as a CEO, Accountant, or other field related to these majors. Business degrees, however, can also be beneficial to students who plan on going to law school.
Topics such as public speaking, corporate structure, negotiations, and contract structure can be discussed in the coursework of a business degree, so a student can have a better understanding of these topics before focusing on them in the context of the law.
A Business degree can also be useful if a law student chooses to take the road of a corporate lawyer. Corporate lawyers work hand in hand with large and medium sized corporations, private equity firms and other corporate world players. A Business degree can give young corporate attorneys a better “big picture” view of what is going on in often what seems like extremely complex mergers and acquisitions.
Final Thoughts
There are no specific degree requirements for a student who plans on attending law school. Any bachelor’s degree is accepted as a basis for applying and getting into law school. However, there are certainly degree paths that can help a student who plans on attending law school and will make that journey slightly easier. Some of the degree paths that can help a student who plans on going to law school are political science, criminal justice, history, philosophy, English, and business.
While it does not matter which bachelor’s degree a student has when applying for law school, having a bachelor’s degree in some field is required. Other requirements for getting into law school are doing well on the admissions tests, having letters of recommendation, and having a personal statement. These are all of the things a person must have if they plan on applying to law school.
Sources
10 Best Degrees for Getting into Law School
