Is English a good major for law school?
923061
English is an excellent major for law school aspirants.  Law school admissions committees are looking for students that write clearly and elegantly, read closely, and demonstrate strong critical thinking abilities.\n\nEnglish majors focus on all of the above.  \n\nOther excellent majors are Philosophy, Classics, and History.  However, if a concentration in patent law or intellectual property law is planned, computer science would be a good major.  If a career in international law is desired, International Studies, Political Science, or area studies (Asian studies, Russian studies, African studies, etc.) would be a good plan. \n\nI hate to disagree with the above answerers, but many law school admissions committees are not terribly impressed by business majors, because at many universities, business programs are much less rigorous than humanities, social science, and hard science programs.
1096883
it depends. close your eyes. imagine yourself in a career.\nwhatever you see is what you need to do.\nyou could major in one and minor in the other.\nfirst you should start with a general study, then maybe your sophmore or junior year in colledge, you can swich to something more spacific.\nyou may get there and change your mind completley.\nthat is why it is good to start off in a general area but still going to a colledge that offers those courses.\nif your highschool offers street law... you should take it to see if you like it.\nalso...\nhow do you do in health/welness class?\ndo yuo enjoy it?\ndont worry too much. you still have time :)
282605
I'm doing MA Eng Lit in York... the faculty is great here and the environment is best for studying, considering the fact that you will have no entertainment at all during the entire year. What's more, it's second in the country after Oxford!
863471
Most people I know who went to medical school majored in biology, chem, psychology, or biomedical enginnering. It's probably easier since what you're studying overlaps with medicine, obviously. However, I'm sure there have been others who majored in English, but ended up applying to medical school. You just have to find room in your schedule to fit those classes.  Most students prepare and take their MCATs during their junior year. Also, I think it's a good idea to volunteer in the hospital and shadow a doctor. It shows how much you want to be a doctor. Also, grades are very important, so study hard, and get excellent letters of recommendation from professors who know you personally.
273483
If you are referring to Loyola Marymount law school, that is the school I attend right now, and it is my first year there. Loyola law is a great school with great academics. You will learn a lot. In terms of extracurriculars, it depends how involved you want to get. The reputation is very good in LA, however Im not sure about how far it reaches beyond LA. The school's culture is great, the people are not stuck up, and most everybody is willing to help everybody else out. Hopefully this helps.
557988
Political science, philosophy, history and English have been traditional "pre-law" majors, but these days law school admissions are much more competitive, so more and more students seeking law school admission are seeking to distinguish themselves by majoring (and excelling) in other disciplines.   \n\nArea studies are some great law-school preparation choices (South Asian studies, East Asian studies, Eastern-European studies, American studies, etc.), as are religious studies, anthropology, sociology, and interdisciplinary majors of various sorts. This is because many students see themselves in law firms with international scope, or in political or administrative positions after law school.  Becoming fluent in a language other than English, like Chinese, Russian, or Arabic is also a great way to distinguish oneself, and to prepare for the ability to function well in an increasingly multicultural business environment.\n\nLately, there's also been a surge in law school aspirants majoring in the sciences, like chemistry, engineering, and environmental sciences.  Folks who do this often have an eye toward eventually practicing patent law, environmental law, or corporate law with medical or scientific foci.\n\nThe best advice I can give you is this:\nFind a major you're passionate about.  That's the way to excel. If you do this, you'll gain critical thinking skills, polish your writing skills, and acquire expertise in an area of study.  THOSE are the qualifications all law schools look for.\n\nBest wishes!
965520
You'll love it with all its difficult times ...just study hard...and remember that a brain is like a parachute, it works best when open. You'll also love the practical work if you take A.S or A.L biology or chemistry. But work on your English from the first day.
820758
English is plenty practical, it just depends on what sort of work you're open to.\n\nI'm a Biology major with a secondary major in English, which I actually considered to be my "backup" in case I had trouble finding work in the sciences.  \n\nAs with any field of study, teaching is always an option.  That can be angled towards a more general knowledge on lower levels - middle and high school.  To teach at the university level, you'll likely need a PhD (the exception being certain positions at junior colleges, etc, but those are limited and not very involved).  That's several extra years of school and commitment, but it also provides the best opportunity to continue studying/analyzing what you're interested in the most.  As an English professor you'd be expected to not only teach but part of your position would also involve researching a certain author/time period/style of literature that interested you the most.\n\nWhen it comes to working with literature itself, teaching is the primary option.  If you open yourself up to writing though, you'll find a great number of career possibilities.  A person who can write well and analytically or technically is an asset in almost any business, corporation, or, well, anywhere.  Communication is an essential skill for which people will always be hiring.  I'm still pursuing biology myself, but I know that friends in the English department haven't had much trouble finding positions after graduation, and certainly not any more or less than most other areas of study (except for maybe theater - wouldn't really recommend that one.)\n\nIf you really want to know more, I'd suggest seeing if your school has a Career Center of some kind.  People there would be able to tell you exactly what kind of work other graduates are looking into and getting. Otherwise, you are a freshman yet, and even if it seems like the real world is drawing close, four years is still a long time and there will be a lot of classes between now and then to help you make up your mind.  Leave yourself open to other possibilities, and try not to let the career control your decision too much.  It's certainly important to find a job later on, but it's more important now to find out what you enjoy.  That way, regardless of the difficulties in the work world to come, you'll be more willing to keep going, even if it does get tough.\n\nAs far as your motivation is concerned - that's something I think everybody goes through.  You get to college, and you feel burnt out from already studying through so many years of school just to get there.  It certainly doesn't get any easier as it goes, so use what you have of this first year to really figure out how much effort you're going to need to put into your studies to get the grades you want.  One or two low grades at the end of the semester certainly shouldn't be the end of the world, but if you take those too lightly now, it'll be a lot harder to get your study habits back on track later on.  Once you get past your gen ed requirements too, hopefully the more specialized classes will be able to get your interests and motivation up.  Those are the classes that matter more in the end anyway.  Just make sure you find a balance with your social life, your free time, and your study time, and recognize that you'll probably have to make a few sacrifices on all three fronts, but you'll probably be able to manage better in the future because of it.  \n\nYou've probably been told that college will end up being some of the best years of your life.  Make it so.  Enjoy yourself, work hard, and when it comes to what's not in the immediate future - keep it in mind, but don't stress out about it, not yet anyway.\n\n(sheesh, that was long.  sorry - English major habits. ^^)
221441
Criminal justice is always a good bet if you want to go on to law school, but a lot of the top schools like people with diverse interests...and the things you learn in criminal justice wouldn't apply particularly well to being a sports agent.\nPhilosophy, English, History, Politcal Science, and Sociology would all be good, if you're interested in them. The reading and research load you'll have in these classes will be very helpful in law school someday! \nAlso, take a wide variety of classes when you're in college, not just the degree requirements. Pursue any random interest you have, and make yourself as interesting as possible :)
925310
G'day MoeVaygen,\n\nThank you for your question.\n\nI would stick with criminology. It will come in handy when you are practising as a criminal lawyer. Possibly look at doing it as your major together with some more traditional subjects.\n\nI would speak with counsellors at your school. If you have any contacts in law schools, I would seek your advice.  In answering a similar question, Professor X advised that "Law school admissions committees are looking for students that write clearly and elegantly, read closely, and demonstrate strong critical thinking abilities." \n\nThe nub of his advice is that law schools are looking for people who have done programs with intellectual rigor. \n\nTaranto got best answer on an question on whether economics was a good major by arguing that doing a course different from the norm may be an advantage. Certainly criminology may be useful background for someone studying criminal law and a definite advantage for someone practising it.\n\nIf your criminology course is highly regarded, you enjoy it and it is useful, I would stick with it.\n\nRegards
878619
Most schools with top-tier law schools have a good pre-law program (or best training for to get into a law school)\n\nSchools like Stanford, Yale, Harvard, Duke, UNC-CH, UCLA, UChicago, Boston College, Boston University, Georgetown, NYU, and yes Columbia should all be excellent for Pre-Law.\n\nWith that said, smaller liberal arts colleges often offer good pre-law too (Swarthmore, Davidson, Haverford, Skidmore, etc.).\n\nI hope this offers a little guidance.
1079544
That depends on what you want to major in. Some colleges have specialized programs for medical careers, vocational careers, and if you want a Phd you'll have to go to a graduate school. There is of course Ivy League schools which are very rigirous in their selection. Some of these include Harvard, Yale, Oxford, and Princeton. These are considered the cream of the crop, and Harvard has one of the best law programs.\n\nDepending on what you want to concentrate on, you can go to a community college for an associate's and many, many colleges to get a bachelor's. It also depends on how much money you can afford to spend on tution, which includes living expenses, food expenses, and medical expenses.\n\nIt also depends on your extracurricular activities and ACT/SAT scores. You should discuss options with your parents and guidence counslers! Good luck!
324376
Attorneys make more money, of course, but it seems like teaching at the university level would be more rewarding in other ways. Both would be stressful. I hear it's pretty hard to find a professorship, though. But a decent lawyer can always find work. If you're serious about pursuing an MA or a PHD in history, don't expect to have an easy time finding a job after you graduate. I'm thinking about going for an MA in literature. I just think it could be depressing to be a lawyer. I heard a good quote from a lawyer, regarding his job: "There are a lot of trees, but no forest."--In other words, you spend a lot of time poring over papers filled with boring little details, without ever dealing with the things that really matter in life. As a history prof, you'd get to spend more of your time thinking about the bigger issues.
172585
It can be hard to get into a good law school but providing your grades for the Finance/Accounting were good, you should find a suitable law school. Of course the more important question is "Why on earth would any thinking person want to be a lawyer?" Lawyers drive up the cost of doing business and usually add only marginal benefit. Why don't you look at something useful like an MBA.
1023973
There really isn't a specific "pre-law" program that law schools want you to complete before you apply for admission to law school.  They will accept students from just about any undergraduate major, depending on your grades, LSAT scores, and other variables.
259369
With a BA in English you can go into teaching... with a BA in english you can go so many different ways... Law School, Education, Editing, Marketing, Sales..... etc...
817100
Im currently in the process of becoming a tax attorney or corporate lawyer, I cant decide.  I have completed my undergraduate degree in accounting and I am in an MBA program.  Also, I am applying to law school for fall 07.  The university I attend has a J.D. program where I can get both my law degree and MBA at the same time while reducing the number of hours incurred by pursuing them independently.  For specifically tax law/attorney, I would suggest an undergraduate degree in preferably accounting, a MS accountancy or MBA and law school.  Also, it is a very good idea to test for the CPA as mentioned earlier.  Keep your GPA as high as possible and do as well as you can on the LSAT, everything else is destiny.