@@Anonymous-nr6qb how about majoring in both political science and econ. I'm majoring in Political science and i'm deciding whether to double major along with econ
Well yes, your major does matter because law school only takes 1/10, so if your major was shit, good luck getting a job and paying off that debt that will now last 20 years.
@@Irisicaaa Yup, but only 20% of people who set out for law school actually get there, and even those that get a law degree about 30% never work in the field of law (because it isn't what they thought it would be). As for those that complete, the good schools distinguish who they want and the good firms distinguish which law schools they want...so ya if you want to be better call Saul, no problemo...buddy.
@@johnspence8141 well jimmy got into a good firm but he's an immature person, with a self esteem problem and a childish thinking always seeking the easiest way to screw people around and get what he wants rather what will benefits him in the long run so it's just normal that he gets the L and the F in the show... he scored a mercedes at a point but he wanted to go big and fast that was dumb
I began my college career as a music major, and have wondered why music majors tend to do better. I think it's because the amount of practice time. This forces music majors to be more disciplined, as they don't have as much time to waste as others in college.
Just read this. in my country one of the best and most read annotated lawbooks that profs always recommend is authored by a judge whose prelaw was Music. 💪
what matters is if you have the desire and like justice, law, and have integrity. Undergrad is just the beginning and that's why it doesn't matter what major you do.
I’m an Accounting major who plans on pursuing Corporate Law. When I tell people that, they ask why I’m not majoring in Finance or Political Science. My reasoning is always that if I change my mind about becoming a lawyer, I can fall back on my Accounting degree and become an Accountant or something else in the business world
Hi! I'm a CPA with 13 yrs of experience and recently starting Law School. My advice for you is that you stay aware of what you are passionate about; given that both professions require a lot of discipline and time sacrifice. In accounting, to stay ahead you should get the CPA license as soon as you graduate, do an internship at a Big 4 Firm or any other Large National CPA Firms. However, if you do it solely to fall back on something that makes money, you will be miserable. Experiment and don't be afraid of the path you are making for yourself. I'm starting to learn that in Law, you have to be open argument to both sides of the case. Accounting is pretty much, black and white, so you will have to think differently and be a "blank slate", judging facts solely on the Legal Doctrine. Best of luck on you professional journey!
@@ceciliarivera2106 I agree with your statement. I literally had the same mindset. I am currently a freshman in college majoring in Accounting.Why? Because my mindset is “I have many career options to fall back on”. But after awhile I feel like my happiness and motivation isn’t in Accounting, and that’s why I am exploring other majors, preferably Marketing, Economics, or Political Science. Majors that I am actually interested in, and not so much the money
I'm 31 and watch a few legal channels for some reason, Law was one degree I never even considered doing, ever. Just an interesting path to go down, though I'm sure the work is way less glamorous than media makes it out to be lol.
I like your videos a lot. You get right to the point but don't discourage anyone who might not be in the "best" position to go to law school. I was a paralegal when I applied to law school, having majored in Psychology before that. But I worked in a very obscure field of law (representing parents in child protection cases). So to me, everything I learned was new, and other than the half of one day in my Family Law class where we covered child protection law did I ever feel like I had a "head up" on the law. I am happy to report that I just passed the bar exam in my state in will be sworn in a week from today.
I'm actually going to be earning my Paralegal Graduate Certificate over the next year and hope to work as one before deciding whether I want to go on to law school or not. Your comment is very helpful to know becoming a paralegal is a good choice before deciding on law school or not.
One warning: if you then go to law school, don’t rely on ANYTHING you learned as a paralegal. I’ve seen several paralegals flunk out of law school because they thought they had an advantage. Working for lawyers doesn’t prepare someone for law school.
If you want to make $$$, pick a STEM major or accounting. Whether you get AAA's or not, go to the most affordable law school because starting a career with a mountain of debt sucks, and you may never climb out from under the debt that they try to sell to law students these days. I know people with $250K law school debt...crazy! Also, unless you go to Harvard law (best, mostly because the friends & contacts you will make provide a career advantage), nobody will care where you go to law school, not a single client has ever asked me.
Joshua makes a great point. Borrowing hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to "any" law school is not wise. This is because job opportunities for some law schools are more limited. Also, graduating at the bottom of any law school, including Harvard, will limit your job opportunities.
@@Learnlawbetter I'm finishing up an engineering degree now and I am considering law school and an engineering graduate program. I think you've reassured me that it's not so ludicrous for a student from a technical background to jump into studying law.
@@Learnlawbetter If you don't mind me asking, is it still quite rare to have STEM majors pursuing an education in law? My interests stem from wanting to work either (eventually) in a government regulation agency or to understand intellectual property and incorporate that into my list of skills where ever I go.
Based on LSAC data, it seems out of the top 10-15 most common majors found in law school applicants, Economics majors tend to have the highest LSAT scores. They also have a good degree that can land them a job should they not elect to go down the law school path.
Law Schools only care about your GPA and LSAT scores, let's be real. It's also hard to fail out at a reputable law school, so getting a high GPA to get to a highly ranked school would be a good stepping stone. In other words, shouldn't the best major for law school be the easiest one?
I’m a political science major but my favorite college classes, by far, were the three philosophy classes that I took. I’ve enjoyed most of my political science classes but the philosophy classes really intrigued me. As a senior, I look back and wonder if I would’ve enjoyed majoring in philosophy more than political science. Oh well, at least I did take a few philosophy classes.
And keep reading. College is the beginning of your education, not the end. I still stop to learn new things, even when they aren’t directly related to what I do for a living.
I studied philosophy in undergrad and really the 2 main differences that I noticed among different departments was teaching methodology (which the video explains) but also grading methodology. What I mean by that is that in philosophy you’ll be assigned maybe a total of 50-100 pages of reading in between assignments which are usually just papers. Yes it’s not a lot of reading but it’s dense and you’re expected to treat every sentence seriously. That means you’ll have to digest the reading throughout several weeks and there’s no way around it since it’s the sole source you’ll be using for your papers. It’s near impossible to wing a philosophy paper. You can wing papers in almost every other humanities major and probably any social science that assigns papers. All this means is study what you like, BUT give it the seriousness you’d give anything else that’s as expensive as your degree. You can have a rewarding experience studying English but if you’re writing all of your papers the night before you’re wasting your damn time being in college.
I am a Fine Arts Major. My mom has been an attorney for 28 years. I grew up going to court and enjoy learning about the law. I was thinking about entertainment law. I am afraid to pursue though because I don't want to fail.
Your feeling is very common. Many successful people feel the same way. In fact, there is a psychological condition called “imposter syndrome,” where successful people believe they shouldn’t be where they are. You have a parent who understands the law, which is a huge advantage over others.
It really depends on the history program. You need to be in a history program that requires lots of writing. More and more colleges are moving towards multiple choice and short answer exams--those types of exams won't help.
History originated as philosophy. That is why when you receive a Ph.D. in history, you're a doctor of philosophy. History is a good major for law school because of similar writing styles and a need to do a ton of research. Most presidents who went to law school got their BA in history.
No Poli Sci. Bummer. I'm a poli sci major who plans on going to law school while pursuing her Master's in Public Policy. I mean it all determine how much you want it. My sister was theater major is now a physician. Its either 'I want it' or 'I'll make an excuse'.
My major is in International Law and Human Rights. I also got to study International Economic Law, Private International Law, Marine & space law. My professor would always encourage us to establish a nexus between global affairs, international diplomacy and the role international law and UN has on it. The historical perspective on human rights, international economic law and the great economic depression, World war one-two and the bretton woods system, The banana war, law of the sea etc etc. We would often have classroom discussions about these things. It was so interesting. Now I am going to pursue phD in international law. Let's hope my dissertation gets selected.
Being a lawyer for 32 years and a founding senior partner in a very successful private firm I can say that the best students are STEM students that concentrate on majors that emphasise mathematics and critical thinking. Such as Math, Computer science, biochemistry and physics. Like engineering they concentrate on logic, explanation and serious study.
Very few of them in the classroom :) But my experience with them is that they tend to be very good students. Also, their job opportunities tend to be better, especially for those that have the right degrees to go into patent work.
Agree with that video. Being a person who studied both law and phil, I would just add that it depends which "type" of philosophy you like. If you're heavy into logic, debates, epistemology kinda part of phil then you'll probably do pretty well in law. If you're more in the historical/continental part of phil, you might need to accustome yourself a bit to law-type of thinking.
What about accounting majors? Some of my accounting professor are lawyers. Public accounting is heavily regulated and the tax law is very complex so I noticed a lot of accounting professional go to law school.
@Rich 91 child, you're the student and I'm the professional. I've been a lawyer for over a decade. You don't know enough to have this conversation with me. Goodbye✌🏾
While I agree that journalistic training can be a barrier to success on law school exams, it is not a barrier to learning law and working in the field. Journalism requires the ability to quickly read and understand vast amount of material then distill it down to need-to-know information. That is exactly what law clerks, public defenders, prosecutors, and practicing attorneys need to do in practice. The first thing my judge says to me about a case is, "Tell me what to do." He doesn't want an exam answer. He doesn't have time for that. He wants me to sort through all relevant information and provide him with his options for the case and if asked for, a succinct reason. So while the major may require extra work during law school, it is quite helpful in day to day legal work once you aren't in school.
Learn Law Better do you have any recommendations on how to work harder? You are absolutely right when you say philosophy Majors Excel greater in the LSAT and in law school because criminal justice ,even though we read,do not read as much as philosophy major do.
Two suggestions. One, to keep you focused during your study time, use the Pomodoro technique: th-cam.com/video/pykVMV7bLYk/w-d-xo.html Second, don't study one subject for hours. The idea is that you want to mix up topics so that your brain retains more information. For example, spend 25 minutes on Subject 1 then take a five minute break. Then spend 25 minutes on Subject 2. It feels strange at first, but scientific studies demonstrates that most people learn better this way.
same yo, minoring in english tho. Most of these majors have no route if you dont go to law school. At least w CJ there are tons of gov agencies to work for if u dont go to law school
I'm a CJ major too but I love it! Two more years until I graduate with my B.S and I'm currently stacking up on books and practice test so I can practice for the LSAT in my down time. I plan on taking it my senior year if I feel I'm prepared enough. I'm not changing my major and will try a philosophy class and maybe get some philosophy books just to get me in a better habit of long "boring" books. Its all about how an individual prepares themselves overall. Good luck in your journey fellow CJ major :)!
I majored in English with a minor in Legal Studies. My English degree helped me get an A in my Legal Writing and App Ad class. While my Legal Studies minor helped me develop a basic understanding of legal concepts, along with the confusing vocabulary.
Undergraduate programs vary wildly depending on the curriculum and professors teaching in the program. For example, English majors who primarily focused on creative writing need to shift focus to legal writing.
@@Learnlawbetter Good point, and something I did not consider. The focus at my university was mostly on analytical essays involving British and American Literature.
Wow! I feel so discouraged now! This video won’t stop me but definitely has me thinking. I love English and love Criminal Justice. I actually planned on majoring in those two but I still have time to think about everything!
If you enjoy those disciplines, then take them. You will still have room for electives, so take at least three philosophy classes (intro, logic, and one other), and look for courses that force you to write essays. The more technical writing you can do the better off you'll be in law school. Well wishes as you start your journey (my eldest just finished her second year and my next child starts in the fall--three more after that!).
Ok. So based on what he said, I'm kinda on the right track. I achieved my Real Estate license back in 2018 which sparked it all. Now I'm finishing up my bachelor degree in Business Law, (thanks to my employer). I want to be a paralegal while I study for the LSAT; and I want to cap it all off with a JD practicing as a Real Estate Attorney. Fingers crossed!
This is really helpful I am sophomore student in international school and I always admired and wanted to be a corportate lawyer. I think this channel will give me a chance for better understanding of what I should be prepared for.
Thank you for posting this. I received two degrees in English Literature and the hardest part about studying for the LSAT was rewiring my brain and fighting against six years of training, especially with Reading Comprehension.
Bit late to this video, but great job! I am starting to wrap up my undergrad in a month or so. This was a massive help and very well put together. Thank you for the effort!
I’m nearly halfway through with Mechanical engineering and thinking about maybe going to Law school. I really enjoy both physics, math, along with history and court cases in the past
You can do intellectual property law and focus on patents for inventions and such. And if you can’t get a job for that you always have engineer based jobs to fall back on
Conventional wisdom is that major does not matter as long as you have a good GPA. But in my experience the more non-traditional the major is the better your chances of getting into a top law school, and even with an average GPA in hard science or engineering you can get into top law schools.
so in america you first need to finish some college major before aplying to law school? wow...in europe there is no need for that you just go straight to law school :) i dont know which one is better you tell me
Legal education developed differently in the United States than it did in Europe. From the beginning, law in Europe was taught in the universities. But in the United States, law was taught at professional schools. Even universities that had legal programs ran them as semi-independent professional schools. About a hundred years ago, the American legal profession wanted to upgrade the profession, so they encouraged law schools to only admit students that already had a four year college degree. By the late 1950's all law schools had that requirement, making it impossible to become a lawyer without first getting a four year college degree. Though this does increase the amount of time someone must spend to become a lawyer, it does produce better educated lawyers. That is the advantage. The disadvantage involves the cost in time and money. The lawyer loses four years he or she could have earned money, and there is the additional cost of a four year college education. Some law students are now graduating law school with close to $400,000 in debt because of all the education costs.
Oh, thanks for the information! I knew education was expensive in USA but I certainly did not know it was THAT expensive. I would not necessarily agree with the fact that USA lawyers are better educated but at the same time I certainly cannot say they are worse by any means. It really depends on the faculty and professors. Comparing would also be hard, since USA has a totally diefferent law system. In USA the emphasis is on previous judgements of the Supreme court, where as in Europe judges must judge solely from the country's constitution and actual laws plus international ratified law (+and yes, I know precedents also have more and more impact in our system, but judges can still "step" away from them). And if I may add, the Romans really built strong and righteous foundations to law more than 2000 years ago and they still stand till this day. :) thanks again for the reply!
When I said better educated, I should have said more broadly educated. When someone graduates from an American college, they leave with a specialty in at least one discipline, and often two. For example, someone could graduate college with an accounting degree and finance degree, and then go to law school. I am not qualified to compare our two legal education systems and cannot say if three years of law school in America is comparable to three years of law school in Europe.
I got my degree in accounting and became a CPA before in entered law school. While accounting did little for my reading and writing skills, accounting taught you how to think logical, straight forward and programmatic way that law school does not. A plus side is that only about 5% of law school students have a business background and, in my case, I have multiple years of tax work under my belt. So while the undegrad and experience was not a big help in preparing me for law school it does help my prospects after law school. Maybe you all could do a video on the best majors or licenses to merge with a law degree.
Thanks for the comment and the advice. I also have an undergraduate accounting degree, which I earned after law school, hoping that it would help me get into public accounting. What I noticed with my accounting students was a general inability to be very creative--good "B" students, but rarely "A" students. I think this is because they were so rule bound. But I can see how someone who practiced accounting and tax could move beyond a formal accounting education do well in law school.
I got my LLM in Tax in one year, right after the JD. Took me 8 years to get the accounting degree, a couple of classes a semester while I was practicing law-it was my 6th academic degree.
This video must be marking the 5th or 6th time I've heard about a certain 3.96 GPA, lol. Love your videos, and thank you for your expertise and guidance! Can you make a video about the versatility of what someone can use a law degree for (aside from its formal use)?
After watching this video, I can see I'm on target. Reassuring is for me important because it helps me stay focused and maintaining a good grade point .
So quarantine brought me here. I was like, really struggling if i should go to med school or law school. And if it is law school, what major should I take? This video literally helped me. Btw I am 15 years old and seeking for a brighter future.
There are MD/JD programs out there so technically you don’t have to choose between the two. I suggest that you explore a variety of classes while fulfilling your Medical prerequisites (Calculus, Physics, Anatomy & Physiology, Chemistry, OChem and so forth) and then choose what is most appealing to you. The MCAT (the standardized entrance exam for medical school) now requires you to have some knowledge about sociology; so I would consider taking a class or two and seeing if that interests you. Michelle Obama was a sociology major and was very successful in law school. However, like @learnlawbetter said the most important thing is finding a major you enjoy and can maintain a high GPA in. A high GPA is also imperative for medical school.
Part of the problem is that people probably ask you “what do you think you want to do when you grow up.” That’s not a good question at your stage in life.
Sasha Lendesa You're not very behind. I just turned 17 and I started thinking about college at just about 16. If you're struggling, I highly recommend looking at your high school classes and see what you enjoy the most, BUT be careful because there is a very fine line of what you want to do in life versus what pays your bills and puts food on the table. At first, I wanted to be a general history major (lol, i know right) until I researched the job prospects, salary, opportunity, etc... Definitely not worth going into in my honest opinion. I then looked more into the social sciences and found what I will likely pursue in college: Economics. From my personal research, the degrees are pretty reliable and job prospects are promising. I wanted to either get an advanced degree or stick with a bachelor's and go to law school (hence why I'm looking at this video). TLDR; It all starts with you and what you want to do, but don't pick a useless degree that'll consequentally end up burying you in debt
I'm an incoming college student this year. My course is Bachelor of Arts in Communication. I still haven't decided what major I will take but I really have a passion in writing. It is my dream to pursue Journalism and seeing this video made me feel better about it. I've become interested in law just few days ago. I want to contribute something in the society and I do hope I will be strong and determined enough to proceed to law school after I graduate college. ❤ Thank you for this video! My interest in law brought me here. ☺
I hope you have a great experience in college-my second daughter starts college in the fall. If you pursue law, keep in mind that the writing you do for journalism is very different from law school writing. This is because journalism values succinctness whereas legal writing is more verbose.
Steven Anne Gustilo He is right that journalism isn't particularly helpful with law school exams. However, I find it extremely helpful for actual legal practice. Journalism is great for reading and understanding large amounts of information, distilling it down to the most important information, then quickly and effectively communicating that information. If your goal is to be a great law student, you can work hard and do it despite your major. If your goal is to be a great lawyer, I think journalism will give you a leg up.
Thank you for making this video sir. I am a high school student passionate about engineering, which I will take in college. I am highly considering law school, and after watching this video, you have given me more reason to study harder. Thanks once again.
If you plan to get into patent law then you should be fine. Law firms are desperate to find qualified people who can practice before the patent office.
I took a 3 year break from college and got back in... Before returning my therapist talked me out of going back to school majoring in Engineering, so I chose Political Science.... I'm graduating in December and there's not a day that goes by that I wish I didn't listen to her.
Find a major you enjoy, so that you can earn the best grades possible. But psychology won’t provide you with the skills needed in law school. And that is okay.
Sir , I'm from India and aspire to get into top law schools . My financial background is not that strong . I have a 3.67 GPA I want to ask that is that optional to give SAT/ LSAT or we need to give both
I’ve discovered your videos and your channel recently, I’m a 20 yr old PoliSci major who started my undergraduate pretty late as far as age, and i wanted to know more about law school. Your videos are making me feel more confident in the direction im taking in my career and i want to say thank you. 😁
In my country , I studied law, philosophy and journalist and worked as a lawyer about 17 years( contract law was my specialist ) and studied some philosophy classes in the United States. Now I am applying to study to get master degree in legal studies and i have two choices: 1- general legal studies 2- contract law . If you can I need your advice regarding my English not very well. My respect
You should make a list for each option. First, list every advantage of that option-keep going till you run out of ideas. Then list each negative. Next, repeat for the other option. Finally, compare the lists and decide on one route.
I major in Legal Studies and I take courses such as Civil Procedure, Contract Law, Legal Research and Writing, Legal Ethics, Personal Injury Law, Constitutional Law, etc. I also am minoring in Psychology, do you think that those two combined are good for Law school?
This could be a good major, if you understand that college courses are not law school courses. If you go to law school thinking you have an advantage over the others you will not do as well, because you won't push yourself. This is because law school exams are very different from law school exams. Never let your guard down and work your tail off if you want to do well in law school.
A business major will help a little bit with a few courses in law school, but won’t help you get into corporate law. To get into corporate law you want to get into a top law school and then graduate towards the top of the class. Many others make the jump after working in Big Law and then moving into corporate law.
Big Law are very large law firms, often having hundreds of attorneys in many large cities around the country. They tend to represent the largest businesses around the world.
I am double majoring in criminology centered in criminal justice/ political science. I am trying to choose my minor in either legal studies or legal thought. My hope to plan to become a criminal defense lawyer. I am beyond excited to be on this journey.
I absolutely love this vidoe. I chose my major before figuring out I would like to attend law school. I chose my major because I genuinely love the majors! And I love your advice given to my major. I always try to keep my mindset open to learning everything I possibly can! I will remember this. Thank you so much.
I would think legal thought would be more useful, assuming there are some more philosophical courses in the curriculum. A new study came out recently, demonstrating the advantage that philosophy majors have in law school.
Make sure you work on getting A’s and start working on the LSAT year after your freshman year. The area of law you want to get into is. I competitive, which means you need to go to an elite law school like Yale, Stanford, or Georgetown.
Law enforcement has a slight edge in criminal law and criminal procedure. Just make sure to follow the law taught in class and not what you did in law enforcement.
Wow! I felt so relieved to hear this. I was a music major and I was just thinking about how my academic record was automatically going to relegate me to the "denied" pile. This is hope!!!! Would you consider doing a video on law school for neurodivergent students and also a separate video on law school for older students? I fit into both categories. I'm hopeful I will get accepted somewhere for Fall 2020.
@@Learnlawbetter I was still so nervous the last three weeks. Today, I got my first acceptance at Rutgers. I'm in shock. I'm an older student and my GPA wasn't that good. I'm so excited. I'm wondering if I should even apply to the other 3 private colleges on my list. Thank you for making great content.
@@ElenaBrandtNJ Congratulations! I would apply and see what the other schools offer. Even if Rutgers is your first choice, you can use a second offer to maybe get some scholarship money from them.
What about major in pure math, minor in philosophy and computer science? I feel like my case is the weirdest combo lol. I started out as a computer science major, but just changed it recently because I found out math and philosophy is way more fun. All the computer science classes I took give me this minor. I can speak multiple language and definitely have the passion to keep working on my language skills. I’m really confused what kind of career I should do after I finished my undergrad.. (I’m planning to go to law school 2 or 3 years after I graduate from undergrad. ) any advice is appreciated❤️
These are unusual majors in law school. But certainly not ones that will hurt you. I’m guessing that the logical thinking you developed should be quite beneficial in law school.
I was planning on majoring in criminal justice so I could get a better understanding of the law but now I don’t know. It also worries me they tend to have the lowest LSAT scores
If you like the major then do it. Just take some electives with courses that require more critical thinking skills, like seen in some history and philosophy programs.
I was a philosophy major who went on to get an M.A. in that discipline; but my best friend at the time, who took philosophy courses along with me, did 'divert' to law school en route to becoming a successful lawyer. As for my subsequent career, I did freelance research and writing for awhile, which left enough flexibility in my workday to enable me to pick up a second graduate degree in information science. This led to a one year stint at a consulting firm, after which I was hired by the online search unit of a major reference library. I ended up a career reference librarian, which suited me perfectly since all I'd ever aspired to do was keep on reading and learning things. I'm retired now but was never unemployed; so there is light at the end of the tunnel for philosophy majors. Chancing on this video, I'm not at all surprised to learn that an academic background in logic, epistemology and intellectual history is ideal preparation for law school. It's good preparation for much else besides, including, as it turns out, attaining a financial security that's beyond threatening in retirement.
I'm a biomedical science undergrad major, I got a medium range LSAT score and just went to the nearest law school near me. The honest truth is it doesn't really matter where you go to law school, it's who you know. You can have a perfect 180 LSAT score, go to Harvard (that school really went down hill over the past 10 years), and not land a decent job. But yes, it's the undergrad degree combined with the JD that determines the kind of job you will have. Law is law, you will learn it no matter where you go and everyone ends up taking the same bar exam.
Yes, if you are well connected before going to law school and you have a career path planned out, then the law school you attend won’t matter as much. But I wouldn’t completely discount the doors that an elite law school will open for you.
Great idea, but then there is the problem of how grades are awarded at each college. The same major could be easy at one college but much harder at a different college.
Ben Paik How would you objectively rank certain majors over others? I’m guessing your thinking is something along the lines of “STEM good libtards bad”.
I have two bachelors: a bachelors in English & a bachelors legal studies, wondering if with the legal studies will that look favorable when I apply to law school
Your undergraduate major doesn't matter much to most law schools. The two primary factors driving law school admissions these days is LSAT and undergraduate GPA. A the most selective law schools (Yale, Harvard, and Stanford), they likely do look at majors more closely, but that is to have some balance in their classes.
Hi, I'm from Brazil and I'm trying to learn English through TH-cam and how I like law. I would like to request subtitles in Portuguese please. I hope Google translator did a good job 🙌🙌. thanks !!!
Yes, they ask the right questions. The problem is that they are trained to write concisely, which hurts them when writing a law school essay. Writing concisely makes sense for limited space in a newspaper article, but lawyers need much more.
My students with journalism degrees provide “just the facts” Lawyers also want to know the why, in minute detail. This means teaching law students to go much deeper in their analysis than they are used to. When working with journalism majors I tell them to be more verbose in their writing. That usually helps them down the path to becoming great legal writers.
Nice! Philosophy is kind of risky. Go to law school and you will be prepared if you try hard. Drop out of law school or don't go to law school what the fuck are you going to do with a philosophy major. Good luck dude, hope the best for you!
This actually gives me some hope because I knew I wanted to go to Las school since I was very young, my major is in philosophy and I have a minor in italian, I also love to play the violin. So hearing you say that this may help gives me a lot of hope, especially while studying for the lsat
Hi! I was thinking of majoring in history, and I was wondering if the analytical skills you speak of could be similar to those of historian. Not sure if many history majors go on to law school... In your experience, is this a viable major choice? Love your videos, they’ve helped me a lot recently - thanks!
I've had a number of history majors in my classes, and I took a number of history classes in college just for fun. Based on my observations, I don't believe history majors have any significant advantage in law school. While history professors do ask questions about the causes for certain events in history, that's not the same as what law schools require. For example, a law school professor will ask you in class to discuss a judicial decision. So far, that's just like a history discussion. But then the professor will change the facts from the case, and ask you to analyze the new facts. The law professor does this because he is trying to get to a principle in the case. This is because the practice of law requires lawyers to deal with new facts all the time, not old ones they covered in class. By the way, I do think it is easier to get top grades in history over many other majors in college. You have to balance a few factors: a topic you enjoy, a discipline that you believe will get you "A's," and something you wouldn't mind doing if you change your mind about law school.
Law schools are cognisant of the grade averages depending on the major. They are familiar with STEM students who may average 3.2 rather than a philosophy student that averages 3.8. The science students have more difficult programs. Logical. STEM students often do well in LSAT.
When I was on the admissions committee, this would come up when discussing STEM candidates. But always at the end of the admissions cycle when we were filling the last few seats--their lower GPA hurt them from early consideration.
I did Computer Science, though I’ve been considering Law school lately. Sadly it’d be a pay cut for me at this point and I’d only be doing it out of personal reasons. We’ll see I guess.
A friend of mine majored in philosophy and minored in econ. So she's unemployed, but she understands why.
This is gold.
@Blarie Economics, yes. Philosophy, no. Unless you want to pursue graduate school.
Apparently she doesn’t. Seems like she’s not even trying to find a career that Philosophy could help with (aka a shit ton of jobs)
@@Anonymous-nr6qb how about majoring in both political science and econ. I'm majoring in Political science and i'm deciding whether to double major along with econ
Your GPA is essential. If you can get A’s and do both then great.
The truth is the major doesn’t matter. Your GPA and LSAT are the things that matter. Score high and go wherever you want.
Well yes, your major does matter because law school only takes 1/10, so if your major was shit, good luck getting a job and paying off that debt that will now last 20 years.
@@johnspence8141 Buddy there are plenty of law schools...
@@Irisicaaa Yup, but only 20% of people who set out for law school actually get there, and even those that get a law degree about 30% never work in the field of law (because it isn't what they thought it would be). As for those that complete, the good schools distinguish who they want and the good firms distinguish which law schools they want...so ya if you want to be better call Saul, no problemo...buddy.
@@johnspence8141 well jimmy got into a good firm but he's an immature person, with a self esteem problem and a childish thinking always seeking the easiest way to screw people around and get what he wants rather what will benefits him in the long run so it's just normal that he gets the L and the F in the show... he scored a mercedes at a point but he wanted to go big and fast that was dumb
@@johnspence8141 my law school debt was 10k lol!
I'm a music composition major. Most people give me strange looks when I tell them that I'm applying to law school. Watching this video was reassuring!
I began my college career as a music major, and have wondered why music majors tend to do better. I think it's because the amount of practice time. This forces music majors to be more disciplined, as they don't have as much time to waste as others in college.
holy crap i just clicked this video out of curiosity and i am a music undergrad in uni myself! to second Trevor Crookston, I amvery reassured as well!
Trevor Crookston good luck!
Just read this. in my country one of the best and most read annotated lawbooks that profs always recommend is authored by a judge whose prelaw was Music. 💪
what matters is if you have the desire and like justice, law, and have integrity. Undergrad is just the beginning and that's why it doesn't matter what major you do.
I’m an Accounting major who plans on pursuing Corporate Law. When I tell people that, they ask why I’m not majoring in Finance or Political Science. My reasoning is always that if I change my mind about becoming a lawyer, I can fall back on my Accounting degree and become an Accountant or something else in the business world
I'm doing the same thing!
Hi! I'm a CPA with 13 yrs of experience and recently starting Law School. My advice for you is that you stay aware of what you are passionate about; given that both professions require a lot of discipline and time sacrifice. In accounting, to stay ahead you should get the CPA license as soon as you graduate, do an internship at a Big 4 Firm or any other Large National CPA Firms. However, if you do it solely to fall back on something that makes money, you will be miserable. Experiment and don't be afraid of the path you are making for yourself. I'm starting to learn that in Law, you have to be open argument to both sides of the case. Accounting is pretty much, black and white, so you will have to think differently and be a "blank slate", judging facts solely on the Legal Doctrine. Best of luck on you professional journey!
@@ceciliarivera2106 I agree with your statement. I literally had the same mindset. I am currently a freshman in college majoring in Accounting.Why? Because my mindset is “I have many career options to fall back on”. But after awhile I feel like my happiness and motivation isn’t in Accounting, and that’s why I am exploring other majors, preferably Marketing, Economics, or Political Science. Majors that I am actually interested in, and not so much the money
Nice
I would do something like that, but I'm afraid that my GPA will take a hit if I'm studying something that I'm not passionate about.
I'm like 15 years old why I'm I watching this
I'm 31 and watch a few legal channels for some reason, Law was one degree I never even considered doing, ever. Just an interesting path to go down, though I'm sure the work is way less glamorous than media makes it out to be lol.
me too
I just turned 16 and I genuinely think it's better to think ahead and figure out what you want to do rather then panic at the last second
@@PawsitivelyQuestionable true hehe even when people get weirded out but then they end up panicking
Sis same
I like your videos a lot. You get right to the point but don't discourage anyone who might not be in the "best" position to go to law school. I was a paralegal when I applied to law school, having majored in Psychology before that. But I worked in a very obscure field of law (representing parents in child protection cases). So to me, everything I learned was new, and other than the half of one day in my Family Law class where we covered child protection law did I ever feel like I had a "head up" on the law. I am happy to report that I just passed the bar exam in my state in will be sworn in a week from today.
Congratulations! That is a great accomplishment.
Sanchito BOC p
CONGRATS!! I too, am a paralegal right now. Studying for my LSAT. Say a prayer for me!
I'm actually going to be earning my Paralegal Graduate Certificate over the next year and hope to work as one before deciding whether I want to go on to law school or not. Your comment is very helpful to know becoming a paralegal is a good choice before deciding on law school or not.
One warning: if you then go to law school, don’t rely on ANYTHING you learned as a paralegal. I’ve seen several paralegals flunk out of law school because they thought they had an advantage. Working for lawyers doesn’t prepare someone for law school.
All the philosophy majors put ya hands uppppp ...just me..cool
Raquel Muzzio hell yeah!!! 😇💪🏻
I got you bro
I just got my BA in philosophy, going to get my MA in the fall!
YES!!
Just started
As an engineering major it is EXTREMELY HARD to get straight A’s
If you want to make $$$, pick a STEM major or accounting. Whether you get AAA's or not, go to the most affordable law school because starting a career with a mountain of debt sucks, and you may never climb out from under the debt that they try to sell to law students these days. I know people with $250K law school debt...crazy! Also, unless you go to Harvard law (best, mostly because the friends & contacts you will make provide a career advantage), nobody will care where you go to law school, not a single client has ever asked me.
Joshua makes a great point. Borrowing hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to "any" law school is not wise. This is because job opportunities for some law schools are more limited. Also, graduating at the bottom of any law school, including Harvard, will limit your job opportunities.
@@Learnlawbetter
I'm finishing up an engineering degree now and I am considering law school and an engineering graduate program. I think you've reassured me that it's not so ludicrous for a student from a technical background to jump into studying law.
Every few years I have an engineering student in one of my classes.
@@Learnlawbetter
If you don't mind me asking, is it still quite rare to have STEM majors pursuing an education in law? My interests stem from wanting to work either (eventually) in a government regulation agency or to understand intellectual property and incorporate that into my list of skills where ever I go.
Yes, fairly rare. But a few each year.
Based on LSAC data, it seems out of the top 10-15 most common majors found in law school applicants, Economics majors tend to have the highest LSAT scores. They also have a good degree that can land them a job should they not elect to go down the law school path.
Iqqy Foo Why would you want to be an investment banker lol the hours are crazy
Yeah boi. I sold my soul to the Econ gods four years ago.
Make sure you work on mastering the law school essay, beginning when you start law school.
IM MAJORING IN ECON!!! Yesss
Law Schools only care about your GPA and LSAT scores, let's be real. It's also hard to fail out at a reputable law school, so getting a high GPA to get to a highly ranked school would be a good stepping stone. In other words, shouldn't the best major for law school be the easiest one?
I’m a political science major but my favorite college classes, by far, were the three philosophy classes that I took. I’ve enjoyed most of my political science classes but the philosophy classes really intrigued me. As a senior, I look back and wonder if I would’ve enjoyed majoring in philosophy more than political science. Oh well, at least I did take a few philosophy classes.
And keep reading. College is the beginning of your education, not the end. I still stop to learn new things, even when they aren’t directly related to what I do for a living.
I studied philosophy in undergrad and really the 2 main differences that I noticed among different departments was teaching methodology (which the video explains) but also grading methodology. What I mean by that is that in philosophy you’ll be assigned maybe a total of 50-100 pages of reading in between assignments which are usually just papers. Yes it’s not a lot of reading but it’s dense and you’re expected to treat every sentence seriously. That means you’ll have to digest the reading throughout several weeks and there’s no way around it since it’s the sole source you’ll be using for your papers. It’s near impossible to wing a philosophy paper. You can wing papers in almost every other humanities major and probably any social science that assigns papers. All this means is study what you like, BUT give it the seriousness you’d give anything else that’s as expensive as your degree. You can have a rewarding experience studying English but if you’re writing all of your papers the night before you’re wasting your damn time being in college.
I am a Fine Arts Major. My mom has been an attorney for 28 years. I grew up going to court and enjoy learning about the law. I was thinking about entertainment law. I am afraid to pursue though because I don't want to fail.
Your feeling is very common. Many successful people feel the same way. In fact, there is a psychological condition called “imposter syndrome,” where successful people believe they shouldn’t be where they are.
You have a parent who understands the law, which is a huge advantage over others.
Learn Law Better , this explains exactly how I feel :0
Thank you for the reply!
Posey it takes failure to succeed get to it
Update? What did you end up doing? :)
Even though I am a German Law School Student, i found your videos quite interesting and revealing.
I really did enjoy watching them.
Glad that the videos are useful to those in civil law countries.
I was going to do philosophy on a whim during my pre-law courses. I never realized it'd be so beneficial.
You want a few Philosophy seminar classes, where the professor gets students to discuss issues.
I like this guy. Everything he said was very realistic, "straight forward", and true.
I've heard that a history major is also good for law school because, like philosophy, it encourages critical thinking skills.
It really depends on the history program. You need to be in a history program that requires lots of writing. More and more colleges are moving towards multiple choice and short answer exams--those types of exams won't help.
History originated as philosophy. That is why when you receive a Ph.D. in history, you're a doctor of philosophy. History is a good major for law school because of similar writing styles and a need to do a ton of research. Most presidents who went to law school got their BA in history.
Journalism is pretty good too. Especially if you want to be a entertainment lawyer
I'm upset political science got beat out by Music and Engineering 😂
Kolton Whitmire same
Political science is discouraged to be taken up as a prelaw course since you're just gonna relearn pol sci in a semester once you enter a law school
No Poli Sci. Bummer. I'm a poli sci major who plans on going to law school while pursuing her Master's in Public Policy. I mean it all determine how much you want it. My sister was theater major is now a physician. Its either 'I want it' or 'I'll make an excuse'.
Misae political science is still the major a lot of students did even at the top law schools
Polo sci is a joke of a major that’s why lol
My major is in International Law and Human Rights. I also got to study International Economic Law, Private International Law, Marine & space law.
My professor would always encourage us to establish a nexus between global affairs, international diplomacy and the role international law and UN has on it. The historical perspective on human rights, international economic law and the great economic depression, World war one-two and the bretton woods system, The banana war, law of the sea etc etc. We would often have classroom discussions about these things. It was so interesting. Now I am going to pursue phD in international law. Let's hope my dissertation gets selected.
Sounds like exciting topics. I recall my international law professor referring to the Law on the Sea Treaty as LOST. I doubt the US will ever sign it.
Finally someone that actually gave some actual information backed with facts and experience. Thank you!
Glad I could help.
Being a lawyer for 32 years and a founding senior partner in a very successful private firm I can say that the best students are STEM students that concentrate on majors that emphasise mathematics and critical thinking. Such as Math, Computer science, biochemistry and physics. Like engineering they concentrate on logic, explanation and serious study.
Very few of them in the classroom :) But my experience with them is that they tend to be very good students. Also, their job opportunities tend to be better, especially for those that have the right degrees to go into patent work.
@Zhanger We can also tell you are extremely poor.
@Zhanger Nope, you are poor, and clearly stupid. Emphasis on the last part as it is now plainly obvious.
@Zhanger Pretty strong stance from a late night fry cook.
EDIT: You deleted your post! Epic!
@Zhanger Nope, it is because your first sentence is grammatically incorrect. And you are poor =)
Agree with that video. Being a person who studied both law and phil, I would just add that it depends which "type" of philosophy you like. If you're heavy into logic, debates, epistemology kinda part of phil then you'll probably do pretty well in law. If you're more in the historical/continental part of phil, you might need to accustome yourself a bit to law-type of thinking.
I am preparing for a law school exam. Thank you for your videos.
Glad that they are helping you, and thanks for watching!
What about accounting majors? Some of my accounting professor are lawyers. Public accounting is heavily regulated and the tax law is very complex so I noticed a lot of accounting professional go to law school.
I’m an accounting major. It won’t really help you, unless you take a tax class. And even then, only if your professor covers depreciation. Many don’t.
@Rich 91 are you a lawyer? I didn't think so. This man knows what he is talking about and he IS a lawyer.
@Rich 91 child, you're the student and I'm the professional. I've been a lawyer for over a decade. You don't know enough to have this conversation with me. Goodbye✌🏾
You might as well study accounting at some point, because as a business or tax lawyer, you're going to need to know the numbers anyway.
While I agree that journalistic training can be a barrier to success on law school exams, it is not a barrier to learning law and working in the field. Journalism requires the ability to quickly read and understand vast amount of material then distill it down to need-to-know information. That is exactly what law clerks, public defenders, prosecutors, and practicing attorneys need to do in practice. The first thing my judge says to me about a case is, "Tell me what to do." He doesn't want an exam answer. He doesn't have time for that. He wants me to sort through all relevant information and provide him with his options for the case and if asked for, a succinct reason. So while the major may require extra work during law school, it is quite helpful in day to day legal work once you aren't in school.
Thanks for that observation. There is so much focus on the skills needed for law school that we forget there is life after law school.
Damn, I am a criminal justice major.
Just means you need to work a bit harder and not be complacent.
Learn Law Better do you have any recommendations on how to work harder? You are absolutely right when you say philosophy Majors Excel greater in the LSAT and in law school because criminal justice ,even though we read,do not read as much as philosophy major do.
Two suggestions. One, to keep you focused during your study time, use the Pomodoro technique: th-cam.com/video/pykVMV7bLYk/w-d-xo.html
Second, don't study one subject for hours. The idea is that you want to mix up topics so that your brain retains more information. For example, spend 25 minutes on Subject 1 then take a five minute break. Then spend 25 minutes on Subject 2. It feels strange at first, but scientific studies demonstrates that most people learn better this way.
same yo, minoring in english tho. Most of these majors have no route if you dont go to law school. At least w CJ there are tons of gov agencies to work for if u dont go to law school
I'm a CJ major too but I love it! Two more years until I graduate with my B.S and I'm currently stacking up on books and practice test so I can practice for the LSAT in my down time. I plan on taking it my senior year if I feel I'm prepared enough. I'm not changing my major and will try a philosophy class and maybe get some philosophy books just to get me in a better habit of long "boring" books. Its all about how an individual prepares themselves overall. Good luck in your journey fellow CJ major :)!
I majored in English with a minor in Legal Studies. My English degree helped me get an A in my Legal Writing and App Ad class. While my Legal Studies minor helped me develop a basic understanding of legal concepts, along with the confusing vocabulary.
Undergraduate programs vary wildly depending on the curriculum and professors teaching in the program. For example, English majors who primarily focused on creative writing need to shift focus to legal writing.
@@Learnlawbetter Good point, and something I did not consider. The focus at my university was mostly on analytical essays involving British and American Literature.
Wow! I feel so discouraged now! This video won’t stop me but definitely has me thinking. I love English and love Criminal Justice. I actually planned on majoring in those two but I still have time to think about everything!
If you enjoy those disciplines, then take them. You will still have room for electives, so take at least three philosophy classes (intro, logic, and one other), and look for courses that force you to write essays. The more technical writing you can do the better off you'll be in law school. Well wishes as you start your journey (my eldest just finished her second year and my next child starts in the fall--three more after that!).
Ok. So based on what he said, I'm kinda on the right track. I achieved my Real Estate license back in 2018 which sparked it all. Now I'm finishing up my bachelor degree in Business Law, (thanks to my employer). I want to be a paralegal while I study for the LSAT; and I want to cap it all off with a JD practicing as a Real Estate Attorney. Fingers crossed!
This is really helpful I am sophomore student in international school and I always admired and wanted to be a corportate lawyer. I think this channel will give me a chance for better understanding of what I should be prepared for.
Glad I can help!
Thank you for posting this. I received two degrees in English Literature and the hardest part about studying for the LSAT was rewiring my brain and fighting against six years of training, especially with Reading Comprehension.
Thanks for sharing. It’s hard for some students to come to this realization, but glad you did it before starting law school.
fighting what exactly and why?
The type of thinking required for English literature is very different from the thinking needed in the LSAT and law school.
@@Learnlawbetter Amy Conney Barret seems to be doing well as an English major!
Thanks for the information, keep up with the good videos, I would like to see a new video soon.
Bit late to this video, but great job! I am starting to wrap up my undergrad in a month or so. This was a massive help and very well put together. Thank you for the effort!
Thank you. Glad you found it helpful.
I was a marketing major. Helps big time with the business growth side of things
Yes, lots of majors help after law school.
Lmaooo Speech Communication. I'm dead. This dude been scheming since high school, good shit
I’m nearly halfway through with Mechanical engineering and thinking about maybe going to Law school. I really enjoy both physics, math, along with history and court cases in the past
You can do intellectual property law and focus on patents for inventions and such. And if you can’t get a job for that you always have engineer based jobs to fall back on
Conventional wisdom is that major does not matter as long as you have a good GPA. But in my experience the more non-traditional the major is the better your chances of getting into a top law school, and even with an average GPA in hard science or engineering you can get into top law schools.
Not just discipline, but musicianship also requires a combination of almost mathematical logic and precise performance
so in america you first need to finish some college major before aplying to law school? wow...in europe there is no need for that you just go straight to law school :) i dont know which one is better you tell me
Legal education developed differently in the United States than it did in Europe. From the beginning, law in Europe was taught in the universities. But in the United States, law was taught at professional schools. Even universities that had legal programs ran them as semi-independent professional schools. About a hundred years ago, the American legal profession wanted to upgrade the profession, so they encouraged law schools to only admit students that already had a four year college degree. By the late 1950's all law schools had that requirement, making it impossible to become a lawyer without first getting a four year college degree.
Though this does increase the amount of time someone must spend to become a lawyer, it does produce better educated lawyers. That is the advantage. The disadvantage involves the cost in time and money. The lawyer loses four years he or she could have earned money, and there is the additional cost of a four year college education. Some law students are now graduating law school with close to $400,000 in debt because of all the education costs.
Oh, thanks for the information! I knew education was expensive in USA but I certainly did not know it was THAT expensive.
I would not necessarily agree with the fact that USA lawyers are better educated but at the same time I certainly cannot say they are worse by any means. It really depends on the faculty and professors. Comparing would also be hard, since USA has a totally diefferent law system. In USA the emphasis is on previous judgements of the Supreme court, where as in Europe judges must judge solely from the country's constitution and actual laws plus international ratified law (+and yes, I know precedents also have more and more impact in our system, but judges can still "step" away from them). And if I may add, the Romans really built strong and righteous foundations to law more than 2000 years ago and they still stand till this day.
:) thanks again for the reply!
When I said better educated, I should have said more broadly educated. When someone graduates from an American college, they leave with a specialty in at least one discipline, and often two. For example, someone could graduate college with an accounting degree and finance degree, and then go to law school. I am not qualified to compare our two legal education systems and cannot say if three years of law school in America is comparable to three years of law school in Europe.
Very encouraging keep it up
As long as it’s not Eastern Europe I’m fine with that
I got in with a finance major with a minor in marketing! Kept a near perfect GPA and prepared for the LSAT!
Many thanks for the video.
I would try manual focus on the camera for this kind of videos.
My bestfriend’s dad majored in history at UT, went back to UT for law, and does incredibly well for himself now
I got my degree in accounting and became a CPA before in entered law school. While accounting did little for my reading and writing skills, accounting taught you how to think logical, straight forward and programmatic way that law school does not. A plus side is that only about 5% of law school students have a business background and, in my case, I have multiple years of tax work under my belt. So while the undegrad and experience was not a big help in preparing me for law school it does help my prospects after law school. Maybe you all could do a video on the best majors or licenses to merge with a law degree.
Thanks for the comment and the advice. I also have an undergraduate accounting degree, which I earned after law school, hoping that it would help me get into public accounting. What I noticed with my accounting students was a general inability to be very creative--good "B" students, but rarely "A" students. I think this is because they were so rule bound. But I can see how someone who practiced accounting and tax could move beyond a formal accounting education do well in law school.
I got my LLM in Tax in one year, right after the JD. Took me 8 years to get the accounting degree, a couple of classes a semester while I was practicing law-it was my 6th academic degree.
Great video!
This video must be marking the 5th or 6th time I've heard about a certain 3.96 GPA, lol. Love your videos, and thank you for your expertise and guidance! Can you make a video about the versatility of what someone can use a law degree for (aside from its formal use)?
I’m still bitter about those two B’s :) I’ll write your suggestion down on my list of future episodes.
After watching this video, I can see I'm on target. Reassuring is for me important because it helps me stay focused and maintaining a good grade point .
Awesome! Glad the videos are helping.
These videos are very well composed and executed. Great advice. Thank you so much!
Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. If there is anything I can do to improve them let me know.
i’m planning for law school, and this channel is a gold mine. thanks!
Glad I can help. Hope you do well.
That was an amazing explanation... I wish he would teach me in law school.
Happy to help
Engineering and Logic. Helped me out tremendously
So quarantine brought me here. I was like, really struggling if i should go to med school or law school. And if it is law school, what major should I take? This video literally helped me. Btw I am 15 years old and seeking for a brighter future.
There are MD/JD programs out there so technically you don’t have to choose between the two. I suggest that you explore a variety of classes while fulfilling your Medical prerequisites (Calculus, Physics, Anatomy & Physiology, Chemistry, OChem and so forth) and then choose what is most appealing to you. The MCAT (the standardized entrance exam for medical school) now requires you to have some knowledge about sociology; so I would consider taking a class or two and seeing if that interests you. Michelle Obama was a sociology major and was very successful in law school. However, like @learnlawbetter said the most important thing is finding a major you enjoy and can maintain a high GPA in. A high GPA is also imperative for medical school.
Glad I took philosophy courses, chorale/music, & experience in technical writing ✍🏾 from military and county jobs
I’m about to turn 16 and I feel like I’m way behind in figuring out my life. Why am I like this🤦🏾♀️
Part of the problem is that people probably ask you “what do you think you want to do when you grow up.” That’s not a good question at your stage in life.
Learn Law Better yeah I’m trying not to stress over it too much
Sasha Lendesa You're not very behind. I just turned 17 and I started thinking about college at just about 16. If you're struggling, I highly recommend looking at your high school classes and see what you enjoy the most, BUT be careful because there is a very fine line of what you want to do in life versus what pays your bills and puts food on the table. At first, I wanted to be a general history major (lol, i know right) until I researched the job prospects, salary, opportunity, etc... Definitely not worth going into in my honest opinion. I then looked more into the social sciences and found what I will likely pursue in college: Economics. From my personal research, the degrees are pretty reliable and job prospects are promising. I wanted to either get an advanced degree or stick with a bachelor's and go to law school (hence why I'm looking at this video). TLDR; It all starts with you and what you want to do, but don't pick a useless degree that'll consequentally end up burying you in debt
I'm an incoming college student this year. My course is Bachelor of Arts in Communication. I still haven't decided what major I will take but I really have a passion in writing. It is my dream to pursue Journalism and seeing this video made me feel better about it. I've become interested in law just few days ago. I want to contribute something in the society and I do hope I will be strong and determined enough to proceed to law school after I graduate college. ❤ Thank you for this video! My interest in law brought me here. ☺
I hope you have a great experience in college-my second daughter starts college in the fall. If you pursue law, keep in mind that the writing you do for journalism is very different from law school writing. This is because journalism values succinctness whereas legal writing is more verbose.
Steven Anne Gustilo He is right that journalism isn't particularly helpful with law school exams. However, I find it extremely helpful for actual legal practice. Journalism is great for reading and understanding large amounts of information, distilling it down to the most important information, then quickly and effectively communicating that information. If your goal is to be a great law student, you can work hard and do it despite your major. If your goal is to be a great lawyer, I think journalism will give you a leg up.
Thank you for making this video sir. I am a high school student passionate about engineering, which I will take in college. I am highly considering law school, and after watching this video, you have given me more reason to study harder. Thanks once again.
Damn I graduated engineering and want to pursue law in the future but I was not able to obtain a high GPA. Now idk if it's worth doing law school
If you plan to get into patent law then you should be fine. Law firms are desperate to find qualified people who can practice before the patent office.
I took a 3 year break from college and got back in... Before returning my therapist talked me out of going back to school majoring in Engineering, so I chose Political Science.... I'm graduating in December and there's not a day that goes by that I wish I didn't listen to her.
Good advice, but what do you think about psychology?
Find a major you enjoy, so that you can earn the best grades possible. But psychology won’t provide you with the skills needed in law school. And that is okay.
@@Learnlawbetter Thank you so much for replying back to me. I’m thinking about about philosophy just because it will help me think like a lawyer.
Sir , I'm from India and aspire to get into top law schools . My financial background is not that strong . I have a 3.67 GPA I want to ask that is that optional to give SAT/ LSAT or we need to give both
I’ve discovered your videos and your channel recently, I’m a 20 yr old PoliSci major who started my undergraduate pretty late as far as age, and i wanted to know more about law school. Your videos are making me feel more confident in the direction im taking in my career and i want to say thank you. 😁
That is awesome!
would a biochemistry major do poorly in law school? i'm worried that my only strength carrying over from the major will be problem-solving.
People with your major do fine in law school. You’ll have to learn how to write essays though-that takes time.
In my country , I studied law, philosophy and journalist and worked as a lawyer about 17 years( contract law was my specialist ) and studied some philosophy classes in the United States.
Now I am applying to study to get master degree in legal studies and i have two choices:
1- general legal studies
2- contract law .
If you can I need your advice regarding my English not very well.
My respect
You should make a list for each option. First, list every advantage of that option-keep going till you run out of ideas. Then list each negative. Next, repeat for the other option. Finally, compare the lists and decide on one route.
Great answer, its according to the socratic method.
More than one thanks
I major in Legal Studies and I take courses such as Civil Procedure, Contract Law, Legal Research and Writing, Legal Ethics, Personal Injury Law, Constitutional Law, etc. I also am minoring in Psychology, do you think that those two combined are good for Law school?
This could be a good major, if you understand that college courses are not law school courses. If you go to law school thinking you have an advantage over the others you will not do as well, because you won't push yourself. This is because law school exams are very different from law school exams. Never let your guard down and work your tail off if you want to do well in law school.
love those cushions tho, A for effort
This video is amazing! Thank you so much for your advice I really needed someone to help me understand about which major will be good for law school.
Also, finding a major you enjoy is important. Otherwise, you might not get the top grades necessary to help you get into law school.
Its gotta be the physics majors right? They score the highest in LSAT and do the best in law school. Thats what ppl say
What about about accounting? I honestly found that I hate it but I did earn a 4.0 anyway. I'm going for it!
One of my majors was accounting. Might help in a tax class, but not anywhere else.
@@Learnlawbetter thanks so much for your reply! I'm trying to decide what to switch my major to now, and later apply to law school. Appreciate it !
What are your thoughts on being a business major and then transitioning into law to be a corporate lawyer?
A business major will help a little bit with a few courses in law school, but won’t help you get into corporate law. To get into corporate law you want to get into a top law school and then graduate towards the top of the class. Many others make the jump after working in Big Law and then moving into corporate law.
@@Learnlawbetter Thank you so much!, but what do you mean "Big Law"
Big Law are very large law firms, often having hundreds of attorneys in many large cities around the country. They tend to represent the largest businesses around the world.
@@Learnlawbetter Thank you so much sir, most responsive channel on this website!
Yayy now I have an excuse to major in philosophy!!!
Lol that’s what I said too!
I am double majoring in criminology centered in criminal justice/ political science. I am trying to choose my minor in either legal studies or legal thought. My hope to plan to become a criminal defense lawyer. I am beyond excited to be on this journey.
I absolutely love this vidoe. I chose my major before figuring out I would like to attend law school. I chose my major because I genuinely love the majors! And I love your advice given to my major. I always try to keep my mindset open to learning everything I possibly can! I will remember this. Thank you so much.
I would think legal thought would be more useful, assuming there are some more philosophical courses in the curriculum. A new study came out recently, demonstrating the advantage that philosophy majors have in law school.
So I’m going to start college in the fall and I plan to major in Economics and Finance so that hopefully I may become a financial attorney
Make sure you work on getting A’s and start working on the LSAT year after your freshman year. The area of law you want to get into is. I competitive, which means you need to go to an elite law school like Yale, Stanford, or Georgetown.
I'm in Law Enforcement and have a degree in Physical Education... hopefully I can overcome that hump
Law enforcement has a slight edge in criminal law and criminal procedure. Just make sure to follow the law taught in class and not what you did in law enforcement.
What about Psychology majors? That’s what I’m currently majoring in and I’m wanting to go to law school.
It won’t hurt or help you. Focus on getting top grades, which is what will help the most.
Wow! I felt so relieved to hear this. I was a music major and I was just thinking about how my academic record was automatically going to relegate me to the "denied" pile. This is hope!!!!
Would you consider doing a video on law school for neurodivergent students and also a separate video on law school for older students? I fit into both categories. I'm hopeful I will get accepted somewhere for Fall 2020.
Law school admissions is primarily driven by GPA and LSAT. One’s major is practically irrelevant.
@@Learnlawbetter I was still so nervous the last three weeks. Today, I got my first acceptance at Rutgers. I'm in shock. I'm an older student and my GPA wasn't that good. I'm so excited. I'm wondering if I should even apply to the other 3 private colleges on my list. Thank you for making great content.
@@ElenaBrandtNJ Congratulations! I would apply and see what the other schools offer. Even if Rutgers is your first choice, you can use a second offer to maybe get some scholarship money from them.
What about major in pure math, minor in philosophy and computer science? I feel like my case is the weirdest combo lol. I started out as a computer science major, but just changed it recently because I found out math and philosophy is way more fun. All the computer science classes I took give me this minor. I can speak multiple language and definitely have the passion to keep working on my language skills. I’m really confused what kind of career I should do after I finished my undergrad.. (I’m planning to go to law school 2 or 3 years after I graduate from undergrad. ) any advice is appreciated❤️
These are unusual majors in law school. But certainly not ones that will hurt you. I’m guessing that the logical thinking you developed should be quite beneficial in law school.
Philosophy major with minors in Cognitive Neuroscience, Data Science, and Entrepreneurship here. 🙌🏻
What about Economics and minor in communications? I’m paying for myself so I need to work 2 years before law school
Keep working at getting top grades. The degree won’t really help or hurt you in law school.
I was planning on majoring in criminal justice so I could get a better understanding of the law but now I don’t know. It also worries me they tend to have the lowest LSAT scores
If you like the major then do it. Just take some electives with courses that require more critical thinking skills, like seen in some history and philosophy programs.
How about a major in economics? Btw this was great informative video keep up the good work!
Economics is a good degree because if you change your mind about law school then you have other options after graduating from college.
I was a philosophy major who went on to get an M.A. in that discipline; but my best friend at the time, who took philosophy courses along with me, did 'divert' to law school en route to becoming a successful lawyer. As for my subsequent career, I did freelance research and writing for awhile, which left enough flexibility in my workday to enable me to pick up a second graduate degree in information science. This led to a one year stint at a consulting firm, after which I was hired by the online search unit of a major reference library. I ended up a career reference librarian, which suited me perfectly since all I'd ever aspired to do was keep on reading and learning things.
I'm retired now but was never unemployed; so there is light at the end of the tunnel for philosophy majors. Chancing on this video, I'm not at all surprised to learn that an academic background in logic, epistemology and intellectual history is ideal preparation for law school. It's good preparation for much else besides, including, as it turns out, attaining a financial security that's beyond threatening in retirement.
New sub here, show the pillows at the end. looking forward to new content!
I'm currently in School for Paralegal Study and the course descriptions match Law School Courses.
Very good information. I’m 100% committed in going to law school, so this helped a lot.
I'm a biomedical science undergrad major, I got a medium range LSAT score and just went to the nearest law school near me. The honest truth is it doesn't really matter where you go to law school, it's who you know. You can have a perfect 180 LSAT score, go to Harvard (that school really went down hill over the past 10 years), and not land a decent job. But yes, it's the undergrad degree combined with the JD that determines the kind of job you will have. Law is law, you will learn it no matter where you go and everyone ends up taking the same bar exam.
Yes, if you are well connected before going to law school and you have a career path planned out, then the law school you attend won’t matter as much. But I wouldn’t completely discount the doors that an elite law school will open for you.
seems like law schools should weight GPAs based on the difficulty of the major
Great idea, but then there is the problem of how grades are awarded at each college. The same major could be easy at one college but much harder at a different college.
Ben Paik How would you objectively rank certain majors over others? I’m guessing your thinking is something along the lines of “STEM good libtards bad”.
Great teaching in all time
I have two bachelors: a bachelors in English & a bachelors legal studies, wondering if with the legal studies will that look favorable when I apply to law school
Your undergraduate major doesn't matter much to most law schools. The two primary factors driving law school admissions these days is LSAT and undergraduate GPA. A the most selective law schools (Yale, Harvard, and Stanford), they likely do look at majors more closely, but that is to have some balance in their classes.
I am going out for dinner 🍲 with my family tomorrow night so I’ll see you then
Hi, I'm from Brazil and I'm trying to learn English through TH-cam and how I like law. I would like to request subtitles in Portuguese please. I hope Google translator did a good job 🙌🙌. thanks !!!
I guess it also depends on where you are from. Cause in my place it is usually the CPA, who are on top of the board exam.
5:25 the most important point
journalism: who, what, where, when, why. Seems like a good background.
Yes, they ask the right questions. The problem is that they are trained to write concisely, which hurts them when writing a law school essay. Writing concisely makes sense for limited space in a newspaper article, but lawyers need much more.
@@Learnlawbetter How could lawyers need more? And if held to good faith requirements?
My students with journalism degrees provide “just the facts” Lawyers also want to know the why, in minute detail. This means teaching law students to go much deeper in their analysis than they are used to. When working with journalism majors I tell them to be more verbose in their writing. That usually helps them down the path to becoming great legal writers.
This is really informative and insightful material. I just want to ask, what do you think about students with a major in Education pursuing law?
It won’t prepare you for law school, but it shouldn’t hinder you either.
Thank God you said Philosophy, its my second semester and im a philosohy major
Nice! Philosophy is kind of risky. Go to law school and you will be prepared if you try hard. Drop out of law school or don't go to law school what the fuck are you going to do with a philosophy major. Good luck dude, hope the best for you!
This actually gives me some hope because I knew I wanted to go to Las school since I was very young, my major is in philosophy and I have a minor in italian, I also love to play the violin. So hearing you say that this may help gives me a lot of hope, especially while studying for the lsat
Wish you well as you begin applying to law school.
@@Learnlawbetter thank you, I appreciate it very much
I'm a bit worried about going into Poli-Sci now. I plan on double majoring in Poli-Sci and Criminal Justice
If you can get A’s, then go for it. Just know it won’t help you in law school. And that’s okay.
Hi! I was thinking of majoring in history, and I was wondering if the analytical skills you speak of could be similar to those of historian. Not sure if many history majors go on to law school... In your experience, is this a viable major choice? Love your videos, they’ve helped me a lot recently - thanks!
I've had a number of history majors in my classes, and I took a number of history classes in college just for fun. Based on my observations, I don't believe history majors have any significant advantage in law school. While history professors do ask questions about the causes for certain events in history, that's not the same as what law schools require. For example, a law school professor will ask you in class to discuss a judicial decision. So far, that's just like a history discussion. But then the professor will change the facts from the case, and ask you to analyze the new facts. The law professor does this because he is trying to get to a principle in the case. This is because the practice of law requires lawyers to deal with new facts all the time, not old ones they covered in class.
By the way, I do think it is easier to get top grades in history over many other majors in college. You have to balance a few factors: a topic you enjoy, a discipline that you believe will get you "A's," and something you wouldn't mind doing if you change your mind about law school.
Just got admitted to UC Berkeley for political science for my undergrad, I'll be looking to apply to law school in two years!
AJ Alany That’s a great school. Hope you enjoy your time there.
Learn Law Better thank you professor, and I am certain your videos will come in handy when need be!
Law schools are cognisant of the grade averages depending on the major. They are familiar with STEM students who may average 3.2 rather than a philosophy student that averages 3.8. The science students have more difficult programs. Logical. STEM students often do well in LSAT.
When I was on the admissions committee, this would come up when discussing STEM candidates. But always at the end of the admissions cycle when we were filling the last few seats--their lower GPA hurt them from early consideration.
@@Learnlawbetter that’s funny, sounds like a dumb admissions team
@@Learnlawbetter Yes, that is unfortunate.
I did Computer Science, though I’ve been considering Law school lately. Sadly it’d be a pay cut for me at this point and I’d only be doing it out of personal reasons. We’ll see I guess.
Sounds like you’ve done your research. So many go into law expecting a huge pay increase, which often is not the case. Wish you well.