Pre-Law

You want to go to law school — so what subject should you major in? Of all the alternatives, the worst possible choice is probably a major or minor in pre-law or legal studies. How can that be?

To the extent a pre-law major or minor consists of law courses, you will be missing out on a chance to learn something else. If you go to law school, you will get three years of legal study, which is enough to prepare you for practicing law.
To the extent that a pre-law major or minor consists of a smorgasbord of courses from a variety of subjects, you are acquiring no subject-matter specialization or excellence in a particular field. Such specialization provides valuable distinctiveness not only on your law school applications but also potentially in your career after law school.
Law schools want students from a variety of backgrounds and majors. If you are the only student majoring in Biochemistry to apply, you stand a better chance of admission than if you are one of a hundred pre-law majors.
Knowing a lot about a specific field may help you in your legal studies and in your career.

*An English major will be trained in writing and in catching the nuances in what they read.
*A Finance major will be better prepared for law school courses such as Commercial Transactions or Securities Regulation.
*An Economics major includes study in economic analysis, which is part of many law school courses, including those in torts, contracts, property, and antitrust.

To get accepted into law school, you need to do well on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), a standardized admissions test. A recent survey of LSAT test-takers showed that, of 29 majors, the two worst performing were Pre-Law and Criminal Justice — which, ironically, were also the two majors with the most legal content.

What are the most common majors of law school applicants?

#5: English
#4: Economics
#3: Criminal Justice
#2: Psychology (Psychology is one of the top five most popular majors in general, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, so it’s no surprise that it is a popular major for law school applicants.)
#1: Political Science (It sometimes seems that everyone who wants to go to law school majors in Political Science.)

Which majors do best on the LSAT?

#5: Finance
#4: English
#3: History
#2: Philosophy
#1: Economics (Economics is valuable both for its analytical tools and the subject matter to which it applies those tools.

So what subject should you major in if you want to go to law school?

#3: A major that requires you to write a lot and that assesses your writing regularly
#2: A major that strengthens your critical thinking skills and your attention to detail
#1: A major you’re interested in enough to work hard at

Whatever subject you choose as your major:

Take courses that interest you. You’ll work harder and get more out of them.
Take writing-intensive courses. You’ll need those writing skills.
Take rigorous, demanding courses. They’ll force you to think and put wrinkles in your brain.
Take at least one course in each of the five subject areas that do best on the LSAT (See the list above). Not only will you be more likely to get into the law school of your choice, but you will also be more likely to do better when you get there.
Talk regularly with HSU’s pre-law advisor as you plan your coursework:
Michael Monhollon (J.D., University of Virginia)
mikem@hsutx.edu

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1 https://www.toplawschoolconsulting.com/blog/best-majors-for-law-school, citing the Law School Admissions Council
2https://blog.collegevine.com/10-best-undergraduate-majors-for-law-school
3Allen, S. (2023, September 27). Choosing the best undergraduate major for law school. U.S. News & World Report. https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/law-admissions-lowdown/articles/choosing-the-best-undergraduate-major-for-law-school