Colleges for Pre-Law Students
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| Colleges for Pre-Law Students |
Most prospective law students already know that while a Bachelor’s degree is necessary for law school applicants, a pre-law degree is not. Still many students with a passion for the subject seek out universities that either offer this major at the undergraduate level, or those that have a consistently high percentage of graduates who are accepted into law schools. Here we have listed the colleges with the most renowned pre-law Bachelor’s degree programs for students who intend to enroll in a law school after the completion of their undergraduate education.
1. Yale University:
Having overtaken Harvard as the most selective university in the country, Yale only admits 6-7% of its applicants each new academic year. As a result, acceptance there is coveted by students at the top of their class nation-wide. There is no official pre-law major at Yale; however, many of the majors offered — such as political science, international relations, and social & policy studies — can be beneficial to future law students. Undergraduates who complete a Bachelor’s degree program at Yale are more likely to gain acceptance into the university’s prestigious graduate school of law.
2. Harvard University:
Considered one of the greatest educational institutions in the country since its establishment in 1636, Harvard University has no fixed requirements, in terms of majors, for students interested in eventually earning a law degree. Living up to its reputation, most law school hopefuls find success after completing their undergraduate education here. Harvard offers pre-law students specialized advisement to make their major — whether something easily related to law such as economics or history, or less so like literature or mathematics — more suited to their long-term academic and professional goals.
3. Princeton University:
As an undergraduate at Princeton, there are ample opportunities to get a taste of legal studies in and outside of the classroom. A pre-law curriculum is not clearly defined; much like at Harvard and Yale, pre-law students work one-on-one with advisers who will direct them to take courses speaking to legal topics that interest them. Student-run groups and organizations on campus (such as debate clubs, mock trials, or the ACLU student chapter) also assist students use their passion for legal studies to refine the skills that most directly pertain to the field of law.
4. Brown University:
Students interested in the study and practice of law will find a wealth of resources and assistance at Brown University, including three deans dedicated to advising and preparing undergraduate students for a thorough legal education. Again, as emphasized in each of these schools, no particular major is right or wrong for students who will eventually pursue a graduate education in law; however, at Brown, pre-law students are encouraged to study a broad range of history, political studies, business, and financial subjects as well as humanities with the hopes of finding their legal niche along the way. Students at Brown are also granted assistance in finding internships or work at local law firms, advocacy organizations, and government offices.
It’s safe to say that an education at any Ivy League school would be looked upon favorably by law school admission boards; however, the four aforementioned schools in particular are successful in helping students who have completed their undergraduate degree program to enroll in law school within one year of graduation.
5. Stanford University:
Accepting approximately 9% of its yearly applicants, Stanford is often considered “Ivy Plus” — not actually part of the famous athletic conference, but on par with those top tier universities in terms of academics. With a high ranking law school that most successful pre-law undergraduates aim to enroll in after graduation, Stanford provides a quality educational experience for prospective law students in a range of concentrations. According to the Princeton Review, Stanford University is ranked as providing the “best classroom experience” to pre-law undergraduates and graduate law students alike. Additionally, the Stanford Pre-Law Society is dedicated to supporting its members along their paths to law school as well as bringing together like-minded students interested in pursuing legal careers.
6. Amherst College:
Amherst and its sister school, Williams, are both considered top tier universities in the U.S.; however, Amherst offers students a unique opportunity to declare a major in law, jurisprudence, and social thought. This Bachelor’s degree program provides a thorough understanding of interdisciplinary law within the context of a liberal arts core curriculum. The program includes 11 distinctive courses including studies in anthropology, economics, history, philosophy, political science, theology, and sociology. Upon graduation, students will not only be familiar with the practical, moral, and social implications of the law, but also have obtained the knowledge and skills necessary to continue their education at a prestigious law school.
7. Duke University:
Like the aforementioned Ivy League universities, Duke recommends students interested in a career in law study a broad range of subjects — drawing on humanities, business, and other fields — while maintaining a concentration in an area that will help them easily integrate into a specific area of legal studies for their post-graduate education. With a team of pre-law advisers, students will be able to define their own academic goals and realize them in the context of a pre-law education. The university, and specifically the pre-law advising office, refers to this as the “Duke pre-law process.” Undergraduates can also join Bench and Bar, the pre-law society at Duke University, to participate in programs and activities to help relate their chosen undergraduate degree program to a more focused legal path.
8. University of California, Berkeley:
At UC Berkeley, pre-law undergraduates are advised to take courses that will develop writing, reasoning, and speaking skills. Additionally, it is recommended that pre-law students acquire a general understanding of business, politics, and sociology. Among students who aim to enroll in law school after graduation, the most popular degrees pursued include political science, economics, business administration, history, English, and rhetoric. In the last five years, 77% of UC Berkeley graduates who applied to law schools were accepted. This includes those who continued their graduation at the UC Berkeley Law School.
9. University of Chicago:
At this top ranking university, students have the opportunity to join the Chicago Careers in Law program. This organization allows students and alumni alike to participate in workshops, find internships, and receive one-on-one advising for all their law-related endeavors, from graduating as a pre-law student to finding employment at a law firm after graduation from a Master’s degree program. Some of the most beneficial parts of this program include skill building seminars that focus on teaching legal research techniques, experiential learning opportunities, and law school visits where pre-law students are encouraged to visit and sit in on a graduate-level law class.
10. Northwestern University:
Like most of the colleges and universities on this list, Northwestern encourages a focus on a quality liberal arts education for its pre-law students. Pre-law advisers at Northwestern recommend courses that will help student develop writing, analytic, reasoning, and speaking skills. This school also provides step-by-step guides that pre-law students can follow from one year to the next to ensure that they are adequately prepared to embark in a law degree program after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree. The Northwestern University Career Services department offers the guidance and resources necessary to help students from any academic concentration to find internship and job opportunities that will build upon their legal studies.